Interview with Kathy Harris

Today we welcome Kathy Harris to my blog. Thanks for stopping by, Kathy! Tell us about the book – a brief blurb:

Deadly Commitment is an inspirational romantic suspense set in Nashville. It’s also the first book in a new series from New Hope Publishers.

Danni Kemp fears she’s being stalked—but the truth is much more deadly. Her fiancé, Robert Evans, has a dangerous secret, and the homeless man who is stalking her, Caleb Samuels, may prove to be her only escape from the seedy, underground world of illicit drugs that has intruded upon her life. Will Danni discover in time that neither Rob nor Caleb are who they appear to be, and the one person she fears most may be the one person she needs to trust?

Are any experiences in Deadly Commitment based on personal experiences?

Not directly, but the book is set in the middle of my ordinary life in Nashville, Tennessee. I had a great time doing “research” and learning more about my hometown.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in Deadly Commitment?

That’s an interesting question. I wouldn’t change the story but, like most writers, I would love the chance to rewrite it. Ha.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Balancing the romance, suspense, and faith elements.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

This is my first romantic suspense, and I learned that I really like writing in this genre. It’s fun… and challenging.

Did you have to travel much for research for Deadly Commitment?

Not at all. Most of the story is set in Nashville. The rest was set on the road and/or on the tour bus, which is second nature to me because I’ve worked in the entertainment industry for several decades.

Do you foresee any more stories for this family of characters?

Deadly Commitment is the first book in The Deadly Secrets series, but each book will be a standalone with a unique hero and heroine. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is the common denominator in each story.

Who was your favorite character in Deadly Commitment?

I’m not sure I can pick a favorite, because Caleb Samuels is a strong hero and Danni Kemp has an interesting character arc. Also, several of the secondary characters (Jaycee, Jamie, and even Sophie) play an important role in the story. I look forward to learning who readers will pick as their favorite character!

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

Kathy Harris is an author by way of a “divine detour” into the Nashville music business where she has worked for 30 years as a marketing director. She sold her first Christian nonfiction story in 2007. Her debut novel, The Road to Mercy, released in 2012. Kathy writes romantic suspense and women’s fiction. Visit her website, read her Divine Detour blog and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Christianbook, BAM, Parnassus Books

Love, Honor, and Obey by B J Bassett

In a marriage relationship, there is authority from Christ to husband, and from husband to wife. The authority of Christ is the authority of God. Any man who speaks with God or about God in a way that shows a lack of respect for the authority of Christ, dishonors Christ. In the same way, a wife who speaks with God in a way that shows a lack of respect for the authority of her husband, dishonors her husband. 1 Corinthians 11:3-4

Obey? You’ve got to be kidding me. I don’t think the word obey is even used during many wedding ceremonies anymore.

Because of the era I was raised in and my faith in God and His Word, I never had trouble being a submissive wife, showing respect and honor to my husband as the head of our home. Sure, I can be bossy and stubborn. And I have my own opinion on many subjects.

Our marriage was a partnership and my godly husband treated me like an equal. He was wise and considerate. And he listened to me. Yet, even in a partnership there are situations when someone needs to make a final decision and that person is the head, the final word.

While I’m writing this devotional for wives, daughters of the King can glean from it as well. As wives, do we honor our husbands by being submissive? Do we give him control as the head of the home? As daughters of the King, are we honoring our Father? Are we giving him control of our lives?

I loved being a wife to my dear husband for over 60 years. I also love being a daughter of the King.

When we honor our husbands, we honor God.

Father, Your Word is an instruction book on how to live. My desire is to live my life honoring You in everything I do. I submit to Your will. Amen.

B. J. Bassett encourages others as an author, teacher and speaker. Her books include a contemporary novel, Gillian’s Heart; a historical novel Lily; Sweet Charity; A Touch of Grace—The G.R.A.C.E. Ministries Story; and coauthor of a children’s devotional My Time with God, Focus on the Family, Heritage Builders, with over 55,000 copies sold.

As a contributing writer, publications consist of Writer’s Handbook 2000, The Writer, and The Focus on the Family Guide to Growing a Healthy Home, Wolgemuth& Hyatt, Publishers, Inc.—consistently on Bookstore Journal’s Best-selling Christian Books List from November 1990 - February 1991, and voted the 10 Best Books for 1990 by Today’s Christian Woman.

Magazines, devotional booklets, curriculum and newspaper publishers include Focus on the Family, Woman’s World, The Quiet Hour, Pathways to God, Devotions, Harcourt Brace, WordAction, Gospel Publishing and Times Standard (newspaper).

She teaches writing workshops at Umpqua Community College, Roseburg, OR and at writer’s conferences. As a speaker for Stonecroft Ministries, she tells her story of rejection and acceptance, not only in life, but as a writer as well. She also offers book talks, including discussion questions and shares the journey -- from the seed of an idea to a published book.

Memberships: ACFW and Oregon Christian Writers (OCW).

She enjoys reading, jigsaw puzzles, knitting, munching warm scones oozing with butter and strawberry jam and sipping earl grey tea.

The Spice King (Hope and Glory #1)

The Spice King 

(Hope and Glory #1) 

Paperback – ebook, hardcover, audio

September 3, 2019

by Elizabeth Camden (Author)

Paperback: 352 pages

• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers 
• ISBN-13: 978-0764232114

Gray Delacroix has dedicated his life to building his very successful global spice empire, but it has come at a cost. Resolved to salvage his family before it spirals out of control, he returns to his ancestral home to save his brother and sister before it's too late.

As a junior botanist for the Smithsonian, Annabelle Larkin has been charged with the impossible task of gaining access to the notoriously private Delacroix plant collection. If she fails, she will be out of a job and the family farm in Kansas will go under. She has no idea that in gaining entrance to the Delacroix world, she will unwittingly step into a web of dangerous political intrigue far beyond her experience.

Unable to deny her attraction to the reclusive business tycoon, Annabelle will be forced to choose between her heart and loyalty to her country. Can Gray and Annabelle find a way through the storm of scandal without destroying the family Gray is fighting to save?

My thoughts: One of the things I love about Elizabeth Camden is her ability to find unique topics to write about. She has a loyal fan here for that reason alone. THE SPICE KING is about a man who got rich off spices and the woman who works for the Smithsonian and wants his well-guarded secrets.

Despite his mistrust of Annabelle, and that his personality is as drab as his name, Annabelle and Gray form a friendship that comes under fire when the government decides  Gray is a spy and promises Annabelle all her dreams come true if she spies on Gray and finds  him guilty. Despite her initial misgiving she succumbs and snoops....

  

Gray is openly anti-government but is he a spy? 

I really liked Gray's brother and sister, but both Gray and Annabelle as well as her sister were one dimensional and I couldn't force myself to care for them. The sexual tension between them was nonexistent but should appeal to readers who like love to come softly. I did take issue  with a works-based faith message instead of grace...  

I liked the touch of suspense and loved the unique topic.  Fans of Elizabeth Camden and regency time period romances will likely love THE SPICE KING.

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

When God Says Wait: A Devotional Thought Journal

Hardcover – 

October 1, 2019

by Elizabeth Laing Thompson (Author)

Hardcover: 224 pages

Publisher: Shiloh Run Press

ISBN-13: 978-1643521626

A job, a true love, a baby, a cure. . .
We’re all waiting for something from God.
And the place between His answers can feel like a wasteland where dreams—and faith—go to die.
When we’re waiting, we wonder, “Why?”, “Why me?”, and “How long?”

But the truth? . . .
When God says, “Wait,” He doesn’t tell us for how long.
When God says, “Wait,” we face one of life’s greatest tests.
When God says, “Wait,” we have decisions to make.
When God says, “Wait,” we can control only two things: how we wait, and who we become along the way.

Author Elizabeth Laing Thompson invites you to journal through your personal "wait" and come out on the other side with your faith, relationships, and sense of humor intact. 

This lovely volume will encourage and inspire you in your wait--with meaningful devotional thoughts, scriptural truths, and thought-provoking journal prompts.

 

Features:

• A beautiful, textured hardcover binding
• Delightfully designed one-color interior with quality paper
• Dozens of encouraging, inspiring thoughts from Elizabeth Laing Thompson's popular Christian living title When God Says, "Wait"
• Generous space to record personal thoughts and feelings
• Thought-provoking reflection questions and journal prompts
• Scripture selections on every spread

 My  thoughts  (Reviewed by Marilyn):  It’s not easy waiting no matter what an individual might be waiting for. When God Says Wait, a devotional thought journal, is the perfect for recording your thoughts, actions and prayers as you wait.

This hardbound journal will encourage you in your spirit and mind as you wait. The two pages for each day or whatever pace has a Bible verse on the left page then a wonderful thought and question to ponder and answer on the right side. There is plenty of room to journal your prayers, thoughts and preparations as you wait for your answer. This journal is perfect for using during your devotions with God to grow your faith while waiting, knowing that God does all things well. The scriptures will uplift readers and some would be great to commit to memory.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. I have shared my own opinion.

 

Part 1 of an Interview with Barb Roose, Author of I’m Waiting, God

Part 1 of an Interview with Barb Roose, Author of I’m Waiting, God   Need information quick? Just grab your phone and do a search. Didn’t plan ahead for dinner? Toss something in the Instapot. Forget about patience, we live a world where Prime shipping seems to take too long. Waiting on the little things is an inconvenience, so what happens when we have to wait on the big things? When the bills are stacking up because a new job hasn’t come along, a family situation is causing great heartache, or a loved one faces an illness, we pray for answers. We know God hears our prayers, but it’s hard when the clock is ticking yet He hasn’t shown us the answer. Sometimes he wants us to wait. In her new Bible study I’m Waiting, God: Finding Blessing in God’s Delays (Abingdon Press), Barb Roose helps readers build patience until God’s plan comes to fruition. Q: What is it about waiting that often reverts us back to toddler-like tantrums? All my kids went through that crazy toddler phase when they would fall out on the floor screaming when I didn’t let them have something they wanted. What always amazed me was that those little girls were so focused on the one thing they couldn’t have that they forget everything they already had to enjoy. Over the years, I’ve kicked up my own fuss when God hasn’t given me what I’ve wanted. There were times when I crossed my arms and pouted about not getting that bigger house, the job that would solve some financial issues, or why God hadn’t fixed the addiction issue that was breaking our hearts. I might not have thrown myself on the floor, but there were times when I didn’t want to pray or I’d withhold my worship because I felt like God being unfair. However, during some of my long seasons of unanswered prayers, I’ve learned how to halt my tantrum long enough to look around and see what God has already blessed me with. As I’ve learned to embrace a life of gratitude, God’s gifted me a multitude of better blessings that have far exceeded anything that I could have ever asked for. Q: An author writes about what she knows or needs to hear. Can you share an example of when you were waiting out God’s timing for what felt like forever? For several years, I prayed for a full-time job to open up at the church where I worked part-time. I looked forward to paying the monthly bills without worrying if there’d be enough money to pay them. Finally, I was offered a full-time job. However, the Great Recession devastated our automotive industry community. The loss of jobs led to reduced weekly giving at our church. In addition to some staff layoffs, my full-time position was postponed indefinitely. Disappointed, I was really angry with God. I was so tired of figuring out how to make ends meet month after month. After my big feelings calmed down, I kept trusting God to make ends meet and stayed faithful on my job. Almost a year later, a different full-time job for me – a promotion and substantial pay raise. It was a better job than the one I’d gotten angry about losing the year before! While there were many years of sacrificing for what God calling us to do, he took care of my family during those difficult days until times got better. Q: We often blame our impatience on the fact we live in a world of technology where everything is at our fingertips, but as humans, haven’t we always had that problem? We live in an “Insta-Everything” world that makes it possible for us to get what we want by the press of a button. Hungry? Order delivery from Postmates. Run out of toilet paper? Amazon can be a hero and deliver the next day. Even though technology highlights how much we love speed, human nature has always been to get what we want, no matter the cost. The tension is that when we try to fix or force solutions, not only do we miss out on God’s best, but we often wreck our human relationships. In Genesis, Abraham and Sarah live with an unanswered prayer for a child. Even though she knows what God has promised, Sarah tires of waiting and cooks up a scheme. Impatience does result in a baby—and broken relationships and a lot of bitter feelings, too. I’ve been like Sarah and got impatient with God. However, I bear the Jesus-healed scars of my foolishness. I’ve learned this: When I we try to push my way out of a waiting room, I will cause pain and problems in other people’s lives. Q: What spiritual issues are usually being tested in us while we are in sitting in the waiting room of life? Waiting room seasons of life challenge what we believe about God and how much fear and control are operating in our lives. Those long, frustrating days may prompt questions such as “Does God still love me?”, “Did I do something wrong?”, “Why is God answering their prayers, but not mine?” or “How long do I have to live like this, God?” For more than a decade, our family felt the effects of a growing addiction issue. At first, I prayed, but my prayers were all about asking God to deal with the addiction because I wanted my happy, mostly pain-free and problem-free life back. As the years went on, the effects of addiction began suffocating our daily lives. I stopped caring about getting my happy life back, I needed God’s power, presence and His peace to just help me get through the day, sometimes, even just the hour in front of me. Those last few years allowed me to discover there was nothing I needed more than God, even as I watched the once-lovely life I had fall apart and disappear. Yet, in God I found all that I needed. Q: You write, “This journey looks more like a winding path instead of a formulaic three-step plan. Here’s the unique twist: your path to patience is paved right over the road of your unanswered prayers.” Can you talk about why there isn’t a formula? There’s no formula for learning how to be patient, mainly because the human heart doesn’t respond to formulas. While there are formulas or strategies to bake cakes, build cars and even space travel, there is no formula that governs how a heart starts to love, begins to hate, moves toward God, or learns patience. God knows our hearts need to experience certain situations, challenges and even heartache for us to learn how to trust his timeline for our lives. This means God is patient with us because part of our journey is learning we can’t fix people or force solutions in order to get what we want. Unlike a plan, a winding path of learning to live on God’s timeline is more than just finding the fastest route from point A to point B. The winding path toward patience is a journey full of life-changing experiences, connections and relationships that we encounter along the way that God uses to help our hearts look more like His. Q: Sometimes God’s plans for us are so much better than anything we could have ever expected. What are some important things to remember moving forward after a blessing in disguise or a prayer answered in an unexpected way? It’s really easy to forget God when life is good! This is why gratitude is so important because the more we give thanks to God, the more we continue to share his glory through our story. Often, after we finally get that thing that we’ve been praying for forever, we forget all of the lessons God taught us while we were waiting. Gratitude keeps us connected to those lessons and allows God’s better blessings to keep flowing through our lives. Q: What final piece of encouragement would you give to those who may be in an intense period of waiting right now? This is the encouragement that I share whenever I speak before an audience: Today, you are doing the best that you can! Keep holding on! God has more for you because God has put more in you! Visit Barb Roose's online home at barbroose.com. Readers can also keep up with her on Facebook (BarbaraRoose), Twitter (barbroose), and Instagram (barbroose). Barb Roose is a popular speaker and author who is passionate about connecting women to one another and to God helping them apply the truths of God’s Word to the practical realities and challenges they face as women in today’s culture. Roose enjoys teaching and encouraging women at conferences and events across the country, as well as internationally, including national platforms such as the Aspire Women’s Events, She Speaks Conference, and the UMC Leadership Institute. She is the author of the I’m Waiting, God: Finding Blessing in God’s Delays, Joshua: Winning the Worry Battle and Beautiful Already: Reclaiming God’s Perspective on Beauty Bible studies and the books Winning the Worry Battle: Life Lessons from the Book of Joshua and Enough Already: Winning Your Ugly Struggle with Beauty. Her writing has been featured in many magazines, and she also writes a regular blog at BarbRoose.com. She is the host of the bi-monthly “Better Together” podcast. Roose lives in Toledo, Ohio, and is the proud mom of three adult daughters. Her perfect day includes sleeping in, taking a long walk outside, shopping for shoes and eating two big bowls of chocolate peanut ice cream. Visit Barb Roose’s online home at barbroose.com. Readers can also keep up with her on Facebook (BarbaraRoose), Twitter (barbroose), and Instagram (barbroose).

Home to Chestnut Grove 

Kindle Edition, paperback

by Christy Barritt (Author)

• Print Length: 141 pages
• Publisher: River Heights 
• Publication Date: September 23, 2019
• ASIN: B07TY5LKVK

A heartwarming, small-town Christmas story about restoring broken hearts and remembering those you love.

When Faith Winters returns to Chestnut Grove, Virginia, for the community’s annual Christmas celebration, she’s determined to make amends. She’s failed at making it on Broadway and is certain everyone hates her for decisions she had no control over. 

Jake Whitmire is the sheriff in Chestnut Grove, but keeping the area free of crime is the least of his worries. Most days are filled with trying to keep the community’s spirits up as jobs have disappeared. He never expected to see the woman who broke his heart return home to lead up the town’s Christmas concert, nor is he sure he can ever forgive her.

As someone in town begins sabotaging the community’s celebration, Faith and Jake work together to find the person responsible and ensure their friend Jenny’s last request is fulfilled. Can holiday hope heal the broken spirit afflicting Chestnut Grove residents? Or is it time for everyone—including Faith and Jake—to treasure the memories of the past but to move on?

Includes bonus recipes!

My thoughts:  HOME TO  CHESTNUT GROVE is Ms. Barritt's newest release and I think I have a new favorite of her books!  

HOME TO CHESTNUT GROVE is Hallmark Christmas movie worthy. A sweet romance. A cozy mystery. A small town reeling and struggling to survive. Hurts, unforgiveness, untold secrets and more combined to make a Christmas novella I couldn't put down. My own job got set aside so I could read this.

If you are looking for a holiday read grab a copy of Ms. Barritt's HOME TO CHESTNUT  GROVE.  Maybe you'll have a new favorite too.

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

Interview with Suzanne Bratcher about The Silver Lode

Today we welcome Suzanne Bratcher to my  blog. Thanks for stopping by, Susanne! Tell us about the book – a brief blurb:

Beneath the ghost town of Jerome, Arizona, a maze of abandoned mine tunnels conceals a vein of silver ore mixed with pure gold. Seventy years ago, the discovery of that silver lode caused a murder. Now a dying child, two suspicious deaths, and a kidnapping drive historian Paul Russell and antiques expert Marty Greenlaw deep into a desperate search for the silver lode, putting them on a collision course with a ruthless killer.

Are any experiences in The Silver Lode based on personal experiences?

Paul’s struggle with writing a book to obtain tenure at Northern Arizona University is suspiciously like my own. The difference is Paul and I resolved the problem differently. Most of the scenes in which the characters drive up Highway 89A or hike on Cleopatra Hill are based on my own explorations of Jerome.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in The Silver Lode?

Not in the book itself, but perhaps in the writing journey. I suppose I’d like to know who the culprit as I wrote the first draft. I was genuinely surprised three-quarters of the way through when I realized I was writing with the wrong killer in mind! I had to go back and insert clues to play the mystery game fairly. That change would have saved time, but the story might not have been quite as much fun to write.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

It required three points of view. I’ve never written with more that two before.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

I learned two things: I need more time to write a book than most people, and God always has a Plan B when I can’t make a deadline.

Did you have to travel much for research for The Silver Lode?

I made one trip to Jerome before I began this book, but I lived about an hour and a half from Jerome for thirty years. It was a favorite getaway for me, so much of what I wrote was based on vivid memories. I did do a lot of research about geology, even though most of it didn’t wind up in the book. A silver lode was never discovered in Jerome, so I wanted to make sure the geology was plausible. I also did a lot of research into antique furniture periods to make sure I got Marty’s antiques right.

The Silver Lode is the second in what I plan as a trilogy of Jerome mysteries. It was fun coming back to Marty and Paul who were the main characters in The Copper Box (book 1). I got to know them better, and I was glad to accompany them as their romance got serious. Scott was a bit of a surprise. He was a minor character in the first book, but he stepped on stage quite strongly in the first chapter of The Silver Lode. I’m working on the third Jerome mystery right now. It’s called The Gold Doubloons. Copper, silver, and gold were the three ores mined in Jerome.

Who was your favorite character in The Silver Lode?

That’s a tough question. I like this whole family. I did get quite a surprise from a character I expected to be a walk-on who became an integral part of the story and will be even more important in The Gold Doubloons.

Was there anything in The Silver Lode that you did not enjoy writing about?

Not really. It was a fun book to write.

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

A mystery fan since her first encounter with Nancy Drew, Suzanne Bratcher began inventing stories as a young girl. After college, realizing she couldn’t support herself on the ten cents a word publishers were paying, she became an English teacher. Over the course of her career, she taught writing to junior high schoolers in Virginia and college students in Arizona. She continued her own writing: publishing two textbooks, short stories, and poetry. After retiring from teaching, Bratcher returned to her first love and began writing mysteries and romantic suspense.

Connect with Suzanne on her website, www.suzannebratcher.com and on Facebook @authorsuzannebratcher.

Purchase The Silver Lode at https://amzn.to/2ppyRNf