Saturday, December 15, 2018

About the Book

Book: After You

Author: Sunshine Rodgers

Genre: Christian fiction, thriller, suspense (PG-13 Dark Fiction)

Release Date: April 27, 2018

Oh, that’s right, we talk about your love life. We sit with you in class. We know all about that thing you did last night. How do we know? We watch you. We go to those dance clubs with you. We scheme hideous outcomes for you. We know exactly what it is that will get you to our side. We create those wrong friendships you wished you never had. We invite you into those relationships that break your heart. We give you the life you never wanted, but it came at such a sweet price. We promised you the world and you took it like a kid wanting candy. All. Too. Easy. All I can say is, please, don’t let me get in the way of the worst ending of your life. I’m right behind you. I’ll open that door to frustration, nonsense and destruction.

***A Modern day twist on the classic Novel, “The Screwtape Letters” By C.S. Lewis***

About the Author

Sunshine Rodgers has been writing professionally for over three years. She is the author of four faith-based book all unique ranging from fiction, nonfiction, and a children’s book. Graduating from the University of Tennessee with a degree in Communications, Sunshine took a more on-screen approach to storytelling by working as a technical director and part of the production crew to television, movies, and the entertainment industry for over ten years. She always had a heart for the written word, and once she decided to share her literary talent, her writing career just took off. She has signed with two different publishers, worked with editors and cover artists and has seen her books in retail stores and online bookstores. She now spends her days traveling, appearing in signings, festivals, and speaking engagements. Sunshine is married to her best friend, Travis, who is also the unofficial editor to her manuscripts.

Guest Post from Sunshine

Hello Everyone! Thank you so much for being a part of the Celebrate Lit’s Blog Tour of my book “After You: A Demon is Always Lurking Nearby.” This book is a modern day twist on the classic novel “The Screwtape Letters” by C.S. Lewis. My book is a PG-13 novel told from a demon’s point of view on the many temptations and distractions the Enemy of our soul uses to deviate us from God’s plan. The demon in the story is after a girl in high school, so if you can imagine all the playground of resources the demons can play with around an insecure teenager just trying to survive peer pressure, boys and school! I invite you in to explore another realm outside of this one, as this story takes place in Hades and on Earth!

Now, I write Faith-based books and all of them are surrounded by biblical truth and accuracy (as much as I can for Christian fiction!). My other works include: “God the Father, Jesus the Big Brother, Holy Spirit the Best Friend,” “This is My Heaven” and “Last Night, When I Prayed.” In all of my books – even this dark one – I write about God’s pursuit of us, His personal and deep love and His sovereignty that He remains in control no matter what is happening around us!

I pray “After You, A Demon is Always Lurking Nearby” will open your eyes to the spiritual activity taking place around you. I hope you will begin to observe that following God and doing things His way causes the devil to get scared! And anything you do that impacts the Kingdom of God will attract demonic activity. But at the end of the day, God has the final word and we are saved and delivered under His amazing grace!

I would love to hear from you! Connect with me on social media! And I cannot wait to hear your thoughts on my book! Much love! – Sunshine

This book is a great example of how the enemy subtly comes in and messes with your mind. You don't realize where these thoughts are coming from, but when you are vulnerable they start to make sense. In the story we find Jennifer trying to make it in high school. I remember my high school days. They were pretty awful and I was bullied for the first two years. I can see how easily you can begin to believe the lies and start to slip away from God.

The story is told from the devil's perspective and it is eerily a perfect account of how he sneaks into a young girls life and tries to derail her from God. The devil in this story is mean, thoughtless and ready to do anything to get her to follow him. He whispers in her thoughts, makes things happen that discourage her and tries to isolate her from her friends.

I enjoyed reading how her friends surrounded her and prayed with her. With the power of prayer the devil is not as strong in her life and it angers him. Will he give up or try even harder? It was interesting to read about confusion and strife as weapons against us. One of the main things the enemy wants to do is break up families. Jennifer is in for a battle when she gets devastating news from her parents. The enemy has an agenda and its a fight between good vs evil. Will Jennifer fall into the trap or will she examine her heart and follow God?

The author does make it clear that this story is a fictional account of the devil and what may occur in someone's life. I wanted to see more emotion in Jennifer and perhaps show the parents trying to hep their daughter. I know the enemy is out there, he is waiting for a way in and it can seem so easy foe him to slip in. At times I felt like it was about a group of girls trying to bully Jennifer and make fun of her because she went to church. The author needed a bit more substance to the story and not to rush through the fight between Jesus and the demon. It could have been more powerful if I could have known Jennifer better and the author focus on the strong faith of her friends. She left them in the background almost forgotten about at times. I always give an honest review and can't recommend this one simply because for me it was almost like the enemy seemed to be more powerful and I was very disappointed that her parents weren't allowed to reconcile.

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

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, December 8

Multifarious, December 8

Real World Bible Study, December 9

Genesis 5020, December 10

Inklings and notions, December 11

A Reader’s Brain, December 12

Godly Book Reviews, December 13

Bigreadersite, December 14

Texas Book-aholic, December 15

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 16

Bibliophile Reviews, December 17

Janices book reviews, December 18

Carpe Diem, December 19

A Baker’s Perspective, December 20

Midnight bookaholic, December 21

Reading is my Super Power, December 21

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Sunshine is giving away a grand prize of a “Last Night, When I Prayed” coffee mug, a bookmark, scripture, little bible pamphlets on the subjects matters such as integrity, finances and miracles, a CD sermon message entitled “God’s Plan for your Life” by Dr. Creflo Dollar and a $10 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/d6d2/after-you-celebration-tour-giveaway

Friday, December 14, 2018

The three faces of nellie FB banner_edited-1

About the Book

Book: The Three Faces of Nellie

Author: Robynne Elizabeth Miller

Genre: Non-fiction, Historical

Release Date: November, 2016

Publisher: Practical Pioneer Press

Whether you love her, hate her, or love to hate her, Nellie Oleson is one of the most recognizable literary figures of the 20th century. But Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the Little House on the Prairie series in which Nellie appears, had a secret. . .Nellie wasn’t a real person! Instead, she was a composite character created from three girls Laura knew in childhood: Nellie Owens, Genevieve Masters, and Estella Gilbert.

The Little House character of Nellie Oleson is one-dimensional: snobbish, selfish, and thoroughly unpleasant. But what about the real women behind Laura’s creation? They were an intriguing mix of the not-so-nice and the unexpectedly redeemable. In short, they were human.

Discovering the true stories behind Nellie, Genevieve, and Estella has been a fascinating journey. All three ended up on the West Coast at one point. . .true westward movement! One was widowed twice, one ended up divorced, and one died way too young. Two only had one child, and one had three, though she outlived her youngest by a very long time. There’s even some “Nellie-like” drama in there: Embezzlement. Lying on censuses. Shady land deals.

But there are some beautiful things, too. . .like the enduring love of a husband after his young wife died. Or the rare closeness of a mother and daughter who shared their lives as adults. Or the strength of a young widowed mother who not only cared for her son, but headed out west, in true pioneer fashion, while she did so.

Laura Ingalls Wilder did a masterful job of creating the character of Nellie Oleson. But the three real-life women behind that iconic character are, in my opinion, infinitely more intriguing.

About the Author

Robynne Elizabeth Miller is a speaker, writing coach, and author of multiple books, articles, and essays. Her larger projects include From the Mouth of Ma, Pioneer Mixology, The Three Faces of Nellie, and Nonfiction, Memoir, or Fiction? Dissecting the Works of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Robynne speaks nationally at writing and historical venues and teaches at writer’s workshops and conferences. She also serves as the Board President of Inspire Christian Writers, as well as their Director of Leadership, and leads two Northern California critique groups.

She holds an undergraduate degree in English Literature from Westmont College and a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction and Fiction from Ashland University.

She lives with her wonderful British husband and the youngest of their four cheeky children in the snowy woods of the Sierra Nevada mountains. When not writing, Robynne loves singing, felling trees, and making bacon from scratch.

Guest Post from Robynne

Nasty Nellie Oleson. One of the most iconic literary characters in literature. Whether you loved her … or hated her … or loved to hate her, she probably left a lasting impression on you. At least if you were a fan of the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder like I was growing up!

As a young girl, I loved Wilder’s tales of wagons, prairies, and grand westward adventures. Strangely, growing up didn’t change my love for all things Little House one tiny bit. But I did become deeply curious about the real life people behind some of the more fascinating Little House characters.

Namely, Nellie Oleson.

As I began to research Nellie, I learned a ton of interesting things. She wasn’t one person, for example. Laura Ingalls Wilder wove three girls she knew in childhood into one composite character for her books. One of the first “Nellie’s,” Nellie Owens, did have a brother named Willy, but did you know that he went blind from two separate incidents, one in childhood and one in adulthood? And did you know that all three of the “Nellies” ended up on the west coast at one point? Talk about true westward movement! One married a man who eventually went to prison for embezzlement, one did some shady land deals, and one shouldn’t have been a “Nellie” at all.

I suppose I was hoping for a good, old-fashioned redemption story. Wouldn’t it have been wonderful if the mean girl in Wilder’s stories grew up to work with orphans or rescue unwanted animals? Alas, that’s not exactly what happened. But the stories of these three women were fascinating all the same.

I hope you have as much fun discovering the real stories behind the famous Nellie Oleson as I did!

I grew up reading every book in The Little House on the Prairie series. I dreamed that I was there in the little school house siting in my desk with my slate ready to write. I did not like the snotty Nellie Oleson one bit. When this book came up for review, I was so excited to revisit my friends who helped me get through my childhood.

I was fascinated by the author's very detailed account of Nellie that was really Laura's creation of three very intriguing women named Nellie, Genevieve and Estella. It was a secret that Laura had composed Nellie from three different girls that Laura knew. What was I reading? Did Laura make up Nellie? It seems that Laura has combined three girls she knew into one character, named Nellie. I am shocked to learn that Laura made up Nellie from three characteristics of her friends. I wonder why this secret was hidden for so long?

The author has piqued my interest in a series I treasured as a child and still do. There is a lot of facts in the book that at times made me get overwhelmed and lost. I guess I was expecting more details about Laura and the Three Nellie's and less about family history. The family history bogs the story down a bit, but not enough for me to turn away from the book. I loved getting to know The Three Nellie's and thought how brilliant Laura was in writing a story comprised of a character that still fascinates us.

Laura and Nellie never liked each other, but as the book says about Nellie, " She was clearly loved by her children and did have many moments of grief that she faced in her life." In the end three women made a story come to life through the eyes of a young girl. They each played a part in the story that many loved and still do. I now have this desire to pick up the series at the library and reread the books. In there I will find three very fascinating girls that became one very important character in a series that has been loved for generations.

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

Blog Stops

Reading Is My SuperPower, December 6

Blogging With Carol, December 6

multifarious, December 7

Carpe Diem, December 7

Bibliophile Reviews, December 8

The Morning Chapter, December 8

Just the Write Escape, December 9

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, December 9

A Reader’s Brain, December 10

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, December 10

Maureen’s Musings, December 11

A Baker’s Perspective, December 11

Girls in White Dresses, December 12

Artistic Nobody, December 13

Connie;s HIstory Classroom, December 14

Jeanette’s Thoughts, December 14

Tell Tale Book Reviews, December 15

Pause for Tales, December 15

Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, December 16

Texas Book-aholic, December 16

Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, December 17

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 17

Janices book reviews, December 18

margaret kazmierczak, December 18

Lots of Helpers, December 19

Bigreadersite, December 19

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Robynne is giving away a grand prize of a Little House Treasures basket that includes an authenticated piece of the original Loftus Store is De Smet, authenticated sand from Laura’s Plum Creek in Walnut Grove, a Loftus Store slate and slate pencil, chokecherry preserves from De Smet, a Christmas Tree ornament from De Smet, a corn-cob doll kit, a tin cup, maple syrup, a set of pioneer recipe books, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s actual gingerbread recipes, and other treasures from various Little House sites!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries in to the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/d774/the-three-faces-of-nellie-olson-celebration-tour-giveaway

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

About the Book

Book: Comfort & Joy

Author: The Christmas Lights Collection: Alana Terry, Toni Shiloh, Cathe Swanson, Chautona Havig

Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance, Cozy Mystery, Suspense, Christmas

Release Date: October 16, 2018

The third-annual Christmas Lights Collection is pleased to present: Comfort & Joy–four Christmas Novellas. From contemporary romance to cozy mystery and suspense, this diverse collection celebrates the comforts and joys of Christmas.

About the Authors

Alana Terry: Pastor’s wife Alana Terry is a homeschooling mom, self-diagnosed chicken lady, and Christian suspense author. Her novels have won awards from Women of Faith, Book Club Network, Grace Awards, Readers’ Favorite, and more. Alana’s passion for social justice, human rights, and religious freedom shines through her writing, and her books are known for raising tough questions without preaching. She and her family live in rural Alaska where the northern lights in the winter and midnight sun in the summer make hauling water, surviving the annual mosquito apocalypse, and cleaning goat stalls in negative forty degrees worth every second. You can find her at alanaterry.com

Toni Shiloh: Toni Shiloh is a wife, mom, and Christian fiction writer. Once she understood the powerful saving grace thanks to the love of Christ, she was moved to honor her Savior. She writes to bring Him glory and to learn more about His goodness. You can find her at tonishiloh.wordpress.com

She spends her days hanging out with her husband and their two boys. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the president of the ACFW Virginia Chapter.

Cathe Swanson: Cathe Swanson lives in Wisconsin with her husband of 32 years, and the long Wisconsin winters are perfect for writing and reading books! Cathe enjoys writing stories with eccentric characters of all ages. Her books will make you laugh and make you cry – and then make you laugh again. You can find her at catheswanson.com

Chautona Havig: Amazon bestselling author of the Aggie books and Past Forward, Chautona Havig lives and writes in California’s Mojave desert where she uses story to connect readers to the Master Storyteller.

Guest Post from Chautona Havig

Why Do So Many Christians Love to Celebrate Christmas?

“We don’t celebrate Christmas because we were ordered to celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. We were never commanded to celebrate His birth.”

Something about that statement didn’t sit well with me, but I was honest enough with myself to admit that it might be because I happened to love Christmas, and the idea of not celebrating it didn’t sit well with my twelve-year-old mind.

No, I didn’t go in for the Santa thing. I never had. As later my children were taught to say, Santa wasn’t “invited to our family celebration.” But still, the family, the joy, the music, the spirit of the thing moved me.

So, I did what I always did when I didn’t understand something. I asked Dad. “Why do we celebrate Christmas?”

If I recall correctly, Dad took a sip of coffee and watched me for several long seconds before he said, “What is Christmas?”

Ever the teacher, Dad had to put on his Socratic robe and make me work for it. I answered. “What we call the day Jesus was supposedly born. His birthday.”

“Okay. So, we celebrate Christ’s birthday on Christmas—on Christmas.”

“Yes.”

He gave me that slight smirk that always meant something good was coming. “And what did God do when His Son was born?”

Dad stumped me there. I blinked. “I don’t know.”

“He sent out the biggest birth announcement ever known to man—a star, angels, music.” Then Dad continued his leading questions. “He…”

I got it. “Celebrated the birth.”

“Yes.” Sometimes Dad was a man of few words.

But I couldn’t be satisfied—not yet.

“So, why do we give presents to each other if it’s Jesus’ birthday? Isn’t that backward?”

“Isn’t all of Christianity backward to the fallen mind?” When I didn’t answer, he smiled again. “What does Christ say about doing things for others?”

It wasn’t word-for-word Scripture—not even close. Just as he would have prompted again, I remembered Jesus’ story of the man who was fed, clothed, and given a drink. “When you do things for others, it’s like you’re doing them for Jesus.”

Dad shrugged then. “Maybe it’s just justification for continuing a beloved tradition, but it brings me joy to give you gifts. And Christ had something to say about how fathers love to give good gifts to their children.”

That brought me back to the original question.

“What about the fact that we’re told to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus? We aren’t told to celebrate the birth. Does that make it wrong?”

This time, Dad’s jaw hardened. I saw it twitch, and prepared for a blasting. After all, I had kind of argued with him. I hadn’t meant to, but I could see how it might be taken that way.

“Chautona,” he said, “don’t ever put rules on yourself that God hasn’t. We may not be commanded to celebrate Christ’s birth, but we aren’t forbidden, either. We have God’s example to emulate, and we have this truth.” His voice gentled when he saw he’d startled me. “We would never have been able to celebrate Christ’s death if He had not been born. If that’s not a reason to celebrate, I don’t know what is.”

What does all that have to do with Christmas novellas (or “noellas” like I prefer to call them)?

Well, people ask me all the time. “Why do you write so many Christmas books? Why do these Christmas collections? Why focus so much on the birth of Jesus and the trappings of cultural Christmas when it’s inferior to the “big thing”—the Resurrection?”

Dad’s answer is mine. Because it points to it. It draws attention to it. And because Christmas is one time of year—the only time of year in which you can walk into almost any building in America and still hear praises sung to God at some point. They slip in between love songs about giving away your heart at Christmas and rocking around Christmas trees to “Jingle Bell Rock.”

And even the more “secular” versions that aren’t an outright praise to God like “Silent Night” or “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” sometimes throw in Jesus anyway because they can’t quite leave out, “Merry Christmas” in some place or another.

So maybe our Christmas books are inferior to what “Easter” books could be. Maybe they are. But if Christmas trees, caroling, and “ghost stories” keep Jesus at the forefront of someone’s mind in October, November, or December, then I think that’s a pretty cool thing.

Happy Birthday, Jesus. Thanks for coming.

This is a nice collection of stories from authors who always write with compassion and love. Each story is different but suits the writing style of each author perfectly. I loved the variety of authors and how each one tells a story that grabs your attention. Whether you like intense stories, lighthearted ones, family values or ghostly tales there is something in this charming collection for everyone.

FROST HEAVES by ALANA TERRY

I have heard of abuse in churches and this story is one that brings it to the surface. When going to church you should feel safe around the pastor and elders. Jade and her family found that the church they attended was more controlling and the power was getting to their pastor and elders of the church. Jade goes through a traumatic event that causes the church to turn their back on her and her family. It is hard for Jade to trust people and when her daughter turns up missing from the new church she has been attending, her fears overtake her. Is the old church trying to punish her for the accusations she and her family reported to the police?

The author uses spiritual abuse to describe what Jade and her family went through. It is the perfect words to explain that even in a church there is evil waiting to take people down. It is sad to see that our spiritual leaders can fall but the enemy is all about destroying the church. The author writes a very intense story which she is known for. She doesn't mind controversial subjects and never backs down from telling a realistic story. The story is well written and filled with twists that kept me on the edge of my seat. Another great story from a very gifted author.

DECK THE SHELVES by TONI SHILOH

What girl hasn't dreamed of the perfect date and being swept off her feet? Kendall is infatuated with Quinton and the feeling is mutual. Now if one of them would make the first move, we could have a happily ever after perhaps. The story is lighthearted and reminds me a bit of a movie I saw once. The two people liked each other but were not sure if they should reveal their feelings. It's ironic that both characters come up with the same idea to let the other know they are interested.

I did enjoy the part where the characters were chaperons at a youth lock in . The spiritual aspect of the meeting was good and it made several teens really examine their lives. God has a plan for Quinton and Kendall. Bringing them together as chaperones opened their eyes to see that they were believers. The author brings up a good subject about men having accountability partners. It was refreshing to see it in a story and how positive it is for men to lean on each other. I'm glad the story was more than just a cute little romance It has some great biblical truths and reminds us that we all struggle in areas. We need to learn to be courageous and trust God. Do Kendall and Quinton get together? You will have to read the story to find out.

THE CHRISTMAS GLORY QUILT by CATHE SWANSON

This is a new author to me so I was excited to read her story. There are several things going on in the story, but the author has found a way to tie them all together. I loved reading about an adventurous woman starting her own bridal shop where she designs and makes the dresses. There is a little catch though.The shop is not really in town but off a beaten path in a house that once belonged to her Aunt Violet. Restoring the house into a beautiful shop is a big undertaking. I loved meeting Aunt Violet and reading about her heritage.

The author does a great job of describing how quilts are made and I could picture the completed projects that Aunt Violet made. There is a topic in the book I was happy to see. Penny is dyslexic and it did cause some issues when she was growing up. I liked how the author explained how Penny has been able to work around her dyslexia and become a successful career woman.

The quilts are definitely the star in this story with history behind each quilt and the love put into them by Aunt Violet. What a treasure to have such a cherished item made special for each person receiving it. The story is filed with family values and wonderful memories that have been passed down for generations. I would love to have a quilt made by Aunt Violet.

THE GHOSTS OF NEW CHELTENHAM by CHAUTONA HAVIG

I love a good ghost story and this one really grabbed my attention. What would you do if you had to participate in a Dickens Ghost Storytelling Competition as part to inherit something ? Mitchell finds himself in a very uncomfortable position when he finds out about the rest of the will . I snickered as a I read what he was expected to do. What a strange request to put in a will. Someone either has a great sense of humor or there is a real reason for this absurd request.

The author has my full attention now as Mitchell must decide what story he is going to enter the contest with. I loved the quaint little town and the shops are catchy enough for customers to notice with their clever business names. I feel like I have slipped back in time to a storybook town filled with a hometown feeling of family and friends. They are fun, quirky and full of life. The new addition to Mitchell's home is cute and cuddly. I wanted to take it home and claim it as mine. There is a slight problem going in the building where Mitchell is staying at. Who is stealing a brownie, making it feel like Jack Frost is living there and waking him up at night?

This story is a bit different from what the author writes, but she is still able to use a story to show us things we may have in common with a character. Do you have any phobias? Are you the type that get jealous ? Can you easily trust others? I found the story to be a great lesson in looking at ourselves and working on allowing God to help us with our fears.

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