Category Archives: WRITER OF THE DAY

My Friday Friend–Chawna Schroeder

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AND A BOOK GIVEAWAY!

Chawna Schroeder is My Friday Friend. She loves stretching both imagination and faith through her novels. Living in Minnesota, she dreams of far-off places, daring swordfights, magic spells, and princes in disguise, just like her favorite Disney princess Belle. When she isn’t committing her dreams to paper, you can find her studying the biblical languages, working with fiber, or teaching about the importance of discernment.

Chawna has been gracious enough to offer a print copy of her book–BEAST–to one lucky winner. Leave a comment and you’ll be entered in the drawing. So here’s what I thought of the book:

Lillian’s Review of BEAST

I loved this book! This is not a book everyone will love but I certainly did. It’s different in a quirky sort of way but is a wonderful portrayal of God’s unconditional love for each of his children. Without giving the plot away, in the character Beast, Ms Schroeder managed to portray what each of us feel at some time in our life and for many of us–all the time. After all there is a beast in each of us that we often manage to hide from the world but is with us always, lurking for just the right time to show itself.

I highly recommend BEAST by Chawna Shroeder.

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NOTE: This book was given in exchange for an honest review.

 

Don’t forget to leave a comment if you want to win a print copy of BEAST!

 

GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!

 

My Friday Friend–MARY ELLIS

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Mary Ellis is my Friday Friend. Mary and I have shared a table at various book events in Ohio. Not only is she good writer but she’s a very nice person who’s fun to be around! Mary’s written a variety of novels. Most of her books have been Amish stories, but in the past few years she’s branched out to historical and mystery novels–all Christian books as well.

You can learn more about Mary and her books at www.maryellis.net.  Her latest book is MAGNOLIA MOONLIGHT.

 

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What Sinister Secrets Lurk in the Shadows of Yesterday?

Natchez, Mississippi—Private Investigator Nate Price and his new wife, Isabelle, need a vacation. Their coworkers generously team up to surprise them with a belated honeymoon…but the happy trip turns sour when Izzy spies her ex-husband, who appears to have taken up his gambling addiction once again.

While the boss is away, Price Investigations remains in the hands of Beth Kirby, a former police officer, and Michael Preston, a former forensic accountant. Hardly a dream team, as Beth resents working with a man who has no experience in his new job.

But Beth and Michael must move past their differences if they hope to uncover the truth behind a beloved Southern preacher’s demise. The preacher’s widow suspects foul play, despite the evidence indicating suicide.
With tension escalating between these investigators and local law enforcement—and new threats arising on all sides—how will Beth, Michael, and Nate hold on to faith and bring the truth to light?’

MY REVIEW OF MAGNOLIA MOONLIGHT

I’ve read and enjoyed some of Mary Ellis’s Amish books so I wasn’t sure what to expect with Magnolia Moonlight. After all mysteries and Amish books are not exactly similar. I was delighted with the characters and even more surprised by the double  plot. She did a great job depicting the southern lifestyle and attitude.

Magnolia Moonlight is an enjoyable book that I would recommend to others. Great job, Mary Ellis!

NOTE: I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!

 

Friday Friend–Julie Arduini

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AND A GIVEAWAY!

My Friday Friend this week is Julie Arduini. She loves to encourage readers to surrender the good, the bad, and —maybe one day—the chocolate. She’s the author of the  re-release, ENTRUSTED: Surrendering the Present, as well as the sequel, ENTANGLED: Surrendering the Past. She also shared her story in the infertility devotional, A WALK IN THE VALLEY.

She blogs every other Wednesday for Christians Read. She resides in Ohio with her husband and two children. Learn more by visiting her at http://juliearduini.com, where she invites readers to subscribe to her monthly newsletter full of resources and giveaway opportunities at JULIE ARDUINI: SURRENDER ISSUES AND CHOCOLATE and the weekly e mail. SUNDAY’S SURRENDER AND CHOCOLATE. You can connect with Julie on Facebook: http://facebook.com/JulieArduini and Twitter: http://twitter.com/JulieArduini.

She’s giving away a print or e-copy of ENTANGLED: Surrendering the Past. All you have to do is leave a comment and you’ll be entered to win. Winner will be announced next Friday, July 29.

Entangled: Surrendering the Past by  Julie Arduini

 

“You need to leave me alone. It’s the least you can do.”

Carla Rowling has been given her dream of attending cosmetology school. The gift is so generous she feels unworthy because of choices she made as a teen. The pressure mounts as Carla juggles school, is a single mom, helps her best friend Jenna plan her wedding, spends time with boyfriend Will Marshall, and deals with the fact that her son’s father is back in their lives.

Will Marshall is the one Speculator Falls resident everyone can count on. His truck deliveries are reliable. He’s the first to help friends like Ben Regan with boat work or be a card partner with Bart Davis. Will’s ready to settle down with Carla, loving her is natural. He’s bonded with her son, Noah. But when Carla starts cosmetology school, she puts emotional distance between her and Will.

Can Carla release her past and create a future full of highlights, or, will she burn her options worse than a bad perm?

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Amazon Link

 

 

YOUR TURN: Don’t forget to leave a comment and you might win ENTANGLED! Don’t know what to say? Tell us about your favorite summer activity or whatever’s on your mind! Thanks!

GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!

 

And the winner….

Leave a comment

And the winner of Renee Blare’s book, Through The Raging Waters is…Pamela!  Congratulations!RagingWaterscopy(683x1024)

Thanks to all who entered…maybe you’ll be the winner next time!

 

God Bless & Good Reading!

Friday Friend–Renee Blare

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AND A GIVEAWAY!

KEEP READING FOR INFORMATION ON THE GIVEAWAY.

Renee Blare is my Friday Friend. She’ stopped by to talk about her very new book that’s releasing today, Through The Raging Waters. She was raised in Louisiana and Wyoming and started writing poetry in junior high school. After having her son, a desire to attend pharmacy school sent her small family to the University of Wyoming in Laramie, and she’s been counting pills ever since.

While writing’s her first love, well, after the Lord and husband, she also likes to fish and hunt as well as pick away on her classical guitar. Nestled in the foothills of the Wind River Mountains with her husband, crazy dogs and ornery cat, she continues to serve her community as a pharmacist while penning her Christian stories any chance she can get. She loves to interact with readers and invites you check out her website, blog, and social media.

Website: http://www.reneeblare.com/

Blog: http://reneeblare.blogspot.com/

Group Blog: http://diamondsinfiction.blogspot.com/

 

Book Two of her Snowy Range Chronicles launches today, July 8, Through The Raging Waters.  Suspense takes on new meaning in this book as the small town of Timber Springs faces the storm of the century during the peak of spring runoff. Paul Fitzgerald and Melissa Hampton must fight the battle of their lives as thunder and lightning reveal more than just rain.

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Back Cover Blurb:

If Mother Nature has her way, Timber Springs will never be the same…

A warm spring and early rainstorms melt the snowpack. Spring runoff compounded by the storm of the century sends Timber Springs into a tailspin.
Tossed into the role of rescuer, local pharmacist Paul Fitzgerald must face his past before the whole world falls apart. While he fights to contain the beast around him, he finds his steadfast control slipping through his fingers. And life…everyone’s life…hangs by a thread once again.
She isn’t a hero. Melissa Hampton has her own demons to battle. After she learns of her mysterious beginnings amidst her mother’s keepsakes, she faces more than just the river rushing outside her door. Now, she must discern friend from foe…but as waters rise and tension climbs within Timber Springs, she needs to rise to the challenge or lose the only man she’s ever loved.

Can two people find each other through raging waters?

 

Sounds like a great book, Renee. If you think so and would like an opportunity to win an e-copy of the book, leave a comment. Winners will be chosen on July 14th. Don’t know what to say? Answer this question–Do you read more in the summer or the winter and why?

Thanks to Renee for being my Friday Friend and giving away an e=copy of her new book, Through Raging Waters.

 

Until next time God Bless & Good Reading!

 

My Friday Friend–Ginger Solomon

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Ginger Solomon is a Christian, a wife, a mother to seven, and a writer — in that order (mostly). When not homeschooling her youngest four, doing laundry or fixing dinner, she writes or reads romance of any genre, some sci-fi/fantasy, and some suspense. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, president of her local writing group, and writes regularly for two blogs. In addition to all that, she loves animals, likes to do needlework (knitting, crocheting, and sometimes cross-stitch), and is a fan of Once Upon a Time and Dr. Who.

You can learn more about her at Inspy Romance Blog or connect with her at Facebook Author Page. In honor of Valentine’s Day, she’s releasing her new book, BROKEN VALENTINE.  It’s a novella so it’s the perfect choice for your weekend reading!

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AMAZON LINK

Broken Valentine blurb:

Being stood up on Valentine’s Day is not how Sarah Sawyer wanted the evening to go. It only gets worse when she discovers her boyfriend’s betrayal. Accepting a ride home from her attractive waiter goes against everything she’s been taught, but her choices are limited.

Michael Richmond can’t let his beautiful, yet heart-broken customer walk home, no matter how tired he is after working fourteen hour days all week.

It might be either the best decision of his life or the worst. Only time will tell if their broken hearts can become one, or if they will tear each other apart.

Broken Valentine is the second book in the Broken Holidays Series, but can be read as a stand-alone.

 

Sound great, Ginger! Thanks for being my Friday Friend!

UNTIL NEXT TIME… GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!

 

 

 

Mary Manners–My Friday Friend!

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AND A BOOK GIVEAWAY!

Mary Manners is an award-winning romance writer who lives in the beautiful foothills of East Tennessee with her husband Tim and the cherished cats they’ve rescued from local animal shelters…Lucky and Gus. She loves swimming, running, flavored coffee and Smoky Mountain sunsets.

Mary believes everyone has a story to tell, and she loves to share hers. She writes inspirational romances of all lengths, from short stories to novels—something for everyone. Learn more about Mary Manners at her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com.

Mary’s here to tell us all about her new book, HEARTACHE AND HOPE.

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BUY BOOK NOW

Daylin Sullivan has a passion for two things: books and food. Both help her escape from a past riddled by abandonment; she spent her childhood passed from one foster family to the next. Life has mirrored a game of musical chairs until one New Year’s Eve she stumbles upon a Dash for the Dream brochure in the local diner. The team is a faith-based group that runs marathons to raise funds for Cystic Fibrosis research.

Patrick Litton is raising his six-year-old daughter Aubree alone. As the leader of Dash for the Dream, the widower works tirelessly to secure funding in search of better treatment for all those afflicted with CF, including Aubree. Patrick has no time for romance—until he meets Daylin at the Dash for the Dream kick-off party.

Daylin and Patrick don’t expect to fall in love, but both learn that when it comes to romance, training for a marathon is the easiest part of their journey.

 

It sounds like an awesome story, Mary. And the good news is that Mary has kindly offered to give away a copy of her book. So be sure to leave a comment and you might be the lucky winner!

 

 

Tamera Lynn Kraft–My Friday Friend

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My Friday Friend is Tamera Lynn Kraft. She’s always loved adventures and writes Christian historical fiction set in America because there are so many adventures in American history. She is married to the love of her life, has two grown children, and lives in Akron, Ohio. Soldier’s Heart and A Christmas Promise are two of her historical novellas that have been published. She has received 2nd place in the NOCW contest, 3rd place TARA writer’s contest, and is a finalist in the Frasier Writing Contest. Her third novella, A Resurrection of Hope, will be released in March.

You can contact Tamera online at Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TameraLynnKraft or Twitter: https://twitter.com/tamerakraft

 

 

Moravian Christmas Traditions

By Tamera Lynn Kraft

In my novella, A Christmas Promise, I write about Moravian missionaries in Schoenbrunn Village, circa 1773. The Moravians brought many Christmas traditions to America that we use to celebrate Christ’s birth today. Here are a few of them.

The Christmas Tree: Moravians brought the idea of decorating Christmas trees in their homes in the early 1700s, long before it became a popular tradition in the United States.

Christmas Eve Candlelight Services: Most churches have Christmas Eve services where they sing Christmas carols and light candles to show Jesus came to be the light of the world. The Moravian Church has been doing that for centuries. They call their services lovefeasts because they also have a part of the service where they serve sweetbuns and coffee – juice for the kids – and share Christ’s love with each other. For candles, Moravians use bleached beeswax with a red ribbon tied around them. The white symbolizes the purity of Christ and red symbolizes that His blood was shed for us.

The Moravian Star: In the 1840s at a Moravian school, students made 24 point stars out of triangles for their geometry lessons. Soon those Moravian stars started making their way on the tops of Christmas trees. The star as a Christmas tree topper is still popular today.

The Putz: The putz is a Christmas nativity scene surrounded by villages or other Biblical scenes. Moravian children in the 1700s would make a putz to put under their Christmas tree. Today, nativity scenes and Christmas villages are popular decorations.

 

A Christmas Promise Blurb:

By Tamera Lynn Kraft

A Moravian Holiday Story, Circa 1773

During colonial times, John and Anna settle in an Ohio village to become Moravian missionaries to the Lenape. When John is called away to help at another settlement two days before Christmas, he promises he’ll be back by Christmas Day.

When he doesn’t show up, Anna works hard to not fear the worst while she provides her children with a traditional Moravian Christmas.

Through it all, she discovers a Christmas promise that will give her the peace she craves.

Review:

“Revel in the spirit of a Colonial Christmas with this achingly tender love story that will warm both your heart and your faith. With rich historical detail and characters who live and breathe on the page, Tamera Lynn Kraft has penned a haunting tale of Moravian missionaries who selflessly bring the promise of Christ to the Lenape Indians. A beautiful way to set your season aglow, A Christmas Promise is truly a promise kept for a heartwarming holiday tale.” – Julie Lessman

Available at these online stores:

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GM59GN4/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_tmb

Pelican Book Group

http://pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=37_47&products_id=512

Christian Books.com http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=48711EB&item_code=WW&netp_id=1206746&event=ESRCG&view=details

 

THANKS, Tamera for being my Friday Friend today.  The book sounds awesome!

UNTIL NEXT TIME…GOD BLESS & GOOD READING! 

 

 

Vannetta Chapman is the Writer of the Day

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AND A BOOK GIVEWAY!

 

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Vannetta Chapman writes inspirational fiction full of grace. She has published over one hundred articles in Christian family magazines, receiving more than two dozen awards from Romance Writers of America chapter groups. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather’s birthplace of Albion, Pennsylvania. Her novel, Falling to Pieces, was a 2012 ACFW Carol Award finalist. A Promise for Miriam earned a spot on the June 2012 Christian Retailing Top Ten Fiction list. Chapman was a teacher for 15 years and currently writes full time. She lives in the Texas hill country with her husband. For more information, visit her at http://www.VannettaChapman.com

Vannetta is giving away a print copy of her new book, Anna’s Healing. Leave a comment at the end of the post and you’re entered in the contest. Easy as pie! Winner will be picked on Monday, October 19.anna'shealingsm

ANNA’S HEALING:

 

Anna’s Healing is the first book in a brand-new collection from popular author Vannetta Chapman. These stories of love and family and Amish community in Oklahoma tell of the miracles that can happen when lives are lived in service to God and to one another.

When a tornado strikes the farms surrounding Cody’s Creek, Anna Schwartz’s life is changed forever. She suffers a spinal cord injury and suddenly finds herself learning to live as a paraplegic.

Three people—Chloe Roberts, Jacob Graber, and Ruth Schwartz—join forces to help Anna through her darkest days. Chloe is an Englischer who writes for the local paper. Jacob has recently arrived in town and stays on as a hired hand at her uncle’s. And Ruth is her grandmother, a woman of deep faith and a compassionate spirit.

Then one morning Anna wakes and finds herself healed. How did it happen? Why did it happen? And what is she to do now? Her life is again turned upside down as the world’s attention is drawn to this young Amish girl who has experienced the unexplainable.

 

Wow, Vannetta! That’s sounds like a great book, not your usual Amish story. I think I’ll put myself in for the book giveaway–just kidding! If you want to be the winner of Anna’s Healing, leave a comment. Be sure to stop back to see if you’re the winner or that I have your email so I can let you know.

UNTIL NEXT TIME…God Bless & Good Reading!

 

 

BOOK GIVEAWAY!

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Yea! We’re having a book giveaway today! And that’s always fun, but before we get to that, I want to talk about gothic novels. Not sure what that is? No problem. Gothic novels have a very distinct feel to them. Here’s a few of the characteristics:

  1. A castle setting, but modern day stories usually have a huge mansion instead.
  2. An atmosphere of mystery, suspense, or foreboding.
  3. And, of course, romance but often unrequited or a love triangle.

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, today I’m featuring a gothic novel today. It’s title–An American Gothic written by Alice K. Arenz. I’m so excited to have Alice as my Writer of the Day. Even though, we’ve never met, we share a special bond. I look forward to the day when we do get to meet, Alice.

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An American Gothic is the new book of 2010 ACFW Carol Award winning author, Alice K. Arenz. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, her first two novels, cozy mysteries, The Case of the Bouncing Grandma (a 2009 ACFW Carol Awards finalist), and the 2010 winner of the ACFW Carol Award in Mystery, The Case of the Mystified M.D., were originally published under A.K. Arenz and have now been released under Alice K. Arenz. The more serious mystery/suspense Mirrored Image (a 2011 finalist for the Carol Award) will soon be re-released by Forget Me Not Romances. Visit her at her website www.akawriter.com .

 

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AN AMERICAN GOTHIC by Alice K. Arenz

She came to Foxxemoor to write a mystery, not to become part of one.

Devastated by the death of a child in her care, Lyssie’s heart strings are tugged when she finds another child in danger. Amid past secrets, lies, and betrayals of an old college friend’s family, she must choose a twin brother to trust. If she makes the wrong decision, she could not only lose her own life, but also the life of the child she’s come to love.

 

I’m in the middle of reading An American Gothic right now. And enjoying it. So I don’t mind recommending it to all of you. Anyway, Alice wants to give one lucky reader the chance to win a print copy of the book. Leave a comment and you’ll be entered. Winner will be picked October 5!

 

UNTIL NEXT TIME…God bless & Good Reading!