A Letter to My Future Husband.

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**I thought I might share an intimate peak into my heart today. I encourage you as young ladies, to make your "list" for your Prince Charming. Not to be unrealistic, but to place your hopes high in a God who gives us our hearts' desires.**

To my future husband,

I've been waiting my entire life to meet you. To fall in love with you. And someday, I know, God will give me exactly that chance. Until that day, I wait patiently (and sometimes not-so-patiently) to discover the man you are. 

So I ask you to please promise me...

To always hold my hand in private...and in public. To kiss me even when I least deserve it. Remind me everyday that you love me, even if that simply means the brush of your hand across my shoulders or a wink across the breakfast bar. 

Talk to me and talk often. Promise to always tell me about your day and let me share mine. 

Always laugh with me...and tell me when my jokes don't make sense. I want to spend the rest of my life with you laughing. 

Lead me closer to God. Remind me why I love Jesus by the simple act of your faith. Be a man of prayer. Pray with me every day and share what God is teaching you, with me. Don't place bars across your heart. Be honest...even when it's not popular. 

Care about my interests and ask about my writing, support me in my dreams. But tell me when I'm stumbling down the wrong path. Love Christian music, but not be opposed to a little bit of country every once in a while...let me ramble on about my latest fiction obsession. Dance with me in our living room, even though I can't dance. At all.

Hold me when I cry. Take me in your arms even when I can't speak the pain. I want to spend the rest of my life in your arms, being reminded that I've been waiting for just this moment...with you. Cuddle with me at night. Touch me and touch me often. Hug me for no reason. Kiss my temple. Always kiss me goodnight.

Be my toughest critique and my biggest fan. Surround our home in God's love, the sound of joy and the ready promise of laughter. Share in the joy of friendship. Take me to church. Love children, especially our children and remind them every night that you do. 

When the storms of life inevitably tremble the timbers of our home and threaten to rattle the foundation of our love, promise to never leave. To never allow the word "divorce" to enter our words, even in jest. 

Be the spiritual leader of our home. Believe the Bible. Beginning to end. Be a man that the rest of the world looks at and sees Jesus. Raise our children to love God. Speak

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with love, but always readily share your frustrations with me.

Find your dream and chase hard in the direction God places you. Take my hand and I'll run with you.

Be my best friend. My lover. My soul mate. 

The man I've been waiting for my entire life. 

With all the love I have yet to give,
Your Future Wife.

The Christy Awards Road Tour! Did Your Favorite Win?

The Christy Awards

Held June 24, 2013

Finalists were honored and winners crowned

Fiction was honored and awards presented to some of the best in the Christian Fiction industry who have gone above and beyond to bring great books into our hands.

Were you there?

Maybe you were one of the VIP's in the live audience, or maybe you joined the rest of the at-home crowd you had the fabulous MC's of Nicole O'Dell and Tyson Wynn.

What are the Christy Awards?

Like the Grammy's of Christian Fiction.

It's the best of the best of the best. 

And I have the winner's list... ;-)

Contemporary Romance:

The Breath of Dawn by Kristen Heiztmann

Finalists: Lethal Legacy by Irene Hannon

Wildflowers from Winter by Katie Ganshert

Historical Romance:

Against the Tide by Elizabeth Camden

Finalists: Be Still My Soul by Joanne Bischof

Love's Reckoning by Laura Frantz

Contemporary Series, Sequels, and Novellas

You Don't Know Me by Susan May Warren

Finalists: Two Destinies by Elizabeth Musser

Waiting for Sunrise by Eva Marie Everson

Suspense:

Rare Earth by Davis Bunn

Finalists: Downfall by Terri Blackstock

Submerged by Dani Pettrey

The Last Plea Bargain by Randy Singer

Contemporary Standalone:

Not in the Heart by Chris Fabry

Finalists: Borders of the Heart by Chris Fabry

The Air We Breathe by Christa Parrish

Visionary:

Soul's Gate by James Rubart

Finalists: Daughter of the Light by Morgan L. Busse

Star Flower by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

First Novel:

Intro the Free by Julie Cantrell

Finalists: Tangled Ashes by Michele Phoenix

Wedded to War by Jocelyn Green

Young Adult:

Child of the Mountains by Marilyn Sue Shank

Finalists: Failsgate by John W. Otte

Interrupted: A Life Beyond Words by Rachel Coker

Historical:

Flame of Resistance by Tracy Groot

Finalists: Wedded to War by Jocelyn Green

A Wreath of Snow by Liz Curtis Higgs

*~*~*

What are your thoughts? Did your favorites win?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Giveaway! Trouble in Store by Carol Cox!

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

One of my dreams growing up was to play the piano and guitar. Instead, I wound up taking accordion lessons for ten years. Ten long years. I don’t take it out of the case very often these days, but at one time I played a mean rendition of “Lady of Spain.”

Do you have a favorite genre to read/write?

My reading covers a wide range of genres. One of my favorites is historical mystery/suspense. I love the nostalgia of old-time settings combined with the fun of solving a mystery. Books like that can be hard to find, though . . . maybe that’s why I gravitated toward writing them!

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

In the early days of my career, I spent a lot of time figuring out how to fix my characters’ problems so they could reach their goals. Then a teacher at a writing conference told me I should focusharder for my characters, not easier. That was a tricky concept to grasp at first, but once it “clicked” in my mind, what a difference it made! My characters still get their happy endings, but there are a lot more problems, a lot more tension—and a much more interesting story—along the way.

on ways to make things

5 things you love?

Time spent at the beach, walking along the sand and watching the waves roll in. If a beach isn’t available, I’ll take a lake . . . or even a river. Remember, I live in Arizona, and we don’t have an abundance of water here!

True friends who accept me just the way I am. Relationships like that are rare, and they’re something I treasure.

Walking (even it isn’t along a beach). My family recently visited Alaska. The scenery was incredible, but one of the things I enjoyed most was the fact that we walked nearly 35 miles that week. Instead of being exhausted by all that activity, I felt recharged, energized, and ready to go!

Chocolate, which should be classified as a food group unto itself.  And if I do enough walking, it helps to cancel out some of those calories. See how it all fits together?  ;-)

Teaching music in our church’s Vacation Bible School. When I inherited the job a few years ago, I wasn’t quite sure how it was going to work out, since there’s a lot of choreography involved. As it turns out, I love doing it! It’s one time when releasing my “inner child” is perfectly okay!

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

My whole family loved Rooms by James Rubart. After reading it, we talked about it for weeks on end. Not only did the story carry me away and keep me turning pages at a breathless pace, but it changed the way I look at my life and being the temple of God’s Holy Spirit.

Places for readers to learn more about you?

I love to connect with readers online! Visit my website at: www.AuthorCarolCox.com to learn more about me and my books.

Then there’s my Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/carol.cox

I also blog at Writes of Passage on the 1^st and 3^rd Saturdays of the month: http://www.writespassage.blogspot.com/

I’m just getting started with Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/authorcarolcox/  I’m still trying to learn my way around all those fun boards, so if anyone would like to share helpful hints, I’d love to hear them!

Thank you for being with us today!

Thank you for inviting me to stop by, Casey! It’s been a pleasure to get to spend time here and get to know you better!

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

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 July 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 

Dance with God

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I love this pin. More times than not God has used Pinterest to speak soothing words of truth through my spirit. And sometimes it's things I've pinned months ago that come back as beautiful reminders.

I've always known I would marry a godly man. That I would wait until God brought that man into my life. 

I've always walked close with God. Closer as I grow older and more mature in my faith.

Sometimes I think God gives us a glimpse of our greatest desire...that maybe isn't the perfect place for us to be, so we might realize just how important it is to trust. To know...He's got this. And how encouraging it is to know we aren't alone.  

There are two ways at looking at something we didn't get that we think we should have. One: we can blame God and tell Him that He needs to take a hike. That we obviously know better and why should our hearts be given false hope?

OR

We can praise God. Ask Him for perfect guidance and clear direction. Realize that we live in a fallen world. We have the opportunity to make our own choices, but when we include God in those choices...when we openly ask Him to take complete control and trust Him with everything, then we open up our hearts for something great.

This dance with God has had me held closer at times than at others. As I step out and away, not God away from me, I've had the hard lesson that things get more confusing, more strenuous and unstable the further out I stretch this hold. I've pulled away. Cried out to God, why this is happening. What is the purpose and the reason? The easy and true answer is that it's a season. And it is. A season that requires absolute trust on a loving God that absolutely knows what He's doing. Even when we don't think that He knows what He's doing. And we like to tell Him this fact. 

But the truth of the matter is, it doesn't matter whether you're married or single reading this post. Divorced or widowed. We all can have something in our lives that we don't want to hand back over to God and join that close and personal dance once again with our Father God. God knows your heart cry, just like He knows my heart cry. It's in these moments, these seasons of raw, real, reverent that God uses those moments to draw us unto Himself. Why? Because faith...while challenging can also be exciting. Exciting, because I know God has my very best interest at heart. He has created plans for good and not for harm. He loves me with an everlasting love. 

He brings good out of every bad event, every sore experience, every heart-wrenching moment of realizing what I wanted is not what God wanted for me right now. Every moment of realizing this wasn't my moment of fulfillment, but of God using me in the life of someone else.

I've been challenged. Tested. And I've realized, God has the perfect "someone" out there for me. It can be so discouraging to realize the person you might have had a chance with isn't who God planned. It can be so discouraging to think finally finding that "someone" might still be years down the road. But is God asking us to focus down the road?

No, He's asking me to focus on now. Today. 

He's asking me to dance with him. And I realized something so beautiful...dance with God...and He'll let the perfect man cut in. The beauty? I don't want to give up my dance with God. In fact, I want to move closer, be held in perfect protection. I want that light of faith to shine. That glow of peace to take over. And I don't want my dance to end. 

It's the perfect romance. That moment of realizing God is enough. Always. Enough. It's a powerful trust motivator. It's a grace gift. It's a trusting promise. 

Dance. And enjoy the dance, instead of always looking for someone that should cut in. 

Until then, DANCE with the Creator of your soul. The Creator that put that love and longing within your spirit. You just might inspire someone else to join your dance.   

What Would I Do? ~ The Wishing Tree by Marybeth Whalen ~ Review

As a reader, I couldn’t help but feel great sympathy for Ivy and disregard for Elliott who has just committed an affair before the book starts. So often when I read these kinds of scenarios, I ponder what I would do. Would I become passive? Cold? Run away? Cut my spouse off? I certainly can’t judge Ivy for the decisions she made to leave, to find space to think.

           

But poor girl, jumps from one frying pan into another. And doesn’t always make the best decisions. I will admit that after a while Ivy’s attitude toward her marriage and her family became tiresome. It wasn’t overt to the point that I wanted to stop reading…I simply found repetitiveness in lack of communication with her family and lack of circumstances to propel her further down her journey, redundant. Much of the story “told” me what happened and I wasn’t as present within the story as I love to be.

           

My favorite character as the story progressed? Elliott.  And you’ll have to read the book to find out why. But the way this man fought for his wife and their marriage…plus the whole Twitter thing too was pretty sweet and an obvious step outside his comfort zone.

           

Overall, good women’s fiction with romantic elements and great points to take and learn much as the characters do.

            

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

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More about the novel...

Ivy Marshall, a savvy, determined woman, finds out her husband has cheated on her on the same day her sister’s perfect boyfriend proposes on national television. When Ivy’s mother asks her to return to her family’s beach home to plan her sister’s upcoming wedding, she decides to use the excuse to escape from the pain of her circumstances.

When her return to Sunset Beach, North Carolina, brings her face to face with her former fianci, old feelings rise to the surface and she wonders if there is a future for them. However, her husband has started tweeting his apology to her and doesn’t want to give up on their marriage. As she helps prepare the wishing tree for her sister’s wedding, she must examine her own wishes for the future and decide what love should be…..

Giveaway! Rescue Team by Candace Calvert!

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

It’s wonderful to be here, Casey. I love the opportunity to mingle with your readers!

To answer your question: Not many folks know I was once in a bank as it was about to be robbed. I was going to speak to the robber because he looked a lot like an old friend from Jr. High school, but he seemed nervous and avoided making eye contact. Fortunate, because a few seconds later he brandished a gun.  I’m still embarrassed that the FBI likely contacted that old friend (who was not the robber) . . . But it was the best excuse I ever had for being late to work!

Do you have a favorite genre to read/write?

I write contemporary (suspenseful) medical romance, and I love reading that—especially now that the genre is growing: Harry Kraus MD, Richard Mabry MD, Jordyn Redwood, Shawn Grady . . . and even a few more. A great new sense of “team.” It’s like being back in scrubs again!

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

I’m still collecting nuggets. But one of the best pieces of advice I ever pocketed (RWA conference, Jenny Crusie workshop) was about writing a convincing villain. She said, “In a villain’s mind, he is a hero.” It blew me away and yet made perfect sense. I love crawling into a “dark” character’s mind to write from his/her point of view—especially revealing that he isn’t all bad-- and I think it enriches the story for the reader.

5 things you love?

(Besides God, family, friends):

·         My “kitchen time”—I am admittedly a passionate foodie.

·         Traveling with hubby (aka “Mr. Bond”): This fall we’re going to cruise the Rhine River from Switzerland to Amsterdam. So romantic.

·         The great privilege of being an author and all the wonderful connections it brings—still pinching myself over this blessing.

·         Bird watching: I am totally a bird nerd, complete with binocular dents around my eyes.

·         Mashed potatoes. There, I said it.

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

So hard to choose!  I’ll say Trinity by Ronie Kendig: non-stop action, courageous and memorable characters (including a wonderful dog, of course!), and a great message. I was honored to endorse it.

Places for readers to learn more about you?

My website

Facebook Author Page

And my new foodie-author blog, Authors’ Galley: Manuscripts & Wooden Spoons  Recipes, a glimpse into the kitchens of your favorite authors, and fun giveaways too!

Thank you for being with us today!

Thank you, Casey. This has been great. 

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

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

An EXTRA entry:
Rate my review. Thank you!!

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 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 

Make That a FUN Author Interview! My Guest? Rachel Hauck!!

Sometimes we just gotta let loose. Have a little fun.  Thus I had this crazy idea…and I’m pretty excited about it. Hope you love it and if you have suggestions for questions, leave them in the comments! :- )

The Basics:

Name: Rachel Hauck

Home State (completely with address so we can stalk you): Florida!

Occupation: Full time novelist

Height: 5’7

Hair Color: Only my hairdresser knows

Goin’ Deeper:

Celebrity crush: Well, I don’t have one really. I liked Donny Osmond as a pre teen/young teen. But I really like worship leader Jeremy Riddle. I met him, er, he met me rather, at a worship concert in March. I was a bit gaga. My husband had to assure Jeremy I was sane.

Available now!
Order here

#1 favorite pastime: Reading or good TV shows. Watching college football.

Best book of your childhood: Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House Series

Go to comfort food: junk food!

Worst job you ever had: Sales rep for a jewelry distributor covering north Florida and south Georgia. OY! Awful.

In Ten Words or Less:

Happiest moment of your life: Only one? There are so many. Getting married. Winning my first award.

One thing on your bucket list: Give away a million dollars.

Available now!
Order here

Quirkiest aspect that annoys your spouse/friends: I am annoying? My husband says he can’t think of anything but I will say he’s a neat-o and I’m a paper stacker. But I keep my stuff out of his way, so we don’t clash over our different organization methods. LOL.

I had a friend who called me nosey once because I was asking so many questions about a scenario another friend was describing! It’s the writer in me.

Greatest dream: Giving away a million dollars. At one time!

Biggest fear: I don’t really give into fear. It’s a waste of time and it’s not holy. But, I am often very concerned for the spiritual direction of our nation. 

Don't you just love Rachel Hauck??

 She's your every-woman's writer and her books pretty much line up with that. 

I dropped the ball...I don't have a guest yet for next month, but I'm working on it. We'll have one. And it will be awesome. I just don't know who he/she is yet. So it's a surprise. And I hope you'll visit to find out who it might be.

Don't forget to say "hi" in the comments! :)