ROW #80 Check In . . . Happy Dance

I am dancing, dancing, dancing at the progress I have made this week in my writing. Two days in a row I wrote over 200 words, beyond my goal.
Looking forward to writing more this week!!!

“On Distant Shores” by @SarahSundin | Romantic Weekend Getaway Giveaway, Facebook Party and Blog Tour

About On Distant Shores: Caught between the war raging around them and the battles within, two souls long for peace---and a love that remains true.

Lt. Georgiana Taylor has everything she could want. A boyfriend back home, a loving family, and a challenging job as a flight nurse. But in July 1943, Georgie's cozy life gets more complicated when she meets pharmacist Sgt. John Hutchinson.

Hutch resents the lack of respect he gets as a noncommissioned serviceman and hates how the war keeps him from his fiancée. While Georgie and Hutch share a love of the starry night skies over Sicily, their lives back home are falling apart. Can they weather the hurt and betrayal? Or will the pressures of war destroy the fragile connection they've made?

With her signature attention to detail and her talent for bringing characters together, Sarah Sundin weaves an exciting tale of emotion, action, and romance that will leave you wanting more.

Purchase a Copy: http://ow.ly/nIVWC

 Meet Sarah: Sarah Sundin is the author of "With Every Letter" and the Wings of Glory series. In 2011, A "Memory Between Us" was a finalist in the Inspirational Reader's Choice Awards, and Sarah received the Writer of the Year Award at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. A graduate of UC San Francisco School of Pharmacy, she works on call as a hospital pharmacist. During WWII, her grandfather served as a pharmacist's mate (medic) in the Navy and her great-uncle flew with the US Eighth Air Force in England. Sarah lives in California with her husband and three children.

Visit www.sarahsundin.com for more information.



Sarah Sundin is celebrating the release of her latest novel, On Distant Shores, with a Romantic Weekend Getaway giveaway!









One grand prize winner will receive:



• A $200 Visa Cash Card (good for a perfect couple's getaway)


• With Every Letter and On Distant Shores by Sarah Sundin


Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on September 2nd. Winner will be announced September 3rd at the "On Distant Shores" Author Chat Party on Facebook. During the party Sarah will be hosting a book chat, testing your trivia skills, announcing the winner of the Weekend Getaway, and giving away a ton of books, gift certificates, and more. Oh, and she'll also be giving party goers an exclusive look at the next book in the Wings of the Nightingale series.


So grab your copy of On Distant Shores and join Sarah on the evening of September 3rd for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven’t read the book, don’t let that stop you from coming!)






DON’T MISS A MOMENT OF THE FUN; RSVP TODAY. HOPE TO SEE YOU ON THE 3rd!

My Thoughts:

Sarah's second book in this series does not disappoint. With no error for detail Sarah paints a vivid picture of the Italian countryside, which I loved, since I am Italian. Not only is the Italian countryside so real you can touch it, so is the WWII back drop. Sarah's research is impeccable, I could understand the Pharmacist's jargon, and the fear of being a nurse on an aircraft in the middle of enemy gunfire. 
As the romance blossoms between the characters you get to know them personally, and you feel what they do.

I highly recommend this book.




The Letters

Book Blurb:

Rose Schrock is a plain woman with a simple plan. Determined to find a way to support her family and pay off her late husband's debts, she sets to work to convert the basement of her Amish farmhouse into an inn. While her family, especially her cranky mother-in-law, is unhappy with Rose's big idea, her friend and neighbor, Galen King, supports the decision and he helps with the conversion. As Rose finalizes preparations for visitors, she prays. She asks God to bless each guest who stays at the Inn at Eagle Hill. As the first guest arrives and settles in, Rose is surprised to discover that her entire family is the one who receives the blessings, in the most unexpected ways. And she's even more surprised when that guest decides to play matchmaker for Galen King.
With her signature plot twists combined with gentle Amish romance, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher invites readers back to Stoney Ridge for fresh stories of simple pleasures despite the complexity of life. Fisher's tale of God's providence and provision will delight her fans and create many new ones. Welcome to the Inn at Eagle Hill.

About Suzanne


In no particular order, Suzanne Woods Fisher is a wife, mother, writer, lifelong student of the Bible, raiser of puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind, a gardener and a cook...the latter two with sporadic results.

Suzanne has loved to write since she was a young teen. After college, she started to write for magazines and became a contributing editor for Christian Parenting Today magazine. Her family moved to Hong Kong for four years, just as the internet was developing, and she continued to write articles in a 44-story high-rise apartment, sending manuscripts 7,000 miles away with a click of a key.

After returning from Hong Kong, Suzanne decided to give her first novel a try. For four and a half months, she worked on an antediluvian computer in a cramped laundry room. She didn't even tell her husband what she was up to. When the novel was completed, she told her family at dinner one night that she had written a book. "That's why there's no food in this house!" said her slightly insensitive sons.

Undaunted...Suzanne found a small royalty publisher for that book and wrote three more (all earned multiple). With help from an agent, she has five books currently under contract with Revell. On September 1st, Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World, a non-fiction book of stories and examples about the Old Order Amish, will be released by Revell. The Choice, a novel about the Amish, will follow on January 1st.

Writing, for Suzanne, is a way to express a love of God and His word. With every book or article, she hopes readers get a sense of what faith really looks like in the daily grind. She hopes they realize that life can be hard, but God is good, and never to confuse the two.

Suzanne can be found on-line at: www.suzannewoodsfisher.com

I have no idea how these authors come up with such inviting tales of the Amish. This book is truly one of the best Amish books I have read this year.
Rose is a widow, and must find a way to pay off her late husband's debts. She painstakingly works to convert the basement of her farmhouse into an inn, despite the disagreement from her mother-in-law.
Rose is a character you cheer for, and want her to succeed. 
This series is off to a great start!!!

Carolina Reckoning - Reviewed

Book Blurb:

When 30-something housewife, Alison Monaghan discovers proof of her husband's infidelity in a photograph with a mysterious woman, she must decide how to confront Frank when he returns home from work. Despite the influence of her best friend Valerie, a strong Christian, Alison remains aloof from God and is determined to handle this crisis her own way. But Alison may not get that chance. Frank never makes it home. Soon his body is found on a lonely back-country road in antebellum Weathersby Historic Park where Frank served on the board of directors and where Alison, with a degree in landscape design, was a volunteer garden docent. Homicide detective Mike Barefoot, a Cherokee native from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, immediately puts Alison at the top of his suspect list. He finds himself drawn to her—and not just because she had motive for the crime. As an army veteran, Mike usually keeps his emotional walls high. And as a detective, he knows not to get involved with murder suspects. So why he is so attracted to Alison? Can he fight his feelings for her—and the stirrings in his heart toward God?

 About the author:


Lisa Carter is a writer, teacher, speaker and musician whose articles have appeared in FamilyFun, Thriving Family, MomSense and Christian Parenting Today. Carolina Reckoning is her debut novel, but she was always the child who made up epic tales involving prairie schooners or interplanetary voyages for the neighborhood kids to re-enact during summer vacation. Now, she and her husband have two daughters and make their home in North Carolina. When she isn't writing, Lisa enjoys traveling to romantic locales, quilting and researching her next exotic adventure.

http://www.lisacarterauthor.com 

 

 

 Pros:

I've been in Alison's shoes. I suspected infidelity in my former husband and it was confirmed by my daughters. I however got the privilege of confronting him and kicking him out! Alison never got that privilege. After finding out her husband is cheating, she receives the news that he has been killed, and of course she is the prime suspect. In unraveling the thread of her husband's murder, she becomes privy to her husband, Frank's private world.

Mike Barefoot, the detective on the case, can't understand why Alison isn't as upset as a wife would be at finding out about the murder of her husband. Alison's children have a difficult time continuing to live in their affluent neighborhood, with the knowledge that their father has left them penniless.

Overall this was a decent book. I giggled every time I saw the name Mike Barefoot, considering I attended church with a man named Mike Barefoot in Virginia. He was not a detective.

The spiritual element was very low key, not in your face.

 

Cons:

I just didn't feel the edge of my seat pull as I have with other romantic suspense novels I have read in the past.

Rules of Murder

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Rules of Murder Bethany House Publishers (August 1, 2013) by Julianna Deering

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

JULIANNA DEERING has always been an avid reader and a lover of storytelling, whether on the page, the screen or the stage. This, along with her keen interest in history and her Christian faith, shows in her tales of love, forgiveness and triumph over adversity. A fifth-generation Texan, she makes her home north of Dallas with three spoiled cats and, when not writing, spends her free time quilting, cross stitching and watching NHL hockey. Her new series of Drew Farthering mysteries set in 1930s England debuts with Rules of Murder (Bethany House, 2013) and will be followed by Death by the Book (Bethany House, 2014).



ABOUT THE BOOK

Downton Abbey Meets Agatha Christie in This Sparkling Mystery

Drew Farthering loves a good mystery, although he generally expects to find it in the pages of a novel, not on the grounds of his country estate. When a weekend party at Farthering Place is ruined by murder and the police seem flummoxed, Drew decides to look into the crime himself. With the help of his best friend, Nick Dennison, an avid mystery reader, and Madeline Parker, a beautiful and whip-smart American debutante staying as a guest, the three try to solve the mystery as a lark, using the methods from their favorite novels.

Soon, financial irregularities at Drew's stepfather's company come to light and it's clear that all who remain at Farthering Place could be in danger. Trying hard to remain one step ahead of the killer--and trying harder to impress Madeline--Drew must decide how far to take this game.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Rules of Murder, go HERE.

Sadly this book arrived while I was out of town. A full review to follow.

Accomplishing . . . Making Progress . . . ROW 80 Mid Week Check In

I am very pleased that I have finally broke through the writing barrier and have made progress with my WIP.
I have felt so stagnant and not able to put any words on paper. I have words and am excited to see how this story develops even more!!

Home Blessing

My husband and I are building a house, and tonight we had a home blessing. We invited friends and family to come and bless our home with prayer and scripture. It was a wonderful time of celebration, love, and blessings.

Here are the scripture that was written on the framing.

Written above the garage.

Written on the frame by the front door.

Written by one of the windows. Not exactly sure which one.

Not sure where this one is written.

In the living room.

In the guest bedroom.

In the hallway.

In the living room.

In the master bedroom.

On the master bedroom wall next to the window.

Stud by the office.

House bathroom.

Kitchen

Over front door.

Over front door.


This was such an inspired time. God went before us and prepared the time. I feel so blessed to have people in our lives that would take the time to come and do this in our home. Our desire is to use this home for God and I believe that tonight we anointed the home. I know that God will take what has been started and magnify it! As it says in Isaiah 55:10-13

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;  So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. "For you will go out with joy And be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands. "Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up, And instead of the nettle the myrtle will come up, And it will be a memorial to the LORD, For an everlasting sign which will not be cut off."