The Power of A Touched Life

More days than not, I wish I didn't live hundreds of miles from the people who have touched my lives in the greatest of ways. I wish I lived right next door so I could run over when the urge presented itself and wrap them in a tighter than tight squeeze. 

It's people like this that have become the reason I continue writing. People who have selflessly given and given without asking for anything in return. Sometimes it's hard saying 'yes' to these dear people, knowing you're probably taking them from something they should be doing, but still they offer. And bless. And give the gift of Christ here on earth.

These people become brothers and sisters of the heart. The people you cherish seeing and cling to those moments of connection for as long as God grants them. 

You have them in your life. People that when you hear, see or say their name, a smile blooms across your face. People that shine Christ's love simply by being them.

I can think of so many names of people that are this in my life. And several of them are throughout my post today. 

I can only hope and pray you have such people in your life. People that pray the grace of God upon your life simply by being them.

I've done this once in the past and wanted to do it again. Tell me in the comments of someone who is the ultimate blessing in your life. Next week I will draw one person from the pool and send a  set of matching bracelets: one to you. One to the person who has so richly blessed your life.

As we come into the month of Thanksgiving, I know I give thanks for those who have touched my life and maybe don't even know it.

Challenge: go and be a blessing in someone's life today. Even if it means smiling for the grouchy grocery clerk...then thank God for the people who smile at you when you're grouchy! 

Sweet Love Story ~ When Hope Blossoms by Kim Vogel Sawyer ~ Review

A contemporary love story that I wouldn’t really call a romance, but a story that takes the heart of two characters and steadily draws them closer together.

            I thought the setting, a small Mennonite community and one bitter young man, was an interesting take on the “bonnet” fiction sect. I enjoyed that each character brought a struggle to the plot that crafted a sweet and surprising ending.

            Why don’t I call this novel a romance? Mainly because the story kept me in limbo the entire time, wondering if these two people would get together. I actually enjoyed this angle, because I wanted to see each one come together, they both have so much to overcome, primarily forgiving people in their past. You don’t have the typical boy meets girl, boy dates girl and boy loses girl equation and I enjoyed the “shake up”.

          

  It’s different than the expected prairie romance and don’t let the cover deceive you to think as such, but within the pages I’m sure many readers are going to find a cast of characters to jerk the heartstrings and entertain the soul.

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

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

More about the novel...

Amy Knackstedt moves with her children to Weaverly, Kansas, to escape the speculation surrounding her husband's untimely death. She hopes the new location will provide a fresh start for them all. But her neighbor, Tim Roper, is not pleased to have a Mennonite family living next to his apple orchard. 

When the children try to befriend him, he resists. Tim left the Mennonite faith years ago and doesn't want any reminders of his former life. Yet Amy and Tim find their paths colliding far more than either could have foreseen. 

Will this tentative relationship blossom into something more?

Giveaway! The Black Rose by Naomi Musch!

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

Unless you know me personally, most readers might not realize that many of the heroes and heroines in my books have names loosely based on my children's names.  Here are my kids' names on the left, and some of the characters' names that have evolved from those on the right.

Evan Marie - Marie Winter

Quinn Rylan - Nathaniel Quinn

Cade Forrest - Manason Kade

Beau Kenton - Zane and Kelly Beaumont

Jessamyn Winter - Jesilyn Beaumont

                                   and also Paul Winter

I have almost as much fun naming my characters as I did my kids! As you can see, I haven't used all the possible derivatives yet.

Do you have a favorite genre to read/write?

My heart is most at home writing historical fiction, but I've found writing contemporary women's fiction/romance to be very rewarding too, and I plan to do more of it in the future.  PAINT ME ALTHENA

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

As individuals, we each have a page in God's Epic. What happens there on that page is what He writes into our lives. When it comes to our own writing, we need to do our best to pursue the talents and desires He gives us, but always remember that the outcome is in His hands. So enjoy the journey and don't fret.

5 things you love?

My family and church, the smell of lilacs, gnarly oak trees, outdoor adventures, old movies

What do you enjoy most about being a published author?

I most enjoy hearing that someone really got swept up in one of my books, or that they found some kind of take-away value in it, whether it was just the pleasure ride itself, or further thinking on a theme.

Places for readers to learn more about you?

My site: http://www.naomimusch.com

Twitter: NMusch

Facebook: Naomi Musch - Author

All things by Midwesterner writers  The Barn Door

A tutorial blog for young and developing writers: A Novel Writing Site

Thank you for being with us today! 

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

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

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

Contest is open internationally as the winner will receive a PDF to use on their computer or ereader. 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 November 9th.

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 

Meaningless

Photo Credit: Free Digital Photos.net

Reading Ecclesiastes is not for the faint of heart. I had forgotten how discouraging the author is towards life in general and humanity as a whole. He's not one to sugarcoat or make light of a life that isn't. As I've been reading the book for my devotions I wondered what I needed to glean from this. 

That life is meaningless? That my desire to write is meaningless? The book certainly doesn't spread much love in the direction of being happy and joyful toward life.

And I started thinking. Why would God give one of His children a desire, if He didn't intend for us to use them toward His glory and perfect end?

Being a fairly (as some people have described me) "bubbly" personality, I don't like to think of life as meaningless. I like to believe that God has given me a specific life to live and wants me to live it to His glory. So where does the book of Ecclesiastes leave me?

It leaves me challenged. If life is meaningless, what am I going to do to change my heart and make it meaningFUL? Life isn't the birds in the trees or the fish that populate the waters. Life is the state of our hearts. The joy in our souls. The point of living. 

Yes, life IS meaningless if you aren't walking with the Savior of our sins.

Yes, life IS meaningless if you aren't taking the gifts He has given you and using them towards the glory of His kingdom.

Yes, life IS bleak, gray and pointless if you aren't living your life for Christ, because any other road leads straight to Hell. What else is more meaningless when God has made it clear in His word He wants NONE of His children to go to such a dark and ugly place filled with weepy and gnashing of teeth?

Maybe that author of Ecclesiastes was onto to something when he said life was meaningless. Because it is. Someday this earth will be no more. The things we find important really aren't in the grand scheme of life. The fight with our sibling, the argument with our boss, the quibble over whether our dream should have come true before someone "less deserving". All those things are meaningless when you compare them to where we are ultimately headed: Heaven. 

What isn't meaningless? Walking strong in faith that we are doing exactly what God asks of us. Whether that means writing a novel. Feeding the homeless. Or parenting your children, what He asks of us, no matter how minute or inconsequential it might seem, it is NEVER meaningless.

A Story from the Headlines ~ Borders of the Heart by Chris Fabry ~ Review

It’s a story ripped straight from our country’s headlines. Evil. Revenge. Fear. Desperation. Changed lives. “Borders of the Heart” is a novel that doesn’t leave many stones unturned in a touchy subject as illegal immigration.

            

The lyrical quality of this novel is outstanding. A way with words and especially dialogue on the page that has made me a fan of previous releases. I immediately cared for our hero J.D. and Maria as she ran in fear from something we aren’t sure of yet at the beginning of the novel.

          

  I’m not sure I’ve read many other cold-blooded villains as the one in this book. I was almost shocked the lines this man crossed in chasing after Maria. And that’s kind of where I lost track. I’m sure it was me, but I had a hard time following what was happening at a certain point. I knew of course why J.D. and Maria were running, but why was the villain chasing? It could be just me, but I thought elements surrounding their present circumstances could have been clearer. I wanted characterization to go deeper, trench deep into J.D. and what *really* makes him tick.

          

  Overall this hasn’t been my favorite book, very possibly because I’m not quite the target audience I thought I was for this title. Have you read the book? What was your opinion?

          

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

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

Desperate to escape haunting memories, J.D. Jessup travels from Nashville to Tuscan and volunteers on an organic farm. The hardened landowner has one prevailing rule: If J.D. sees an "illegal", call the border patrol. But when an early morning ride along the fence line leads him to a beautiful young woman named Maria, near death in the desert, his heart pulls him in another direction. Longing to atone for the choices that drove him to Tucson, J.D. hides her and unleashes a chain of deadly events he could never have imagined. Soon they are running from a killer and fighting for their lives. As secrets of their pasts emerge, J.D. realizes that saving Maria may be the only way to save himself.

watch on tyndale.com

No Short of Impressed! ~ No Safe Harbor by Elizabeth Ludwig ~ Review

This novel came out of nowhere and completely enthralled me.

            

A rich historical with tension abounding in heritage, setting and characters. The romance was forbidden and absolutely perfect. I loved the richness of the Irish culture, how their prejudice crossed the ocean to America with them and produced more than a little bit of fodder for today’s modern authors.

            

The voice behind the words on the page was what swept me so deeply into this book. It’s engrossing, unique and perfect for a deep and full historical. There was a familiarity and smoothness to the story that propelled me quickly through the story. I now want to go right back and read slowly, taking every little bit back in.

           

Cara and Rourke are strong and determined characters. The suspense is bringing them together and the romantic tension sizzles. Between the two of those vices, I might have had all the air squeezed out of me.

           

I wasn't sure how well I would like Rourke as from the first couple chapters, I had the impression he might be the bad guy, or at least in cahoots with the bad guys. But the man has a heart of flesh and I loved watching him fall in love with Cara. It changed him. And I love a reformed bad boy.

           

Beginning to end, I was no short of impressed, and now most eager for book two in the Edge of Freedom series. Well done!

            

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

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

More about the novel and author...

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing No Safe Harbor Bethany House Publishers (October 1, 2012) by Elizabeth Ludwig

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Elizabeth Ludwig is an award-winning author whose work has been featured on Novel Journey, the Christian Authors Network, and The Christian Pulse. Her first novel, Where the Truth Lies, which she co-authored with Janelle Mowery, earned her the 2008 IWA Writer of the Year honors. This book was followed in 2009 by “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” part of a Christmas anthology collection called Christmas Homecoming, also from Barbour Publishing.

In 2010, her first full-length historical novel Love Finds You in Calico, California earned Four Stars from the Romantic Times. Books two and three of Elizabeth’s mystery series, Died in the Wool (Barbour Publishing) and Inn Plain Sight (Spyglass Lane), respectively, released in 2011.

Coming in 2012 is Elizabeth’s newest historical series from Bethany House Publishers. No Safe Harbor, the first book in the Edge of Freedom Series, will release in October, with two more books following in 2013 and 2014.

Elizabeth is an accomplished speaker and teacher, and often attends conferences and seminars, where she lectures on editing for fiction writers, crafting effective novel proposals, and conducting successful editor/agent interviews. Her popular literary blog, The Borrowed Book, enjoyed a wide readership in its first full year, with more than 17,000 visitors in 2011. Along with her husband and two children, Elizabeth makes her home in the great state of Texas.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Thrill of Romantic Suspense Meets the Romance of 1800s America

Lured by a handful of scribbled words across a faded letter, Cara Hamilton sets off from 1896 Ireland on a quest to find the brother she'd thought dead. Her search lands her in America, amidst a houseful of strangers and one man who claims to be a friend--Rourke Walsh.

Despite her brother's warning, Cara decides to trust Rourke and reveals the truth about her purpose in America. But he is not who he claims to be, and as rumors begin to circulate about an underground group of dangerous revolutionaries, Cara's desperation grows. Her questions lead her ever closer to her brother, but they also bring her closer to destruction as Rourke's true intentions come to light.

If you would like to read the first chapter of No Safe Harbor, go HERE.

Giveaway! Soul's Gate by James Rubart!

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

Contrary to popular belief, I’m an introvert. I love people, but have to have huge amounts of alone time to recharge.

Do you have a favorite genre to read/write?

To read (and watch): Time Travel. I loved the idea of the past affecting the future and visa versa. Without question, I’ll someday write a novel involving time travel.

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

It’s not about me. If a writer is a follower of Jesus they’ve died to self and the main thing is stepping into what Jesus has called them to do, then it doesn’t matter if they’re published or not. I know this is easy for me to say because I’m traditionally published, but trust me, getting published isn’t the panacea some pre-pubbed writers think it is. When Peter checks us in, it won’t be about how many books we wrote, or if we were published or not, it will be about if we followed the path He designed us to walk on.

5 things you love?

1. Speed- water skiing, cars, dirt bikes, etc.
2. Back packing
3. Hanging out with my wife and sons
4. Reading
5. Writing (big surprise, right?)

Tell us briefly about your latest novel.

What if you could send your spirit into other people’s souls to fight for their freedom? That’s the premise of Soul’s Gate.

Publisher’s Weekly: “Readers with high blood pressure or heart conditions be warned: this is a seriously heart-thumping and satisfying read that goes to the edge, jumps off, and “builds wings on the way down.”

RT Book Reviews made Soul’s Gate a Top Pick and says: “Rubart’s novel is enthralling and superlative. Truly a story about freedom from things that we hold onto, this tale will captivate readers and encourage a more active, dynamic spiritual life. The original plot and well-drawn characters elevate this book to “must read” status.”

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

The Reunion by Dan Walsh. I read it on a plane recently and, wow! It got dusty in there! Great heart to that book.

Places for readers to learn more about you?

Web site: www.jameslrubart.com

Twitter: @jimrubart

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/James-L-Rubart/320882261326243

Thank you for being with us today!

Thanks, Casey, I always love being with you.

Much freedom to you and your readers,

Jim

Okay readers, here's your chance to win Jim's latest 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 November 2nd.

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