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Sneak Peek ~ My Children's/Picture Book ~ Don't Call Me Fluffy!

HERE IS A SNEAK PEEK OF MY ATTEMPT 

AT WRITING A CHILDREN'S BOOK!

(Me speaking)
Oh, honey Jasmine had her kittens there are two black ones and two gray ones.

(John the man)
Look one of the black and one of the gray kittens are bobtails like Jasmine.

***A few weeks go by.

(John/Man)
Well dear it looks like their eyes are open.

(Me/Lady)
How cute they are so very fluffy.

(John/Man)
Yes, I see and they seem to be moving around pretty good. The little gray bobtail seems be dragging it's back legs.

(Me/Lady)
I think something might be wrong with little Fluffy.

(John/Man)
Don't worry, just wait and see how he does in the next few weeks.

***A few more weeks go by.

(John/Man)
Fluffy bobtail sure is holding his own with his brothers.

(Lady)
Are you sure they aren't going to hurt Fluffy.

(John/Man laughing)
 He seems to be getting the best of them.

***Out and about with the kittens.  They are free to explore the great outdoors.  (the kittens call me and John the Keepers)

(Kittens)
Hey don't the Keepers call you Fluffy (laughing). Fluffy, Fluffy (more laughing) You even walk funny! Bet you can't catch me Fluffy!

(Fluffy/gray bobtail)
Mom! Tell them to stop calling me Fluffy. How can they call me Fluffy? I am a boy not a little girl. There isn't anything wrong with the way I walk. Is there?

(Mom Jasmine)
Now boys don't pick on your brother. It is just taking him a bit longer to get use to his legs than the rest of you and don't call him Fluffy. Mr.Owl will soon give you names but first he must watch you for  a few weeks to see what name best suits each of you and I am pretty sure none of you will be called Fluffy.

(Jasmine)
Mr. Owl! Mr. Owwwl!

(Mr Owl)
Whooww whooww is there!

(Jasmine)
It's me, Jasmine.

(Mr Owl)
Hello Mrs. Jasmine I have been keeping watch over you kittens. They seem to be picking on gray bobtail.

(Jasmine)
Yes, that is why I came to see you. He is beginning to notice he is different from his brothers. He has a hard time keeping up with them. But other than his legs not working right he seems to be as rambunctious as his brothers. On top of that the Keepers have started calling him Fluffy and pamper him as if he were special.  If you have time would you please talk to him. You are so very wise I am sure it would help him.

***The next day.

(Fluffy/gray bobtail)
Mr Owl! Hello. Are you home?

(Mr Owl)
Well well if it isn't Mrs. Jasmine's gray bobtail.

(Fluffy/gray bobtail)
Hello sir, Mom said you wanted to speak with me about something.

(Mr Owl)
Yes, Yes I hear your brothers are teasing you calling you Fluffy. I wouldn't worry about that too much I am sure you have called them silly names before. Right?

(Fluffy/gray bobtail)
Rrriight.

(Mr Owl)
I have noticed you seem to be having a little difficulty with your back legs.

(Fluffy/gray bobtail)
Yes sir, they just don't seem to want to cooperate. I can't run as fast as my brothers or even walk very well without them tripping me up. Then there is that big dog Cocoa that keeps picking me up and giving me a bath. My brothers are able to run fast enough to get away from him but I just can't run fast enough and he catches me every time.

(Mr Owl)
I tell you what son why don't you watch some of the other animals like Squirrel, Rabbit, Raccoon and Possum and see how they get around maybe they have some suggestions.

(Flurry/gray bobtail)
Thanks Mr. Owl that is a great idea!

(Mr Owl)
Let me know how it goes!

(Fluffy?gray bobtail)
I will sir! Goodbye!

*****

I DID NOT GET ANY FURTHER.

   THE STORY IS ABOUT ONE OF OUR  KITTENS THAT APPEARED TO NOT HAVE USE OF HIS BACK LEGS POSSIBLY PARALYZED.  BUT HE WAS DETERMINED TO KEEP UP WITH HIS LITTER MATES.  AS HE STARTED MOVING AROUND THE BACK HALF OF HIM RESEMBLED A FROG, INCLUDING A LARGE STOMACH & FLAT BACK.  HE LEARNED TO HOP ON HIS BACK LEGS & IN TIME HE GOT AROUND MORE LIKE A RABBIT, STANDING HIGH IN THE FRONT & LOW IN THE BACK.  WE NAMED HIM WASCALLY WABBIT.  PEOPLE HAD THE AUDACITY TO ASK IF HE WAS HIS SIRE WAS A RABBIT ESPECIALLY SINCE HE HAD A LITTLE COTTON BOBTAIL.  DUH!  PEOPLE, HE IS A CAT!

   SO BACK TO THE STORY.  I HAD INTENDED TO HAVE FLUFFY/GRAY BOBTAIL GET ADVICE FROM THE OTHER ANIMALS MR. OWL SUGGESTED HE SPEAK WITH.  HE ENDED UP TAKING MR. RABBITS ADVICE AND ENDED UP BEING THE FASTEST CAT IN THE COUNTY AND WAS PROUD TO BE NAMED WASCALLY WABBIT BECAUSE HE WAS AS FAST AS A RABBIT.

TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!

Hugs,
PATRICIA aka MAMAW

ROAD TO THE CHRISTY'S 2013 ~ The Christy Advisory Board Announces the 2013 Christy Award Winners

2013 Award Ceremony Liveblog  

If you missed the liveblog you can watch it here.

2013 CHRISTY AWARDS PRESENTED IN ST... LOUIS

New Awards Debuted New Awards Debuted

ST. LOUIS, Mo.— ST. LOUIS, Mo.—The 2013 Christy Awards honoring and promoting excellence in Christian fiction were presented at the Renaissance Grand in St. Louis, Mo., tonight. 

The 14th annual awards presentation highlighted the role of literary agents in the advancement of 

Christian fiction. Steve Laube of The Steve Laube Agency emceed the event, and Chip MacGregor of MacGregor Literary Agency presented the keynote address. Additionally, long-time literary agent Lee Hough was honored with the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Christy in a moving tribute. 

The Christy Advisory Committee debuted the Christy Hall of Fame by inducting authors Lynn Austin, winner of eight Christy Awards, and Karen Hancock, winner of four Christy Awards. 

The event also premiered the Christy Book of the Year Award, showcasing the novel that had the greatest impact when placed against a set of criteria that includes literary quality, sales, and life impact. A jury of three people read the year’s nine Christy Award winners and identified Into the Free by Julie Cantrell (David C Cook) as best exemplifying those factors. 

The Christy Advisory Board is happy to announce the 2013 Christy Award winners.

Lifetime Achievement Christy: Lee Hough 

Christy Award Hall of Fame Inductees: Lynn Austin (8 Christys) & Karen Hancock (4 Christys) 

Book of the Year: Into the Free by Julie Cantrell (David C Cook) 

Contemporary Romance: The Breath of Dawn by Kristen Heitzmann (Bethany House Publishers, a 

division of Baker Publishing Group).

Contemporary Series, Sequels & Novellas: You Don't Know Me by Susan May Warren (Tyndale House Publishers) 

Contemporary Standalone: Not in the Heart by Chris Fabry (Tyndale House Publishers)

First Novel: Into the Free by Julie Cantrell (David C Cook)

Historical: Flame of Resistance by Tracy Groot (Tyndale House Publishers)

Historical Romance: Against the Tide by Elizabeth Camden (Bethany House Publishers, a division of 

Baker Publishing Group) 

Suspense: Rare Earth by Davis Bunn (Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group) 

Visionary: Soul's Gate by James L. Rubart (Thomas Nelson, a division of HarperCollins Christian 

Publishing) 

Young Adult: Child of the Mountains by Marilyn Sue Shank (Delacorte Press, a division of Random 

House) 

The Christy Awards are online at: www.ChristyAwards.com 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChristyAward 

Twitter: www.twitter.com/ChristyAward 

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!

Road To the Christy's 2013 - Be Still My Soul - The Cadence of Grace series #1 by Joanne Bischof

BE STILL MY SOUL by Joanne Bischof

A 2013 CHRISTY AWARD NOMINEE 

for

Historical Romance

Visit the Christy Awards Website

About This Book

Night’s chill tickled her skin. Lonnie pressed her hands together and glanced up. He was even more handsome up close. Having grown up the shy, awkward daughter of Joel Sawyer, she’d hardly spoken to any boy, let alone the one who had mothers whispering warnings in their daughter’s ears and fathers loading shotguns.

Pretty Lonnie Sawyer is shy and innocent, used to fading into the background within her family, and among the creeks and hollows of the Appalachian hills. Though her family is poor and her father abusive, she clings to a quiet faith.  But when handsome ladies’ man and bluegrass musician Gideon O’Riley steals a kiss, that one action seals her fate.

Her father forces her into a hasty marriage with Gideon—a man she barely knows and does not love. Equally frustrated and confused by his new responsibilities, Gideon yearns for a fresh start, forcing  Lonnie on an arduous journey away from her home in Rocky Knob.

Her distant groom can’t seem to surrender his rage at the injustice of the forced matrimony or give Lonnie any claim in his life.  What will it take for Gideon to give up his past, embrace Lonnie’s God, and discover a hope that can heal their two fractured hearts?

Gideon only ever cared about himself. Now that Lonnie is his wife, will he ever be worthy of her heart?

Pages: 337

Published by Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing

Expected publish date:  October 2, 2012

ISBN13: 9781601424211

Where to purchase: Amazon, B&N, CBD

 Click here to download the first chapter of Be Still My Soul now.

About the Author

Married to her first sweetheart, Joanne Bischof lives in the mountains of Southern California where she keeps busy making messes with their home-schooled children. When she’s not weaving Appalachian romance, she’s blogging about faith, writing, and the adventures of country living that bring her stories to life. Be Still My Soul is her first novel.


My Thoughts

Appalachian hills.

Lonnie Sawyer can't wait to turn eighteen so she can get out from under her father's iron rule. She only has a few months to go hopefully she can deal with his emotional and physical abuse until then.

Gideon O'Riely turns all the girls heads he can have his pick of any of them.  He is asked to escort Lonnie home after a dance. She is young and pretty why hadn't he noticed her before? He figured it ways because she was so shy. As they neared her house he tried to steal much more than a kiss but she faught him off and ran into her into the house. Unbeknownst to Lonnie and the moonshine drunk Gideon her father saw what he assumed was Lonnie giving herself willingly to Gideon.

Lonnie and Gideon are forced to marry to protect Lonnie's reputation if Lonnie ends up with child even though they both told him nothing happened. Her father would not listen to reason. The young couple ended up living with Gideon's family until he decides for them to take off on foot for him to seek employment.

Lonnie prays to God to protect her from Gideon's anger at having to slow down because she couldn't keep up with him.

Excerpts:

"What will it take for Gideon to give up his past, embrace Lonnie's God, and discover hope that can heal their two fractured hearts?"

"She willed her heart to harden. To ice over so she wouldn't have to hurt anymore. But when her blurred, she knew it was useless to try."

I keep thinking about the way Lonnie and Gideon were raised.  Lonnie's father held no love for his family and showed his resentment to everyone in his family.  Then there was Gideon who was raised to believe that children were not to love but were no more than another mouth to feed.

How could anyone expect for a child in a home like Lonnie's and Gideon's to ever learn the real love of family? The only way of course is faith and trust in God.

It was hard to walk away from this book.  I wanted to spend more time with Lonnie and Gideon to see how their lives might change.  I am anxious for book two.

I highly recommend this book.

I rated this book a 5 out of 5.

Disclosure
I received a free copy of this book from Blogging for Books/Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing for review. I was in no way compensated for this review.  It is my own opinion.

THE QUARRYMAN'S BRIDE, LAND OF SHINING WATER, Book 2, by TRACIE PETERSON ~ LITFUSE BLOG TOUR

About Book

The latest book in the Land of Shining Waters series.

Peterson Hits the Bestseller Lists Again and Again!

Emmalyne Knox and Tavin MacLachlan were destined to be together . . . until the tragic deaths of Emmalyne's youngest sisters. Family tradition mandates that the youngest daughter should remain single to care for her parents in their old age, and now that daughter is Emmalyne. Her father unyielding, Emmalyne surrenders to her duty, heartbroken. Tavin leaves town, equally devastated.

Years later, Emmalyne's family moves, and she and Tavin meet again. Their feelings for each other are as strong as ever, but their painful past and Emmalyne's father still stand between them. Soon both families are in the midst of the growing conflict rising between the workers at the granite quarry that Tavin's father owns and operates. When a series of near-fatal accidents occur, Tavin must figure out who is behind the attacks before someone gets killed.

Bound by obligation, yet yearning for a future together, can Emmalyne and Tavin dare to dream that God could heal a decade-long wound and change the hearts of those who would stand in the way of true love?

Read Excerpt here.

• ISBN-13: 9780764206207
• Publisher: Baker Publishing Group/Bethany House
• Publication date: 6/1/2013
• Series: Land of Shining Water Series , #2
• Pages: 336

Where to Purchase: Baker Retail, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Christianbook.com

About Author

Tracie Peterson is the award-winning author of over eighty novels, both historical and contemporary. Her avid research resonates in her stories, as seen in her bestselling Heirs of Montana, and Alaskan Quest series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana. 

Visit Tracie's Web site at www.traciepeterson.com

Landing Page/Tour Schedule: http://litfusegroup.com/author/tpeterson

  

Q&A with Tracie Peterson

Q. Tell us why you wrote The Quarryman’s Bride.

I wanted to write a story that would deal with old family traditions that get in the way of true love and life in general. I also wanted to utilize the Minnesota quarry business setting to share some of the historical aspects of life in that region. As I began to develop my research, I found so many interesting things about quarry work and life in Minnesota that it created a wonderful foundation for the book.

Q. Where in Minnesota did you set this story?

I chose the city of St. Cloud. The area has a wonderful park—the Quarry State Park—where you can walk around and see some of the old quarry works.

Q. What did you do to research this story?

I was able to spend some quality time in the St. Cloud area and get a firsthand look at granite quarries and the work required to get the rock out of the ground. I visited local museums and talked to people who worked in and around quarries, along with reading a great many books that helped me to better understand what quarry workers were up against in the late 1800s. This was difficult and dangerous work to be sure. I also wanted to have a cultural flavor for my story, and I chose those of Scottish heritage since they were heavily involved in quarry work. I’ve been to Scotland and have Scottish heritage myself, so I found it quite interesting to dig deeper and learn more about the traditions that existed.

Q. What’s the basic premise for this story?

Emmalyne and Tavin have been in love since they were young. Their wedding, however, is called off when a tragedy takes the lives of Emmalyne’s younger sisters. In her family there is a tradition that the youngest daughter remains unmarried to care for the aging parents. With the death of her sisters, Emmalyne must now take on that responsibility. Her father puts an end to the engagement and they move away, leaving Emmalyne and Tavin torn apart. Emmalyne desires to be obedient to her father and mother—to honor them as the Bible says. But at the same time she longs to reunite with the only man she’ll ever love. How can God possibly soften the hard hearts of two bitter men without crushing the dreams and hopes of a loving young woman?

Q. What is the basic spiritual message you want readers to take away from this story?

I wanted to address what it means to honor your mother and father. What does God expect of adult children in the ways of honoring and caring for their parents? I also wanted to show the painful consequences of the choices people make and how often one seemingly small event can ripple down through the years to completely alter lives.

Q. What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

I loved the time I spent walking around Quarry State Park in St. Cloud. It was like another world. The setting transported me in time, and I could almost see myself there in the late 1890s. I love the way God works to show me things in that way. And it’s always such a pleasure to find people from the area who love their history. Minnesota folks are great, and they are proud of their heritage. I also did some additional research while in Scotland, learning about the Celtic language and traditional Scottish recipes. I even made a few to share with my family as I wrote about them in the story.

Q. What’s on the horizon for book 3 in this series?

Book 3 is set in the Ely, Minnesota, area and deals with Italian immigrants and iron mining. This story has a bit of a Romeo and Juliet theme with a strong spiritual message of learning to let go of past wrongs and forgive for the sake of the present and the future.

Welcome to the campaign page for Tracie Peterson's newest book in the Land of the Shining Water series, The Quarryman's Bride. Tracie is celebrating with a "True Love" $200 Anthropologie giveaway and a Facebook Author Chat Party.

 One winner will receive:

• A $200 Anthropologie gift card
• The Quarryman's Bride and The Icecutter's Daughter by Tracie Peterson

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on July 8th. Winner will be announced at the "The Quarryman's Bride" Facebook Author Chat Party on July 9th. Connect with Tracie for an evening of book chat, trivia, laughter, and more! Tracie will also share an exclusive look at the next book in the Land of Shining Water series and give away books and other fun prizes throughout the evening.

So grab your copy of The Quarryman's Bride and join Tracie on the evening of July 9th 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 9th!

My Thoughts

Emmalyne Knox and her family have suffered a great loss but Emmalyne is forced to suffer even more.  She is to break her promise of marriage to the love of her life Tavis MacLachlan to fulfill a Scottish tradition honoring her parents. She will see to her parents needs in their old age and she will never marry.  The love Tavis had for Emmie has now turned to an attitude of hatred which caused even more pain for Emmie.  As if all of this was not enough her father has decided to move to another state taking her further away from the quarry, Tavis and all her friends.  She wonders if her father has any love for God or his family .

Eleven years have passed and Emmie's father is moving their family back so he can work at the quarry owned by Tavis's father.  How will Tavis react to her family living a mere three miles from his parent's home?

This story caused me to have great sorrow for those under Emmalyne's father's tyranny.  The author has touched on a subject that has severe effects on a families emotional and physical being.  The character Emmie was created by the author to be a loyal daughter to her parents and to God.  The author shows how fear and loss of loved ones can eat a person alive until there is nothing left but bitterness.  Only God can heal such pain and that is how the author writes her story of love, forgiveness and reconciliation.

I highly recommend this book.

I rated this book a 5 out of 5.

Disclosure:  I received a free copy of this book from Baker Publishing Group/Bethany House and Litfuse Publicity Group for review.

If you found this review helpful vote yes or no here.

Road To the Christy's 2013 ~ Wedded to War ~ Heroines Behind the Lines: Civil War, Book 1, by Jocelyn Green

WEDDED to WAR by JOCELYN GREEN

A 2013 Christy Award Nominee

for 

First Novel and Historical

Visit the Christy Awards Website

About Book

Tending to the army's sick and wounded meant leading a life her mother does not understand and giving up a handsome and approved suitor. Yet Charlotte chooses a life of service over privilege, just as her childhood friend had done when he became a military doctor. She soon discovers that she's combatting more than just the rebellion by becoming a nurse. Will the two men who love her simply stand by and watch as she fights her own battles? Or will their desire for her wage war on her desire to serve God?

Wedded to War is a work of fiction, but the story is inspired by the true life of Civil War nurse Georgeanna Woolsey. Woolsey's letters and journals, written over 150 years ago, offer a thorough look of what pioneering nurses endured. This is the first in the series "Heroines Behind the Lines: Civil War," a collection of novels that highlights the crucial contributions made by women during times of war. 

Publisher: River North/Moody Publishers
ISBN: 978-0-8024-0576-0
Publish date: June, 2012
Page Count: 400
Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.5
Format: Paperback

Where to Buy: Amazon, CBD, Barnes&Noble

About Author

JOCELYN GREEN is an award-winning author, freelance writer and editor. A former military wife, she authored, along with contributing writers, Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives (Moody 2008) and Faith Deployed . . . Again: More Daily Encouragement for Military Wives (Moody 2011). Jocelyn is also co-author for Battlefields & Blessings: Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan (AMG Publishers 2009), which won the Gold Medal from Military Writers Society of America in 2010. She maintains her own award-winning Web site for military wives atwww.faithdeployed.com . She holds a B.A. in English from Taylor University, and is an active member of the Evangelical Press Association, the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association and the Christian Authors Network. She and her husband have two children and reside in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Jocelyn's Website: http://www.jocelyngreen.com/


My Thoughts

Charlotte wants to become a nurse as her part in serving God and her country.  It has nothing to do with money or status, far from it.  She has to go against her mother, her beau and just about everyone that crosses her path in the struggle to become a nurse.  The Army and the medical field do not want women in any way involved the war.  The nurses were treated without respect by the majority of the doctors and at times to the point of putting there lives in danger.  Women were suppose to stay at home and wait for the men to return and they were allowed ready supplies like bandages, socks, blankets and such to send to the soldiers.  

Charlotte is one determined head strong woman and will not let anyone or anything stand in her way to become a nurse even if it does mean to be sent into the fields of battle to care for the wounded soldiers.  Her childhood friend is a physician in the Army. He encourages her to go where God leads and to listen to God's voice.  But her beau will stop at anything to bring her back home even if by force.

This book gripped my heart and angered me at the disrespect these devoted and loving women went through to help care for the soldiers.  I could not put the book down.  It was riveting!  The author gives us intrigue, adventure, mystery, suspense, romance and a commitment to oneself and God.  

I wanted to read more about these women that served with all there heart and soul, putting their lives on the line.  I commend these steadfast loyal women that served and suffered during the Civil War.

I highly recommend this book.

I rated this book 5 out of 5.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from Moody Publishing Newsroom for review.  I was in no way compensated for this review.  It is my honest opinion.

If you found this review helpful vote yes or no here.

Chief Camp Diseases of the Civil War

Road To the Christy's 2013 ~ WILDFLOWERS FROM WINTER by KATIE GANSHERT

Wildflowers from Winter by Katie Ganshert

A 2013 Christy Award Nominee 

for

 Contemporary Romance SERIES, SEQUELS, AND NOVELLAS

Visit the Christy Awards Website

About Book

Like the winter, grief has a season. Life returns with the spring.

A young architect at a prestigious Chicago firm, Bethany Quinn has built the life she dreamed of during her teen years in a trailer park. An unexpected interruption from her estranged mother reveals that tragedy has struck in her hometown and a reluctant Bethany is called back to rural Iowa.

Determined to pay her respects to her past while avoiding any emotional entanglements, she vows not to stay long. But the unexpected inheritance of five hundred acres of farmland and a startling turn of events in Chicago forces Bethany to come up with a new plan.

Handsome farmhand Evan Price has taken care of the Quinn farm for years. When Bethany is left the land, Evan must fight her decisions to realize his dreams. But even as he disagrees with Bethany’s vision, Evan feels drawn to her and the pain she keeps so carefully locked away.

For Bethany, making peace with her past and the God of her childhood doesn’t seem like the path to freedom. Is letting go the only way to new life, love and a peace that she’s not even sure exists?

Release date: May, 8 2012
Publisher: Waterbrook Press
ISBN-10: 0307730387
ISBN-13: 978-0307730381

Where to buy: 
Amazon
Barnes & Noble 
ChristianBook.com

Wildflowers from Winter by Katie Ganshert (Chapter 1 Excerpt)


About Katie

Katie Ganshert was born and raised in the Midwest, where she writes stories about finding faith and falling in love. When she’s not busy plotting her next novel, she enjoys watching movies with her husband, playing make-believe with her wild-child of a son, and chatting with her girlfriends over bagels. She and her husband are in the process of adopting from the Congo.

You can find her online at her blog and on Facebook.

Wildflowers from Winter: A Devotional

He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock.

-Deuteronomy 8:15

I met a woman once who lived in Kibera, the biggest slum in subSahara Africa. She slept in a tiny shack with six kids, three of whom weren't her own. Her husband had left. She was sick with AIDS. Yet she was lit from within, beaming with the hope of Christ.

If I close my eyes right now, I can see her. And most likely, five years later, she’s no longer sick. She’s no longer living in a shack. She’s rejoicing with the One who gave her that hope.

I have a friend who struggled for three years with infertility. She and her husband were faithful and obedient to the Lord. So why wouldn’t He give them the child they yearned for? They had no idea God was using that time to lead them down a different path. A path toward adoption. A path toward their daughter.

When I think of that African woman, when I think about my friend, I picture wildflowers.

Do you know the harshest, snowiest winters produce some of the most beautiful wildflowers in the spring?

I love when truth reveals itself in nature.

Because this is truth.

God uses what the human eye sees as cold and harsh and lifeless, to bring about beautiful things. Breathtaking things.

Like a once-snowy field bursting with wildflowers.

Like an infertile woman who realizes she doesn’t have to get pregnant to be a mother.

Like a woman riddled with sickness, steeped in poverty, yet beaming with hope.

Lord Jesus, thank you for being a God who can redeem the most barren times in our lives. Thank you for being a God who brings beauty from pain. Help us to trust You, no matter our circumstance or season. Help us to trust that You are faithful and You are good.

Are you trusting God to bring water from the hard rocks in your life?

*   *   *

My Thoughts

Bethany Quinn is a fortress until disaster strikes.  That is when the memories of her tortured soul comes creeping out.  All she wants to do is push past memories back so she can continue with her successful career in Chicago as an architect.

She is no longer the penniless, pitiful little girl of her youth.  The memories she refuses to think about are as if they were yesterday. The only pleasant memory she has is of her loving grandfather, Dan and her best friend, Robin.  She has not seen them in ten years.

While Bethany is busy at work her cell phone rings and it is her mother whom she has no desire to speak with.  But the calls become persistent and so she calls her mother back.  Her mother tells her that Robin's husband was in an accident and is in a coma.  The doctor gives little if any hope.  After fighting the old memories and debating whether or not to go be with her friend she receives another call.  A man by the name of Evan Price calls with the bad news that her grandfather has had a heat attack.  Her decision has been made, she has to be with her grandfather.  While she is there she will consider visiting her old friend.

Arriving at her grandfather's farm there is a man she assumes as Evan Price standing in the doorway.  Come to find out he has been hired to help work the farm.  He looks worn out and as if he hasn't slept in days.

As the story continues it gets more stressful for Bethany and Evan. They have been thrown together and  are not too happy about the situation.  It seems they both have their own demons to deal with.  One of them has a strong relationship with God but the other does not acknowledge God at all.

If we keep sliding away from God, He sends his disciples to help nurture the seeds that had been planted in order that we can grow toward Him and away from our the demons we created in ourselves.

I want to share this from the book.
"The rational part of Robin's brain knew better. But grief had obliterated her ability to think rationally. Grief was the royal flush in a hand of poker.  It beat everything."   
Have you been there before?  I know I have.

This is a soul searching story of reconciliation, repentance, faith, hope and love.

The first part of this book is one traumatic event after another.  It even began to traumatize me.
But you have to know it was very well written. Had to be the way it had me all worked up.   When you are reading this book just be sure to have some tissues close by, you will definitely need them.

I highly recommend this book.

I rated this book a 5 out of 5.

Disclosure
I received a free copy of this book for review from Waterbrook Press.  I was in no way compensated for this review.  It is my own opinion.

A PRETTY AGE by Barbara Mueller ~ A Booksneeze Review

About Book

In 1910, a missionary visitor arrives at Sophiny Mumm’s convent boarding school in Concord, Kansas. Sophiny is smitten. Her best friend Antoinette Dominguez is not—and begins a series of strange behaviors breaking all the rules. In an ensuing investigation of puzzling enigmas, Sophiny has to use all the resources of emerging women’s rights, family relationships, social networks, the new technologies (telephone, photography, and transportation), and patron saints. A Pretty Age exposes the violence still underlying the Midwest’s supposed civilizing forces at the turn of the century (1910) through the emergence of two convent boarding school students into a world where weapons may have changed but the danger remains.

Publisher: WestBow Press
Published: 2/7/2013

• ISBN-13: 978-1449779559
• Pages: 282
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Where to purchase: WestBow Press Bookstore, Amazon, B&N

Read Excerpt here.


About Author

Barbara Mueller recently retired from teaching English at a Southern California community college. For twenty-eight years, she taught composition and literature courses, including critical thinking, women’s literature, and Bible as literature. She now has time to think about the larger issues of what her grandmothers left her and what she wants to leave her grandchildren. Barbara grew up in Kansas and attended the same convent boarding school her grandmother attended. She loved the experience, as she knows her grandmother did. This is her first novel inspired by that experience, but all names, places, and events have been fictionalized.

Visit Barbara's Facebook Page Here.

My Thoughts

I went to Catholic school but it was not an all girls school where the students lived at the school.  Thinking this read would be a walk down memory lane I was very much mistaken.  The main character in this book found herself attracted to a missionary monk that was visiting her school.  I found this uncomfortable.  The girls I went to school with may have had infatuations with boys their own age but I am pretty sure none of them lusted after the clergy.  I only read maybe a third of the way through the book and could not get into this story.  Maybe it was just me therefore would keep the interest of other readers.  To give the author credit the story was well written of what I read.  I just did not like the story line. 

Since I did not read the whole book I don't have the full picture of the book so it would not be right for me to recommend the book.  I hope to read the book in it's entirety at another time. 

I rated this book a 4 out of 5.  

Disclosure:  I received a free copy of this book from Booksneeze/WestBow Press for review.  I was in no way compensated for this review.  This review is my honest opinion.

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