Wednesday, November 6, 2024

About the Book

Book: Julia’s Joy

Author: Susan G Mathis

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: October 29, 2024

She came to claim her inheritance, but the mysterious lighthouse keeper makes her question all her plans.

When Julia Collins reluctantly sets foot on Sister Island, compelled by her grandmother’s will, she is intent on claiming her inheritance and moving on. But when she experiences the peaceful, faith-filled island life and connects with the handsome lightkeeper, William, Julia finds herself confronting her open wounds from her parents’ deaths.

William Dodge, lightkeeper of Sister Island, harbors a heart hardened by a past betrayal. Between that and his chronic pleurisy, he wants nothing to do with love. But when Julia arrives on the island bursting with vitality and unconventional notions, William’s world is turned upside down. As she chips away at the walls William has built for himself, he finds his reluctance waning.

But just as love begins to blossom between them, Julia is faced with a tempting proposal from a prominent Brockville family. Will she succumb to societal expectations or choose the richness of her island life and the love of the steadfast lightkeeper?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Susan G Mathis is an international award-winning, multi-published author of stories set in the beautiful Thousand Islands, her childhood stomping ground in upstate NY. Susan has been published more than thirty times in full-length novels, novellas, and non-fiction books. She has thirteen in her fiction line including, The Fabric of Hope: An Irish Family Legacy, Christmas Charity, Katelyn’s Choice, Devyn’s Dilemma, Sara’s Surprise, Reagan’s Reward, Colleen’s Confession, Peyton’s Promise, Rachel’s Reunion, Mary’s Moment, A Summer at Thousand Island House, and Libby’s Lighthouse. Julia’s Joy is the second in a three-book lighthouse series coming out in 2024. Her book awards include three Illumination Book Awards, four American Fiction Awards, three Indie Excellence Book Awards, five Literary Titan Book Awards, a Golden Scroll Award, and a Selah Award.

Before Susan jumped into the fiction world, she served as the Founding Editor of Thriving Family magazine and the former Editor/Editorial Director of twelve Focus on the Family publications. Her first two published books were nonfiction. Countdown for Couples: Preparing for the Adventure of Marriage with an Indonesian and Spanish version, and TheReMarriage Adventure: Preparing for a Life of Love and Happiness, have helped thousands of couples prepare for marriage. Susan is also the author of two picture books, Lexie’s Adventure in Kenya and Princess Madison’s Rainbow Adventure. Moreover, she is published in various book compilations including five Chicken Soup for the Soul books, Ready to Wed, Supporting Families Through Meaningful Ministry, The Christian Leadership Experience, andSpiritual Mentoring of Teens. Susan has also written several hundred published magazine and newsletter articles.

Susan is president of American Christian Fiction Writers-CS (ACFW), former vice president of Christian Authors Network (CAN), a member of Christian Independent Publishing Association (CIPA), and a regular writer’s contest judge. For over twenty years, Susan has been a speaker at writers’ conferences, teachers’ conventions, writing groups, and other organizational gatherings. Susan makes her home in Colorado Springs and enjoys traveling around the world but returns each summer to the islands she loves.

More from Susan

Why Sister Island in the Thousand Islands in the Gilded Age?

What inspired you to write Julia’s Joy?

I have cruised past Sister Island Lighthouse a dozen times or more, and it’s a beautiful lighthouse. But it’s smack dab in the middle of nowhere in an isolated section the St. Lawrence River. Though it’s along the main shipping channel, I’ve always wondered how someone could live on such an island. So, I started imagining what it would be like for a young woman to be stuck there in the prime of her youth, and Julia’s story was born!

Why do you write about the Thousand Islands?

I grew up just twenty minutes from the Thousand Islands—the setting for all my stories—in upstate New York. Actually, half of the 1,864 islands are in NY and the other half in Ontario, Canada. So, I spent every summer and more exploring the beautiful region. I’ve stayed on several of the islands and camped and rented cottages there. So, after I wrote my debut novel about the largest island, Wolfe Island, I was hooked. There are so many fascinating stories to tell.

Now, I take an annual Thousand Islands Book Tour to the islands where I meet with fans, friends, and family. I’ve stayed in Singer Castle, Casa Blanca, and other places that are the settings of my book. I’ve talked with the owners of the islands, local historians, and researched in the Thousand Islands archives.

All my novels are based on a specific place in the Thousand Islands and are the true stories of the owners of that island. So, my plot is generally true. Then I overlay the storyline of the fictional servants to create the story. This makes my stories a bit more challenging, but I love a good challenge.

Why do you write about the Gilded Age?

The American Gilded Age was a time of rapid technical advances, industrialization, and thousands of new inventions from about 1870-1910. Mark Twain coined the term in his 1873 novel The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today that satirized the era of social problems that were masked by a layer of thin, gold gilding. It’s a fascinating time in history, especially in the Thousand Islands.

All of my books are set during the Thousand Islands Gilded Age, when the wealthy came and scooped up the islands and built lavish summer homes, mansions, and castles. It was an era of economic growth. Since wages were higher than Europe, massive immigration drew about twenty million to the U.S. shores.

Unfortunately, it was also a time of unequal distribution of wealth where the rich got richer and the poor working class suffered. Many young women worked as servants until they married, and that’s what my stories are about—those nameless, faithful women who cooked and cleaned and served tables for the rich and famous. These “downstairs” women had fascinating stories to tell, and I plan to tell many of them.

During the Gilded Age, America led the world in innovation. A half-million patents were issued for new inventions including hundreds by Thomas Edison, Westinghouse, and others. Thanks to inventions such as delivery of electric power, the world became lighter, safer, more convenient and comfortable, and all around better.

So, this is why I write Thousand Islands Gilded Age stories. To share the rich heritage this era gave us and better understand what it was like.

Blog Stops

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 4

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 5

Texas Book-aholic, November 6

lakesidelivingsite, November 7

Pens Pages & Pulses, November 8

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 9

Locks, Hooks and Books, November 10

Lighthouse Academy Blog, November 11 (Guest Review from Marilyn)

Allyson Jamison, November 11

Devoted To Hope, November 12

For Him and My Family, November 13

Holly’s Book Corner, November 14

Mary Hake, November 14

Bizwings Book Blog, November 15

Pause for Tales, November 16

Lights in a Dark World, November 17

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Susan is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf5486/

Sunday, November 3, 2024

About the Book

Book: Visible

Author: Darlene Corbett

Genre: Romantic Women’s Fiction

Release date: May 15, 2024

Therapist Rachel Karem is accustomed to helping emotionally wounded individuals navigate the murky waters of dealing with complicated family dynamics, relationship issues, and life transitions. When individual therapy hits a brick wall for five successful professionals, she persuades them to engage in a ten-week group therapy program. But working through these sessions with her clients reveals Rachel’s own brokenness.

Widowed, childless, and estranged from her family, Rachel wonders if she will ever have a second chance at love. She is amazed when her own therapist advocates for her to “get back in the game.” To her surprise, Rachel enrolls in dance classes where she learns the Tango. Romantic, passionate, intense, sensual, dramatic, the Tango embodies everything that is missing in Rachel’s life. As she grows more confident in her dance steps, her life becomes more entwined with her handsome dance partner, Michael. But past betrayals haunt Rachel’s emotions, and current rivals for Michael’s affections feed past rejections.

Even as her clients in the therapy group learn to support each other in their quest for personal wholeness, Rachel yearns for a deeper connection within herself to propel her into the next stage of her life. But will it be with or without Michael?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Darlene Corbett views herself as a lifelong learner, a pursuer of excellence, a work-in-progress, and a truth seeker. Serving others as a licensed psychotherapist has been her primary professional position for over thirty years.

Now, she includes Author/Writer and Speaker.

Her wealth of experience in human behavior prompted Darlene to write her ideas on paper, which set the stage for her book, “Stop Depriving the World of You,” published by Sound Wisdom in 2018.

Darlene wrote her first novel, Visible, a women’s fiction about second chances, published by WordCrafts Press in the spring of 2024, and plans on writing two more books in this series.

And right now?

Also, she’s finishing a contemporary romance, the first in another series.

Besides being an avid reader, Darlene loves animals, especially dogs, which you’ll see in her novel. Also, she treasures learning another language, yoga, fitness, traveling, and connecting with her inner circle.

She belongs to many organizations, including the ACFW, FHL-CW, and AWSA.

She makes her home in Central Massachusetts with her beloved Shih Tzu and remains excited about the next chapter of her life.

More from Darlene

I created the protagonist, Rachel, with a Jordanian background. I’m half Syrian/Lebanese, so I thought I’d share an easy but delicious recipe given to me by my mother: Hushwee:

1 lb. of ground lamb or lean beef

1 stick of butter

2 cups of white rice

5 cups of water and 5 chicken bouillons

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

1 table spoon of allspice

A handful or 2 of pinenuts

On medium heat, stir-fry the beef with the butter.

Once it’s browned, mix in the dry rice, cinnamon, allspice, and pinenuts

Put aside

Boil 5 cups of water with the bouillons.

Once water has boiled, spoon in the mixture, bring the heat to low or one above, and cover.

20-25 minutes and should be done.

You may adjust according to your preference and stovetop.

This can be a side dish or the main mean with a nice Syrian salad such as Tabouli or Fattoush.

Bon Appetit

Blog Stops

Simple Harvest Reads, October 24 (Author Interview)

Artistic Nobody, October 25 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 26

Fiction Book Lover, October 27 (Author Interview)

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, October 28 (Author Interview)

Guild Master, October 29

Tell Tale Book Reviews, October 30 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 30

Blossoms and Blessings, October 31 (Author Interview)

Holly’s Book Corner, November 1

Stories By Gina, November 2 (Author Interview)

A Reader’s Brain, November 3 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, November 4

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, November 5 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, November 5

Pause for Tales, November 6

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Darlene is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon card and a winner’s choice of a paperback or eBook copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf5476/

About the Book

Book: Serenity’s Secret (The Heart of the Amish Book 6)

Author: Lisa Jones Baker

Genre: Amish/Christian Fiction

Release date: October, 2024

Serenity Holds Her Secrets Close

Full of faith, hope, and romance, this series takes you into the Heart of Amish country.

Serenity Miller has much to love about life as the owner of The Pink Petal in Arthur, Illinois, and enjoys trying natural remedies and exploring garage sales. Then comes the day her neighbor, Stephen Lantz, saves her from trespassers on her property and their friendship deepens into an attraction Serenity knows can never lead to marriage. She holds secrets she can never divulge, despite Stephen’s way of wooing her. But how can Serenity return to her life of contentment after a taste of love? And when danger returns, will it steal her last hope for a bright future?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Lisa Jones Baker writes Amish Inspirational fiction. She grew up near Arthur, Illinois, and became acquainted with the Plain Faith at an early age when they custom-made and installed her family’s kitchen cabinets. On weekends, she and her parents frequented the quaint Amish town, often the setting of her stories, where they purchased meat, cheese, and home-made baking spices. Now, decades later, she still loves visiting; the town and the people yet intrigue her, and she so appreciates the talent of quilt-making almost as much as she loves horse and buggy rides. But there is much more to this perplexing group than meets the eye; they are extremely disciplined, hard-working, and honest…and they don’t all think alike. For these reasons, writing about them is her passion.

Lisa was fortunate to have been raised in a loving, Christian home by two wonderful parents: a reading specialist mother who plays the piano, and a retired Junior High Principal father who’s also an avid fox hunter. She has a B.A. in French Education and is a former school teacher who loves gardening, cooking, reading, positive thinkers, and every dog she meets. Although a homebody, travel has played a large part of her life. Over three decades of working with the airline industry has landed her on five out of seven continents.

More from Lisa

Do you know a secret? Serenity Miller harbors something she can never reveal, not even to her two dearest friends. Her private knowledge has never interfered with her calm, steady life as owner of The Pink Petal in Arthur, Illinois until the day it impedes her from having what she truly yearns for, Stephen Lantz.

Serenity’s Secret is my utmost favorite of the books I’ve penned. I write to entertain myself, and as I created the very complex life of a simple, Gott-loving Amish woman, I wasn’t sure how I would eventually resolve the tough issues Serenity faces: falling victim to a crime and completely unaware of why her assailant chose her, at the same time yearning for a future with true love Stephen Lantz, when their destiny together is blocked by a secret.

Stephen’s late aendi Margaret used to say that there’s nothing that love can’t overcome. But will the denouement concur with Margaret’s strong belief? Enjoy the twists and the turns that will eventually reveal Serenity’s Secret!

Blog Stops

Batya’s Bits, November 1

Vicky Sluiter, November 2

Texas Book-aholic, November 3

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 4

The Avid Reader, November 5

Lighthouse Academy Blog, November 6 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 7

lakesidelivingsite, November 8

Locks, Hooks and Books, November 8

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 9

For Him and My Family, November 10

Devoted To Hope, November 10

Cover Lover Book Review, November 11

Stories By Gina, November 12 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, November 12

Holly’s Book Corner, November 13

Bizwings Book Blog, November 14

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Lisa is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon eGift card and a print copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf5484

Saturday, November 2, 2024

About the Book

Book: Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown

Author: Xochitl Dixon

Genre: Children’s Picture Book

Release date: October 1, 2024

Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown, follows a young boy on a joyously affirming adventure that celebrates all shades of brown, from the darkest to the lightest.

From new school desks to freckles and moles, from fresh pastries to cedar canoes, brown is everywhere around us. God created and used brown to color the giant California redwoods, the Grand Canyon walls, busy beavers building dams, great horned owls hoo-hooing, and his image-bearers.

Everywhere that I go
I’m searching to see
something wonderfully, marvelously
brown—just like you and like me!

Illustrated by Pura Belpré Honor Award artist Sara Palacios and written by Xochitl Dixon, Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown takes kids on a tour of the U.S. to seek and find all the brilliant and beautiful shades of brown—from ivory to ebony—that God created. Readers will be encouraged to love the skin tone God chose for them as they observe how the spectacular shades of brown are reflected in their communities and the world around them.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Xochitl (So-Cheel) Dixon, author of Waiting for God: Trusting Him for the Answers to Your Prayers, is a regular contributor for Our Daily Bread, the bestselling God Hears Her compilations and blog, and Tyndale’s NLT Go Bible for Kids (September 2024). Equipping readers to grow closer to God while nurturing an authentic loving community, she shares biblical encouragement, celebrates ethnic diversity, and advocates for disability awareness with her beautifully diverse family and her service dog, Callie, featured in the 2021 ECPA Christian Book Award Children’s Book Finalist Different Like Me, Diferente como yo, What Color is God’s Love? and Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown.

More from Xochitl

I’m a first-generation Mexican American raised by Spanish-speaking immigrant grandparents and parents, who taught me to be invisible and believed assimilation would lead to a better life for me. The racism and colorism I experienced throughout my life caused me to grapple with my identity, self-worth, and my sense of belonging. However, I was in third grade the first time I stood against injustice. In my teen years, my passion for celebrating ethnic diversity and standing against injustice while advocating for disability awareness and inclusion grew.

Then, in 1994, I married a man who shared my passions. As a first-generation Mexican American raised by immigrant parents and grandparents, a wife to a Black man, a stepmother to a Black son, and a mother of a biracial son, my commitment to stand against racial injustice became even more personal.

I submitted my life to Christ in 2001 and began asking the Holy Spirit to make me more like Jesus. That same year, after a student used a racial slur toward our biracial son, I wrote Different Like Me.

As God empowered me to love Him and my neighbors with a healthy and holy perspective, God began to grow our beautifully diverse family. My youngest granddaughter, whose father is Black, shared that kids teased her because she doesn’t look like her sisters, who share the same white father. I assured her that the melanin God uses to color all skin is brown, from the lightest to the darkest shades. Then, I told her that I would be writing Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown.

In 2020, Our Daily Bread published Different Like Me. As I edited What Color is God’s Love?and Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown, God continued affirming that He did not create the divisive and oppressive systems that label His image-bearers as “white” or “black” and feed the ignorance of racism or colorism. Instead, He designed melanin to include every spectacular shade of brown from the darkest ebony to the lightest ivory, even in those He created with birth marks, vitiligo, and albinism.

God intentionally selected every skin tone for every person He created and loves, His image-bearers. He calls every shade of brown good, including the shade of brown He used when He created you and me. As we celebrate our God-designed ethnic diversity, we can share the Good News of Jesus Christ as we love God and all our neighbors together.

Blog Stops

Simple Harvest Reads, October 28 (Author Interview)

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, October 29

Lots of Helpers, October 30

Guild Master, October 31 (Author Interview)

Vicky Sluiter, November 1

Leslie’s Library Escape, November 1

Texas Book-aholic, November 2

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 3

Fiction Book Lover, November 4 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, November 4

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 5

Locks, Hooks and Books, November 6

A Reader’s Brain, November 7 (Author Interview)

Artistic Nobody, November 8

Labor Not in Vain, November 9

Life on Chickadee Lane, November 10

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Xochitl is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon card and a signed copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf5480/

About the Book

Book: Hope Like Wildflowers

Author: Pepper Basham

Genre: Christian Fiction/Historical Fiction

Release date: October, 2024

An Appalachian Girl Seeks a Place to Belong
Return to the mountains of 1910s Appalachia with beloved author Pepper Basham to discover Kizzie McAdams’s story.

Kizzie McAdams spent her childhood longing to see beyond the mountains of home, but when her job as a servant in a landowner’s house results in an unplanned pregnancy, her world tips into uncertainty and heartbreak. Disowned by her father, she seeks comfort in the arms of the man who promises to take care of her, but his support is conditional and inconsistent. She finds acceptance in the home of a nearby family who not only offer Kizzie friendship but point her to a deeper understanding of God’s love.

Despite her change of heart, her status as a social outcast brings with it continued threats and alienation so she flees her past in hopes of starting over in a nearby town. But her new world carries many of the same prejudices as the old. It also brings the unexpected friendship of businessman Noah Lewis, a man who lives with the same desire as Kizzie for helping the marginalized.

Unfortunately, Kizzie and Noah’s attempts to help those in need pit them against Noah’s elder brother, a powerful mill owner who holds control of the family finances. Is Kizzie and Noah’s growing romance strong enough to battle family power, social expectations, and Kizzie’s past to capture their happy ending? And when Kizzie’s first love returns to claim her, which future will she choose?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance peppered with grace and humor with southern Appalachian flair. Both her historical and contemporary novels have garnered recognition in the Grace Awards, Inspys, and ACFW Carol Awards. Her historical romance, The Thorn Healer, was a finalist in the 2018 RT Awards. Her historical romance novels, My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge and The Red Ribbon, and her contemporary novels, the Mitchell’s Crossroadsand Pleasant Gap series, showcase her Appalachian heritage, as well as her love for humor and family. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC where she is the mom of five great kids, a speech-language pathologist to about fifty more, and a lover of chocolate, jazz, hats, and Jesus.

More from Pepper

It’s pretty easy to overlook wildflowers.

I mean, until they show off all their pretty colors, especially in the middle of a barren place, then they’re noticed and usually appreciated but did you know there’s a lot more to wildflowers that…meets the eye?

Apart from providing food and shelter for smaller animals and/or insects or assisting bees in pollination, wildflowers can be used as an ingredient for healing remedies and contribute to soil health and reduce erosion.

Especially in places where other plants aren’t likely to grow. They’re known as “hardy” because they can survive all sorts of weather conditions, extreme temperature, animal damage, even drought.

So why am I talking about wildflowers??

Because, in lots of ways, wildflowers are a great example of what hope looks like.

Hope nourishes. Romans 15: 14 “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” When we recall and reflect on what the Bible says about who we are in Christ, our hearts are encouraged and given the spiritual energy they need to remind ourselves of truth in the middle of hard times and wilderness-living.
Hope spreads – Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” A heart filled with the knowledge of the love of God is a heart filled and “overflowing” with hope…and that hope is contagious. When we know whose we are and what our future looks like because of the One who loves us, we live in joy…even when the storms come.
Hope restores and heals: “Isaiah 40:31 reads, “For those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.
Hope protects – Psalm 62:5-6 “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.” Life is hard. Sometimes, bone-achingly, soul-shakingly hard. If we’re reliant on our own ability to protect our faith or mind or soul, we will fail. We’re not strong enough and neither is any of our human defenses, but God is amply able to protect us from the storms, trials, and droughts that mean to wither our hope. HE is the hero of our heart’s story and he is armed to overcome so we can trust Him with our hope and our futures.
And hope grows in the hard places. Hope does not consist of weak or wishful thinking, it grows out of nutrients squeezed from the soil it has. Hard-won, many times. Romans 5:3-4 “ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” A life with Christ doesn’t mean that pain is taken away, but there is a promise and purpose in the pain. The promise that God is with us and a purpose that He is making us more like Him.

Hope Like Wildflowers tells the story of hope, but the main character, Kizzie, isn’t relying on her own abilities to keep her hope strong. Oh no! She learned to trust in the only One who is strong enough to BE her hope. He nourishes her heart when her life has turned upside down and she’s been forsaken. He restores and heals her when she’s been broken and cast out. He protects her from dangerous men who try to hurt her, but also he protects her heart from choosing the wrong path. And through the hard places of life, Kizzie’s hope overflows in joy to touch the lives of those around her.

And it’s beautiful and unexpected.

Like wildflowers.

How has God helped bring hope to your life? What trials has His hope helped you through?

MY REVIEW

The pain of being shunned is very evident as Kizzie is alone with a newborn. The dreams she has with the man she adores seems far away now. I was very upset that Charlie would promise to marry her yet put her in a small house far away from him and his mother. He leads her on until she comes to realize she is a kept woman.

Her test begins as she faces reality and how deceitful Charlie has been to her. The family that helps her out is kind and comforting to her. As they share their faith Kizzzie sees that God loves her no matter what she has done. The hateful words the townspeople say or the men who come to her home to harm her is turned over to God. I love watching her blossom as a young strong woman with strong faith.

A beautiful story of growth, wisdom, faith and overcoming the past makes this story a must read. The author shines in her storytelling which had me crying at times. There is always hope.

“You’ll live with your actions like we all do, but you don’t have to live without hope or purpose.”

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.