Sunday, September 30, 2018

Interview with Alexis A. Goring about her book, Love in Pictures


Interview with Alexis A. Goring about her book, Love in Pictures:

Tell us about the book – a brief blurb:

Love in Pictures is a book about a wedding photographer who’s never been in love…until she meets the one man who she cannot forget.

Do you create playlists for each book, write to the same music all the time, don’t listen to anything?

Music is my muse so yes, I listen to music as I write my stories!

I make my own playlists on YouTube. I enjoy movie soundtracks and favorite love songs. Instrumental music that’s soft and romantic helps me write good romance stories too.

Where is your favorite place to write? Pictures?

My favorite place to write is in my room by the double windows because of the beautiful rays of sunshine in the day and deep blue at night. No pictures are available at this time.

Will complete this opening? “It was a dark and stormy night…”

...when she stumbled over a pot of gold as she reached for the light!

Now that is intriguing! What book do you admire do you wish you’d written?

Sarah Jio wrote an impeccable work of art called Always. I admire her storytelling skills but I don’t wish I wrote her book because that’s what she was called to write, not me.

How do you find the balance of writing time and family time?

I’m not married yet so I have a lot of ME time! :)

Share your bio and links for social media and to buy:

 Alexis A. Goring is a passionate writer with a degree in Print Journalism and an MFA in Creative Writing. She loves the art of storytelling and hopes that her stories will connect readers with the enduring, forever love of Jesus Christ.


Website: https://alexisagoring.jimdo.com
“God is Love” blog: http://capturingtheidea.blogspot.com






Saturday, September 29, 2018

Clean Sweep



Clean Sweep 

(Squeaky Clean Mysteries #14) 

Paperback, ebook

July 26, 2018

by Christy Barritt (Author)

  • Paperback: 282 pages
  • Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform 
  • ISBN-13: 978-1724403599

Gabby St. Claire Thomas and her Cold Case Squad reunite to solve a missing person’s case. 

A friend of Gabby’s husband needs help. His wife, Brooke, went to work one day and never returned home. No one has seen or heard from the woman in four months, and every lead has dried up. 

Gabby and her team begin to unravel clues about Brooke’s life . . . and not all is as it seems. With each new layer that’s revealed, they realize the case may be bigger than they ever imagined. Did Brooke walk away from her life . . . or did she become ensnared in something deadly? 

Gabby fears this investigation won’t be the clean sweep she hoped for. No, the dirt she’s turning up might be more of a toxic stain. But as the stakes become clear, she realizes that failure isn’t an option.

My thoughts: CLEAN SWEEP  is  the fourteenth book in Ms. Barritt's Squeaky Clean Mysteries series. It does stand alone, but fans will want to read all the books to get to know how Riley and Gabby met, her quirky friends (which have their own series) and more.

I have read every book in the series from the beginning and I love Gabby. She is so sweet and quirky. As usual, she manages to get herself neck deep into the investigation before she realizes she's even on the right trail.

I absolutely love Ms. Barritt's writing and am so glad she's a prolific writer because I am never out of reading material. Even right now she has two new books out I haven't read yet.
And I can't wait. 

I did figure out who might be behind the crimes about midway, but not the whole truth or how or anything.  This was an edge of your seat mystery that I couldn't put down.  

Don't miss CLEAN SWEEP.  

I was given a copy free. All opinions are my own.



The other books in Ms. Barritt's Squeaky Clean Mystery series are:

Hazardous Duty
Suspicious Minds
It  Came upon a Midnight Crime
Organized Grime
Dirty Deeds
The Scum of all Fears
To Love,  Honor and Perish
Murky Streak
Foul Play
Broom and Gloom
Dust and Obey
Thrill Squeaker
Swept Away
Cunning Attractions 
Clean Getaway 
CLEAN SWEEP


Stay tuned for review of Tides of Deception coming soon 





Friday, September 28, 2018

Plain Fame

Plain Fame 

(The Plain Fame #1) 

Paperback, audio, ebook, audio CD

September 29, 2015

by Sarah Price

  • Paperback: 239 pages
  • Publisher: Waterfall Press 
  • ISBN-13: 978-1503945371



While traveling through Manhattan on the way back to her Amish community, young Amanda Beiler is struck by a limousine. The limo’s passenger, Cuban-born superstar Alejandro Diaz, takes responsibility for her injuries and vows to oversee her recovery. Leaving the fame circuit behind, Alejandro returns Amanda to her family in Lititz, Pennsylvania.
Desperate for a break from the stress of the spotlight, the famous singer offers to stay on the family farm for a week to help—an offer guardedly accepted by the deeply religious kin who surround and protect Amanda. As different as they are, she and Alejandro find that a genuine friendship begins to blossom, along with the realization that it might be something more. But if the paparazzi get wind of the superstar’s whereabouts, will they threaten the peace of the faithful community for a sensational story? And in the glare of an unwelcome spotlight, and with the unexpected feelings between them, can this couple build a lasting bridge between their vastly different worlds?
My thoughts:  It is rare for a book to leave me speechless. PLAIN FAME is about the unlikeliest story to ever get written, let along published. I have to give the author kudos for an active imagination, but wow.

Okay, for the more conservative bunch, there is drinking. Use of God's name in vain in Spanish. I am not fluent enough in that language to positively say that is all. I don't know. Alejandro is a playboy, tattooed and dangerous, and not a stranger to one night stands. A few of the scenes were more graphic than I'm comfortable with. Not to mention, he is Catholic and she Amish.....


That aside, I am still confused how exactly she ended up in New York City.  She was headed with her sister from Lancaster County Pennsylvania to Holmes County Ohio. Opposite directions from New York City. Her sister stayed on the train (Penn Station in NY which I understand is a subway station -- I may be wrong) She was crossing the street to buy sunglasses and gets hit by a rented limo (which Viper wasn't even driving but it's his fault she was jaywalking....)   Anyway. Someone needs to study geography. Either the author, the characters, or the people who made a rule that trains must travel hundreds of miles in the opposite direction then backtrack. I'm not saying the author is wrong on this. I don't know.


If you like Amish themed stories and don't care about the realism factor, this book is for you. I understand Ms. Price is quite a popular author so don't take my word for it.  I will not be reviewing the other books in this series though -- PLAIN FAME, Plain Change, Plain Again, Plain Return, Plain Choice and Plain Christmas. 


I was given a copy of this book by a friend who liked it as well as I did. All opinions are my own and I was not obligated to write a review.  And don't take my word for it. You might love it. 



Thursday, September 27, 2018

Too Blessed to be Stressed for Moms and #giveaway!!

Hardcover, ebook

September 1, 2018

by Debora M. Coty (Author)


  • Hardcover: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Shiloh Run Press 
  • ISBN-13: 978-1683224105





Do you feel like you re drowning in the everyday stress-pool? . . .

Wish you could make busy-ness a business so you d be a millionaire? . . .

Welcome to the maternal order of slightly sagging sisters of the 'hood. The motherhood. 


With her own offbeat brand of wit and near-wisdom, popular inspirational humorist Debora Coty addresses heart needs of moms drowning in the churning stress-pool of busyness. In her beloved mom-to-mom, grin-provoking style, Coty offers empathy, laughs, real-life stories, practical parenting survival tips, and fresh biblical insights to help you hear Papa God s still, small voice through life s chaos. 

Whether you're struggling with stress related to attitude, time-management, guilt trips, patience, or something in between. . .this humor-filled volume will deliver a much-needed smile and equip you with simple-to-implement tips for attaining the peace we all crave the peace that passes all understanding.

My thoughts: TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED FOR MOMS is a must read book for Moms of all ages. Even if your children are grown these stories will amuse you and if your children are young -- or even teens -- they will encourage you. 

I laughed out loud at some of the stories -- like the battle with the cat one. Super funny. And kind of gross. I grew hope to realize that maybe my "stupid" time will end when a child gets old enough and I'll know more than he thinks I do.  I could totally relate to some of the stress - and even took the stress test. I got Orange alert - I was very close to the danger zone. So I needed a reprieve and some serious time in prayer and Bible reading to destress.  The laughter helped too. 

There are verses, quotes, and discussion questions, making this a perfect book for small groups (of Moms), Mom's Time Out groups, or even your own personal study. It also has a beautiful cover and a ribbon marker to make it a perfect gift for a mom, for Christmas, for Mother's Day or just because. 

I was given a copy free. All opinions are my own. 





  • Sampler – you can link to it so your readers can read the first chapter PDF
Debora M. Coty’s website and social media links:

About the giveaway

No one is immune to stress, least of all moms. That’s why Debora M. Coty, author of the best-selling Too Blessed to be Stressed series decided it was time to write an edition specifically addressing the stresses and needs in the daily life of moms. In Too Blessed to be Stressed for Moms (Shiloh Run Press, an imprint of Barbour Publishing), Deb offers empathy, laughs, real-life stories, practical parenting survival tips, and fresh biblical insights to help frazzled moms of all ages hear God’s still, small voice through life’s chaos.

To celebrate the release of Too Blessed to Be Stressed for Moms and to bless a mom that needs to de-stress, Deb is giving away a “Take a Day for Mom” $75 VISA Cash Card. The card can be used by a mom for a day of pampering or just getting away and enjoying a day to herself. Do you need a day away or know a mom who does? (Is that a trick question?) Then, enter the giveaway and share it with all your friends. (Another little secret… you don’t have to prove you are a mom in order to win!)

Embed for the Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Link for the Rafflecopter giveaway

It will be easiest for people to enter the giveaway by the embed, but if you would rather click the link to the giveaway, the link is: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/8b3c91bb2/

Or you can link to Audra's blog post (going live on Monday morning):
https://www.audrajennings.com/2018/09/too-blessed-to-be-stressed-for-moms_24.html

It will also be housed on Audra's new Facebook page where you can share the giveaway from there: http://gvwy.io/rjte9hx

About the author

Debora M. Coty is a popular humorist, speaker, and award-winning author of numerous inspirational books, including the bestselling Too Blessed to be Stressed line. Deb considers herself a tennis junkie and choco-athlete (meaning she exercises just so she can eat more chocolate). A retired piano teacher and orthopedic occupational therapist, Debora currently lives, loves, and laughs in central Florida with her husband, Chuck, and three grandbuddies and one grandprincess.

Readers can connect with Debora M. Coty via her website, deboracoty.com, or on Facebook (AuthorDeboraCoty)Twitter (DeboraCoty) and Instagram (DeboraCoty)

Book trailer

Tour schedule

Feeling in Red9/24
Working Mommy Journal9/24
For Him and My Family9/27
Lighthouse Academy9/27
Texas Book-aholic9/28
My Table of Three9/29
Growing in Grace FB Bible study page             9/30
I am believing God9/30
Heck Of A Bunch10/1
Once Upon a Storyville10/1
The Little Friar10/1
bless their hearts mom10/2
Moments10/2
The Forgiven Former Feminist10/2
A Peace of Mind10/3
Locks, Hooks and Books10/3
Loraine D. Nunley, Author10/3
EmpowerMoms10/4
Happily Managing a Household of Boys10/4
SK Bell10/5
Joyful Wife Life10/6
Mommy Ramblings10/6
Side Hustle and Save10/7
This Mom's Delight10/8
alwaysjoart10/9
Book Babble10/10
Cheryl's Book Blog10/10
Janice's Book Reviews10/10
Red Headed Book Lady10/10
When life gets you down....read a book10/10
Running Through the Storms10/11
A Day Of Small Things10/12
Buzz4Mommies10/12
Did you Hear About the Morgans?10/12
Give Me Today10/12
The Librarian's Bookshelf10/12






Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Interview with Elaine Stock and #giveaway!!!



Today we welcome Elaine Stock to my blog. Elaine is very graciously offering one copy of Christmas Love Year Round (kindle version) to one commenter. Please include contact information. 

Elaine, good to have you stop by. Tell us about the book – a brief blurb:


The Kindred Lake Series is about rediscovering the beauty of love especially in unexpected places, strengthening faith and family ties, and finding harmony in the small town of Kindred Lake.

Book 1, Christmas Love Year Round, is Cami and Gavin’s story of love and forgiveness that gives new meaning to the “boy next door” when he becomes neighbors to the woman who bullied him during their childhood.

Blurb:

Cami Richardson is good at chasing away the men in her life: first Gavin Kinkaid, a former classmate she’d helped to bully, and later, her husband who left her widowed and a single mom. Now all she wants is to bring a smile back to her eight-year-old son. What she doesn’t expect is for Gavin to become her new neighbor.

Gavin wants to settle down after serving in the Air Force and mend the separation between him and his dad. What he never counts on is his changing feelings when he sees Cami as a kind woman instead of his former adversary.

When Cami’s son blindsides them both during the Christmas season, is their reunion at risk or will it grow stronger?



Do you create playlists for each book, write to the same music all the time, don’t listen to anything?

I am a 100% seat-of-the-pants writer and when I write fresh I need to totally become absorbed into my characters’ world so I can experience life as they do. To me that means to feel, smell, see, touch and hear what they do so no music for me at this stage. However, my favorite music is classical, especially Bach and Beethoven and listening to the local classical music station first thing in the morning before I write inspires me. Sometimes when I edit I also listen to music, though softly.



Where is your favorite place to write? Pictures?

I have 3 bad discs in my neck, which makes sitting upright at a desk quite uncomfortable. For me, it’s have-laptop-will-travel. Mainly, I park myself on the living room sofa so I can lean back with my feet elevated on a hassock…not bad considering I can look out of three large windows, plus in the winter I’m only three feet from the woodstove.


Will complete this opening? “It was a dark and stormy night…”

Interesting question for me because I don’t do nights well—it’s the time when all the bogeymen from my past, and present concerns grow to monstrous shapes. As for storms, I’m like a cat that wants to hide under the sofa at the first clap of thunder—LOL.

So…

It was a dark and stormy night when Elaine opens a novel to escape for a while then hugs her husband goodnight, jumps into bed and opens her devotional to be reminded of how much God loves her. After lights are out, she falls asleep thanking God for her blessings and praying for others.




What book that you admire do you wish you’d written?

Two:

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd, a gorgeously written novel of a slice of American history that should be required reading in school.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. I read it when it first came out 3 years ago and am still thinking about the haunting ending, let alone what the characters endured.




How do you find the balance of writing time and family time?

For me, it’s juggling time with my husband, writing, and working a day job 32 hours a week. Plus, I have a weekly blog, Everyone’s Story, that I host guests. Sometimes, I admit, it gets a bit overwhelming, but I tamp down on my faith that God will get me through all this and take it one step at a time. I just do it! Plus, I’m kind of an adrenaline junkie—I function much better when I have more to do than less…as long as I have my morning coffee!!






Share your bio and links for social media and to buy:


Elaine Stock--Fusing Romance, Family Drama, and Faith in a Clean Fiction Style.



Elaine Stock is the author of the novels Her Good Girl, winner of the 2018 Readers’ Favorite Silver Medal in Christian Fiction and the 2018 American Fiction Awards in the Christian Inspirational category. Her debut novel, Always With You, won the 2017 Christian Small Publishers Association Book of the Year Award in fiction. She has since published a romance novella, And You Came Along, and Christmas Love Year Round, Book 1 of the Kindred Lake Series.

Elaine is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, and Women’s Fiction Writers Association. In addition to Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads, she hangs out on her active blog, Everyone’s Story, dedicated to uplifting and encouraging all readers through the power of story and hope.

Born in Brooklyn, NY, Elaine has now been living in upstate, rural New York with her husband for more years than her stint as a NYC gal. She enjoys long walks down country roads, visiting New England towns, and of course, a good book.


Links:

Everyone’s Story blog: http://elainestock.com/blog
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ElaineStock




Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Whispering Tower: The Story Behind The Story by Katie Clark and #giveaway!!!


Whispering Tower
The Story Behind The Story

Whispering Tower is book 2 in the Beguiled Series, but each book is a standalone that doesn’t have to be read in order. When I was brainstorming this book, it didn’t come easy! Getting it into shape took years.

The book begins in current times, but Skye and Philip fall through time and end up in Old Testament Biblical times—though they don’t know that’s where they are! I based the plausibility of time travel off the story of Hezekiah, when God turns back the sun by fifteen degrees.

The hardest part of pulling the book together was the elements that took place in the past. Whispering Tower is a time travel story—I did a lot of research to make it accurate, but I did take creative liberties because after all, it’s fantasy!

The story is about forgiveness, and finding purpose in the place where God has put you. Finding these themes and bringing them out also took lots of revisions! Book 1 in the series is Shadowed Eden. It released in 2016, and readers have been asking for quite some time when the sequel would release. I’m happy to finally have a date to share! May 2019!

The book isn’t quite available for pre-order, but in the meantime book 1 can be found here!

Giveaway!!!

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN! What would you do if you found yourself falling through time? I’d like to think I could stay calm and collected…but who am I fooling? Leave me your answer below to enter for a chance to win a digital copy of Shadowed Eden, book 1 in the Beguiled Series!

Blurb:

Stuck in London for one of her mom’s work trips, Skye Humphries can’t help holding a grudge when she ends up roped into a summer tour group with Philip-who-crushed-her-heart. But when Skye and Philip find themselves barreling through time after unsuspectingly opening the veil between the past and present, they’re thrust into a world where Skye’s very life is in danger. If she’d known her choices were between summering with Philip or being sacrificed to the god of the skies, Skye might have changed her attitude. Now she must figure out what’s most important to her—getting even for the past or having a future.










About the Author:

















Abundant Grace: 40 Days of Walking in the Goodness of God: A #Devotional #preorder

  Abundant Grace: 40 Days of Walking in the Goodness of God: A Devotional  April 2, 2024 by  Will Kassner   (Author),  Courtney Kassner   (A...