Coming soon….GAME ON!

14 Comments

BOOK TRAILER FUN

What’s a book trailer and what’s so fun about it? No a book trailer is not a mobile home with lots of books in it!  HaHa—that’s supposed to be a joke. Anyway…A book trailer is a mini-commercial about a specific book. Now doesn’t that sound fun?

GameOn_h12099_120

My publisher outdid herself with the book trailer for my newest book, GAME ON. Game On will be available on Sept 2, but you can preorder it right this very moment so you don’t forget. But first check it out the book trailer at  https://youtu.be/t6MK2UGB1P0.  Then when you know you MUST read GAME ON, you can click on the AMAZON link or my publisher’s link, Pelican Books.

AMAZON LINK

PELICAN BOOKS LINK

To celebrate the release of GAME ON, I’m giving away a virtual basket of goodies. One lucky winner will win a $25 Amazon Gift Card and their choice of an e-copy, Nook, or Kindle copy of my previously published books—sorry not GAME On (that one you have to buy!).  Five other people will be given a $5 Amazon Gift Card. And finally five more winners will get their choice of an e-copy of one of my previously published books.

That’s LOTS of winners!

All you have to do is leave a comment under any of the GAME ON posts, and you’ll be entered. Contest will end on October 1! Be sure to check back to see if you’re a winner! Thanks.

Thanks!

GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!

BOOK TRAILER FUN

4 Comments

What’s a book trailer and what’s so fun about it? No a book trailer is not a mobile home with lots of books in it!  Haha—that’s supposed to be a joke. Anyway…A book trailer is a mini-commercial about a specific book. Now doesn’t that sound fun?

My publisher outdid herself with the book trailer for my newest book, GAME ON. Check it out at: https://youtu.be/t6MK2UGB1P0.

Then when you know you MUST read GAME ON, you can click on the AMAZON link. It’s only available for preorder right now. It will be released on September 2!

AMAZON LINK

GameOn_h12099_120

Here’s a little more about GAME ON:

Politics is no game when a stalker nears and there’s nowhere to hide.

A run for the senate is just a step on the road to the White House for Congressman Lucas McMann. But his public profile has put him in the middle of a crazed gunman’s twisted game of stalking. If he wants to win the election and reclaim his life, he’ll need the help of the one person who’d rather leave their past behind them.

Private Investigator Nikki Kent knows how to dig up secrets and discover those who exist in the shadows. She should. She’s good at hiding secrets of her own. Can she risk her own discovery for someone so desperate for her help? For the first man who broke her heart?

With new-found faith, she’ll help Lucas search for the answers. But with the truth comes a danger they must face together.

 

And here’s a few of my writer’s friends book trailers for you to check out as well!

Barely Above Water by Gail Pallotta at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OowxnLKpKEI&feature=youtu.be

 

TO SEE THE SUN by PEGGY BLANN PHIFER at:

https://youtu.be/Uh2avut8FFs

LOVE’S HARVEST by LINDA SHENTON MATCHETT at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZZcKFOPJxA
Aboard Providence by Keely Brooke Keith at:  https://youtu.be/HVXyAGvgCjw
Beast of Stratton by Renee Blare at  https://youtu.be/aENB6DcJxfQ
Surviving Henry: Adventures in Loving a Canine Catastrophe by Erin Taylor Young at https://youtu.be/7TNJwrzZzFk
Mississippi Nights by D.M. Webb at www.authordmwebb.weebly.com

 

Providence: Hannah’s Journey by Barbara M. Britton: Click on  LINK

GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!

A Bit of Old Business

2 Comments

I’m not the most tech-savvy person around. I do my best but…. Anyway, I offer a free book to anyone who follows this blog. But sometimes I can’t figure out the email address of a new follower to send them their choices. If you happen to be one of those people who never received your free book, please leave a comment here and I’ll contact you.

Thanks so much!

GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!

Hope Prevails–A Book Review

2 Comments

 

HopePrevails

It’s interesting how God works, don’t you think? I’m in the process of writing a new novel where the main character suffers from depression and is suicidal at one point. Sounds depressing but it really isn’t! So when I had a chance to get a free copy of Hope Prevails: Insights From A Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression, I took it.

And I’m so glad I did!

This is not a medical book but a spiritual book. Dr. Bengston (author) shares her own spiritual journey as she suffered from and overcame years of depression. This is a great book to use as a Bible study and, in fact, that’s exactly what I’m doing right now.

It’s as if Dr. Michelle Bengston and I are one and the same. A lot of what she talks about in Hope Prevails that helped her is exactly the same things that have helped me deal with my brain tumors for the past four years. It’s great to get some validation!

Imagine being a doctor who works in the mental health area and realizing you have depression and the treatments you prescribe to your patients aren’t solving the problem completely.Dr. Bengston shares her journey through the valley of darkness known as depression and how God was right there with her. This book is filled with practical information to help others get through their own valley.

I highly recommend this book! For anyone whether you suffer from depression or not. This book will boost anyone’s mood and self-esteem. and I’m pretty sure we could all use that!

This is not a medical book but a spiritual book.

NOTE: This book was given to me in return for an honest and unbiased review.

GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!

I Love Surprises!

3 Comments

I love surprises! And when I opened my email this morning I found a big surprise–actually FOUR big surprises. My publisher, Pelican Book Group, updated my three Sisters by Choice covers and then put them in a boxed set as well. The updated versions and the boxed set aren’t live yet but I still wanted to share these awesome covers with you.

 

perf5.000x8.000.indd

 

 

perf5.000x8.000.indd

perf5.000x8.000.indd

And last but not least the cover for the boxed set–Sisters By Choice Anthology!

perf5.000x8.000.indd

Thanks so much, Nicola! I love surprises! They are great. I’ll let you know when they’re available.

GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!

What’s Your Excuse?

2 Comments

We all know that exercise is good for us but….too tired–don’t feel good–not enough time–or maybe you’re honest enough to admit you just don’t like it! We have all sorts of excuses…oops I mean reasons why we don’t exercise. But the truth is if you want to be healthy–er, then exercise needs to be part of your life. Unless, of course, you have a physically-demanding job, but that’s not many of us these days.

And it’s certainly not me!

Between my writing time and my TV time I admit I’m a couch potato but I didn’t realize just how much until I got a FitBit for my birthday that I asked for. It’s made me more conscious of just how much I don’t move.

But I exercise almost every day and have almost all of my life. It didn’t keep me skinny but I believe(and so does my doctor) it’s why I don’t have diabetes since it runs on both sides of my family. Now having said that, let me also admit that my daily exercise was definitely on the low-intensity side of the meter. Probably why I didn’t stay skinny.

But the last year I’ve been working hard to get healthy-er. And that includes eating healthy, losing weight, and working out more. I’m now up to working out for 30-40 minutes almost every day and ….yes, I’m actually sweating these days!

And I can tell a big difference! I still have my mobility difficulties because of my balance (because of my brain tumors) issues, but I feel better and stronger–sort of!

So what kind of exercise is the best? The kind you do, of course! And keep on doing. The key to exercise is to do it consistently–day after day; week after week; month after month. Now I don’t mean you have to exercise every day or that you have to do the same thing every day. If you only want to work out three days every week, that’s fine with me. I’m not sure that less than three will make a difference but it might. But I do know that two days are better than ZERO days.

Back to the question of what kind of exercise. I have incorporated balance, stretching, cardio and strength training into my exercise. I only do strength training a few times every week but the others I include whenever I exercise.

If you really want to get healthy, it’s time to stop making excuses and start exercising. Start slow and increase it as you start to feel stronger.

YOUR TURN: What’s your favorite type of exercise?

GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!

 

 

Friday Friend–Julie Arduini

22 Comments

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?

EntangledFinal

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!

 

Jesus Loves Me!

2 Comments

Here’s a short story that’s sure to make you smile!

 

JESUS LOVES ME!

 

On Sunday, I learned about Jesus. We sang Jesus loves me, and then… My Sunday School teacher told us that Jesus loves good little girls and boys. I wanted Jesus to love me but…

On Monday, I found a big black bug.  I threw it on my little sister just so I could watch her scream. I thought it was funny. I don’t think Jesus liked that.

On Tuesday, Mom asked me to take out the garbage. I said okay, but I forgot.  I remembered when I saw my Mom take it out herself.  I don’t think Jesus liked that.

On Wednesday, I went to play baseball.  I had so much fun but I didn’t go home for dinner. When I got home, my Dad was so worried. I don’t think Jesus liked that.

On Thursday, my little brother wanted to play with me, but I told him to stop bothering me because I was playing with my friends.  He went away but he was sad.  I don’t think Jesus liked that.

On Friday, I failed my spelling test because I was too busy playing with my friends to study.  Mrs. Noodles told me she was so disappointed because she knew I could do better.  I don’t think Jesus liked that.

On Saturday, I couldn’t do anything right. Everyone was mad at me. Mom was mad because Mrs. Noodles called about my spelling test. Dad was mad because I didn’t finish my chores. My brother was mad because I broke his favorite truck. My sister was mad because I was breathing too loudly.

I knew Jesus couldn’t love me because I wasn’t a good little boy.

On Sunday, I wouldn’t get out of bed. My sister called for me to come down and watch cartoons.  I said no!         My brother called for me to come down and play.  I said no!                                                                                             My Dad called for me to come down to take a walk.  I said no!                                                                                         My Mom called me to come down to eat pancakes.  I said no!

Then, my Mom and Dad came up. My Mom felt my head. My Dad asked me what was wrong. I told them Jesus didn’t love me. Jesus loved good little boys and I was just too bad.

Then, Mom and Dad smiled at each other and then at me.

Daddy reached for the Bible on my nightstand. He flipped through the pages and then said, “In Romans 5:8 it says… but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners.”

Mom asked, “Do you know what that means?”

I shook my head. 

“It means God loves you even when you don’t do the right thing. God doesn’t stop loving you because you make a mistake.”

“Really?”

 “Really,” Dad said.

 And then I smiled. “Do you mean that Jesus loves me when I’m good and when I’m bad? Jesus loves me no matter how many mistakes I make.”

Mommy and Daddy both nodded yes so I jumped out of bed. I watched cartoons. I played baseball with my brother and my dad. I ate my pancakes. And then we went to church.

In Sunday School, we sang Jesus loves me. I sang louder than anybody else.

THE END!

 

What about you? Ever have a week when you can’t seem to do anything right? Do you sometimes forget God loves you?

GOD BLESS  & GOOD READING!

 

 

Who Knew???

2 Comments

I hate when interesting things come up on the rotating AOL news feed! Because it takes so long to read it and get to the point but every now and then I can’t resist clicking on an interesting topic. Today, I saw a lady holding a peeled clove of garlic between her lips. I just had to check it out.

Turns out the article was about ways to get rid of cold sores-which I get from time to time. So I waded through all the advertisements and here’s some of the treatments:

  1. Dab milk on the sore and leave it on–do several times a day.
  2. Peroxide instead of milk–same idea.
  3. Peppermint oil instead of milk or peroxide. Can also use Tea Tree Oil or vanilla.
  4. Eat licorice. (Yuck–I don’t like it.)
  5. And hold a clove of garlic on it for 5 minutes.

They also recommend holding ice on it to reduce the swelling and the pain. I wonder what would happen if I combined all the ingredients together to make one super-duper treatment! I can’t say I want to get another cold sore but the next time I do, I hope I remember these treatments!

WHO KNEW???

YOUR TURN: Got any old family remedies for whatever ails you that you’d like to share?

GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!