2014 Laurel Award Feature

On October 22, 2014, A Miracle of Hope won Clash of the Titles'Laurel Award. During a six-week period, the novel's first 3,500 words wereread and judged by avid readers of Christian fiction who determined it tobe the worthiest to receive the 2014 Laurel Award.

Clash of the Titles extends a heartfelt congratulations to author Ruth Reidfor her commendable work. We wish God's abundant blessings on her futureprojects.

“A Miracle of Hope quickens a reader’s heart in hope that one child’s faithwill be miracle enough.” –Alan Daugherty, News-Banner columnist

About A Miracle of Hope

Lindie Wyse thinks an arranged marriage is the only way to preserve afuture for herself and her unborn child. Josiah Plank is certain he’llnever love again, but he needs someone to care for his deaf eight-year-olddaughter, Hannah. The two take on their arrangement tentatively at firstbut soon realize they are each in for more than they imagined. After ashort time, Lindie experiences a breakthrough with Hannah when sherecognizes the child’s special gifts, but a risky pregnancy and serioushealth issues threaten to demolish the foundation Josiah and Lindie arebuilding—and the love that is growing between them.

Will their marriage survive their struggles, or will their hearts become ascold as the northern winter?

PURCHASEYOUR COPY

“A beautifully written love story, A Miracle of Hope is both heartwarmingand heartbreaking and features believable, charming characters who arewilling to do whatever it takes for love.” 4 stars, RT Book Reviews 

Listen to Cynthia L.Simmon's" Heartof the Matter" radio interview of Laurel Award Winner,Ruth Reid!

About Ruth:
Ruth is a CBA and ECPA best-selling author of the Heaven on Earthand Amish Wonders series. When attending Ferris State University School ofPharmacy in Big Rapids, Michigan, she lived on the outskirts of an Amishcommunity and had several occasions to visit the Amish farms. Her interestgrew into love as she saw the beauty in living a simple life. Ruth residesin Florida with her husband and three children. 

She can be reached HERE.

“…Ruth’s descriptions of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula during the winter arevivid and almost hauntingly beautiful—yet the hardship and “cabin fever”element are very real. But it’s character depth that is this story’sstrength…” –Carole Jarvis, Amazon Review

Ruth's Upcoming Projects:

HerChristmas Pen Pal, a novella in An Amish Second Christmas collectionreleasedOctober 2014.

AWoodland Miracle will be released in January2015

She is currentlyworking on book three of the Amish Wonders Series (untitled at thistime; release is planned for 2016). 

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OLYMPIA OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS!

Authors, take note! 

Clash of the Titles has opened its doors forsubmissions to the 2015 Olympia.

TheOlympia is COTT's yearly contest for unpublished writers. Thesubmissions are judged by their audience—readers well versedinChristian fiction yet not associated with the CBA industry.

Authors write for readers, so why not have readers bethe judges?

Finalists in the contest will also have their work read and judgedby three industry professionals!

With a submission fee of only $15, easy electronic submission, abevy of prizes, and judges devoted to Christian fiction and authorencouragement, the Olympia is a contest like no other.

Butonce our doors are open, you'll need to act quick! Slots are limited.

To avoid overburdening our volunteerjudges, we are limited in the number of submissions we canaccept.

Submissions:

Oct. 31, 2014-Dec 12,2014 

For more details, please visit oursite.

Stay tuned for updates by 

subscribingto COTT's blog and “liking” ourFacebook page.

A Miracle of Hope, Amish Wonders Series, Book 1 by Ruth Reid

About the book: 

Book One in the Amish Wonders series.

How far can God's mercy reach?

Lindie Wyse is pregnant out of wedlock and thinks an arranged marriage is the only way to preserve her future. Josiah Plank is certain he'll never love again, but he needs someone to care for his eight-year-old daughter, Hannah. The two take on their arrangement tentatively at first but soon realize they are each in for more than they imagined.

Lindie experiences a breakthrough with Hannah when she recognizes Hannah's special gifts, but a risky pregnancy and serious health issues threaten to demolish the foundation Josiah and Lindie are building. Will their growing love survive despite their struggles, or will their hearts become as cold as the northern winter?

Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/sABNg


About the author: 

Ruth Reid is a CBA and ECPA best-selling author of the Heaven on Earth series. She's a full-time pharmacist who resides in Florida with her husband and three children.

Find out more about Ruth at: http://ruthreid.comhoughts



My Thoughts

Eli Wyse has made arrangements with his widower friend Joshiah  to marry Eli's sister Lindie.  Lindie is pregnant and is not given a choice in the matter . When Josiah meets Lindie he offers her a way out even though he is in dire need of a helpmate.  His daughter Hannah is deaf and needs constant supervision because she tends to wander off into the woods.  He also makes it clear to Lindie he will not share his love with her.  So they decide to live together yet apart.

Lindie becomes very attached to Hannah. The child appears to be gifted by God. With all that needs to be done as a new wife and mother she begins having complications with her pregnancy.

As time goes by they can't stop their growing feelings from tuning into love and respect for each other.

Such heartache is evident within the these newly weds.  God works miracles in this family as they work through their trials and tribulations.  The author has written a heart wrenching tale building up the spirits of these characters having them learn to have faith and trust in each other through the intercession of God.  Yes it began as a heart wrenching tale and then turned into a heartwarming tale. It is not a fairy tale but a fictional account of a family given a chance for a new beginning.

I highly recommend this book.

I rated this book a 5 out of 5.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse Publicity Group/Thomas Nelson for review.  I was in no way compensated for this review. This review is my honest opinion.

Ruth Reid’s A MIRACLE OF HOPE Kindle HDX Giveaway and Facebook Party!

A Miracle of Hope is the first book in Ruth Reid's new series, Amish Wonders, and she is celebrating the release with a Kindle HDX Giveaway and an Author Chat Facebook Party!

One winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire HDX
• A Miracle of Hope by Ruth Reid

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on February 11th. Winner will be announced at the A Miracle of Hope Facebook Party on February 11th. Connect with Ruth for an evening of book chat, trivia, laughter, prizes, and more!

So grab your copy of A Miracle of Hope and join Ruth and friends on the evening of February 11th 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. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 11th!