CrossReads Book Blast!

Sarah Anne's Expedient Marriage
By Cathy Lynn Bryant & Jessica M. Dorman



About the Book:
Knowing he was about to die, Sarah Anne’s beloved father had arranged for her to marry Alexander Swyndhurst II. Alexander, a recent widower, had no intention of taking another wife; but after learning the young woman’s situation—that she had been the object of at least one man’s unwanted attentions, and that she would soon be left alone and unprotected—he had agreed to the marriage. He had one stipulation, however: He and Sarah Anne would live separately—he in Bristol, England, and she in Amesbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony. Sarah Anne had agreed wholeheartedly with this arrangement.

Will Alexander have a change of heart? What of the dangerous man from her past? What will happen while her husband is away—leaving her alone with only the servants? Even though there are connections, each novel in the series may be read as a stand-alone.

LINK to KINDLE | LINK to PAPERBACK
Cathy Lynn Bryant & Jessica M. Dorman
Inspired by interesting characters and events uncovered while doing genealogical research,mother and daughter writing team, Cathy Lynn Bryant and Jessica Marie Dorman, who live in beautiful New England, have masterfully woven the stories of real people and fictional characters from the 17th and 18th centuries to develop inspirational, romantic, works of historical fiction. The Unshakable Faith series includes the following titles: Book 1 Lost Love and Shipwrecked--Madeline Pike Finds Hope in the New Land; Book 2 Grandmother's Namesake; Book 3 Sarah Anne's Expedient Marriage.

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This book blast is hosted by Crossreads.

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Out of the Dust: Story of an Unlikely Missionary

Avis Goodhart

Out of the Dust: Story of an Unlikely Missionary is a testimony to the way God uses broken things and impossible circumstances to show His power in our world. Avis Goodhart, the unlikely missionary of the title, started and maintained a missionary presence in Peru through her Go Ye Ministries. With my dear friend Marti Pieper, Out of the Dust tells Avis’s story about how she came to serve God through missions.

Marti Pieper

At the end of each chapter is the testimony of someone who went to Peru and shared the ministry with Avis. Some came for a week’s mission trip. Some came and stayed. Some led women’s Bible study and craft classes, empowering women who felt alone and discarded like the trash in the landfill on which their cardboard homes sit. Some adopted orphans from the orphanage. Some taught at the Go Ye Ministries School. Avis’s life may not have seemed extraordinary, especially her childhood, but her life and God’s use of her reinforces the idea that God’s power is even more evident when His servants are ones who has little to no power, education, wealth, or status.

 

Missionary prayer groups and women’s groups will find this book about the work Goodhart began in Peru a good study book. Bible study groups may find this book challenging to put feet to their knowledge of the Bible. Churches may find Out of the Dust an impetus to go forth from the comfort of the pew to those who need their help and compassion.

Read this book. Available in paperback & Kindle at Amazon  http://www.amazon.com/Out-Dust-Story-Unlikely-Missionary-ebook/dp/B00NB51F5K/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1425393492&sr=1-3&keywords=out+of+the+dust

Watch the YouTube videos from their experience https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDXzVH-zXik

and interviews on 100 Huntley Street https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ydA3wudgQY & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LnIW-Du6Ec .

Pray and act on what God is calling you to do out of the dust of your ordinary life. God will make your service to Him extraordinary, as He has done with Avis Goodhart and her multitude of helpers.

The publisher has provided a review copy in exchange for my review.

Spotlight on Author Ane Mulligan

Author Ane Mulligan is my friend. We've met through American Christian Fiction Writers. She is fun and an little quirky. Her first published book came out in September 2014. I asked her to answer a few questions about her journey as a writer.

Where do you find your ideas for your writing?

From life. For Chapel Springs Revival, the story perked for a few years. A young women at church told me when she married, she didn't know she should have prayed for the husband God had picked out for her, so she was going to get a divorce and go look for that other man.

 

I talked her out of it, but it stuck with me. If one woman thought that, there had to be others. So I decided to explore what would happen if a woman in her forties who had been married for a long time, just learned about it.

 

Describe the space where you most often write.

For years, I wrote in a corner of the master bedroom, with a lovely window to look out. However, the space was small. Just a few months ago, Hubs and I did the Big Office Move.

 

We moved him out of a front room and into the never-used-dining room, after we sold the furniture. I moved into his old office, with a beautiful new-to-me desk. I have a fantastic huge bookcase and an ergonomic writing chair. There's lots of natural light from the large window.

Tell about your road to your first writing contract.

On my word, that's one long journey. I started my first novel on Jan 1^st in 2003. You can do the math, but in between were a lot of ups and downs. I started going to committee as early as 2005, but always got rejected for one reason or another. By 2007, the reasons weren't the writing but the other ones: it didn't quite fit this house, etc.

Then I began to get past editorial committee and to pub board. Again, strange things happened. One house had their slate full, so they held me over for the next quarter. Only the editor retired and her hard drive got wiped clean. I was cast off into cyber oblivion.

I saw a pattern and what I realized was God was saying, "Not yet. Not there."

I whined. He said, "Trust me."

 

He didn't give me any other option, so I chose to trust Him. I write and leave the rest to Him and my agent. So when she called with the offer, I knew it was the right place and the right time.

The right time and place was so important to me. You see, I believe people let down their guard when they think they're being entertained. Then when they least expect it, our words can reach out, touch heart, and change lives. And isn't that why we write?

Why is it important to you to be a dues-paying-member of writing organizations like ACFW? To what other writing organizations do you belong?

I owe so much to ACFW. Besides the life-long friends of like minds, and the wonderful networking contacts, I've learned so much from the conferences and online courses. I also belong to my local ACFW Chapter.

And the ACFW email loop! It saved my bacon when I wrote myself into a corner in Chapel Springs Revival. I suddenly had to find a geologist. Do you know how rare those are? Fortunately, an ACFW member's hubby is a geo-geek and was able to answer my questions, plus he put me in contact with a professional.

Who is your favorite character in your book? What makes him/her special to you?

I have to say my protagonist, Claire. She's so much fun. She's fiercely loyal to her friends and family, but she tends to speak her mind without filters. She also moves without thinking, which gets her into a lot of trouble. I've written several books, but she's still my favorite.

What else should the blog reading public know about you?

Wow, let's see...I have two English mastiffs that are like having two-year-old twins. Fortunately, I also have a chef-son. He has his own company that does corporate catering, and he tries out new things at home. Sorry, ladies, he's mine. My husband is an artist and did the artwork my publisher used for my book cover.  

 

Where do you go to 'get away'? Do you write when you get away?

Get away? What's that? Unfortunately, we don't much. Our dogs make that difficult. We once bought a motorhome, so they could go with us, but that was a fiasco, and another story for another day.

 

If I did get away, it would be to the mountains, preferably at a lake. I probably wouldn't write on my books, but I would write articles and journal the experience for a story.

 

 

Driftwood Tides by Gina Holmes

Please welcome, novelist, Gina Holmes.  Gina is the founder of popular literary site, novelrocket.com. She is a two-time Christy and ECPA Book of the Year finalist and winner of the INSPY, Inspirational Reader’s Choice, and Carol Award. Her books regularly appear on Christian bestseller lists.

 Gina, tell us a little bit about your newest release, Driftwood Tides.

 Driftwood Tides tells the story of an aging, alcoholic driftwood artist turned beach bum, Holton Creary, and young Libby Slater. Libby grew up with an absent father and a loving but cold, socialite mother. Leading up to her wedding, Libby and her groom-to-be go through genetic testing and she learns her blood type doesn’t match either of her parents. She confronts her mother and is reluctantly told that she’s adopted. She goes searching for her mother, Adele, only to find her husband, Holton Creary lying face down on the carpet of his Nags Head beach shack.

 

She lies about her real identity until she is finally found out. Holton does not welcome the news. He never knew the wife he had given saint status too had given up a daughter for adoption. Together the two search to find the truth about Adele, Libby’s father and themselves.

 What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

 At its heart, Driftwood Tides is really about discovering who we are, whose we are, where we belong and the need to accept and bestow forgiveness.

Why did you set the novel in Nags Head?

Oh, how I love that place! I’m not sure there’s a more peaceful setting in all the world. And the further out I get from civilization, the happier I am. I love the sand dunes, the untouched nature, the quaint towns. Just everything! (Well, except sand in my bathing suit maybe J)

You seem to have a recurring theme in your novels about absent fathers, if it’s not too personal, why do you think that is?

 It is too personal, but I don’t mind answering (wink!) When I was 6 years old, I was packed up by my stepfather and driven to my father’s house. Overnight I had a new Mom, new sisters and brother, house and life. It was as traumatic an experience as I can imagine. There were few explanations that made sense to me and I missed my other family desperately. I think ever since I’ve been trying to settle some pretty deep-seated questions. Writing books is wonderful for that.

 The novel you’ve written that seems to be a fan-favorite is Crossing Oceans, do you ever see yourself writing a sequel?

 I love that book too. Makes me cry just thinking about certain scenes. I would love to write a sequel, prequel or off shoot stories. I love those characters dearly. I’m under contract for three different novels, so I’m not sure when I’ll have the time, but I’d love to explore Craig’s story and of course, Bella’s. I miss Mama Peg very much!

You’ve said that your favorite novel you’ve written is Wings of Glass. Why is that your favorite?

Well, for storyline, I think Crossing Oceans is the strongest. I think my writing in Wings of Glass was my best, plus when I was very young I watched my mother in one abusive relationship after another, and then two of my sisters. I had been there too, despite thinking I was better than that. I know the mindset that keeps a woman (or man) in a relationship like that and I wanted to give insight to those who don’t understand. I’ve received enough letters to know I did what I set out to do.

 You’re originally from NJ but write all your novels from the South, why do you set your novels down South if you’re from up North?

 Ha, you found me out! Yes, I was born and raised in NJ. As much as I love my friends and family, I am definitely more suited for the slower pace of the South. I’ve lived in Southern VA for half of my life and I plan to spend the rest of my life here if I can help it. I try to write books from settings that make me happy. So I write where I want to be. (Although, I’ve got to say, NJ food is amazing and you’ve got to love a boisterous NJ laugh!)

What do you like most about being a writer? Least?

Most, I like being able to have a platform to share lessons I’ve learned in my life that I know others would benefit from. And more than that, I just love to tell a good story.

Least, would be the unpredictability of the business. Sometimes it seems so random and the lack of control makes me uncomfortable sometimes. (Which is probably right where God wants me!)

 Do you have any advice for aspiring novelists?

 My advice is pretty much always the same. 1. Write. So many people want to have written but don’t actually do the work. 2. Get to a writers conference because there’s so much  you don’t know, that you don’t even know you don’t know. If you don’t you’ll be spinning your wheels for years, wasting valuable time. 3. Run, don’t walk, to the nearest bookstore and buy yourself a copy of Self-Editing for Fiction Writers. Then apply it. (Best money I ever spent!) 4. Join a good critique group and get a nice thick skin, ‘cause you’re sure going to need it!

If you could go back to the pre-published writer you were, knowing what you do now, what advice would you give her?

Well, I wouldn’t have told myself how many novels I’d write that would never see the light of day, because I would have given up. I wouldn’t have told myself how little money there is actually to be made or how lonely writing can sometimes be. I wouldn’t have told myself that I’d still have a day job with 4 novels out in stores, including 3 bestselling novels… okay, but that wasn’t your question… I would tell myself to relax. Some of this, most of this is, is out of your hands, and that’s okay. It’s not going to be at all what you think it is, but it’s going to be so much more. You won’t get rich, but you will touch lives. At the end of the day, that’s going to be exactly what will fulfill you.

Where can readers find your books and more about you?

 Thanks for asking. My books are in B&N, BooksaMillion, Amazon, Lifeway, Parable, Family Christian and hopefully a good number of independent bookstores. You can find me at Ginaholmes.com. Thanks so much for hosting me!

FALLING IN LOVE IN THE HELSINKI SUNRISE (& BOOK REVIEW)

Helsinki Sunrise, a Passport to Romance, blog tour follows on from yesterday’s return stop in Zambia where Beauty for Ashes host, Aldyth Thomson, posted a book review on Helsinki Sunrise.

 What do you get when you cross a devout ( hot!) missionary fasting before going on the mission field, a bitter missionary kid whose parents died in their service to God, and a small island with one house and sauna? You get a great love story! God woos Eveliina back from her stressful, bitter life using Adam as a lure. In an ironic struggle involving a sauna, blueberry pie, paint, and prayer, Eveliina falls in love with Adam even as she tries to make him break his fast and leave the island.

The island retreat belongs to Mikko and Eveliina’s grandparents. Mikko promised Adam a three week, solitary retreat for his preparation for the mission field. However, Eveliina decides to escape her stressful job, relationship, and life without knowing the cabin is occupied. Mayhem ensues in the war of who gets to stay on the island.

Eveliina has been running from God since the death of her parents on the mission field. She is living the glamorous city life, loving her boss, and thinking she has it all. Without God in her life, she finds little pleasure in any of it. Adam represents everything from which she has tried to run away. Her brother Mikko has followed in his parents’ footsteps into mission work. Adam is a friend of Mikko who continues to ask others to pray for Eveliina and her relationship with God. Eveliina takes delight is torturing Adam offering coffee, pie, home-cooking, and even herself to him to try to break his devotion to God.

Adam tries to bring her words from God. He has often prayed for her when Mikko had asked for prayer. He feels he has been given an opportunity to be God’s ambassador and bring her back into relationship with God. However, her temptations become more and more difficult to resist. He finds himself attracted to Mikko’s worldly sister, even as he is attempting to focus on God and his mission. Eveliina becomes God’s mission for him.

I was blessed to read this story as a part of ACFW’s Scribes. In submission after submission, Marion created the drama and Christian passion for God as well as for each other in Eveliina and Adam. I was sorry to finish the story.

Spoiler Alert! God wins, as He always does.

Be sure to follow this blog across to the UK tomorrow at Clare Revell for an interview with Helsinki Sunrise heroine, Eveliina Mikkola.

Helsinki Sunrise release-day half-price special tomorrow, 22 August—only $1.99 from Pelican Book Group.

There will be an eBook of Helsinki Sunrise up for grabs on this blog. To be entered into the draw, please leave a comment with your email address.

To increase your chances of winning one of the many copies of Helsinki Sunrise that will be given away, take a journey to each of the stops on this three-week blog tour and leave a comment. Don’t forget to include your email address.

Watch the Helsinki Sunrise book trailer on YouTube.

Watch the Passport to Romance book trailer on YouTube.

Marion Ueckermann’s passion for writing was sparked in 2001 when she moved to Ireland with her husband and two sons. Since then she has published devotional articles and stories in Winners, The One Year Devotional of Joy and Laughter (Tyndale House Publishers), and Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miraculous Messages from Heaven. Her debut novelette, Helsinki Sunrise, releases August 22, 2014 by White Rose Publishing, a Pelican Book Group imprint, Passport to Romance series.

Marion blogs for International Christian Fiction Writers and Beauty for Ashes. She belongs to Christian Writers of South Africa and American Christian Fiction Writers. She lives in Pretoria East, South Africa in an empty nest with her husband and their crazy black Scottie, Wally.

Connect with Marion Ueckermann: Website / Amazon / Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest

Blogs: A Pebble in my Pocket / Foreign Affaire

* Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

Permission to use images obtained.

Review: Davis Bunn's The Turning; Win a free copy!

God's people answering God's call.

Five multinational Christians are called to do a most difficult task so they can accomplish a God-sized task. They must ask for forgiveness, give up a treasured position, make peace with those who were intent on being unrelenting, or come to terms with a shameful past. Then God brings them together to counter one man's ambition.

Davis Bunn's novel, The Turning, at its heart, asks the question: What if? What if God's people heard His voice and acted?

Find The Turning on Amazon!

Trent Cooper's ambition, desires, and ruthlessness are brought to bear to promote a single idea: Hope is dead.  God brings these Christians together to counter the Satanic attack with which Trent Cooper hopes to make his fortune, impress his boss, and win the girl.

 

The five Christians in this novel are not saints. They each have issues like all of us. The difference in these Christians is that they have been studying a Christian education booklet focused on hearing God's voice. [Devotions and other teaching resources are available at www.TheTurningBook.com.]

God's message is simple: God is Hope and He is not dead. At great personal sacrifice, these called out ones pray and work to refute the Hope is Dead campaign.

I was given 2 copies of this book: one to read and review and one to give away on this blog. [More on that at the end.]

I found this book powerful and profound. The answer to the What if? question is that God calls us all  to battle the forces of evil in the world all the time. The idea that God can speak to different people and bring them to one area to serve as his warriors in spiritual warfare is compelling. God can absolutely bring this about. I was reminded of Lifeway's Experiencing God and MasterLife materials. These thoughts made me wonder if River North/Moody had a new discipleship book coming out on hearing God's voice.

The Turning is a novel, therefore fiction. Can God work in just this way to achieve His plan? Of course, He can! In fact, He can do it without our help, but He chooses to use broken vessels that only He can repair. He sees past our imperfections to create His perfect tools in a fallen world. Those truths are not fiction!

I read The Turning on a transatlantic flight to Ireland. It brought me hope that God's people can still hear His voice and be part of His plan to combat evil. I couldn't put it down until I knew the outcome of the final battle.

To win a copy of  The Turning, simply follow the Rafflecopter directions below. I'll contact you for your mailing address if you're the winner!

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My Writing Process - World Tour Blog, 2014

I’m excited to be a part of this worldwide blog tour, thanks to fellow ACFW Scribes critter, Marion Ueckermann, a South African writer and dear friend. She is tearing it up writing for White Rose Publishing, a division of Pelican Book Group as part of their Passport to Romance series of novelettes.  I have been privileged to critique Helsinki Sunrise, Oslo Overtures, and Glasgow Grace on the ACFW Scribes loop.  Marion blogs for International Christian Fiction Writers and Beauty for Ashes. She belongs to Christian Writers of South Africa and American Christian Fiction Writers. Marion lives in Pretoria East, South Africa in an empty nest with her husband and their crazy black Scottie, Wally. 

Her blogs are http://internationalchristianfictionwriters.blogspot.com/ & http://apebbleinmypocket.com/

My task on the blog tour? Answer 4 questions about my writing process and introduce you to three writers who will do the same next week, May 12.

1.     What am I working on?

 I always have many ’irons in the fire’!

 I am working on a series of novels I call “Faith Amidst the Crucible of American History”. My hero in each novel is a son of a blacksmith. (Get it, irons in the fire!)

The first book in the series is called Colonial Dream. The setting is the American Revolution. Two friends, Colin Browning and Ben Andrews, who want nothing more than to be Americans, find themselves fighting on opposites sides. Heroine Amanda Andrews Browning must learn to be a strong, independent woman as she supports herself and her child, Michael, as an embroiderer/seamstress in Colonial Williamsburg while the men are at war. I am editing it in response to a “not a rejection/not a contract” letter. Prayers are greatly appreciated as I groom this project to receive that coveted contract.

The second book in this series, Transforming Bitterness Into Joy, is the one I am actively creating/writing/critiquing on Scribes. This book is a Beauty and the Beast type story set in 1809-1810. Michael, son of Colonial Dream couple Amanda and Colin Browning, has had to raise his younger siblings after the death of his parents when he was 17. He has had to set aside any personal life for 12 years as a result, working his father’s forge to support them. Heroine Susannah, daughter of the new pastor at the church founded by his Uncle Ben Andrews, finds herself serving him after she encourages Michael’s youngest sister to elope. She is determined to play matchmaker for Michael, with her friend Rachel, to help him out of his bitter loneliness. Of course, Susannah becomes the perfect match for him.

 The third book is the series, A Time to Choose, is set during the Civil War. Andrew Browning, blacksmith and officer in the Union Army, is assigned to protect and guide Lincoln. Maggie is a Northern abolitionist, Harvard-educated newspaper columnist. Terrors come into their lives as she writes about the war effort, runs a stop on the Underground Railroad, becomes a target for Andrews’s revengeful ex-fiancee, and teaches reading to emancipated refugees. The setting for this story is Lincoln’s White House and Washington, DC.

 The fourth book in the series will involve Lincoln Browning, son of Andrew and Maggie, who takes his blacksmithing skills into the new industry as an inventor.

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?

My series is reminiscent of John Jakes Americans series. The big thing that sets it apart from other historical romance is that my characters are Christians who seek to live their faith amidst the struggles of life. How do Christians be involved in God’s plan for their lives? What happens when that plan seems to be falling apart? Like us, they must deal with the setbacks, heartaches, and dreams knowing that God is still present in their lives and works everything together for an ultimate good.

3) Why do I write what I do?

 The first question should be “Why do I write?” I have always had an avid fascination with story. I began writing stories, a play, and a compendium of Dark Shadows supernatural beings in 6^th grade. My friends and I spun imaginary tales with our teen idols, writing extensive notes to one another. My first published book is Gold Earrings. I wrote the short story that became the novel in high school. I constantly have ideas for new works. While I was teaching middle school, I would write the scenes that were playing in my head, all that I knew, and save them on the computer. I guess I write because I am compelled to write.

 

3 1/2)Why do I write Christian historical romance?

 Again, I am compelled to write about characters who need and long for love. These characters have varying levels of relationship with God. I believe God meant for us to be in relationship, with Him, with friends, with family, and with a spouse who helps them both become what God wants them to be. I love history! Most of our vacations involve discovering the history of the place we visit.

4) How does my writing process work?

 As I said previously, the story or characters appear in my brain almost like a movie that you need to write down as it happens so you don’t lose any precious part. Or I think of an intriguing question. In Colonial Dream, I was contemplating whether rebellion against the king is sin against God. After all, scripture says that we are to obey and pray for the king because God placed him in power. Once I have the initial ideas down, then the hard part starts. I ask myself, “What comes next?” Some days that’s easy. Other days, well, it doesn’t happen. On those days I research my time period, characters, dress, holiday traditions, etc. If you check my Pinterest boards, you’ll see that I have one for each of my novels where I pin maps, places, occupations, timelines, etc. Some days I create a timeline of events in my story with actual historical events. Eventually, the novel comes together like tying up loose ends.

Check out these 3 authors. Their blogs will go live May 12, 2014.

 

Kate Hodges http://katehodges690.wordpress.com 

 I met NY writer Kate at the 2013 Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference. She is a member of ACFW and ACFW’s Scribes Loop. Kate enjoys writing Biblical fiction. She asks, “What if I had been …?” Then she tells the story of how that person met Jesus or how the character’s role played out in the Old Testament.

Kate grew up on a dairy farm in Upstate New York where she nurtured the love of reading. It wasn’t until much later that her reading addiction grew into a love of writing. Throughout her travels, she has learned one thing; People are people wherever you go. She has taken this lesson into her writing. Whether she is writing of contemporary, historical or biblical themes, her characters reflect that humanity.

Emma Right http://www.emmaright.com/Blog.aspx

Award Winning and Best Seller author, Emma Right, is a happy wife and Christian homeschool mother of five living in the Pacific West Coast of the USA. Besides running a busy home, and looking after their five pets, which includes two cats, two bunnies and a Long-haired Dachshund, she also writes stories for her children. When she doesn't have her nose in a book, she is telling her kids to get theirs in one.

Alice J. Wisler http://www.alicewisler.blogspot.com

 Born and raised in Japan, Alice loves sushi! Now She writes, blogs, and enjoys crafting fun characters in Durham, NC. An award-winning author, all of her novels are set in some part of North Carolina.