Giveaway! Kept by Sally Bradley!

Welcome to Writing for Christ Sally Bradley, it is great to have you here! So you’re a writer? What made you decide to start creating characters and story world?

I’ve always been this way, so I’d say God did it. I really do think He wanted me to write Christian fiction, and I’m thrilled to do it.

What is the one title that has significantly impacted your life?

 Karen Ball’s The Breaking Point. I think it’s an important book because it was the first time someone ever said to me that marriage wasn’t my “right” to a happily ever after but God’s method for making me more like Him. Talk about life changing! Our whole country needs to hear that.

If you could get a do-over when it came to learning this whole thing called writing, what would you go back and tell yourself?

I’ve had seasons where I didn’t write much, but that was because I was pregnant and had a toddler (hello, afternoon nap every single day!) or was working or... I just didn’t have the time then to write like I wanted to. So I’m always tempted to point to those times, but I do think they were necessary periods that made me a better person and writer.

5 preference questions:

Homemade or take-out? Take out—no clean up and I can write more!

Email or snailmail? Email. I stink at anything that require a stamp.

Online shopping or Black Friday deals?—Online shopping. Even then I don’t do that. My husband does most of the gift shopping for the kids (he’s so good!), and he’s usually done by the first week of December. Then all the Amazon boxes start to arrive. It’s fun!

Books or movies? Books. Hands down.

Note-taker or memorization? I used to remember everything. Now... I take notes and make lists and forget to take them with me. It’s a gift. I’m just glad we live 3.3 minutes from the grocery store.

               

Yes, I’m asking you to play favorites…which of your books is your favorite, published or unpublished? And if this is your debut novel, has your favorite been published yet?

Kept is my favorite book so far! I adore my characters and can’t imagine the next book will be as entertaining. Of course I said that after I finished my previous book too. So that’s encouraging.

Places for readers to learn more about you?

 I’m mostly on Facebook at Sally Bradley, Writer and my website, sallybradley.com. For those interested in my book Kept, there’s a Pinterest page. Twitter and I kinda nod at each other in passing. If you’re okay waiting a few days for me to get back to you J, let’s connect there. I’m @SallyBWrites.

Thank you for being with us today!

Thanks so much for having me, Casey.

Readers, enter to win Sally's book here!

Please leave an email address! 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 October 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 

Giggles and Grins Kind of Day!

Is there a reason then, that I am still single??

Oh I got such a chuckle out of this image! 

And speaking of writers, while I'm hanging out with writers all this weekend at the annual American Christian Fiction Writer's Conference in St. Louis, Missouri, doing all kinds of appropriate things like this...

And this...

You can actually be listening to my serious side in my very first podcast interview with Lori Clapper from Wonderfully Woven where I talk purity, modesty and waiting on God's perfect timing in every area of our lives. 

And if you're so interested, your's truly will be presenting the Carol Awards tomorrow night at the annual ACFW Gala and you can watch it live here!

Just a fun, make you laugh kind of post on your Friday! I'll see you right back here on Monday! 

Happy weekend!

Giveaway! The Ballantyne Legacy by Laura Frantz!

Welcome back Laura Frantz! Since this is the third time for you to visit, I thought I would throw in some fun questions, maybe some that aren’t part of the norm in other interviews. :- )

If you could go anywhere on vacation where would it be?

Scotland! I’m sure you’re not surprised by thatJ. Love those lilts, kilts, sheep, lemon curd, scones and such.

Do you have any pets?

Digger is our big lab-retriever mix and Cracker is our black cat. I dream of having a canary that sings!

Your favorite book that you have written?

Oh my! That’s kind of like choosing a favorite child! Each is a favorite in their own way. But if I had to choose it would probably be Love’s Reckoning because of Silas. Though I do love Red Shirt and that rascal, Colonel McLinn…

What is your favorite pastime?

Currently I’m in a knitting frenzy and am reading George MacDonald’s books. I also love to go to the pool and take long walks. And I love to cook, can, and garden, but no necessarily in that order!

Favorite book?

I used to say The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery but lately I would choose anything by George MacDonald, the 19^th-century Scots pastor/novelist.

Favorite movie?

It’s a tie! North and South and The Last of the Mohicans. I don’t usually rewatch movies but can nearly quote these!

What people have inspired you in your writing journey?

My brother, Chris, inspired me to share my stories when I was content to just let them sit in a drawer. He’s a pastor/missionary in Spain. As far as writing mentors, Julie Lessmann has blessed me beyond words with her Christ-like passion and the selfless promotion she does for my books. She’s always there, always in prayer, and always writes from the depths of her heart/soul. Also, readers who’ve embraced my stories and support me with reviews and mail mean more than I can say and inspire me to keep writing.

What character in a novel you have read has stood out and seemed to stand the test of time?

Neil MacNeill, the Scottish doctor, in Christy. And Christy herself, of course.

If you could meet one person from history who would it be and why?

Other than Jesus, that would be my hero, Daniel Boone. He was a remarkable man and I’ve never found one negative thing about him in all the research I’ve done. Readers have even talked me into including him in a future Kentucky story.

Okay, last one and a fun one for our readers today: If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take one thing, what would it be? Why?

Honestly, my Bible. It’s the only thing that’s needed.

Too fun, thanks for joining us for a third time!! It is a privilege. :- )

Casey, you make returning a joy, always. Blessings on your beautiful blog and ministry!

Readers, do you want to win Laura's entire recent series? This is only one of two places where you can enter to win the ENTIRE series! 

Please leave an email address! 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 October 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 

I’m Praying for His Wife…Even if It’s Not Me

I had a revelation the other night, driving home through the darkened streets of my new Colorado town.

It’s not about me.

Wow. Big shocker and original thought, I know.

I’ve been blessed to meet and get to know some great guys in my twenty-three years. Maybe there is hope yet for our world…But the thing of it is? None of these guys could be my “Mr. Right”. Maybe one of them is. Maybe not.

The more time I spend around the young men that walk across my life, the more God guides me—the more I realize…It’s not all about me.

One of the most passionate posts I have written on my blog was this one: Don’t Ruin My Man.

Don’t intentionally hurt the man I will spend the rest of my life with. I might not have met this man yet, but nothing makes my hackles rise more than knowing some girl willingly strung a guy along, only to hurt his heart because of her own selfish desires.

Not every girl is like that. But sometimes things end badly and my heart breaks for those guys stuck on the other side.

Guys are not fragile creatures. But they do invest so much into wooing a girl. Pursuing her.

As a single girl, I often lose focus and think it’s all about me. What makes me desirable and interesting enough for a guy to know me. But it’s just as much about him too. He’s not a brainless machine aiming to win a girl’s hand so he can move on with life.

He’s putting his heart on the line, just as much as I am. And we forget that. We forget that guys are just as wounded when things end badly. They have desires and dreams too—desires and dreams they want us to fit into.

I’ve watched man after man walk into my life, in some way, aching from the painful breakup or relationship in his past. And I hurt for him.

I hurt for the pain he had to endure. For the way his heart was handed back to him.

And I realized in this not being all about me and what I want in Mr. Right—maybe he needs to see beyond the pain to a girl with a heart purely chasing after God. Maybe he needs to see that there is more to the girls of this world than the one that hurt him, and he can be valued and treasured just as highly as we want to be.

Truthfully: this is the hardest thing I have ever done.

Because it means setting aside my desires and attractions for the sake of showing a Christian love to the young men I interact with.

So I’m praying for his wife.

And she might not be me.

But one I thing I do know: she will be an incredibly blessed woman. And I’m praying that when he finds her, she will change his life in ways he never would have expected.

Every time I have been caught up in a crush, flirtation entanglement and desires overwhelming my heart, but am never sure if they are being returned or noticed—I stop. I give his wife and that future over to God.

Because I would want another girl doing the same for me.

We don’t know the lives that touch our future spouse until we arrive in each other’s lives. I don’t want to be one of those people who hurts someone, even unintentionally.

So I’m praying for his wife.

That she will be worthy and realize the treasure she will find.

Even if she isn’t me.

Especially if she isn’t me.

When I do this, my entire perspective changes and God’s peace breathes over my soul.

It’s not about me. It’s not about impressing him. Or getting his attention. It’s about shining God’s love into a heart that has been hurt. Because we all have in some way. So I’m praying my life will encourage and uplift his. Because really, what else is more important than that? 

A Sweet Surprise ~ All's Fair in Love and Cupcakes by Betsy St. Amant ~ Review

Definitely a sweet-tooth worthy surprise!

“All’s Fair in Love and Cupcakes” had one of those sweet heroes that literally made my hopeless romantic heart go pitter-patter. Lucas loves Kat with a beautiful, sacrificial love that is stuck in limbo between “best friends” and “something more”. I couldn’t help but ache for him just a little and wish he would walk off the pages of the book and be the “boy next door”.

Between the combination of sugary cupcake sweetness and kisses that would make any girl swoon, this novel did nothing short of entertain and delight me from beginning to end. Sassy humor with a spunky story line, I cheered for Kat and wanted her to see her dream come true—and yet realize that love was directly in front of her…if she would only open up her eyes and her mouth to communicate it! Much can be said for the romantic tension, but I’ll leave it at that for now.

Kat is loveable and sweet, though she has her faults and I anxiously counted the pages until she realized it’s not just about the cupcakes, it has never been just about the cupcakes. I loved the themes threading through the book and the sacrificial surrender of each of the characters in the end, in the face of their ultimate desire.

All together, thumbs up and I will eagerly wait for more!

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

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
More about the novel...

She's written a recipe for her future, but does it include love?

Katherine 'Kat' Varland is a small town girl, born and raised---and every day, her dreams of owning her own bakery get further away. She has no money, and the cupcake shop she bakes for, Sweetie Pies, seems to get smaller and smaller. Kat might be the sweetheart of Bayou Bend, Louisiana, but she longs to make a name for herself where she can flourish as Kat---not as the girl baking someone else's recipes.

As head coach for the Bayou Bend championship high school football team, Lucas Brannen is used to winning---everything except his best friend's heart. He finally gathers the courage to make a gesture and show Kat his feelings by signing her up for the popular reality TV show Cupcake Combat. But his plan backfires after he realizes the cash prize for the winner also includes a one-year baking contract at one of New York City's most famous pastry houses.

The situation grows sticky when Kat enlists Lucas's help as her baking assistant for the show. Lucas is torn between helping Kat live her dream and selfishly wanting to keep her in town. His plan has always been a dozen acres of land and a farmhouse in Bayou Bend---but Kat is blinded by the stars in her eyes.
Will Lucas and Kat risk their chance at love in order to achieve their individual dreams? Or will they find that sometimes the most delicious happily-ever-afters begin and end in the same place?

*~*Contest Info!*~*

Don't miss Betsy St. Amant's latest fiction release, All's Fair in Love and Cupcakes. A "sweet" tale of two best friends and the choices they make between dreams and a possible "sure thing," St. Amant's novel is sure to satisfy your romantic-fiction craving.

Betsy is celebrating with a fun Kindle giveaway and a Love & Cupcakes Facebook party! One winner will receive:

• A brand new Kindle
• All's Fair in Love and Cupcakes by Betsy St. Amant

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on September 18th. Winner will be announced at the "Love & Cupcakes" Author Chat Party on 9/18. Betsy will be hosting a "sweet" book chat, giving away prizes, and answering questions from readers. She will also share an exclusive sneak peek at her next book project!

So grab your copy of All's Fair in Love and Cupcakes and join Betsy on the evening of September 18th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 18th!

Giveaway! Playing by Heart by Anne Mateer!

Welcome to Writing for Christ Anne Mateer, it is great to have you here! So you’re a writer? What made you decide to start creating characters and story world?

Almost from the time I could read I found myself wanting to write stories of my own. In 4^th grade, I took a 2 week summer class on poetry and never looked back. I can also clearly remember the exact moment I decided I wanted to be a published author. I was in middle school and had just closed the covers of a Eugenia Price book. I knew I wanted to write historical fiction filled with spiritual truths.

What is the one title that has significantly impacted your life?

That’s a really hard question because my mind immediately runs to a

t least a dozen books! But in the end, I have to say The Bible, as cliché as that sounds. But truthfully, I fell in love with the Word of God many years ago and my while I’d called myself a Christian for decades before that, I began to really see change in my life when I spent time in the pages of God’s Word. It still changes my life as I read it today.

If you could get a do-over when it came to learning this whole thing called writing, what would you go back and tell yourself?

I would get serious about studying the craft of writing a whole lot earlier! I had this weird notion that if I had to learn about writing then I wasn’t really a writer. It took me a while to understand that writing, like anything else, has to be learned and worked at—even for those with natural talent.

5 preference questions:

Homemade or take-out? Always take-out!!

Email or snailmail? Email.

Online shopping or Black Friday deals? I love online shopping!!

Books or movies? Books—and BBC tv shows. J

Note-taker or memorization? Well, I used to be a memorizer, but as I’ve grown older I’ve become a copious note-taker! If I don’t write it down, I won’t remember!

               

Yes, I’m asking you to play favorites…which of your books is your favorite, published or unpublished? And if this is your debut novel, has your favorite been published yet?

Oh my! I’d say it’s a toss up between two of my unpublished books—one historical, one contemporary. Both are very autobiographical in theme, not circumstance. Even after all these years, I still love both stories. Maybe one day I’ll revise them and put them out there.

Places for readers to learn more about you?

I blog fairly regularly on my website www.annemateer.com, but I also love connecting with fellow readers and writers on Facebook (www.facebook.com/AuthorAnneMateer), twitter (www.twitter.com/annemateer), and pinterest (www.pinterest.com/annemateer).

Thank you for being with us today! 

Readers, enter to win Anne's book here!

Please leave an email address! 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 26th.

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 

Learning the Meaning of Contentment

I am generally a very content person. I am happy where I’m at. What I’m doing and who I get to spend my time with. I am not easily rattled and glad to be where God has put me when He has put me there.

Photo Credit

To shake me from this foundation is a soul-aching kind of rattle. I’m confused. Stumble about as though I’ve lost my direction. And in many ways that is the case. I don’t like to be restless. And restlessness is often a choice.

But not always. Last summer, I was incredibly restless. With where I was, what I was doing—nothing felt right and yet to leave didn’t feel correct either. Wise voices in my life told me God was planning something bigger for me. I wasn’t so sure. I just wanted to go back to being happy and content.

Now I’m a resident of Colorado, have a great job and life is moving forward.

So is what does it mean to be content? Does it mean always pushing aside your dreams and desires to be “happy” where God has you? That’s superficial happiness at best and doesn’t lead to true contentment.

 Contentment, at the core, is peace. Peace with where God has you. What God is teaching you. Right now, 

to be 100% honest, there is more I’d like to be doing.. There is a new beginning I want to leap into with both feet.

I’m ready—or like to think I’m ready—to find the one to spend the rest of my life with and stop living as a single and embrace what it means to be two—three in Christ.

But…that’s not where God has me right now. And that’s okay. Doesn’t make it easy. Doesn’t make it my ideal, but that’s just the thing: it’s MY ideal.

It’s a God-driven dream, sure. He wouldn’t have put this desire with me—within you—if it weren’t the right thing. But it needs to be with the right one. Not because I’m desperate—which I’m not. Not because I’m impatient—and yes I can be. And not because I want to settle—something I will never do.

Contentment is a choice.

Remember when your mom would tell you being bored is your choice? Same concept. Because even in the midst of restlessness and sensing the greatest of God’s coming changes, I had to learn to be content. I had to learn to wait on Him and His perfect timing for my future.

We learn to be content by aligning our hopes and dreams for our future and our present with what God has for us. By asking Him to teach us even when it hurts and feels slow. To give us grace and patience and teach us what those words mean.

Because through everything, God is teaching us. Growing us. It’s our job to learn to be content through the growing and stretching and know that every day is an adventure deeper into the will and love of Jesus. 

Giveaway! Nowhere to Turn by Lynette Eason!

Welcome to Writing for Christ Lynette Eason, it is great to have you here! So you’re a writer? What made you decide to start creating characters and story world?

My husband travels a lot for his job. I was lonely and decided to start talking to the voices in my head! LOL

What is the one title that has significantly impacted your life?

The very first one that was published. LETHAL DECEPTION. It was the book I first got THE CALL on and it’s been a roller coaster ride ever since. :- )

If you could get a do-over when it came to learning this whole thing called writing, what would you go back and tell yourself?

Don’t over commit. Makes sure to leave a buffer in your schedule and don’t be afraid to say no thanks to things that will over stress you. :- )

5 preference questions:

Homemade or take-out? Take-out

Email or snailmail? Email

Online shopping or Black Friday deals? ONLINE

Books or movies? Books

Note-taker or memorization? Note-taker. I can’t remember anything anymore.

               

Yes, I’m asking you to play favorites…which of your books is your favorite, published or unpublished? And if this is your debut novel, has your favorite been published yet?

The one that’s coming out next year – No Place to Hide.

Places for readers to learn more about you?

You can find me here:  www.facebook.com/lynette.eason

@lynetteeason

www.lynetteeason.com

Thank you for being with us today!

Thank you so much for having me!

Readers, enter to win Lynette's book here!

Please leave an email address! 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 19th

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 

Take a Second Look

Something I have learned: there is plenty of time for people watching when you are stuck in big city traffic.

I’m from a very, very small town in Eastern Oregon and I have moved to the very, very big city of Denver, Colorado. I’ve also learned my country boot clad lead foot, does not mix well with miles of backed up traffic all waiting for the same green light.

But anyway. That’s a complaint for another blog post about the absurdness of living in the city. ;-) God is force-feeding me the meaning of patience, of this, I am 100% certain. A little bit of sugar with the medicine, please God? Oh well…

Regardless, I have learned there is plenty of time for people watching, observation and chances to talk with God as He opens my eye to the world around me.

On the street corner, as I waited oh-so-(im)patiently, for my stop light to change, were two teen girls. Blonde and athletically built, they were obviously headed to or from some kind of sporting event. As I sat in my car, several yards away, I couldn’t help but wondering if they were aware just how immodestly they were dressed.

And I wondered—do we as girls realize the second looks we are getting from the world around us?

Yes. Yes. We do.

It’s why we stand for so long in our closets every morning and think about what we’re going to wear. Maybe even think about who we might run into and how we want to make an impression upon them. Yes, as girls, we do think about how we look and how we present the overall image.

But do we realize that the second looks we are getting, when we open ourselves up to less than modest dress, are not the God-honoring kind?

When I get a second look, I don’t want it to be because of how nice my jeans fit or the flattering cut of the blouse I chose, but because the spirit of Jesus Christ is pouring out of me. I was once told by someone—who had only known me a handful of hours, that I had a quiet, strengthening faith that impressed him.

Wow.

I still savor those words over a year later. Because that is how I want to appear to those around me. Not by how short my shorts are, how long my legs look or how great that new shirt feels, but how much I love Jesus. And how very, very clear that is to everyone around me.

I want to give Jesus a second look when people see me.

I’m all for feeling pretty and attractive in my clothing choices. I like to feel good about how I look. But feeling good and looking great, always should take a back seat to everything else I want to be known for in Christ. I don’t want others to take a second look and stumble because of the clothing I’ve chosen to wear.

I want people to take a second look and say, “Wow, she loves Christ.”

Giveaway! Sunken Treasure by Katy Lee!

Welcome back Katy Lee! Since this is the third time for you to visit, I thought I would throw in some fun questions, maybe some that aren’t part of the norm in other interviews. :- )

If you could go anywhere on vacation where would it be?

Most likely Scotland, due to my heritage from there, but I’ve been to Italy before, and will return someday, I’m sure.

Do you have any pets? 

I have one kitty cat now. We lost our Princess Kitty this summer and are still a little weepy over it.

Your favorite book that you have written? 

My new release is my favorite right now. “Sunken Treasure” required me to step out of my comfort zone and go SCUBA diving. Yikes! My next series after my Stepping Stones Island series takes place around a speedway, and I’ve been on two high-speed races already. But I draw the line at skydiving. No way! That I will not do.

What is your favorite pastime? 

I’ve always been a big traveler and still do love seeing God’s creation with my own eyes, but my children have become quite the little swimmers on the swim team, and I am LOVING being a Swim Mom in the stands.

What people have inspired you in your writing journey? 

I am blessed to have wonderful writers right in my own town. They are my support and totally “get” me. We each write different genres, but we don’t let that come between us.

What character in a novel you have read has stood out and seemed to stand the test of time? 

Catherine Anderson wrote a book called “Phantom Waltz” with a paraplegic heroine. This is not a Christian book, but the characters really affected me. It was a different kind of romance. Anyway, it really made me want to write characters that have the odds stacked against them, and yet, they come across as strong and driven. My book “Warning Signs” has a deaf heroine, and it’s my hope I accomplished this. Reviews from readers, especially deaf readers have said every hearing person needs to read this book to grasp a better understanding of the lives of people who are deaf.

If you could meet one person from history who would it be and why? 

This tends to change for me as I read literature with my children. Right now we are reading “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” by Mark Twain. So, I would say right now it would be Samuel Clemens.

Okay, last one and a fun one for our readers today: If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take one thing, what would it be? Why? 

Ha-Ha, I was asked this question in college. I had to perform an impromptu speech, and they threw that question out at me. My answer then was a lighter so I could start a fire create smoke signals and get rescued. Today, I would probably say the same thing, but I might wait a day or two and enjoy the peace and quiet while I had a chance.

Too fun, thanks for joining us for a third time!! It is a privilege. :- )

Readers, enter to win Katy's here!

Please leave an email address! 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 12th

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