Giveaway! The Ride of Her Life by Lorna Seilstad!!

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

This one is always hard for me. Besides writing, I’m also a wedding coordinator. I haven’t done as many weddings, though, since I became published.  I love helping couples make their days magical and making sure everything comes off without a hitch. I also do some wedding flowers, too. I’ve had 400 red roses in my house at a time.

Do you have a favorite genre to read/write?

Obviously I love to read and write historical romance, but I also love science fiction/fantasy and mysteries. I’ve always loved the Dragons of Pern series by Ann McCaffrey. The way she created an entire world amazes me.

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

One thing I try to do is illicit some kind of emotional reaction from the reader on the first page. It might be to make them laugh, to feel a sense of justice, or to make them feel a sense of urgency. All of these make an emotional connection with the reader right from the start.

5 things you love?

Teaching Bible Classes ( I teach 5^th and 6^th Graders the book of Acts)

Oreos

Dove Chocolate

Sunday afternoon naps

The smell of lilacs

What do you enjoy most about being a published author?

There are a lot of things I love. I love interacting with readers, and I love telling the story I feel God has given me to share. I love the feeling of writing a scene that just comes together, and I love my writer friends like you Casey!

Casey: I love you too, Lorna! J

Places for readers to learn more about you?

My website is www.lornaseilstad.com, and I write with a 10 person blog at www.inkspirationalmessages.com.

They can “like” my  Facebook fan page (http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Lorna-Seilstads-Fan-Page/119754468040830) or follow me on Twitter.

Thank you for being with us today! 

Readers, here is your chance to enter to win Lorna'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 May 25th.

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 

Conversation Friday: Three Things NEVER on Your Bucket List

Rewrites.

Editing.

Critiqueing.

Plotting.

ACFW registering.

That's the stuff of what my week was made of. And enjoyable stuff at that. ;-)

I haven't had a conversation post for too long. The next time I was going to do one, I had big plans to center it around a vlog post. 

Photo Credit: Microsoft Office

I took one look at my hang-to-dry-wild hair today and thought...um no. Yes, I admit I'm a bit vain. Sigh. 

So between plotting my next story (of which I'm sooo excited about!), I hope to jump in to hear your side of the computer conversation.

My latest story is all about the bucket list. What would you do if you knew you were going to die tomorrow?

But I'm going to turn the question on it's ear.

What three things will NEVER be on your Bucket List? Three things you will never, never, ever even think about attempting?

I'll start...

Skydive. 

(are you crazy???)

Eat sushi.

(raw fish...shudderrr)

Rock climb 

(a mountain/cliff/boulder/the gravel in my driveway...)

(heights and the fear of plummeting to my death and I so don't get along)

There. I've laid it all out there for you. 

My squeamishness of touching a frog, girlish scream-dances at the sight of mice and the irrational fear of a rock-climbing-skydiving-sushi-eating future spouse that might very well want to sacrifice my life and limb on the alter of "having fun".

Can you tell I've spent too much time trying to figure out ways to torture my characters? 

;-))

What are three things that will NEVER be on your bucket list?

SPECIAL POST! Giveaway ~ Wildflowers from Winter by Katie Ganshert!

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

It’s great to be here! Hmmm….the average reader probably wouldn’t know that we’re adopting a little boy or girl from the Congo. The orphan crisis is pretty desperate there, what with war and poverty and AIDS. We’re very eager to be a forever family to one of these precious ones.  It’s an incredibly long process, though, so we have a wait ahead of us.

Do you have a favorite genre to read/write?

You know, I don’t have a favorite genre to read. To write, yes. I love writing Co Ro Wo Fi. What is this, you may ask? It’s contemporary romance and women’s fiction wrapped up into one. Since I can’t decide between the two, I figured I’d squish them together. Hence, Co Ro Wo Fi. When it comes to reading, give me a captivating story with memorable characters and I’m good to go.

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

Write a story you’d want to read. I know that is so simple and sort of obvious. But I really love this nugget of advice. We need to write the kind of stories we wish were out there on the shelves. The kind of stories that would keep us up at night, turning pages. That’s always my goal when I set out to write a novel.

5 things you love?

Jesus, my husband, my son, my dog, and words.

What do you enjoy most about being a published author?

Oh, so many things! It’s impossible to choose.

Probably the excitement. It’s pretty much off the hook as a debut author. Everything is so new and fresh. I get to experience all these really cool firsts—first book cover, first endorsement, first galleys, first ARC, first review, first email from a satisfied reader. The whole thing feels full of energy. 

Or maybe it’s the simple act of sharing my work. Or the connection that happens when a reader resonates with these characters that have become extensions of myself.

All of it. It’s all my favorite. J

Places for readers to learn more about you?

I have a whole bunch of fun stuff about my books and my journey as a writer and a Christian on my website: www.katieganshet.com.

I blog three times a week—thoughts on writing every Monday, thoughts on faith every Wednesday, and usually something about love or romance on Fridays. Sometimes I deviate. www.katieganshert.com/blog.

I’m also on Facebook, where I interact a lot with readers (www.facebook.com/AuthorKatieGanshert) and on Twitter (@KatieGanshert).

Thank you for being with us today! 

Readers, here is your chance to enter to win Katie's DEBUT novel!

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 May 25th.

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 

Cute and Sooo Relatable ~ The Homeschool Experiment by Charity Hawkins ~ Review

I think this novel will get a “Yes Ma’am!” fist pump from about every homeschool mom out there. Don’t tell me you can’t pick up this book and not relate to the story just a *little* bit.

            It’s the quirky kind of tell-all story that will give the non-homeschooler a peeping-tom view of that first few years of “experimentation” into the concept called homeschooling. And to those who have walked (and ARE walking) the path called home education just might send the author hate mail at telling their families secrets. Trust me, we already know them! ;-)

            As a homeschool graduate of all twelve years, there is no place I would have rather spent my education, but as also the first child of my parents, I can completely relate to many of the things that had to be tried and retried within the course of the novel. I had to laugh at some parts!

            It’s the kind of novel that doesn’t have a lot of plot depth, but definitely the kind of read a worn out mom can enjoy at the end of the day and feel instant encouragement that she is so not the only one.

            It’s a cute read, quick and funny and more than just a dash of real life.

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

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More about the novel...

Julianne Miller feels God nudging her to homeschool her three children. The only problem is, she has no idea what she’s doing. Julianne was her high school valedictorian, graduated from college with honors, and had a successful career in the business world. How hard could first grade possibly be? 

Her plans and schedules all look so good on paper. But when it comes to avoiding her preschooler’s public meltdowns, keeping her toddler alive and in a clean diaper, and getting through the morning without everyone dissolving in tears, Julianne is thinking she might not be quite up to the task. 

Can her co-op friends help her before she loses her mind or ruins her children for good? Or should she give up this crazy idea and prove her mother-in-law right? 

With refreshing humor and honesty, Charity Hawkins offers moms encouragement in their noble work at home, a chance to laugh at the moments only a mom would understand, and a reminder to cherish those gifts right under their roofs— those wild, irrational, precious people—their own children. Though the book deals with homeschooling, it also addresses the larger question, “What happens when you feel called to do something that seems entirely too big for you?"

Giveaway and Author Interview: Mary's Blessing by Lena Nelson Dooley

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

I really love to eat fresh lobster. I don’t get a chance to eat it very often, but I love it. 

Do you have a favorite genre to read/write? 

My favorite genre to write is whatever proposal my agent can get a publisher to buy. Right now, I’m in working on the 4^th book of 7 in a row that are historical romantic women’s fiction. I call it that genre, because they don’t really fit the strictly romantic genre, because of the multiple Point of View characters and depth of the issues involved. 

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

If God wants a publisher to buy a proposal, that publisher will buy it. So I am able to just rest in that. Every time my agent sells a proposal that has had several rejections, it has been bought by a publisher that has an even better deal. And I know that God chose that publisher because He knew that the people He wanted to read it would be reached through that publisher’s marketing.

5 things you love? 

Besides Jesus, James, and the rest of my family, who all come before these other things, here are 5:

Getting together with friends

Speaking at conferences and retreats

Mentoring other authors

Chocolate, especially chocolate covered cherries, both the ones at Christmas and chocolate covered dried cherries

Going on a cruise 

What do you enjoy most about being a published author? 

Being able to contribute to my family’s well-being while doing something that I love. But a close second is getting to know more and more of my readers. I just love them, too. 

Places for readers to learn more about you?

www.lenanelsondooley.com

http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

www.twitter.com/lenandooley

www.facebook.com/pages/Lena-Nelson-Dooley/42960748768?ref=ts

www.shoutlife.com/lenanelsondooley

I’m also on Goodreads and Linkedin

Thank you for being with us today!

Readers here is your chance to enter to win Lena's novel!
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 May 18th.

Fulfilling ~ Interrupted by Rachel Coker ~ Review

I was first introduced to this book a couple weeks ago and the concept of the novel caught my attention. It actually was not what I expected at the start, but what I got within the pages was certainly fulfilling.

            The opening starts with a great hook. A girl still too young, taking care of her mom who is slowly slipping away from her. Watching this girl take on more than should be put on her shoulders made my heart yearn to help her.

            The middle I thought lacked a bit of power to keep the story from growing a bit slow. I could understand Ally’s bitterness - after a while I grew tired of it. She has people loving and yearning to help her and she continuing ignores the kindness.

            That said, I didn’t grow bored with the story and just about the time I was looking for something to move it forward, something did. I thought the ending was completely endearing and I loved how it closed. It carefully tips and tucks and rounds characters out nicely.

            My only true complaint about the story? I wanted to see more of Sam. He is such a sweet character…one I wished I could have gotten to know better. But his mysteriousness is definitely a draw. (smile)

            All in all…a very good debut novel.

            This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for my ARC to review.

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More about the novel...

Can love really heal all things? If Sam Carroll hadn't shown up, she might have been able to get to her mother in time. Instead, Allie Everly finds herself at a funeral, mourning the loss of her beloved mother. She is dealt another blow when, a few hours later, she is sent from Tennessee to Maine to become the daughter of Miss Beatrice Lovell, a prim woman with a faith Allie cannot accept. Poetry and letters written to her mother become the only things keeping Allie's heart from hardening completely. But then Sam arrives for the summer, and with him comes many confusing emotions, both toward him and the people around her. As World War II looms, Allie will be forced to decide whether hanging on to the past is worth losing her chance to be loved.

So Sweet! ~ A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island by Cara Putman ~ Review

Second time around in reading this novel, this time as a hard copy in my hands, has gotten even better than the rough draft version I had on my computer.

            “A Wedding Transpires” is a sweet story, mixed with a generous dose of romance, but also the perfect amount of character angst and pinch of suspense. Mix that all up on a setting that seems it must be larger than life and you have a novel that will lull you away in sweet contentment for the hours you spend among the pages.

            What I loved the most is the story takes normal, everyday life and makes it perfect for the pages of a novel. A right balance of pace and story, the kind that makes for a quick read, but definitely a fulfilling one.

            And just because I had the chance to help the author in the early stages of the novel, does not make me bias. I love to escape into such a novel. I don’t have to worry about broken plot pace, characters that act of well…character. Or a story that fails to entertain me. I can simply focus on finding a comfy, quiet place to read and settle in for a few hundred pages.

            A great addition to the new Barbour destination collection, but also a sweet, quick read that will add pleasure to a few hours of your day. I know it did to mine.

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

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More about the novel....

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?