Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Tuesday Spotlight with Lynn H Watson and GiveAway of Print Book!


AUTHOR BIO

Lynn Watson many years’ experience in women’s ministry, love of essential oils, and her passion for God’s word to bring her readers freshly inspired encouragement for their walk with Jesus. Her devotional, The Essence of Courage, was recognized as a ‘must read’ by regional publishing industry leaders. Married since 1973, Lynn and Steve have filled their Bartlett, Tennessee home with handmade treasures and lots of love for family, especially their five beautiful (of course) grandchildren. Aromas of freshly baked bread often fill Lynn’s kitchen. Jasmine, her tuxedo kitty, enjoys sleeping in Lynn’s lap while she writes. 



BOOK INFO

As women we encounter multiple challenges, while simultaneously wearing many hats. We need courage to face our challenges and commitments in ways that reflect the activity of the Holy Spirit in our lives. In Song of Solomon 4, Solomon ascribes the essences of his locked garden to the courageous woman he has taken as his bride.
In this inspirational collection you'll discover
1 How the fruits, spices, and essential oils of Solomon's locked garden connect to the fruit of the Spirit, and how that fruit is displayed in the lives of real women of the Bible
2 Cinnamah-Brosia (owner of the local Coffee Cottage) and the women with whom she does life — learn how they encourage one another as they share their struggles and triumphs
3 Encouragement to allow the Holy Spirit to cultivate the essence of courage in your heart
4 Icing on the Cake: fun facts about the spice & oils, along with ways to enjoy incorporating reminders of the Holy Spirit fruit they represent into you life.
Suitable for individuals and small groups. Grab a cup of coffee, along with some friends, and come find courage to face life with gusto.

Interview
Where did you get your inspiration for your characters? Grandparents, relatives, etc...
The books currently published are devotionals. Their format is extremely unique — I promise I could not have come up with it on my own. God orchestrated that completely. While it is a devotional, there is a segment of each chapter that is fiction. The fictional characters grew out of specific stories of God’s hand in the lives of women like you and I. While I provided the subject, they provided the bones for the stories. The scenarios grew from there and the characters came to life. Often times bits and pieces of my own life and that of my family members and friends find their way into the characters, too. 

Where is your favorite place to write?
My kitchen has a huge picture window looking out on our wooded back yard and the park behind our home. It’s a great place to be indoors and still feel like I am right in the middle of God’s creation. A church in our community has a peaceful, beautifully landscaped patio area with tables and seating. Weather permitting, I love to write there, too. I’m away from distractions and can fully engage in my work.  



How can readers encourage you as an author?
Obviously,  following me on Facebook - commenting on and sharing posts is a great encouragement. 
For a reader to invest in the book, read it, and then post a review is huge and loved by all of us. Authors give much of themselves, their time, and resources to bring their books your way. They love for you to believe it is of enough value for you, to reach into your resources to give them a home in your library or virtual library.
I also love and invite reader participation in a variety of ways through my books. Right now I am looking for lessons in humility for the fictional characters in the next volume, “The Essence of Humility.” I have information on what I’m looking for, and I would love to have readers express an interest in sharing their stories. That blesses me so much. I promise the stories are so well fictionalized no one will no your deep secrets. Those who provide the “bones” for these stories will be mentioned in the acknowledgements (by first name only) and will receive a Complimentary/Thank You copy of “The Essence of Humility.” For those interested, you will find all the details right here: https://lynnuwatson.com/share-your-stories-for-the-essence-of-humility/
And Prayer! Who can ever get enough of that? 

What inspires you?
I’m thinking you’re looking for an answer like my family, or nature, or ministry moments, or another such answer. Truth is, ideas pop in my head and heart at the craziest movements. I could never tell you where the inspiration comes from, except to say that I believe with my whole heart they are nudges from the Holy Spirit. It’s up to me to listen and respond. I pray I do that well, but some of the time, I am certain I miss those promptings. I pray the message be repeated enough times for me to “get it.” 

How important is research to you?
Oh my goodness, I could never write a single word of these books without tons of research. More time goes into research than writing for certain. I’ve prayed to accurately portray cultural practices and settings of the day as I work to bring Biblical stories and women of the Bible to life. It is my desire you are sitting right there having a cup of coffee with them. To do that, research into lifestyle in the Old and New Testament eras is essential. Also, I would never intentionally choose to misrepresent God’s Word. That makes it even more important to research carefully. 
Most of my research is done through books and the internet. I’ve recently acquire the Logos software, and I’m excited to have it for future projects. A totally fun opportunity to do research was a visit to The Ark Encounter and The Creation Museum. The creators of these venues have put so much energy into depicting life and culture and God’s Word accurately. This thought perhaps belongs in the answer to the question about inspiration rather than research. Either way, it would be a challenge to visit these places without taking away so much new knowledge and understanding of Biblical times.

What books have influenced your life the most? This list could go on and on. Here are two highlights. 
The first book that influenced me in a significant way is My Little Golden Book About God. Who remembers that one? As a toddler and young child, the illustrations grabbed my heart and wouldn’t let go. I remember attempting to reproduce them in paintings and drawings of my own. I was never that good at it, though. 



My mom introduced me to The Secret Garden when I was in the 5th or 6th grade. It was one of her childhood favorites. I must admit that its significance was lost on me at that time. My daughter and I read it together when she was young, and I still don’t think I “got it” completely. When I began to write The Essence of Courage: Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit in Solomon’s Locked Garden and in Your Heart I was reminded of this book. I found a copy and read it again. The courage of the characters to overcome challenges and make positive changes in their lives became evident to me at that time. God used it then as a definite encouragement letting me know, in yet another way, I was on the right path with my writing. 
Is there anything you are currently working on that may intrigue the interest of your readers?
For about a year God has been stirring my heart to write a novel. I have inspiration from the life of a woman very dear to my heart, but I know so incredibly little of her story. I’m piecing together the bits I do know (only in my mind right now) with a whole lot of what “could have happened.” I believe her cameo broach may provide a significant piece of the story trail. I’m praying for God’s timing and inspiration on this one.
Right now, I’m intent on writing The Essence of Humility: Live and Love Like Jesus. I knew while in the process of writing The Essence of Joy: Filling Your Heart with the Aroma of Jesus’ Nativity one more book was waiting in the wings. I even said in The Essence of Joy it’s title would be The Essence of Love. I believed it would be focused on 1 Corinthians 13 — the great love chapter of the New Testament. As I contemplated and meditated on that, God reminded me that every one of the things that “Love is....” require humility. So, the name changed.... coming later this year, expect the release of The Essence of Humility: Live and Love Like Jesus.


SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS


Giveaway
To be enter for a chance to win The Essence of Courage: Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit in Solomon’s Locked Garden and in Your Heart , comment below and make sure you leave contact info in case you are the winner!

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Sunday, March 18, 2018

"Soul’s Prisoner " by Cara Luecht Book Tour and GiveAway


About the Book



Book Title: Soul’s Prisoner  
Author: Cara Luecht  
Genre: Historical fiction with some suspense and romance  
Release Date: December 15, 2015  
Chicago, Winter, 1891 Rachel is in danger. She’s seen too much. She creeps along the cement walls through the dank underbelly of the asylum. She’d never planned to leave her quiet farm life, never thought she’d find a place in the city, never imagined she’d be in the kind of danger that would have her cowering in Dunning’s cold, labyrinthine basement. Jenny has finally found her place. After a childhood of abuse, she has friends, a real job, and her only wish is to give her adopted son the kind of life she never had. A life of stability, without the risk and uncertainty of a father. But when Jeremy, Rachel’s brother, stumbles into their warehouse, asking for help to find his missing sister, Jenny’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble. 

Click here to purchase your copy!




My Review:

"Soul’s Prisoner" by Cara Luecht is a fictional story about a real place in history, Dunning Asylum for the Insane was built in the 1850s in Chicago and housed psychiatric patients until the early 1900s. It is also the second book in the "Portraits of Grace" Series, and can be enjoyed as a stand alone but I recommend reading all three in order to get the full background because each story builds on the other and gives the story a richer meaning!

In "Soul’s Prisoner" as the others there is violence but it is not really graphic. These stories are about street ladies and how they overcame their past.

"Soul’s Prisoner" is about a crime that is committed and Rachel stumbles accidentally into by finding a baby and tries to help it but ends up being thrown into Dunning. This is a story of how sometimes listening to others instead of your own heart is the wrong thing to do as in the case of Winston. Hope I have you curious to see who Winston is!


These books are perfect examples of how true love win. The connection between the future and the paintings by Miriam are an interesting part of the story also.
I would like to see more books written about these friends, maybe from the male characters point of view.

These books are a great series.

I was given a complimentary copy by the author and Celebrate Lit. These opinions are my own. 


About the Author















Award winning author, Cara Luecht, lives in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin with her husband, David, and their children. Cara graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Currently, Cara is studying for a Masters of Divinity at Fuller Theological Seminary.








Guest Post from Cara Luecht

The Setting for Soul’s Prisoner: Dunning Asylum for the Insane

Dunning Asylum for the Insane was built in the 1850s and housed psychiatric patients until the early 1900s. It has since been demolished, and a small park currently stands as the only remaining testament to the people who lived and died on the grounds.

The original plot of land also included a poor farm and a cemetery. A railroad used to connect the grounds to Minneapolis, Chicago, and Milwaukee. It was nicknamed the “Crazy Train”—a phrase that still survives in our language today. Those buried in the cemetery include Civil War Veterans, victims of the Chicago fire of 1871, orphans, paupers, and the residents of the asylum for the insane. Most estimates agree that nearly forty thousand people were buried on the grounds.

There is no doubt that mental illness is hard on families, but in the 1800s, having a family member who struggled with mental illness was an embarrassment. With little understanding of mental health in general, and even less compassion for those who suffered, examples of this tragic response to the threat of mental illness can be seen in the numerous inmates who were there simply due to addiction or depression. There are even cases where women were committed because their families were humiliated by their giving birth outside the bonds of marriage. Often times, challenges with mental health were synonymous with the notion of moral failure or vice. Because of this, even many charities looked the other way when corruption or abuse was exposed. Reporters sometimes wrote about the horrors of the institutions, but once the sensational story was out, and the initial outrage worn away, few worried about the people who suffered on a daily basis. And because of the moral implication of mental illness, families commonly turned over their suffering members to the county, and later simply explained to friends that the person had died.

And that is exactly what the mentally ill would do in the institution. Live there until they died, forgotten.

And that’s how the story played out at Dunning, until late in the 1900s when developers began to dig the roads and foundations for a new neighborhood on the grounds of what was once the Asylum. At that time, Dunning, and the people who had resided there, were still within living memory, so when bones were unearthed, it was no mystery how they ended up on that patch of land. What had slipped from memory was the magnitude of the collective stories of suffering and hardship.

For this novel, the people and events are fictitious. However, when examining old news stories from an institution known for corruption, it is not hard to imagine situations like the ones in the novel. The details that are true are the nearly one thousand inmates, no hot water, little to no heat in the winter, bad food, and the general feeling of living ghosts, intentionally forgotten, and doomed to never leave the grounds.




Blog Stops







Multifarious, March 9



Remembrancy, March 9






amandainpa, March 12





Carpe Diem, March 14







A Greater Yes, March 17







Simple Harvest Reads, March 20 (Guest Post from Mindy)



Pursuing Stacie, March 20


                                                      Bigreadersite, March 21



Giveaway















To celebrate her tour, Cara is giving away a grand prize of a signed copy of Soul’s Prisoner and sketching art supplies!!



Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/cb74










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Thursday, March 15, 2018


          

        










 "Storms in Serenity" by Fay Lamb  Book Tour And GiveAway




















About the Book









Book Title: Storms in Serenity

 

Author: Fay Lamb

 

Release Date: February, 2018

 

Genre: Romance, Mystery

 

How can one man save the town he loves when he’s the reason for the destruction?

Serenity Key, Florida, has seen its share of hurricanes, but this time, one foul weather system is about to collide with another storm, and this one has nothing to do with atmospheric pressure.

David New has guarded his secrets for years, but when two brothers, John and Andy Ryan, arrive in town and he gets news that the daughter he’s never told anyone about has disappeared, possibly the victim of a heinous crime, and the lives of many of the town residents begin to unravel in the gale force consequences of Jake’s past, he has nowhere else to turn.

God is the only one Who can calm the storms, but can David and the good folks of Serenity Key survive until He does?

A tempest has been brewing for thirty years, with only one island town in its path.

 




Click here to purchase your copy!




My Review: 

"Storms in Serenity" by Fay Lamb is a modern-day retelling of the Biblical truths of the aftermath of David’s sin with Bathsheba and the destruction the storms of life that blew apart not only David’s family but also those he called friends. Mostly, though, "Storms in Serenity", is a novel that proves that when it comes to sin, truly, no man is an island. This statement is from the author's guest post on the blog. I included it in this review because while I was reading it I thought this is just like Bathsheba and David in the Bible. The character that caused one of the storms is even named David. Of course, there are differences in the outcome of the two stories.  There is more than one storm in this story, some caused by sin and then there is the storm caused by nature.



"Storms in Serenity" by Fay Lamb is a story of betrayal and sin. It is also a story of love and forgiveness. There is violence and rape in the story and adultery but it isn't graphic. Even, though the story isn't graphic the reader is able to feel the characters's pain.



This story is a perfect example of these quotes from the book "God's gifts don't always come in beautifully wrapped packages, but we have to peer inside to find out how glorious they can be."  " But God does turn our mistakes into wonderment, doesn't he?"







This book has many twists in the plot, there are lots of characters and each one seems to have a secret.







"Storms in Serenity" by Fay Lamb is a love story, that I recommend to readers that like love stories with a little mystery. 







"Storms in Serenity" by Fay Lamb is the first  book in the "Serenity Key" series. I am anxiously awaiting book two. 







I received a complimentary copy by the author and Celebrate Lit. These opinions are my own.








About the Author











Fay Lamb writes emotionally charged stories with a Romans 8:28 attitude, reminding readers that God is always in the details. Fay donates 100% of her royalties to Christian charities.

Storms in Serenity is the first book in Fay’s Serenity Key series. Fay’s other series include, Amazing Grace and her novels, Stalking Willow, Better than Revenge, Everybody’s Broken, and Frozen Notes. The Ties that Bind Series includes Charisse, Libby, and Hope. Delilah, is coming soon.

Fay’s is also the author of The Art of Characterization: How to Use the Elements of Storytelling to Connect Readers to an Unforgettable Cast.





Guest Post from Fay Lamb

ONCE UPON A STORM

I’m one of those people who love storms. I revel in the lightning that streaks across the sky, the rumble of thunder as it rolls over the air, and I dance to the eerie sound of the wind coming through a crack in the window. Storms don’t frighten me. I’m an East Coast Floridian. I’ve lived through many a tempest.

However, so that you won’t think me completely insane, I have also fled a few hurricanes. In our house, a Cat III storm is something to debate as we watch to see how low the millibars fall at the storm’s center. A Cat IV means gather the important documents, place them into plastic bags and tuck them into plastic tubs, batten down the hatches, and depending upon its projected proximity, hunker down or flee. A Cat V is a no-brainer. Run!

If only the storms in our lives had categories so that we know when to stand and face the winds of life or to debate the direction, or to decide when to flee. Sometimes, the storms of life come at us without warning, with no stirring up of the waters by our own hands. Other times, the storms can be abated by the stance we take, the decisions we make, and by failing to move out of harm’s way, perhaps in an opposite direction.

That’s what my first novel in The Serenity Key series is about: one man stirred up a storm many years prior. The destructive force of that storm amassed because he didn’t take a stand, he failed to make crucial decisions, and he choose to run from a situation that God would not allow him to outrun. Storms in Serenity is a modern-day retelling of the Biblical truths of the aftermath of David’s sin with Bathsheba and the destruction the storms of life that blew apart not only David’s family but also those he called friends.

Mostly, though, Storms in Serenity, is a novel that proves that when it comes to sin, truly, no man is an island.




Blog Stops




Giveaway



















To celebrate her tour, Fay is giving away a grand prize of an Echo Spot!!



Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/ca75












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Tuesday, March 13, 2018


          

        










"Love at Lakewood Med" by TJ Amberson Blog Hop













 







About the Book



Genre:  Adult, New Adult,Conetemporary, Romance                                                Publisher: Cedar Fort                                                                                             Publication date: March 13, 2018                                                                              Savannah Drake would be thrilled about starting her final year of medical school if it weren’t for one thing: she has to spend a month working in the emergency room with cold, aloof Dr. Wesley Kent as her mentor. When her first day in the ER proves to be a humiliating disaster, Savannah is ready to swear off emergency medicine forever. Gradually, though, she finds that the unpredictable, emotional experience of caring for patients in the emergency room is affecting her far differently than she expected – and Dr. Kent turns out to be anything but the arrogant attending physician that she assumed him to be. But just when Savannah finally admits to herself that she is falling for Dr. Kent, she learns that things at the hospital are not all what they seem. Faced with a seemingly impossible choice, Savannah must decide between her future career and everything that she has come to care so much about.





​GOODREADS | AMAZON



10 Behind the Scenes Facts about the Book







1. TJ Amberson started writing LOVE AT LAKEWOOD MED in 2012, put it aside while she wrote and published two other novels (THE KINGDOM OF NERETH, FUSION), and then returned to the story in 2016.



2. The working title for the book was WHITE COATS & STETHOSCOPES.



3. TJ queried Cedar Fort Publishing & Media with the manuscript because she thought that the company would be interested in publishing a clean romance.



4. The novel was originally scheduled to be released in October 2017.



5. Dr. Kent’s name was initially Dr. Hunt. But after someone pointed out that this was the same name as a character in a medical television show, TJ wanted to change her character’s name to something else. TJ decided on Dr. Kent because she felt that it had a strong yet approachable sound to it.



6. The figure on the front cover of the book was designed to stay true to the main character, Savannah, including the slightly messy hair and white coat.



7. One of TJ’s favorite scenes to write was the night hike.



8. TJ found that the restaurant scene was one of the most complicated and nuanced scenes to write.



9. Lakewood Medical Center is a fictional place, and TJ Amberson deliberately does not say in the novel where it is supposed to be located.



10. While the characters in LOVE AT LAKEWOOD MED are fictional, the character of Lynn Prentis pays homage to one of TJ’s friends.









About the Author





TJ Amberson hails from the Pacific Northwest, where she lives with her husband and nutty cocker spaniel. Her most recent novels include The Kingdom Of Nereth, Fusion, and Love at Lakewood Med. When she’s not writing, TJ can probably be found enjoying a hot chocolate, pretending to know how to garden, playing the piano, or surfing the Internet for cheap plane tickets.



GOODREADS | FACEBOOK | WEBSITE ​





Author Interview





1. Who or what inspired you to become an author?
Writing is just something that I have done for as long as I can remember. From the time I was in very early elementary school, I was penciling 50+-page-long stories on notebook paper and handing them in to my teachers to read. I will forever be grateful to those teachers for supporting me and encouraging me to continue writing.



2. What did you want to be when you grew up?  Did becoming an author ever cross your mind?
I thought about doing so many things! Movie editor, astronomer, professor, volleyball and basketball coach, pediatrician…and for the most time, I wanted to work at Mission Control for NASA. Throughout, I never really thought about “becoming” an author – writing was simply something I always did on the side, in addition to whatever other interests I was pursuing.



3. What top 5 book(s) do you currently have sitting on your TBR pile?
1)A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle (haven’t read it since elementary school!)
2)Lethal Licorice by Amanda Flower
3)Assaulted Caramel by Amanda Flower
4)The Lady and the Gent by Rebecca Connolly
5)Love Remains by Sarah Eden



4. What inspired the idea for Love at Lakewood Med?
The concept for the story was very loosely inspired by my own journey as a medical student and emergency medicine resident.



5. What do you want readers to take away from reading Love at Lakewood Med?
First and foremost, I hope that readers love the love story! I hope that readers say they enjoyed getting lost in a fun romance novel that made them laugh, cry a little, and swoon!  I hope that readers also come away feeling as though they were right there in the emergency department, watching the chaos, getting surprised by the unexpected, and feeling the complexity of situations that often arise there.



6. What is your current WIP?  What can you tell us about it?
Yes! I am working on the sequel to my YA historical fantasy, THE KINGDOM OF NERETH. I am having so much fun getting back to the fictional, medieval land of Nereth, and I’m extremely excited for my readers to see what adventures await the band of characters.



Blog Hop Schedule





March 13-Singing Librarian Books
March 14-Debbie's Dusty Deliberations
March 15-Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic
March 16-All-of-a-kind Mom
March 17-cherylbbookblog
March 18-
March 19-Remembrancy
March 20-
March 21-ReadingIsMySuperPower
March 22-Blossoms and Blessings
March 23-
March 24-SoulfullyRomantic​









Enter the giveaway HERE. 












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Spotlighting Kari Trumbo with A Giveaway
















Good Morning, Debbie!

Let me tell you a little bit about the project that has stolen my heart. My friend, Lynn Winchester, came to me about eight months ago with an idea for a gold-rush series. We’d both written westerns before and had read how “men won the west, but the women tamed it.” It seemed like a pretty common sentiment, but I had yet to see a series about it. This is that series.



Brides of Blessings is all about strong women who helped tame the west. They didn’t go to Blessings searching for love, and in many cases, fight against it tooth and nail. In losing those battles, both the men and the women win. While this isn’t an expressly Christian series, my books are in the Christian category and all the books are sweet.



Now, for my book. Blessed Beyond Measure



Lenora Farnsworth has learned; good girls don't fall for rakes.





She finds she's far too willing to seek out the worldly Englishman hired to protect her from the dangers of traveling from her home in Boston, to the wilds of California. Though she's drawn to him, she must forgive the rumors about his past, or risk her future. Victor is not a Godly man; can he still be the Lord's choice for her?





Victor Abernathy needs to make some money and get back to England, fast.



He's never met a woman he couldn't match, until Lenora. She's supposed to be no more than a job, but her every nuance imprints his heart. He wagers for her hand—it's his gambler's nature—but when England calls, will he fold, or take his winnings and run? 







The women of Blessings, California must work hard to survive. 







For a chance to win an ebook copy of Blessed Beyond Measure, what has been the most rewarding job you’ve ever done?



Kari Trumbo is a coauthor of the best-selling Cutter’s Creek continuity series as well as her personal series, The Seven Brides of South Dakota. She began her writing journey five years ago and has indie published over twenty titles. Prior to writing, she was a freelance developmental editor and beta reader.



Kari has a degree in psychology and home schools her four children. She loves to learn new things and believes life should always be a learning environment. To continue her writing education, she is a member of Romance Writers of America, The American Christian Fiction Writers Association, and her local chapter, MN N.I.C.E.



Places to follow Kari:


















GiveAway: 







For a chance to win an ebook copy of Blessed Beyond Measure,  



Answer the question found in the interview above!

















Romans 8:38-39










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