Squirrel's Treehouse

Story Starter Scene Prompts-20

2012-01-30T04:11:00.000-08:00

Story Starter Prompt
OBJECT:
• Write a 500-3500 word scene using five of fifteen Prompt Words.
• Begin each scene using one of three Scene Starter Sentences.
• Use any combination of (1) sentence/(5) words.
• Do three separate scenes with each prompt sentence if you want.
• Or if you’re really brave, try using ALL 15 prompt words in their proper usage and incorporate all three sentences into your scene hook ins or hooks out.
• Most of all, have fun!

Prompt Words:
1. Blue
2. Basket
3. Hot-Air Balloon
4. Peak
5. Peek
6. Its
7. It's
8. Ride
9. Wish
10. Tangle
11. Landing
12. Hard
13. Safety
14. Rope
15. Rescue

Scene Starter Sentences:
A. "It's coming down!"
B. "You want to what?"
C. This isn't happening.

Happy Writing!

Cheryl Wyatt

Story Starter Scene Prompts-19

2012-01-23T04:14:00.000-08:00

Story Starter Prompt
OBJECT:
• Write a 500-3500 word scene using five of fifteen Prompt Words.
• Begin each scene using one of three Scene Starter Sentences.
• Use any combination of (1) sentence/(5) words.
• Do three separate scenes with each prompt sentence if you want.
• Or if you’re really brave, try using ALL 15 prompt words in their proper usage and incorporate all three sentences into your scene hook ins or hooks out.
• Most of all, have fun!

Prompt Words:
1. Shop
2. Cookie
3. Birthday
4. Party
5. Late
6. New
7. Green
8. Pink
9. Polka
10. Girl
11. Buy
12. Rush
13. Home
14. Invite
15. Stranger

Scene Starter Sentences:
A. "I knew you'd forget!"
B. What was he forgetting?
C. "Please tell me the bakery's not closed."

Happy Writing!

Cheryl Wyatt

Story Starter Scene Prompts-18

2012-01-16T04:13:00.000-08:00

Story Starter Prompt
OBJECT:
• Write a 500-3500 word scene using five of fifteen Prompt Words.
• Begin each scene using one of three Scene Starter Sentences.
• Use any combination of (1) sentence/(5) words.
• Do three separate scenes with each prompt sentence if you want.
• Or if you’re really brave, try using ALL 15 prompt words in their proper usage and incorporate all three sentences into your scene hook ins or hooks out.
• Most of all, have fun!

Prompt Words:
1. Cone
2. Travel
3. Driveway
4. Sealer
5. Truck
6. Rumble
7. Squished
8. Asphalt
9. Worker
10. Cute
11. Late
12. Work
13. Back
14. Up
15. Bumper

Scene Starter Sentences:
A. "This did not just happen."
B. "I don't believe this."
C. Crash!

Happy Writing!

Cheryl Wyatt

Story Starter Scene Prompts-17

2012-01-09T04:12:00.000-08:00

Story Starter Prompt
OBJECT:
• Write a 500-3500 word scene using five of fifteen Prompt Words.
• Begin each scene using one of three Scene Starter Sentences.
• Use any combination of (1) sentence/(5) words.
• Do three separate scenes with each prompt sentence if you want.
• Or if you’re really brave, try using ALL 15 prompt words in their proper usage and incorporate all three sentences into your scene hook ins or hooks out.
• Most of all, have fun!

Prompt Words:
1. Turtle
2. Milestone
3. Grass
4. Greyhound
5. Grace
6. Bracelet
7. Bus
8. Dog
9. Dropped
10. Familiar
11. Handshake
12. Scarf
13. Silk
14. Somewhere
15. Before

Scene Starter Sentences:
A. "Have we met before?"
B. "Excuse me, Ma'am...you dropped this."
C. He just remembered.

Happy Writing!

Cheryl Wyatt

Story Starter Scene Prompts-16

2012-01-02T04:00:00.000-08:00

Story Starter Prompt
OBJECT:
• Write a 500-3500 word scene using five of fifteen Prompt Words.
• Begin each scene using one of three Scene Starter Sentences.
• Use any combination of (1) sentence/(5) words.
• Do three separate scenes with each prompt sentence if you want.
• Or if you’re really brave, try using ALL 15 prompt words in their proper usage and incorporate all three sentences into your scene hook ins or hooks out.
• Most of all, have fun!

Prompt Words:
1. Goat
2. Appeal
3. Mountain
4. Mayhem
5. Truth
6. Tango
7. Yugo
8. Pink
9. Tattered
10. Prayer
11. Pickle
12. Tangerine
13. Box
14. Police
15. Cranky

Scene Starter Sentences:
A. "That's not exactly the way I envisioned it."
B. Who did she think she was?
C. Who did he think she was?

Happy Writing!

Cheryl Wyatt

Recommending You Can Be You and I Can Be Me by Anni Shelton

2011-12-07T09:30:00.000-08:00

Need a GREAT Christmas gift for a child in your life? Check out my friend Anni Wolff Shelton's children's book youcanbeyou.net
Anni is an amazing woman of God. She has tremendous gifting and character and an outstanding love for children. She has a heart for them to be validated as who they were created to be.

This book is one of the best things you can do for a child in your life. Hey, this book even ministers to adults who need to know they are okay.

Here is Anni's Facebook page here.

Hugs all!

Cheryl Wyatt

Recommending Seasons of Danger (LI Suspense) by Hannah Alexander and Jill Elizabeth Nelson

2011-12-05T07:58:00.001-08:00

Hey all!

Have a new book to tell you about, just in time for Christmas shopping!

Silent Night, Deadly Night and Mistletoe Mayhem are stories in a novella by Hannah Alexander and Jill Elizabeth Nelson, included in Season of Danger anthology by Love Inspired Suspense.

Other info:

Release date December 2011
Hannah Alexander's Website.

Silent Night, Deadly Night on Amazon

ABOUT Silent Night, Deadly Night:

After the murder of Tess Vance's fiance, Tess leaves her career as a musical talent agent and retreats home to her brother's rescue mission for the homeless in Corpus Christi, Texas. She finds solace helping others, and peace with ex-cop Sean Torrance, who has also endured great pain over the past year. Just as they begin to think life will settle for them, and their friendship will deepen into something more lasting, Tess finds herself the subject of a stalking, and the stalker hurts her by hurting and killing those she loves, including the homeless.

All of Sean's protective instincts rise to the top when the woman he has grown to love finds herself in danger once again. He'll do whatever it takes to protect her and the others he works with at the mission. As the owner and manager of one of the top radio stations in the region, he finds a way to stop the attacks, but it will mean betraying her trust. Can their relationship withstand the conflict?

About Mistletoe Mayhem by Jill Elizabeth Nelson
Holiday cheer turns chilling in Abbottsville, Tennessee, as danger infects humans and animals. Local vet Kelly Granger knows health inspector Matt Bennett is chasing the wrong target, and will face any danger to show him the truth. Even if working with Matt means risking her life…and her heart.

Jill's Website.

Hope you will pick up this book next time you're in town!

Warmly,
Cheryl Wyatt

Recommending His Holiday Family by Margaret Daley

2011-11-28T07:26:00.000-08:00

Here is another heartwarming story from Margaret Daley. I absolutely love this one. Don't miss it!

Warmly,
Cheryl Wyatt

From Margaret:
When I decided to write a series about a town that goes through a hurricane, I wanted to give tribute to all the people who have gone through a disaster and rebuilt their lives. This series was written for the heroes and heroines who help others in a time of disaster.

Blurb for His Holiday Family by Margaret Daley:
When Hurricane Naomi tears through a small Mississippi town, a daring rescue unites two heroes. Nurse Kathleen Hart is a single mom racked by guilt over her husband's death. Firefighter Gideon O'Brien—orphaned as a young boy—has lost too many people he cared for. To rise above the storm's devastation, Gideon helps Kathleen and her sons rebuild their home. As Christmas approaches, they discover that even the strongest of storms can't destroy a romance built on the foundation of faith.

Excerpt from His Holiday Family:
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Gideon O'Brien hopped down from Engine Two and assessed the chaos in front of him. Strapping on his air pack, he started toward his captain. A hand gripped his arm and stopped his forward progress. He turned toward the blonde woman who held him, her large blue eyes glistening with tears. She looked familiar, but he couldn't place where he knew her from. His neighbor's daughter, perhaps?

"My two sons and my cousin—their babysitter—must still be inside. I don't see them outside with the other tenants." Her voice quivered. She tightened her hand on his arm and scanned the crowd. "I'm Kathleen Hart. My sons are Jared and Kip. I tried Sally's cell but she didn't answer. Please get them out." A tear slipped down her cheek.

"Where are they?" Gideon moved toward his captain, his palm at the small of her back, guiding her in the direction he wanted her to go. Yes, he realized, she was his neighbor Ruth Coleman's daughter.

"Sally's second-floor apartment is on the east side, the fourth one down on your right. Number 212. Hurry." Her round eyes fastened on the fire consuming the three-story apartment building on Magnolia Street.

Gideon paused in front of Captain Fox. "Mrs. Hart says her sons and babysitter are still inside. Pete and I can go in and get them." He looked toward the west end of the large structure where the men of Engine One were fighting the flames eating their way through the top level. "There's still time."

"Okay." His captain surveyed the east end. "But hurry. It won't be long before this whole building goes up."

The scent of smoke hung heavy in the air. The hissing sound of water hitting Magnolia Street Apartments vied with the roar of the blaze.

Gideon turned toward the mother of the two boys. "We'll find them." He gave her a smile then searched the firefighters for Pete.

When Gideon found him a few feet away, he covered the distance quickly. "Let's go. There are three people trapped on the second floor. East end."

At the main entrance into the building Gideon fixed his mask in place, glancing back at the blonde woman standing near his captain. He had seen that same look of fear and worry many times over his career as a firefighter. He wouldn't let anything happen to her sons and Sally.

Gideon switched on his voice amplifier and headed into the furnace with Pete following close behind him. Through the thick cloud suspended from the ceiling in the foyer, the stairs to the second floor loomed. Crouching, he scrambled up the steps. The higher he went, the hotter it became.

=====

To learn more about this outstanding author, visit her website at margaretdaley.com

Recommending Christmas Gifts (the book) from Love Inspired plus Excerpt

2011-10-23T07:37:00.000-07:00

Hi all!

Recommending Christmas Gifts...two stories in one from Love Inspired authors Brenda Minto and Gayle Gaymer Martin. The title is actually Christmas Gifts, fitting since this book would make a nice one! Go out and get your copy today.

Cheryl Wyatt

About the book:

CHRISTMAS GIFTS--including Small Town Christmas

Love Inspired Duet - November 2011

Mini-Matchmakers And An Old Fashion Christmas

About the book:When the new second grade teacher, Amy Carroll, meets the precocious twin sisters, she knows she has her hands full, but when she learns they live on the street where she is staying with her grandmother and they have a single father who is handsome and needs help, Amy’s hands are beyond full. But Amy’s from Chicago and falling in love with a small town man is not part of her plan. Can God waylay Amy’s desire to return to the big city? Can Mike Russett open his heart to love?

Martin’s story contains strong characters and touching scenes - Romantic Times

About the author:Multi-award-winning novelist, Gail Gaymer Martin writes Christian fiction for Love Inspired and Barbour Publishing, where she was honored by Heartsong readers as their Favorite Author of 2008. Gail has forty-nine contracted novels with over three million books in print. She is the author of Writers Digest’s Writing the Christian Romance. Gail is a co-founder of American Christian Fiction Writers, a keynote speaker at churches, libraries and civic organizations and presents workshops at conference across the US. She was recently named one of the four best novelists in the Detroit area by CBS local news.

Available online and in all stores where books are sold.

To Purchase online click link.

Excerpt Chapter 1

“Mrs. Fredericks.” The office secretary leaned into the room. “Mr. Russet is here to see you.”

“The twins father.” A heavy sigh whisked the air. “Ask him to wait a moment.”

Amy took another step toward the door. No doubt the sigh signaled trouble.

“Please wait a moment, Miss Carroll. “The twins will be in your class. It might help you to meet the girls. They have a propensity for getting into trouble.” She motioned. “They’re right across the hall in the cafeteria. It’ll give you a heads-up for Monday.”

Trouble. Amy swallowed. “I suppose that would be. . .practical.”

“Yes, and you’ll keep an eye on them while I talk with their father.” She chuckled and motioned her to follow.

Amy followed her across the hall and spotted the girls seated on each side of a cafeteria bench, cuter and sweeter looking than she’d imagined. Though not identical twins, their features were similar with bright Caribbean blue eyes.

The child with a tawny ponytail swung her legs over the bench. “It wasn’t me, Mrs. Fredericks.”

“Yes, it was.” The blonder twin slipped from her seat, her hair gathered into a ponytail on each side of her head. “Holly tore up my drawing in art class.”

“Please sit for a moment.” She gestured to the benches. “I want you to meet someone.”
They scrutinized Amy with a mix of speculation and determination. “Miss Carroll. This young lady is Holly.” She rested her hand on the one with honey brown hair and the deep frown. “And this is Ivy.”

Ivy gazed at her, curiosity written on her face.

Holly and Ivy? Amy wondered. She stepped closer. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Neither responded.

Mrs. Fredericks eyed them. “Miss Carroll will be your new teacher on Monday.”

Holly’s ponytail flipped as she swivelled toward Amy while Ivy stared at her wide-eyed.

“I’ll leave you with Miss Carroll, and you can have a nice talk.” She turned to Amy. “I’ll be back shortly.” She strode away but paused before exiting. “When I return, I’ll introduce you to the girl’s father. I’m sure you’d like that.”

“Our dad?” Two voices rang in unison.

Amy wasn’t sure she wanted her first parental contact to be with an irritated father, but she offered a nod. When she turned, the twins were peering at her again, Holly with her arms crossed at her chest and Ivy with her fist jammed into her waist.

She slipped around the end of the bench and sat at the table. Behind those sweet faces, Amy sensed sadness. She looked from one girl to the other. “What are you doing in the cafeteria.”

Holly looked away. “Mrs. Fredericks made us sit here.”

“Hmm?” Amy tapped her finger against her cheek. “I wonder why?”

Ivy bit her lip. “Kids who misbehave have to sit in here and wait.”

Holly’s frown deepened. “I didn’t do anything bad.”

Ivy pressed her face closer to Holly’s, her look searing through her sister. “You tore up my drawing.”

“But you said it wasn’t any good.”

Ivy fell back to her seat. “If I wanted to tear it up, I would have done it.”

“That’s right, Ivy.” Amy focused on Holly, monitoring her tone. “What kind of pictures were you drawing?”

Holly’s shoulders relaxed. “Pictures of Pilgrims and Indians for our social studies.”

Amy nodded. “For Thanksgiving.” Blending learning with fun was good classroom planning.

“Uh-huh, and. . .” A movement by the door caught her attention.

“Daddy.” The girls shot from the bench and ran to a harried looking man who stood inside the doorway, his hands tucked in his jacket pockets.

Amy’s heart gave a twinge. A five o’clock shadow encompassed his lean jaw, his chestnut hair tousled as if he’d run his fingers through it many times. His straight eyebrows stretched above his caramel brown eyes, flashing with emotion.

He rocked on his heels. “You must be Miss Carroll, the new teacher.” He strode toward her. “I’m the girls’ father, Mr. Russet. It’s nice to met you.” Frustration winked behind his pleasant grin.

Amy met him halfway while the twins hovered at his side. She dropped her palm into his, aware of his warm grip. “Good to meet you, too.”

Behind him Mrs. Fredericks grinned. “I’ll see you on Monday, Miss Carroll.” She gave her a wave and vanished.

When she looked back, the man studied her with curiosity. “I’m sure we’ve met.”

Amy drew back. “Met?”

“Years ago at Ellie Carroll on Lake Street.”

“Yes, that’s it.” Amy’s memory gave a tug.

“We live across the street.” The twins voices melded together.

She stood bewildered.

His grin widened. “Maybe eleven years ago.”

“I don’t think so.” Yet a memory shimmered in her mind. “I was eighteen then.”

“I was twenty-three, working as a handyman.” He grinned. “Maybe you’ll remember me as Mike.”

“Mike?” The recollection jarred her. “You dug out Grams old shrubbery and planted new ones.” She pictured him in the summer sun, his muscles flexing while his shirt hung on a deer ornament in the tree-sheltered yard.

“The same.”

Amy studied his face. His unruly hair hadn’t changed. She remembered how it ruffled in the breeze, his lean handsome face taut with concentration. She’d flirted with him. But when she went inside, her grandmother notified her he was newly married. Heat rose up Amy’s neck with the recollection. She hoped he didn’t remember she’d toyed with him.

----

Devotions for Writers #1 Building a Platform

2011-10-21T07:52:00.000-07:00

Hey all, there are devotions for moms, devotions for kids, devotions for dads, pastors, etc., etc.

How about some devotions for writers?

Nowadays one thing writers of all levels hear is how we must build platforms in able for our books to be successful. While the "religious" response might be that we don't want to be successful, the truth is that sales numbers matter to publishers when they go to consider a newish author.

Why build a platform?

I think the better question is why not. If you are targeting a traditional publisher, know that if they sign you as an unknown, unpublished, unproven author, they are taking a great financial risk. It's a great extension of unproven trust that publishers take on debut authors. So I think it's an extension of honor to do everything we can to build our platforms.

Building a platform equates to building a readership. If no one is reading your books, I hate to say this, but publishers won't be likely to offer a second contract.

How do we build a platform? Ask God. He'll give you creative ideas. He'll tell you how much time and dime to put into marketing, etc. Then don't spend one less second or one more cent than what He tells you. Ask God to draw people to your books. I promise, if you have honored Him with your work, He will.

In building a platform, don't be fake. Don't reach out to readers simply to get books sales. Nothing is more annoying than an agenda-driven blog post or someone on Facebook constantly talking about themselves. I know this because I've made the mistake in my not understanding how to go about things. We are told to market yet not shown really how.

In asking God about marketing, wanna know what He told me? He told me, "Don't market, Cheryl. Just love your readers. Love them like I love them."

Wow. Will that sell books? Who cares. It's not about selling books. It's about loving people. Books should encourage people, make them laugh and hopefully draw them to God. That encouragement is an extension of love.

The best way to market is to write darn good books. Aim for excellence with virtue. In marketing, let your motivation be to care about people. To really get to know them and know what you have to offer them, not seek friendship dependant on what they can do for you.

Matthew 7 teaches us how to treat each other. Verse 24 (NIV) says, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock..."

Platform=foundation. Build it on Him. He is love.

Happy writing!
Cheryl Wyatt

Recommending Building a Family by Lyn Cote

2011-10-01T07:11:00.000-07:00

I have a new book by the delightful Lyn Cote to tell you about from Love Inspired. Check it out!

Warmly,

Cheryl Wyatt

About the book:

Blurb:

Lawyer Eleanor Washburn defends wayward teenagers and supervises volunteers for Habitat for Humanity without missing a beat. But she is unnerved by fascinating single dad Pete Beck—especially since his chaotic life includes a little girl wishing for a mother. Sweet Cassie has Eleanor yearning for what's been missing from her lonely existence. Soon, both dad and daughter are chipping away at Eleanor's defenses. Can she find the courage to risk losing her heart to this ready-made family?

About the author: When Lyn Cote became a mother, she gave up teaching, and while raising a son and a daughter, she began working on her first novel. Rejection followed. Finally in 1997, Lyn got "the call." Her first book, Never Alone, was chosen for the brand new Love Inspired romance line. Since then, Lyn has had over thirty-five novels published. In 2006 Lyn's book, Chloe, was a finalist for the RITA, and her book Her Patchwork Family and Her Healing Ways were finalists for the Carol Award in 2010 & 2011,, two of the highest awards in romance. Lyn also features stories of strong women both from real life and true to life fiction on her blog http://BooksbyLynCote.com Writing books at her lake cottage in northern Wisconsin, Lyn hopes her books show the power of divine and human love.

Learn more at
Lyn's Website.

For the latest Christian Fiction Market Update go to Lyn's publisher updates here.

Recommending Dragons of the Watch by Donita K. Paul

2011-09-27T06:54:00.000-07:00

I have a new book to tell you about by an amazingly gifted author, Donita K. Paul. Here's the scoop on Dragons of the Watch. Be sure to pick up the others in this series too!

Enjoy!

Cheryl Wyatt

About the book:

With the final installment of the “Twilight” film series scheduled to be released in October, vampires and zombies are set to be among the year’s most popular Halloween costumes. Many parents feel torn between their child’s love for imagination and not wanting to encourage the darker side of fantasy. How can they encourage reading and wonder, but without all the junk? Meeting that precise need, popular and trusted author Donita K. Paul brings us her newest tale of dragons, adventure and faith in The Dragons of the Watch (October 4, 2011 from WaterBrook Press).

The Chronicles of Chiril continue as Ellie and Bealomondore find themselves trapped in an isolated city guarded by dragons and separated from everything they know and love. How can they escape? Along the way they meet a group of wild children and a very old man, whose needs they must meet before they can find their way home. With the help of the dragons of the watch, they discover that their fate depends upon their ability to recognize and step in line with the Creator’s will.

Mrs. Paul has created a fascinating and detailed world where dragons and humans “mindspeak,” tiny creatures are heroes, and gateways serve as doors to an entirely different place and experience. With a warm, accessible and humorous tone, lots of action, and avoidance of the heavy, dark elements found in much of today's fantasy fiction, The Dragons of the Watch is a great family read. On a deeper level, it also encourages discussion of how to interact with those who do not share one’s faith in a foreign culture or one’s own city. The book includes a map and a glossary of characters and terms, and fans can go even deeper at DonitaKPaul.com with puzzles, recipes, resources for aspiring writers and links for homeschooling families.

Here is an excerpt:
1
Invitation

Ellie sat on her favorite boulder and looked Tak right in the eyes, telling him what was on her mind. “Gramps shouldn’t have taught me to read.”
Tak responded as he usually did when he received Ellie’s confidences. He lowered his head, placing it on her knee for a rub.

Ellie obliged her pet, stroking the white hair between his nubby horns with one hand while digging in the pocket of her homespun pinafore with the other. The mountain breeze toyed with the paper she withdrew. With difficulty, she smoothed the small poster out on her other knee. Dirty and wrinkled, it still made her heart beat a little faster.

Royal Wedding and Coronation:
Princess Tipper
And
Prince Jayrus, Dragonkeeper and Paladin

All invited to the celebration.
“All invited. But Efficinderpart Clarenbessipawl and her goat Tak can't come. No chaperone, no travel. Ma and Da aren't interested. And Gramps just laughs. 'You'll see. You'll see.' is all he says. He should take me himself.”
Her younger brother’s shrill yell came from the knoll rising out of the river to the east. “Ellie! Ellie!”

He stood on the hill, grinning like a bear with a paw in the honey hive and his face red from running. His stubby tumanhofer body bounced with excitement. He held his fists above his head and whirled them around in circles. Something had set him off.

She stood and hollered back. “You be calling me by my proper name out in the open ‘n at the top of your lungs, Gustustharinback. Ma will tan yer hide if she’s finding out you disgrace the family with such shabby care of our dignity.”
When he saw her, he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, “Yere wanted at home. Itta be good news.”

That information didn’t impress her. Probably a delivery of the bolt of muslin ordered, which meant she’d be cutting and dying lengths for making new clothes. Not exciting news at all.

“Can it wait?” She gestured behind her to the scattered goat herd. “I’ll have to gather Tak’s clan if I’m to come home now.”

“I’ll come help you.” Gus charged down the hill toward the footbridge across the river.

Ellie stared at him for a moment with her mouth hanging open. The good news had nothing to do with cloth. Her brother would never voluntarily come help bring the goats in for something as mundane as new clothes. And he scurried down the path, slipping some on the loose rocks. But the precarious descent did not slow him a bit. Even in the narrower patches where exposed roots of arranndon bushes tripped careless hikers, her sturdy brother skidded downward.

Folding the Royal Celebration notice into a small square, Ellie stuffed it back in her pocket. She turned away from watching her brother’s progress and nudged the goat. “Come on, Tak. You find the nannies, and I’ll find the billies.”

Ellie went one direction and Tak another. In a few minutes, she located the fifteen goats who regularly hung together. Mostly young males, these animals preferred the rockier terrain. She suspected it had to do with their perpetual game of I’m-up-highest.

She clicked her tongue and tapped her staff on a rock. Their heads rose as if all attached to the same string though they didn’t come right away. Each one chewed what was in their mouths and casually left their places one by one. Taking a serene amble down the hillside, they passed her, heading toward the bridge and home.

When the last one clomped by, Ellie rested her staff on her shoulder and followed. Tak already had the nannies plodding along the bank toward the footbridge. Gustustharinback trailed the nannies and carried the smallest of the baby goats in his arms.

He shouted when he caught sight of his sister. “Hurry! Aunt and Uncle Blamenyellomont are at the house. I can’t tell you the surprise, and I’m gonna burst with keeping my tongue from waggin’ and you from knowin’.”

She tapped her staff on the rock beneath her feet. The billies scampered before her, picking up her impatience and gratefully heading for home. Even after eating all day, they appreciated the handfuls of button-grain they got from the farmer’s younger children.

With the goat hooves pounding on the wooden bridge, Ellie couldn’t hear or be heard. So she waited until she’d caught up with her brother on the other side.
“What’s with all the folderol, Gus?”

She watched as he forced a glare onto his face, erasing the impudent grin he’d been wearing. “You are to call me by my proper name if I have to call you by yours.”
“There’s a difference between shouting ‘Ellie’ and speaking ‘Gus’ quietly.” She grabbed his arm. “Now tell me, or I’ll toss you into the river.”

He pressed his lips together and gave her his most obstinate glower. The corners of his lips twitched, and she knew he wanted to laugh. She let go. She couldn’t really dunk him while he carried the small kid.

“Why are aunt and uncle here?”

“Can’t tell you that either. But they’s only stopping, not staying. We better hurry.”

Ellie lost Gustustharinback’s help as soon as they came in sight of the pens. He scuttled down the last hill and opened the gate but then ran through the goat barn, across the yard, and into the house.
------

Cheryl here...did you like that?

Purchase Dragons of the Watch on:

Amazon.

Barnes and Noble

Christianbook.com

Mrs. Paul has also released a prairie romance, Taming the Wild Wind. Check out her website for details.

Recommending Love Finds You on Christimas Morning

2011-09-19T05:39:00.000-07:00

I have another fabulous book which has two stories by outstanding authors, Debby Mayne and Trish Perry. I love the cover on this, don't you?

Enjoy!

Cheryl Wyatt

Bio: Award-winning novelist Trish Perry has written nine inspirational romances for Harvest House Publishers, Summerside Press, and Barbour Publishing, as well as two devotionals for Summerside Press. She has served as a columnist and as a newsletter editor over the years, as well as a 1980s stockbroker and a board member of the Capital Christian Writers organization in Washington, D.C. She holds a degree in Psychology.

Trish just released Love Finds You on Christmas Morning, written with Debby Mayne. Her nostalgic romance novel, Unforgettable (Summerside Press), released in March and Tea for Two, Book Two in her Millicent’s Tea Shop series (Harvest House), released in April. She invites you to visit her at www.TrishPerry.com

About the book: Love finds a home on Christmas morning in two heartwarming holiday stories.

Deck the Halls (Debby Mayne): In 1925, the wealthy William Tronnier becomes smitten with the lovely but penniless Lillian Pickard. Not one to give up easily, William pursues Lillian even though she does everything in her power to resist falling in love with a man from a completely different social class. As Christmas descends on the picturesque town of Cary, North Carolina, William plans to make Lillian a proposal she can’t refuse.

‘Tis the Season (Trish Perry): When personal chef Nikki Tronnier moves back home to Cary, North Carolina, she plans to fulfill a lifelong dream and buy back the family home built by her great-grandfather for his bride. But before she is able to make an offer, someone else buys the house. Just as she prepares for a fight, she learns that the very person who stole her dream is the man who has also stolen her heart. Unaware, handsome new owner, Drew Cornell, seeks Nikki’s help in restoring the home to its historic beauty in time for Christmas.

Barnes and Noble purchase link.

Christianbook.com purchase link.

Amazon purchase link.

Recommending The Wedding Kiss by Hannah Alexander

2011-09-06T06:19:00.000-07:00

Here's another great book by a fantabulous author!

Against the backdrop of 1901 Eureka Springs, Arkansas, and the surrounding countryside, one simple kiss draws two people into a discovery that will forever change their lives.

Marriage seems the only option for Keara McBride and Elam Jensen after Keara's father gambles away her home and ends up in jail, and Elam's children need a mother's care. When the Jensens seal their vows at the altar with a kiss, however, their marriage of convenience seems much less convenient. The first kiss they share before a church filled with witnesses ignites a beacon of attraction that leaves them both feeling guilty. Elam's wife, Gloria--who was also Keara's best friend--has been dead less than a year. How can they betray her like this? And yet...oh, that kiss. When a stranger who bears a striking resemblance to Gloria shows up injured on the front porch on Elam and Keara's wedding night, the whole family is thrown into confusion, suspense and danger. But does this stranger also hold a key to the Jensens' future happiness?

Published by Summerside Press

The Wedding Kiss on Amazon.

Cheryl Wyatt

Recommending From This Day Forward by Margaret Daley

2011-08-27T06:06:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to recommend this book to you. Margaret Daley is an amazing author, mentor and friend. I hope you enjoy this story. Be sure to order it online or ask for it in stores.

Here's the scoop:

“A wonderful love story in the American Tapestries series with characters who are trying to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives after the War of 1812. Daley turns the ugliness of war into a new beginning for the ones who pick up the pieces. Her characters are willing to do what they need to in order to survive, but also are willing to give a friendly hand to those around them.”
Reviewed By: Patsy Glans from RT

From This Day Forward
By Margaret Daley

Rachel Gordon is stranded in South Carolina, pregnant, a recent widow when her husband fell overboard on the voyage to America. Nathan Stuart, a physician who came home from serving in the American army during the War of 1812, disenchanted with his life and the Lord, rescues Rachel and saves her life. Feeling responsible for her, Nathan tries to discourage her from living at a rundown farm her husband bought to start a new future in America. He wants her to return to England.

Rachel refuses to go back to England where her father disowned her for marrying against his wishes. The farm is all she has, and she is determined to make it on her own. But Nathan has other ideas and becomes her farmhand to discourage her from staying in America. Instead he ends up protecting her and being challenged by her. Can two wounded people heal each other?

Chapter One Excerpt:
March 1816
“We are going to die,” Rachel Gordon’s young maid cried out.
Rachel looked up at the clouds rolling in. Dark, ominous ones. She shivered and pulled her shawl tighter about her as the breeze picked up. A storm brewed, and she still had several miles to go until she reached her new home in South Carolina. “God willing, we will make it, Maddy.”

Fear deepened the lines on Maddy’s plain face. “’Tis like the squall on the boat.”
Lightning flashed, momentarily brightening the shadows of the forest. A clap of thunder rumbled the ground. Maddy screamed. The old gelding that pulled the cart—all Rachel’s meager coins could afford—increased its speed, weaving from side to side. Out of control.
Determined to be there before nightfall and in one piece, Rachel gripped the reins and fought to slow the maddening pace of the horse. Finally it resumed its plodding step. The weather-beaten cart she had bought near the dock in Charleston hit a bump in the road, jostling her into Maddy. Her maid clutched the seat with one hand and held onto Rachel with the other.

Steadying herself, Rachel rested her wrists on her rounded stomach. She had more than herself and Maddy to worry about now. Her life had changed so much since she left her ancestral home in England. She had married, conceived a child, and was now a widow, all in the space of a year. And worse, she was going to a place she had never seen because she had nowhere else to go. Her husband had used most of their money to purchase this plantation she was traveling to. It was her future, whether she wanted it to be or not.
The warmth of a spring day quickly faded as the sky grew blacker. Rachel stared at the menacing clouds through the treetops and realized she would not make it to her new home before the storm broke. She scanned the area for a place to seek shelter.

Sinister shadows lurked just beyond the road. Again she shivered, her imagination conjuring images of wild animals staring at her from the depths of the forest. She’d heard stories about the bears. Huge. Fierce. Sharp teeth and claws. Shifting on the seat, she darted a glance from side to side, feeling as though she were some beast’s next meal. She could not stop, even if it poured down rain.

Oh, how she missed England, with its gently rolling hills and refined beauty—not this raw wilderness. Like a fish floundering on land, she did not belong here. Nothing in her life had prepared her for this strange environment.

Drops of water spattered her. The wind picked up.

“That man on the boat told me about a big cat. They are out there.” Maddy whimpered, draping her shawl over her head and hunching her shoulders. “Lord, have mercy on us.”
Rachel forced herself to keep her gaze fixed on the road ahead. Once they were at the plantation Maddy would settle down. The squall two days out of Charleston had nearly sunk the ship they had traveled in. Surely this storm would not be as bad.

Taking deep breaths, Rachel calmed her racing thoughts and heartbeat. Pain spread through her lower back. She gripped the reins, the leather digging into her palms. The pain dulled to an ache. Another deep inhalation and the panic nibbling at her composure abated. Soon she would be at her new home and could sit in front of a warm fire, put her legs up, and rest. Hopefully the letter her husband had sent ahead would alert any staff to her arrival. Her glance strayed to the tall pine trees, swaying in the gust. Everything would be all right when she arrived at Dalton Plantation.

But even with Maddy next to her on the seat, the feeling she was the only person in the world overwhelmed her.

The wind picked up, whipping strands of her long brown hair that had escaped its coiffure about her face and threatening to whisk away her bonnet. Lightning zigzagged across the sky, followed by thunder. Maddy jumped in her seat. The gelding’s ears flattened.

A chill embedded itself deep in Rachel. She arched her back to ease the pang still plaguing her. Suddenly lightning struck a tree nearby, its flash a beacon in the growing darkness. A crack as the pine split into two pieces echoed through the forest.

Immediately afterward, a boom of thunder cleaved the air. Maddy shrieked. The horse increased its pace while a few more splotches of water splashed Rachel. Then all at once rain fell in gray sheets.

The gelding lurched forward even faster. Rachel grasped the reins, trying to maintain control. She pulled on the leather straps to slow the horse. Nothing. He kept galloping down the road, oblivious to his surroundings, as though the hounds of hell were nipping at his hooves.

----

Are you hooked? Go get the book and read the rest. I don't think you'll be sorry.

Check out more about this amazing author and woman of God on her website and blog.
Margaret is currently serving as President of American Christian Fiction Writers www.acfw.com

Warmly,
Cheryl Wyatt

Recommending Forsaken by Leanna Ellis

2011-08-09T05:52:00.000-07:00

Hey all, here's a new book to tell you about. This one is very unique. It has fabulous spiritual elements and the author is a devout follower of Jesus who writes from a Christian world view. This book would be a GREAT alternitive for teens who love secular vampire novels.

Cheryl Wyatt

Here's the scoop!

PLAIN FEAR: FORSAKEN
Leanna Ellis
978-1402255403
Sourcebooks

Hannah Schmidt, a young Amish woman mourning the mysterious death of her beloved Jacob, must decide between two brothers, between good and evil. When she learns her first love is now the vampire Akiva, she must forsake him and cling to a new love, a lasting love, one that will save her soul.

From Leanna:
"Amish and vampires? Really? Yes, really. I’m asked a lot how this book came into being. Forsaken actually began as a joke. I was at a book signing and another author and I made a joke about we should write an Amish/vampire story because those were the twogenres that were selling so well. Well, it really was a joke. I didn’t rushhome and start writing the book. But I suppose some seed was planted in my warped little brain and took root.

Soon a character was speaking to me about her story and wanting me to write it. I resisted. But there was a very intriguing element that I couldn’t seem to ignore. To me, this was a Phantom of the Opera type story, with a love triangle, and a clear dividing line between good and evil. So I wrote the prologue and first chapter. Then I set it aside because I was busy meeting other deadlines. Besides what was I to do with an Amish/vampire story?

I mentioned it eventually to a couple of writer friends. They laughed but in a good way and encouraged me to write it. Well, I wasn’t so sure although I was becoming obsessed with the story. I spent a lot of time in prayer over this book, because I don’t want to write something that God doesn’t want me to write. Also, I knew I’d have to leave the Christian market and sell it in the secular market. I wasn’t about to make that move without God’s clear direction. And he began to show me in more ways than one that this was the book He wanted me to write.

More than a year passed, and I was at a writer’s conference minding my own business and not pursuing this story at all. An editor said the perfect submission would be…you guessed it! An Amish/vampire story. So I made an appointment to meet that editor and just talk about the idea. It almost felt like when an addict first admits she has a problem. I felt like I was teetering on the edge when I said, “I’m a writer and I’ve written an Amish/vampire story.”

Well, she requested it. What I love about this story is that it shows the battle of good and evil. Evil doesn’t always appear with pitch fork and horns. Quite often, evil is appealing and attractive and hooks us in before we realize what has happened. Such is the case with my heroine Hannah. She simply loved a boy. But she opens her heart and her mind too easily and the consequences could be devastating. Even though this story is published in the secular world, it has a powerful spiritual message, a message the world needs to hear."

---Leanna Ellis-author of Forsaken

Bio:
Winner of the National Readers Choice Award, Leanna Ellis writes women’s fiction. Known for her quirky characters and wacky plots, don’t let the quirkiness fool you as Ellis probes deep in the heart and plucks at the heartstrings. She livesdeep in the heart of Texas with her husband and children and an assortment of dogs and cats, including her crazy labradoodle, aka Hilo Monster, and her new kitten, Sawyer.

Forsaken's Amazon Link.

Excerpt link:

Forsaken Excerpt Link.

Leanna Ellis on Facebook.

ACFW Blog Tour-The Business of Mentoring

2011-07-15T00:07:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I'm fortunate to have the opportunity to be part of American Christian Fiction Writers' 2011 Blog Tour. I am SOOO excited about conference! This year in praying about what to talk about, I felt like God wanted me to touch upon a few things but mainly how ACFW is not only a wise business investment but a means to mentor.

The most common question I’ve been asked since being published has been, “How did you do it?” My answer is always, unequivocally, “With the help of others who were willing to mentor me.” The next question (especially if the asker is also an aspiring author or a closet writer) is usually, “How did you meet them?”

When I first started writing, I had no idea there were online communities or writers conferences. By God’s leading, I found the Steeple Hill (now Love Inspired Books) message boards where I met people like Margaret Daley, Allie Pleiter, Deborah Clopton, Mae Nunn, Lenora Worth and others who heavily encouraged me to join ACFW. Joining the organization and going to their conference were the two most common (and most beneficial!) pieces of advice I received from published authors.

I’m so glad I listened!

I know that I know that I know that ACFW is the largest contributing reason to the fact that I’m published today and that my career and my craft continue to grow. The ACFW conference is a place where you can come face to face and heart to heart with people who are willing to reach back and help you along in the way of mentoring, just as they have been helped by someone a little ahead of them on the road. The face-to-face networking with other authors, agents and editors is absolutely crucial in my opinion if you are serious about being a career writer.

It might seem like a huge amount to spend but think of it as a business expense/business trip. In publishing, so much of the work and time and money is front loaded. But with any start-up business, the money has to be invested on the front end.

Yes, conference is expensive but the benefits you receive from going will last a lifetime. The conference is unique in that it focuses solely on fiction. It is also very God-centered. You will come home spiritually refreshed if you let God have his way.

If you’re not in a place where you need a mentor, how about going in order to mentor someone else in a casual way? Every year I hear of people (usually first-time attendees) who are so frightened and nervous that they spend the entire conference secluded in their rooms. This deeply saddens me and I always wish I knew who those people were because I’d go knock on their door, give them a hug and then a good tug and bring them downstairs into the fold to see the friendship and blessings they are missing.

Look outside of your circle of friendship to see if God can help you spot someone who feels alone or overwhelmed or scared.

I guarantee they are EVERYWHERE.

Ask God for discernment to show you who is in need of a friend, someone to reach out even if they look confident on the outside. I urge you to go with a heart to serve the organization and others. You can never out give God! 

I believe that everyone has something to give and something to receive at conference. I hope you will step aside and give God room for His agenda. Open your heart to be mentored and to be a friend to someone who might be scared out of their wits. People are worth the investment of time and money and heart. The future of your writing career and the connections you will make are worth it.

We dearly hope to see you at the conference in September!

Blessings!

Cheryl Wyatt

Recommending This Time (an ebook) by Rachel Hauck

2011-06-27T19:08:00.000-07:00

Hey all, here is another book recommendation by an author I'm fond of. This one is unique in that it is an ebook by a popular author before ebooks were popular! How's that for a riddle? LOL.

Check out Rachel's book and consider downloading it onto your ereader or computer.

Warmly,

Cheryl Wyatt

From Rachel:
Long before the Kindle, the Nook, or the Sony reader. Long before the iPad was a spark in Steve Job's eye, I sold an e-book. I'd written this rancher girl story for Heartsong but they had a book very similar coming out by Kathleen Y'barbo (don't think I've let her forget it) so they turned me down.

Writer's-Exchange was leading the way in those days in epublishing, a small venue from Australia, my second favorite country, so I sold them Belle and Burke's story.

With the advent of e-readers, this story is finding a new audience and I thought I'd share it with you. As the used cars sales men say, "It's priced to sell!"

Here's what a reader said about This Time
This story made me feel hope, that all wrongs can be righted and that something you believe is gone forever can come back to you. Belle and Burke are great characters.I recommend this book. --One of my favorite Rachel Hauck books

About the book:
Oklahoma Rancher Belle Jamison's world topples when her best friend announces that Burke Benning, their former classmate and an NFL superstar running back, is coming to their fifteenth class reunion to act as Master of Ceremonies. Twelve years earlier the handsome athlete broke Belle's heart by deserting her minutes before their wedding ceremony.

Burke's retirement from professional football brings him home to Haskell for good. While his new career in life is uncertain, he knows he must deal with his hurtful actions toward Belle. A mountain of unspoken words looms between them and only the grace and peace of God can help them overcome.

Seeing Burke stirs the love and pain Belle still has hidden in her heart. As they rebuild their friendship and rekindle a lost love, Belle must choose to forget and trust him once more.

Will their desire for love overcome the devastation of the past? This time, will their love last?

Link to the book is here.

To learn more about Rachel, visit her web site here.

Recommending FOREVER AFTER by Deborah Raney

2011-06-19T18:52:00.000-07:00

Howdy folks,

Recommending another wonderful read by a fantastic author. Check it out!

Cheryl Wyatt

FOREVER AFTER
by Deborah Raney

Forever After is the second book in Deborah Raney's Hanover Falls Novels series from Howard/Simon & Schuster. The first novel in the series, Almost Forever, won the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence and a HOLT Medallion Award of Merit.

Synopsis: Lucas Vermontez was a proud firefighter like his father. Now, not only has he lost his father and his best friend, Zach, in the fire at the Grove Street Homeless Shelter, but the devoted rookie can no longer do the work he loves after being crippled in the tragic event. When friendship with his buddy's beautiful widow turns into more, he wonders what he could possibly offer Jenna. Jenna Morgan is trying to grieve her husband's death like a proper widow, but the truth is, she never really loved Zach. His death feels more like a relief to her. But that relief is short-lived when she loses her home and the financial support of her in-laws. Now the secrets of her past threaten to destroy her future. Almost Forever, Book 1 in the Hanover Falls Novels series, won the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence in 2011.

DEBORAH RANEY's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title and launched her writing career after 20 happy years as a stay-at-home mom. Her books have won numerous awards including the RITA, National Readers Choice Award, HOLT Medallion, the Carol Award, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. Deb also serves on the Advisory Board of the 2500-member American Christian Fiction Writers. Her 20th novel released this month from Howard/Simon & Schuster. She and her husband, Ken Raney, enjoy tending wildflowers and native grasses in the Kansas prairie garden in their large back yard. They also love traveling together to conferences, and to visit four children and three little grandsons who all live much too far away.

Visit Deb's website here.
Here is the book trailer:

Recommending Throw the Devil off the Train by the late great Stephen Bly

2011-06-16T04:55:00.000-07:00

It is with great sadness that I have to let you know that after the writing of this recommended book, Stephen Bly passed away. He is sadly missed in the writing community, as well as among readers. I hope that you will pick up copies of this book by an outstanding author. Please keep his wife Janet Bly, also a writer, in your prayers.

Warmly,

Cheryl Wyatt

About the book:

It's 1880.

Catherine's got to escape from her hometown in Virginia. She heads west to marry a childhood friend she hasn't seen in 17 years. She needs a fresh start and he's got a booming business in Paradise Springs. She'll do almost anything to get there. . .except reveal her true last name.

Race heads west set to avenge his brother's death, with a body aching for sleep, and determined to avoid the conniving lady with a throw-away heart. But it's a long, cramped, chaotic train ride from Omaha to Sacramento.

The only thing these two agree upon: they despise each other. And something evil's on board. As they gnaw on each other's nerves, a holdup, hijack, kidnapping and gold mine swindle shove them together, then push them apart. Fiery, opinionated and quick to react, can they team up long enough to throw the devil off the train?

AUTHOR BIO:

Stephen Bly was a Christy Award winner for westerns and author of 105 books of fiction and nonfiction, some of them co-authored with wife, Janet. They live in north-central Idaho at 4,000 ft. elev. on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation. They had 3 married sons, 4 grandchildren, and 1 great-grandchild.

Throw The Devil Off The Train can be ordered through your favorite local or online bookstore, such as www.Amazon.com. It's also available through Blybooks.com

Here is a Stephen's Elk Chili recipe in Stephen's own words:

Many of you have asked me. . .well, only one, maybe two. . .for my world famous recipe for chili. This is an expected and anticipated dish at every Wild Game Feed potluck at our northern Idaho church each November. It’s also a staple at our Broken Arrow Crossing events in the summer. Broken Arrow Crossing is the false-front town I’ve built beside our house. Wife Janet calls it our ‘theme yard.’

So, now the secret’s out. You can create your own chili sensation, Bly-style.

Ingredients:
2-4 pounds of elk meat (for my pals in Quebec, that’s Wapiti meat)
1 16-ounce jar of Pace salsa (“medium” for most gringos; I prefer “hot”)
2 cans of Hormel Chili With Beans (life is too short to wait for beans to soak)
1 green bell pepper (make sure it’s crisp…the red or yellow bells will work good too)
Several fresh jalapeno peppers (don’t wimp out; leave the seeds)
An unending supply of Montreal Steak Seasoning
Red Tabasco Sauce

Directions:
Apply for an out-of-state elk tag from the Idaho Fish & Game Department. Clean your Winchester 1895, 405 caliber rifle. Fly to Idaho and camp deep in the forest along the upper stretches of the north fork of the Clearwater River. Shoot your elk (whether you taxidermy the head or not is your decision). Pack meat in dry-ice and take it home with you on the plane. OR. . .accept that package of wild game meat your brother-in-law keeps trying to give you every Christmas.

The night before. . .put one cup of water, 2-4 pounds of elk (steak or roast) in the crock pot. Season with Montreal Steak Seasoning to taste. Turn that sucker on low, then go to bed.

Sometime the next day. . .drain most of the juices off the meat (yes, you can make elk gravy for breakfast, provided you don’t put it on biscuits that come out of a tube). Place meat in very large pan (the one on the bottom shelf at the back that takes forever to yank out). Dump in your two cans of Hormel Chili Beans (or more if you’re feeding the starting offensive line of the Green Bay Packers, or their equivalent). Important note: never use cheap canned beans that taste like they were soaked in fast food restaurant catsup.

Gut out your bell pepper and carve it into ½ inch squares, then sauté (that means fry ‘em in a skillet, but don’t burn ‘em black or let ‘em get mushy). Toss them in the big pan.

Cut the stems off the jalapenos, quarter them and toss them in. If your fingers blister while cutting the peppers, you have to invite me over for supper. Add a bunch more Montreal Steak Seasoning (bunch=6 tads) and red Tabasco.

Stir everything together and simmer the chili for an hour or so. (Simmer is what happens when you ought to throw another log in the stove, but you wait until half-time of the football game and the fire almost goes out.)

Now, it’s time for the taste test. After stirring the chili again (wooden spoons seem to be less susceptible to corrosion), take a small taste. You may want to add more Tabasco. (Note: if an obnoxious nephew is visiting, let him test the chili. It’s about right if he spends the rest of the day out in the yard with his head buried in leaves, sand, or snow.)

Serving size: this varies. Most times, the bowl is scraped clean with only 10 to 12 people. But, with luck, there will be some leftovers and you’ll get to have it cold for breakfast for several days.

Cheryl Wyatt on behalf of Janet and the late, great Steve Bly.

Recommending The Dragons of Chiril by Donita K. Paul

2011-06-14T05:43:00.000-07:00

Hey gang, here is another wonderful book by an outstanding author. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Donita's dragon stories. They're for all ages, and would make GREAT gifts for teen and tween readers as well as adults in your life who love fantasy fiction.

Here's the info. Pick up the book and enjoy!

Cheryl Wyatt

ABOUT THE STORY:

Before DragonSpell, on a different continent and a different time, a young emerlindian’s desperate decision threatens to disrupt the foundation of the world.

Tipper has been caring for her family’s estate for years now, ever since her father disappeared, making a living by selling off his famous artwork. Then she learns that three statues she sold were carved from an ancient foundation stone, and the fabric of her reality is crumbling. She must find the three statues and reunite them, positioned exactly in the right form.

She must free her father and save the world. But she can’t do it alone.

Her ragtag band of adventurers includes Beccaroon, a giant parrot; Bealomondore, an aristocratic young artist; a handsome dragonkeeper prince; the Wizard Fenworth; and the tumanhofer librarian Librettowit. Together they travel through valleys and kingdoms and consort with purveyors of good and agents of evil to find and reunite the missing statues. Will they learn to rely on Wulder’s grace and guidance along the way?

Dragons of the Watch will be the last book in this series. It comes out in October.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Donita K. Paul retired early from teaching school, but soon got bored! The result: a determination to start a new career. Now she is an award-winning novelist writing Christian Romance and Fantasy. She says, “I feel blessed to be doing what I like best.”

She mentors all ages, teaching teenagers and weekly adult writing workshops.

“God must have imprinted 'teacher' on me clear down to the bone. I taught in public school, then home schooled my children, and worked in private schools. Now my writing week isn’t very productive unless I include some time with kids.”

Her two grown children make her proud, and her two grandsons make her laugh.

Visit Donita's website here.

Recommending Second Chance Dad by Roxanne Rustand

2011-06-06T05:37:00.000-07:00

Recommending a new Love Inspired book by fab friend and author, Roxanne Rustand.

Here's the info!

Enjoy!

Cheryl Wyatt

About the book:

SECOND CHANCE DAD is a story about a newly graduated physical therapist who will do everything she can to give her son the safe and nurturing life he needs. The hero is a former emergency room doctor who is filled with guilt and remorse about a car accident that took the life of his pregnant wife. He is disabled and has walled himself away from living, but she cannot give up on him or she may lose the one job that will allow her to stay in the town where her son is receiving the special programs he needs.

About Roxanne:

Roxanne Rustand is an award-winning author of thirty romance and romantic suspense novels. She also contributed to the serial mystery, ORCHESTRATED MURDER (a trade paperback for Iowa Public Radio.) She now writes inspirational fiction, and is completely thrilled about this change in her career!

Back in 1995, Roxanne’s first manuscript won the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart in Long Contemporary, and in 1998 her second manuscript was a Golden Heart finalist. More recently, A Man She Can Trust (a February, 2006 release) won RT Bookclub Magazine‘s award for Best Superromance of 2006.

Roxanne was nominated for RT’s Career Achievement Award in 2005.

She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, International Thriller Writers, RWA, Author’s Guild, Novelists Inc., the Faith, Hope and Love chapter of RWA, RWA’s Mystery & Suspense Chapter, Christian Writer’s Group International, and the Heart of Iowa Fiction Authors.

Out on their acreage, Roxanne and her husband have three horses, two border collie mixes (one adopted from a shelter–a sweetie named Elmo), and an abundance of barn cats who much prefer cat food to mice. Roxanne has a Master’s Degree in nutrition, is a registered dietitian, and until leaving her position to write full time, she worked as a clinical dietitian at a residential psychiatric facility.

Visit her website here.

Recommending Dining with Joy by Rachel Hauck

2011-05-16T05:34:00.000-07:00

New book recommendation! Rachel included a recipe...see below and enjoy!

Here's the scoop on the book from Rachel, amazing author and ACFW conference worship leader. Don't miss this great read!

Warmly,

Cheryl Wyatt

Dining with Joy by Rachel Hauck

Thanks for having me today!

I’m no genius in the kitchen, but my heroine, Joy Ballard, finds herself doing a job she can’t do for all the right reasons. She’s a cooking show host who can’t cook!
When I started this book, that premise got a good laugh from those who heard it. Then, I’d ask, “But what’s that story about?”
The person would shrug. “I don’t know.”
“Yeah, me neither.”

I had to ask a lot of questions about what a woman hosts a cooking show when she can’t so much as fry eggs. I didn’t want an insincere, lying heroine. She’s not a manipulator or conniver.

Joy simply found herself filling a job she was asked to do – by her father. She was great in front of the camera. Just not behind the stove.

Not long ago, I stood on stage at church with my worship team praying before the service started. Head back, eyes close, I said in my heart, “Lord, help us. You have to help me. I’m so weak in leading worship. I cannot do it without You.”

While I’m a decent singer, and I can lead the people to worship Jesus, I’m not a musician. I’m not one who can skillfully bring the band and the worship sound together. And until I found myself with a “starting over” band, I never realized how gaping this weakness was for me.

A few days later, I was thinking of all the great worship leaders, singers and musicians. Of great writers. And I just felt weak and inadequate in the two main callings of my life.

Again, I went to the Lord. “Why can’t You find a good worship leader for church? Why can’t you help me be a more successful writer? I see people who are good at what they do, succeeding.”

This is what He said to me. “… most people won’t give me their weaknesses.”

I was stopped cold. I understood that a lot of times God invites us on a journey to participate with Him in some aspect of our lives or others, but because we are not good at that thing, or because we are weak with fear or shame or whatever, we say no.

It’s in our weaknesses His strength is manifest. God is not looking for mighty men and women, He’s looking for weak men and women in which HE can show His might.

Don’t misunderstand, God loves excellence, skill and devotion. While leading worship practices, I have to be excellent as I can be to bring the team and songs together.

I’ll never have a recording or national ministry as a worship leader, but for our little church in Florida, I’m God’s girl. For now.

That, in some ways, is Joy’s journey. She said yes to her father’s desire.
Can we say “Yes?” to our Father’s desire for us? Offer Him all of our strengths AND weaknesses? He’s more than willing to overcome.

In my story, Joy’s secret is revealed and takes a pretty good tumble, but love is waiting to catch her. In the form of cowboy chef and hero, Luke Redmond.

Sigh… Love wins.

One of the things Joy discovers along the way his her father’s banana bread recipe. It’s delish!

Here it is:

Charles Ballard’s Banana Bread
From Connie Spangler

1 3/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1t. baking soda
1/2t. salt
1/2t. cinnamon
2 eggs
3 mashed ripe bananas
1/2 cup oil (I use canola)
1/4 cup plus 1 T. buttermilk
1t. vanilla
1/2 cup choc. chips
1/2 cup p.butter chips

In a large bowl stir together flour, sugars, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In another bowl, combine eggs, bananas, oil, buttermilk and vanilla. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened. Fold in chips. Pour into a greased 9-in. x 3-in. loaf pan. Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until it tests done. Cool on a rack 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Tips for baking banana bread:
DON'T over mix the batter, just until moistened. Banana bread is always best if after its cooled to wrap up and serve the next day.

ENJOY!

RACHEL’S BIO
Rachel lives in central Florida with her husband and writes books from the second floor of what she calls her “turret tower.” A gift from the Lord. Besides “Dining with Joy,” Rachel has written fourteen other novels. Also out is “Softly and Tenderly” which Rachel wrote with country artist, Sara Evans.

Visit her web site here.

Blessings!

Recommending The Fine Art of Insecurity by Angela Hunt

2011-05-02T05:14:00.000-07:00

Here's a new book by Angela Hunt that I am recommending for you. This is very poignant and one you won't want to miss.

Enjoy!

Cheryl Wyatt
About the book:

The Fine Art of Insincerity

Three Southern sisters with nine marriages between them — and more looming on the horizon – travel to St. Simons Island to empty their late grandmother’s house. Ginger, the eldest, wonders if she’s the only one who hasn’t inherited what their family calls “the Grandma Gene”— the tendency to enjoy the casualness of courtship more than the intimacy of marriage. Could it be that her sisters are fated to serially marry, just like their seven-times wed grandmother, Lillian Irene Harper Winslow Goldstein Carey James Bobrinski Gordon George? It takes a “girls only” weekend, closing up Grandma’s memory-filled beach cottage for the last time, for the sisters to unpack their family baggage, examine their relationship DNA, and discover the true legacy their much-marrying grandmother left behind.

The Fine Art of Insincerity is a stunning masterpiece. I was pulled into the lives of Ginger, Pennyroyal and Rosemary--sisters touched by tragedy, coping in their own ways. So real, so powerful. Pull out the tissues! This one will make you cry, laugh, and smile. I recommend it highly. --Traci DePree, author of The Lake Emily series

“Only Angela Hunt could write a relationship novel that’s a page-turner! As one of three sisters, I can promise you this: Ginger, Penny, and Rose Lawrence ring very true indeed. Their flaws and strengths make them different, yet their shared experiences and tender feelings make them family. From one crisis to the next, the Lawrence sisters are pulled apart, then knit back together, taking me right along with them. I worried about Ginger one moment, then Penny, and always Rose—a sure sign of a good novel, engaging both mind and heart. Come spend the weekend in coastal Georgia with three women who clean house in more ways than one!”
Liz Curtis Higgs, best-selling author of Here Burns My Candle

THE FINE ART OF INSINCERITY
ANGELA HUNT

Prologue
Ginger

“You can’t tell your sisters,” my grandmother once told me, “what I’m about to tell you.”

I listened, eyes big, heart open wide.

“Of all my grandchildren—” her hands spread as if to encompass a crowd infinitely larger than myself and my two siblings—“you’re my favorite.”

Then her arms enfolded me and I breathed in the scents of Shalimar and talcum powder as my face pressed the crepey softness of her cheek.

My grandmother married seven times, but not until I hit age ten or eleven did I realize that her accomplishment wasn’t necessarily praiseworthy. When Grandmother’s last husband died on her eighty-third birthday, she mentioned the possibility of marrying again, but I put my foot down and told her no more weddings. I suspect my edict suited her fine, because Grandmom always liked flirting better than marrying.

Later, one of the nurses at the home mentioned that my grandmother exhibited a charming personality quirk—“Perpetual Childhood Disorder,” she called it. PCD, all too common among elderly patients with dementia.

But Grandmother didn’t have dementia, and she had exhibited symptoms of PCD all her life. Though I didn’t know how to describe it in my younger years, I used to consider it a really fine quality.

During the summers when Daddy shipped me and my sisters off to Grandmom’s house, she used to wait until Rose and Penny were absorbed in their games, then she would call me into the blue bedroom upstairs. Sometimes she’d let me sort through the glass beaded “earbobs” in her jewelry box. Sometimes she’d sing to me. Sometimes she’d pull her lace-trimmed hanky from her pocketbook, fold it in half twice, and tell me the story of the well-dressed woman who sat on a bench and fell over backward. Then she’d flip her folded hankie and gleefully lift the woman’s skirt and petticoat, exposing two beribboned legs.

No matter how large her audience, the woman knew how to entertain.

I perched on the edge of the big iron bed and listened to her songs and stories, her earbobs clipped to the tender lobes of my ears, enduring the painful pinch because Grandmother said a woman had to suffer before she could be beautiful. Before I pulled off the torturous earbobs and left the room, she would draw me close and swear that out of all the girls in the world, I was the one she loved most.

Not until years later did I learn that she drew my sisters aside in the same way. I suppose she wanted to make sure we motherless girls knew we were treasured. But in those moments, I always felt truly special.

And for far too long, I believed her.
© 2012 by Angela Hunt, used by permission. Do not reprint without permission. For more information, visit www.angelahuntbooks.com

Order Angie's book here.

To download the Angela Hunt iPhone/iPad app, go here.

Trailer:

Recommending Tea for Two! by Trish Perry plus RECIPE!

2011-04-18T17:14:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I have another great book by talented author, Trish Perry.

About Trish: Award-winning novelist Trish Perry has written eight inspirational romances for Harvest House Publishers, Summerside Press, and Barbour Publishing, as well as two devotionals for Summerside Press. She has served as a columnist and as a newsletter editor over the years, as well as a 1980s stockbroker and a board member of the Capital Christian Writers organization in Washington, D.C. She holds a degree in Psychology.

Trish’s latest novel, Unforgettable, released in March from Summerside Press and is also one of my recommended reads, and Tea for Two released in April. She invites you to visit her at www.TrishPerry.com

About Tea for Two:
Zack Cooper tries his best to raise his children, but he's losing his grip on them in their teen years. They've both had scrapes with the local law.

Tea Shop owner Milly Jewel has the perfect woman in mind to help Zack. Counselor Tina Milano meets weekly at the tea shop with her women's group. Milly encourages Zack and Tina to work together to draw the teens back before they get in even hotter water. Milly never thought things might heat up between Zack and Tina. Or did she?

Tina's connections with the Middleburg police department prove a mixed blessing for Zack and his kids. Both her best friend and old boyfriend are officers on the force.

And when Tina's women's group gets wind of her personal pursuits and clashes, they want to help. The group's meetings at the tea shop take on a slightly different flavor. Tina wonders who, exactly, is counseling whom.Hope you will check it out!

As an added bonus, Trish has provided the recipe for Chocolate mousse cake:

Ingredients:

6 ounces crushed malt balls
8.8 ounce container mascarpone cheese
7 ounces heavy cream, whipped
3 seven ounce packages white chocolate & Macadamia cookies
1 cup Bailey’s Irish cream liqueur (for non-alcoholic version use Irish Crème coffee
creamer)

Chocolate mousse:
10 ounces chopped dark chocolate
2 eggs (room temperature)
¼ cup caster sugar (very fine granulated sugar)
¾ cup heavy cream, whipped

Directions:

Make chocolate mousse—
• In microwave-safe bowl, microwave chopped chocolate until almost melted,
stirring after each minute. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Beat eggs and caster sugar with electric beater for five minutes.
• Stir in cooled chocolate.
• Fold in ¾ cup whipped cream.
• Refrigerate until needed.

Set aside ¼ cup crushed malt balls.

Fold together mascarpone, 7 ounces whipped cream, and remaining malt balls. Remove
the base of an 8-inch spring form pan and place the ring on a large serving plate (ring
will serve as a mold for the cake). Cut a strip of parchment paper and line side of ring.
Dip cookies, one at a time, into liqueur and place in single layer in mold to cover base.
Spread half mascarpone mixture over cookies. Top with another layer of cookies dipped
in liqueur.

Spread chocolate mousse over cookies. Top with one more layer of cookies dipped in
liqueur. Spread remaining mascarpone mixture over cookies and sprinkle with the ¼ cup
reserved malt balls.

Cover and refrigerate overnight. Then remove spring form, peel away parchment paper,
cut, and serve.ENJOY!

Cheryl Wyatt

Recommending Daddy in the Making by fellow LI author Lyn Cote plus Recipe!

2011-04-10T16:53:00.000-07:00

********************
Howdy again! I have a delightful treat for you today...a recipe by author and friend Lyn Cote who has a WONDERFUL new book out. Here's the info! Hope you'll pick this one up.

Daddy in the Making is the 2nd installment in New Friends Street series but each book can stand alone. ISBN-13:978-0-373-87663-1
Publisher: Harlequin Love Inspired Romance
Released Apr 2011

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Brought together by a Matchmaking Dog--
Dr. Jake McClure’s basset hound has fallen in love. With a single mom, her adorable twins and the orphaned kittens they rescued. Man’s best friend suddenly won’t budge from Jeannie Broussard—and Jake can understand why. Jeannie is full of love, laughter and everything Jake has been missing in his life lately. As Jake spends time with Jeannie and her girls helping to build her Habitat for Humanity house and rescuing stray animals, a bond forges between them, and soon Jake is wondering if he’s the perfect fit in this fatherless family....
To purchase, drop by http://booksbylyncote.com/SWBS/
New Friends Street: Where love and dreams find a home.

ABOUT LYN
When Lyn Cote became a mother, she gave up teaching, and while raising a son and a daughter, she began working on her first novel. Rejection followed. Finally, Lyn got "the call." Her first book, Never Alone, was chosen for the new Love Inspired romance line. Since then, Lyn has had over thirty novels published. In 2006 Lyn's book, Chloe, was a finalist for the RITA, one of the highest awards in the romance genre. And her Her Patchwork Family was a Carol finalist in the short historical category in 2010. Lyn’s brand “Strong Women, Brave Stories,” always includes three elements: a strong heroine who is a passionate participant in her times, authentic historical detail and a multicultural cast of characters.

Lyn also features stories of strong women both from real life and true to life fiction on her website homepage, http://www.LynCote.net. Lyn also can be found on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Drop by and "friend or follow" her. Now living her dream of writing books at her lake cottage in northern Wisconsin, Lyn hopes her books show the power of divine as well as human love.

One of the secondary characters in this book, Millie, is famous for her Baked Macaroni and Cheese. Here's Lyn's recipe.

Lyn Cote's Baked Macaroni
I adapted this recipe from my 1940 Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. I've cut the fat content from the original and changed to whole wheat or SMART TASTE macaroni to up the fiber. So you can indulge with this recipe, knowing that it's healthy!
1 lb. whole wheat macaroni or Ronzoni Brand Smart Taste pasta (fortified with Calcium, Vitamin d and Fiber)
****
White sauce:
6 Tb butter or margarine
¾ c. flour
5 c. skim milk
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
*****
1 lb grated medium cheddar cheese (Or if you want to give this a Mexican flavor, substitute pepper jack cheese.)
1 c. bread crumbs (or crushed tortilla chips)
Cook macaroni, drain and put into greased, deep casserole dish or bowl. Make the white sauce and take pan off heat (to keep the cheese from becoming stringy). Add 2/3rd's of the grated cheese. Stir till melted. Pour over macaroni. Sprinkle remaining cheese and bread crumbs over top. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. May serve as side dish or main course.

Drop by http://www.LynCote.com to learn more about Lyn's literary concoctions. And catch up on her free read, La Belle Christiane, an original manuscript never published, a new scene every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

ENJOY!

Cheryl Wyatt

Recommending The Story Jar by Robin Lee Hatcher and Deborah Bedford

2011-04-03T16:37:00.000-07:00

I'm recommending another wonderful book just in time for Mother's Day giving...

Here's the scoop!

THE STORY JAR
by Robin Lee Hatcher and Deborah Bedford

ABOUT THE BOOK:
A lovely novel of three women, their stories threaded together through the concept of

The Story Jar…

The jar itself is most unusual—not utilized in the ordinary way for canning or storing food, but as a collection point for memories. Some mementos in the jar—hair ribbons, a ring, a medallion--are sorrowful, others tender, some bittersweet. But all those memories eventually bring their owners to a place of hope and redemption in spite of circumstances that seemingly have no solution.

Fresh, insightful, yet courageous in the face of difficult life issues, this collaboration by two talented writers first profiles a pastor’s wife with two young daughters who faces cancer just as her own mother did before her; and then a remarried mother working through a difficult relationship with a rebellious runaway daughter. The third woman, alone with two teenaged boys who no longer pay much attention to her and seem headed for trouble, discovers the long-lost “story jar” and its significance. She comes to realize she can bring her own sorrows and frustrations to the feet of the Good Shepherd, the Great Physician, the Healer of the brokenhearted. She too will have memories for her own story jar.

“…It captures with surprising sensitivity…communion with God, and some excruciatingly exquisite moments of parental love…” Publishers Weekly

Included in the book are heart-warming tributes on motherhood fro novelists such as Jerry Jenkins, Francine, Rivers, Karen Ball, and Debbie Macomber.

************************
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Robin Lee Hatcher is known for her heartwarming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. She makes her home in Idaho where she enjoys spending time with her family, her high-maintenance Papillon, Poppet, and Princess Pinky, the kitten who currently terrorizes the household.

When Deborah Bedford isn't writing, she spends her time fly-fishing, cheering at American Legion baseball games, shopping with her daughter, singing praise songs while she walks along the banks of Flat Creek, and taking her dachshund Annie for hikes in the Tetons where they live.

********************
A note from Robin:

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY JAR
by Robin Lee Hatcher

In September 1998, I received a story jar as a thank you gift after speaking at a writers’ conference in Nebraska. The small mason jar, the lid covered with a pretty handkerchief, was filled with many odds and ends – a Gerber baby spoon, an empty thread spindle, a colorful pen, several buttons, a tiny American flag, an earring, and more.

The idea behind this gift was a simple one. When a writer can’t think of anything to write, she stares at one of the objects in the jar and lets her imagination play. Who did that belong to? How hold was he? What sort of person was he? What does the object represent in his life?
Writers love to play the “what if” game. It’s how most stories come into being. Something piques their interest, they start asking questions, and a book is born.

A week after receiving my story jar, I attended a retreat with several writer friends of mine, Deborah Bedford included. On the flight home, I told Deborah about the jar. The next thing you know (after all, what better thing is there for writers to do on a plane than play “what if”?), we began brainstorming what would ultimately become The Story Jar. We decided very quickly that we wanted this to be a book that celebrates motherhood, that encourages mothers, that recognizes how much they should be loved and honored.

The Story Jar was first published by Multnomah in 2000, but eventually went out of print. Thus Deborah and I are delighted that Hendrickson wanted to bring it out in a new, revised version because we believe these stories can inspire others, just as it did this reader back in 2001:

"I am an avid book reader and have read thousands of books––maybe more––since the age of 5. I can honestly say that [The Story Jar] has touched me more than any other I have read. I cried, I laughed, and I relearned things that I had forgotten long ago as well as realizing things I never knew. Thank you for sharing your stories with your readers. They are truly inspiring. I plan on giving it to all the ‘mothers’ in my life for Mother's Day."

You don’t have to be a writer to want a story jar. It can be a family’s way of preserving memories. Consider having a family get-together where everybody brings an item to go into the jar, and as it drops in, they tell what it means to them, what it symbolizes. We can learn something new about our loved ones when we hear their memories in their own words. Or do what my church did a number of years ago to create a memory for a retiring pastor. Inspired by The Story Jar, members of the congregation brought items to the retirement dinner to put into a story jar or they simply wrote their memories on a piece of paper to go into the jar. It was our way of saying thanks to a man and wife for all of the years they’d given in God’s service.

A story jar can be a tool for remembering all the wonderful things God has done in our own lives. As Mrs. Halley said, not all of God’s miracles are in the Bible. He is still performing them today in countless ways today, changing lives, healing hearts.

In the grip of His grace,
Robin Lee Hatcher

********************
Where to purchase:
The Story Jar on Amazon

The Story Jar on ChristianBook

Robin Lee Hatcher's Web site.

Deborah Bedford's Web site.

Enjoy the book...and your mom this season and always.

Warmly,

Cheryl Wyatt

Recommending BATHSHEBA by Jill Eileen Smith

2011-03-13T16:29:00.000-07:00

Hey there! Have another great book to tell you about. This one is a Biblical fiction piece by the lovely and talented Jill Eileen Smith, who sold right around the time I did. We finaled in contests together and cheered one another on when we sold.

Hope you enjoy her Wives of King David series. This one's fab!

Can love triumph over treachery?
Bathsheba is a woman who longs for love. With her husband away fighting the king’s wars, she battles encroaching loneliness–making it frighteningly easy to succumb to the advances of King David. Will one night of unbridled passion destroy everything she holds dear? Can she find forgiveness at the feet of the Almighty? Or has her sin separated her from God—and David—forever?

With a historian’s sharp eye for detail and a novelist’s creative spirit, Jill Eileen Smith brings to life the passionate and emotional story of David’s most famous—and infamous—wife. You will never read the story of David and Bathsheba in the same way again.

“Thoroughly engrossing. Jill Eileen Smith receives my highest recommendation as an author of biblical fiction.”—Kim Vogel Sawyer, award-winning author of My Heart Remembers

“Bathsheba is Jill Eileen Smith’s finest work to date. It vividly portrays the devastation caused by selfish passion and betrayal, and the incredible blessing of repentance and restoration through God’s grace.”—Jill Stengl, award-winning author of Wisconsin Brides

“This well-researched and beautifully crafted story will resonate in your heart and mind long after you’ve read the final page. An excellent read with a message that transcends time.”—Judith Miller, author of the Daughters of Amana series

You can purchase a copy of Bathsheba at:
Amazon

CBD
and wherever fine books are sold.

Jill's Web site.
Wifes of King David site.

Enjoy!

Cheryl

Recommending Unforgettable by Trish Perry

2011-03-06T13:12:00.000-08:00

Hey all,
Recommending a wonderful book by a lovely friend and author. Pick this up next time you're book shopping for a great read! I'm really excited about this romance line, from Summerside Press called When I Fall in Love. Unforgettable is part of that line. Don't you just love the cover? I can simply hear the song. Can't you?

A little about Unforgettable:

Rachel Stanhope tries to see the good in everyone. But even her good graces are challenged when she meets Josh Reegan outside her Arlington, Virginia dance studio on a brisk fall morning in 1951. Admittedly, he’s attractive, but she finds his cynicism and cockiness hard to tolerate.

A hard-news journalist and former World War II Air Force pilot, Josh considers distractions like ballroom dancing frivolous wastes of time. He has yet to shed his wartime drive to defend good against evil whenever he can. Yes, Rachel’s confident nature is a refreshing challenge, but he wouldn’t tangle with her if his newspaper hadn’t roped him into covering one of her studio’s competitions in New York City.

Between Arlington and New York, between the melodrama of ballroom antics and the real drama of political corruption, between family involvement and romantic entanglement, Rachel and Josh have their hands full. The last thing either of them expects is mutual need and support. But once they stop dancing around the truth, the results are unforgettable.

A little about Trish:

Award-winning novelist Trish Perry has written eight inspirational romances for Harvest House Publishers, Summerside Press, and Barbour Publishing, as well as two devotionals for Summerside Press. She has served as a columnist and as a newsletter editor over the years, as well as a 1980s stockbroker and a board member of the Capital Christian Writers organization in Washington, D.C. She holds a degree in Psychology.

Trish’s latest novel, Unforgettable, releases in March (this month!), and Tea for Two releases in April. She invites you to visit her at her Web site.

Cheryl Wyatt

Recommending A Dad of His Own (Love Inspired) by Gail Gaymer Martin

2011-02-21T21:22:00.000-08:00

Hey all,
Got a new book by a great author to tell you about: A Dad of His Own by Gail Gaymer Martin.

One Child's Wish
With his Dreams Come True foundation, Ethan Fox turns wishes into reality. Amazing trips. Meeting heroes. But Ethan has come to care deeply for a sick boy whose dream is. . .a dad. And not just any dad. Ethan. Though little Cooper has a great chance of getting well, widowed Ethan can't chance loving---and losing---again. Yet he's spending time with the sweet boy and his lovely, single mother, Lexie Carlson. Could a little boy's wish for a dad of his own come true after all?

In stores now where ever books are sold or order on line.

Bio:

Multi-award-winning novelist, Gail Gaymer Martin writes Christian fiction for Love Inspired and Barbour Publishing, where she was honored by Heartsong readers as their Favorite Author of 2008. Gail has forty-eight contracted novels with over three million books in print. She is the author of Writers Digest’s Writing the Christian Romance. Gail is a co-founder of American Christian Fiction Writers, a keynote speaker at churches, libraries and civic organizations and presents workshops at conference across the US. She has a Masters degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and was a licensed counselor for many years. She lives with her husband in a northwest Detroit suburb.

Gail's Video Interview about A DAD OF HIS OWN and a little about her career can be view on Gail's Blog.

Visit Gail's Website.

Visit Gail on Facebook.

Hope you pick this up next time you're in town. Gail's stories are always touching.

Also, Lenora Worth, Love Inspired Suspense author, just hit the New York Times Bestseller list with her recent release, Body of Evidence. So that one would be great to pick up too while you're out and about.

Hope it's warming up where you are. I am sick and tired of the cold and snow! LOL.

Have a great week everyone!

Cheryl

Recommending Springtime of the Spirit by Maureen Lang

2011-02-18T12:46:00.000-08:00

Hey Blogosphere!

Recommending another book by a great author: Springtime of the Spirit by Maureen Lang.

Here's the scoop:

The winter of an unjust war is over. A springtime of the spirit awaits.

Germany, 1918
Four years of fighting have finally come to an end, and though there is little to celebrate in Germany, an undercurrent of hope swells in the bustling streets of Munich. Hope for peace, fairness—the possibility of a new and better tomorrow.
It’s a dream come true for Annaliese Düray. Young and idealistic, she’s fighting on the front lines of Munich’s political scene to give women and working-class citizens a voice in the new government. But she’s caught off guard by the arrival of Christophe Brecht—a family friend, recently returned from the war, who’s been sent to bring her home.
It’s the last place she wants to go.
Christophe admires Annaliese’s passion, unable to remember the last time he believed in something so deeply. Though he knows some things are worth fighting for, he questions the cost to Annaliese and to the faith she once cherished. Especially when her party begins to take its agenda to new extremes.

As the political upheaval ignites in Munich, so does the attraction between Annaliese and Christophe. When an army from Berlin threatens everything Annaliese has worked for, both she and Christophe face choices that may jeopardize their love, their loyalty, and their very lives.

“Beautifully written, passionate, thought-provoking. Maureen Lang weaves romance and political intrigue like no other. Not only did these characters become part of me, but their love for God and country inspired my own.”––Tamera Alexander, best-selling author of the Timber Ridge Reflections series

A note from the author:

Writing this book taught me some of the political ideals so many people fight either for or against haven’t changed in hundreds of years. In light of what’s happening today around the world and even here in America, this book reminded me to trust that the future is in God’s hands and to pray for His guidance in every decision—even the ones about government.

Maureen Lang is the award-winning author of several novels, including The Oak Leaves, On Sparrow Hill, and most recently, The Great War series. She has won the Inspirational Readers Choice contest and a Holt Medallion Award of Merit and was a finalist for the Christy Award. Maureen lives in the Midwest with her husband and three children. Visit Maureen's Web site,blog or Facebook page.

Springtime of the Spirit can be purchased wherever books are sold or online:

Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Springtime-Spirit-Great-Maureen-Lang/dp/1414324375/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1

CBD
http://www.christianbook.com/springtime-of-the-spirit-great-war/maureen-lang/9781414324371/pd/324371?item_code=WW&netp_id=839197&event=ESRCN&view=details

Barnes and Noble
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Springtime-of-the-Spirit/Maureen-Lang/e/9781414324371/?itm=1&USRI=springtime+of+the+spirit

A special bonus: Whisper on the Wind, another book in Maureen Lang’s Great War Series, is available for a free Kindle download for a limited time through www.amazon.com

Happy Reading!

Warmly,
Cheryl Wyatt

In Seekerville Today

2011-01-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

I'm blogging in Seekerville today.

Zip on over and join in the fun.

Thanks all!

Cheryl Wyatt

Help Me Help Kelli Help Single Mom Dawn and Six Adorable Children

2011-01-13T19:54:00.000-08:00

Today Kelli Standish of Pulse Point Design
hijacked her client's blog. But for a good cause. If you're not familiar with Dawn Meehan's blog yet, you are really missing out. I don't know of another blog that makes me laugh more than Dawn's.

That said, Dawn's had some very hard storms blow into her life lately and she needs our help. Dawn did not solicit this and doesn't know I'm posting this on my blog.

Below is a link to Dawn's awesome blog with the full story, via Kelli.

Kelli's Benevolent Hijack of Mom2my6pack's blog.

Here is a give widget that you can use if you'd like to help out. Even if it's one dollar, that will help the family.

Also in the post above is an Amazon link to Dawn's book/s. It would help greatly if you'd purchase one or more of her books to give to friends. When readers purchase authors' books, it's like providing job security to the author because future book contracts depend directly on current book sales. Let's get Dawn's numbers up on Amazon! :-)

Dawn's books are as wonderful as her blog. She's given so much to the reading world through her humor. Let's put the smile back on her face.

Please give what you can. Prayers appreciated too.

Warmly,

Cheryl Wyatt

In Seekerville Today

2010-12-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

I'm blogging in Seekerville today.

Zip on over and join in the fun.

Thanks all!

Cheryl Wyatt

Book Recommendation: Her Healing Ways by Lyn Cote

2010-12-15T07:17:00.000-08:00

Hi all!

Here to tell you about a new book by an author I love and who is as delightful in person as her characters are on the page.

Don't you adore this cover? I love it.

Here's the scoop:

Unconventional. Unafraid. Unwelcome. A female physician with an adopted black daughter? The townsfolk of Idaho Bend will never accept Dr. Mercy Gabriel—even when faced with a deadly cholera epidemic. But all Mercy needs is one man willing to listen…and to trust. Four years of war command turned Lon Mackey into a footloose gambler who can't abide attachments. Yet he can't help getting riled by the threats Mercy keeps receiving. Her trailblazing courage could reignite his faith and humanity. And his loyalty could make her dream—for the first time—of a family of her own….

Here's a kernel from Romantic Times' review: "Her Healing Ways (Four Stars)
is a wonderful love story between two people with different outlooks
on life, who together bring out the best in each other. Cote knows
what will keep readers interested in the story and uses this knowledge
throughout her story. Don't miss this wonderful book."

Lyn Cote's Web site.

Are you an aspiring author? For Lyn's latest Christian Fiction Market Updates, click here.
You'll want to bookmark that page.

Holiday Blessings!

Cheryl Wyatt

Recommending Cindy Woodsmall's The Sound of Sleigh Bells

2010-11-17T00:07:00.000-08:00

I have a new book to tell you about by an author I love!

The Sound of Sleigh Bells by Cindy Woodsmall. This book is a re-release, in case you missed it the first time. I hope you'll pick it up, just in time for the holidays. It will help usher in the spirit of CHRISTmas.

Hugs!
Cheryl

Beth Hertzler works alongside her beloved Aunt Lizzy in their dry goods store, and serving as contact of sorts between Amish craftsmen and Englischers who want to sell the Plain people’s wares. But remorse and loneliness still echo in her heart everyday as she still wears the dark garb, indicating mourning of her fiancé. When she discovers a large, intricately carved scene of Amish children playing in the snow, something deep inside Beth’s soul responds and she wants to help the unknown artist find homes for his work–including Lizzy’s dry goods store. But she doesn’t know if her bishop will approve of the gorgeous carving or deem it idolatry.

Lizzy sees the changes in her niece when Beth shows her the woodworking, and after Lizzy hunts down Jonah, the artist, she is all the more determined that Beth meets this man with the hands that create healing art. But it’s not that simple–will Lizzy’s elaborate plan to reintroduce her niece to love work? Will Jonah be able to offer Beth the sleigh ride she’s always dreamed of and a second chance at real love–or just more heartbreak?

2010 Inspirational Readers Choice Contest winner
CBA and ECPA Bestseller

To read the first chapter and/or for purchasing info, go here.

Bio ~

Cindy Woodsmall is a New York Times best-selling author whose connection with the Amish community has been featured on ABC Nightline and on the front page of the Wall Street Journal.

She is also a veteran homeschool mom who no longer holds that position. As her children progressed in age, her desire to write grew stronger. After working through reservations whether this desire was something she should pursue, she began her writing journey. Her husband was her staunchest supporter as she aimed for what seemed impossible.

To visit Cindy’s Web site, go here.

For information on how to receive free bookmarks and autographed bookplates, go here.

If you've read any other great Christmastime books, post the titles in the comment section. I LOVE seasonal stories.

Later, taters!

Cheryl

In Seekerville Today

2010-11-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

I'm blogging in Seekerville today.

Zip on over and join in the fun.

Thanks all!

Cheryl Wyatt

Recommending WINTER REUNION by Roxanne Rustand

2010-11-08T14:53:00.000-08:00

Hey all, I'm recommending a great book by fabulous author and friend, Roxanne Rustand. I just LOVE this cover...don't you? Makes me want to go there.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

When wounded marine Devlin Sloane comes back to Aspen Creek, he's surprised by his late mother's will. His new business partner for the next six months is Beth Carrigan. His ex-wife. This might prove Dev's most difficult mission yet. He's never stopped loving the sweet bookstore owner, but his military career broke them apart.

Now, as Beth and Dev work together helping others get a new start on life, Dev hopes that he can break down the walls between them. And explore the possibilities of a new life and love together.

Christianbook.com Excerpt

Christianbook.com Purchase Link

Roxanne's Web site

If you're not familiar with Roxanne's work, I hope you'll give it a try. She's one of my favorite storytellers. Plus, I love Love Inspired books! So that's an added bonus.

Cheryl Wyatt

A Prairie Christmas Collection

2010-11-01T00:07:00.000-07:00

I have an amazing compilation to tell you about. Several authors collaborated on a book titled A Prairie Christmas Collection from Barbour Books
Authors include Tracie Peterson, Deborah Raney, Tracey Bateman and other favorite Christian authors.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Settling the vast open prairies, weathering winter storms, and finding joy to celebrate during Christmas epitomizes the pioneer experience. In a unique collection of nine Christmas romances, Barbour Publishing brings readers A Prairie Christmas Collection where they can relive a prairie Christmas with all its challenge and delights as penned by multi-published authors, including Tracie Peterson and Deborah Raney. Featuring deckled-edge pages and a foil-stamped cover with fold-under flaps, the collection makes an ideal gift for the romance reader.
In this holiday romance collection, the warmth of Christmas will radiate new love from the high plains of Minnesota and Dakota Territory, across the rolling hills of Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois, and down into the flats of Kansas. Filled with inspiration and faith, each story will become a treasure to be enjoyed again each year. Along with Peterson and Raney, other contributing authors include Tracey Bateman, Pamela Griffin, JoAnn A. Grote, Maryn Langer, Darlene Mindrup, Janet Spaeth and Jill Stengl.

For more information see Deborah Raney's website here.

Available in bookstores everywhere, or order online at CBD.com, amazon.com or other bookstores online.

Cheryl Wyatt

Recommending Legacy of Lies by Jill Elizabeth Nelson

2010-10-26T00:37:00.000-07:00

Hey all, here's another great read by a friend and fellow Love Inspired author Jill Elizabeth Nelson whose tagline I love! It's Endless Adventure, Timeless Truth. This one is romantic suspense/mystery and can be purchased anywhere books are sold. Enjoy!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Secrets Buried Deep!
Evidence from a decades-old murder is the last thing Nicole Keller-Mattson expected to find in her grandmother’s back yard, but the finger-pointing and accusations leveled at her family came as no surprise. Everyone in Ellington is eager to blame the Kellers—but after an attack leaves Nicole’s grandmother in a coma, only Nicole can clear the family name. With the assistance of police chief Rich Hendricks, she stands a chance of solving the mystery . . . if she’s willing to accept Rich’s help. Nicole lost her policeman husband in the line of duty—getting close to another cop is too painful. But keeping her distance could be deadly.

WORDS FROM THE AUTHOR ABOUT LEGACY OF LIES:

I’ve always been fascinated by social dynamics in a small town. Having lived in rural communities all my life, I’m intimately familiar with the unique politics involved. Crafting a story about the shadow cast over a town by its founding family came readily to me. I was particularly interested to explore the affect past sins and secrets can have on a tight-knit community and how the illusion of power is always trumped by the immutable laws of God. We do reap what we sow, no matter how grand and invincible we imagine ourselves to be.

The scripture I used at the front of the book was Psalm 37: 10 – 11 from the NIV version of the Bible: A little while and the wicked will be no more; Though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. I comfort myself with these words quite often when I see the injustices in the world.

CLICK HERE TO BUY THE BOOK NOW!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jill Elizabeth Nelson writes what she likes to read—tales of adventure seasoned with romance, humor, and faith, earning her the tagline: Endless Adventure, Timeless Truth. She was delightfully astonished this year to receive the prestigious Carol Award in the Short Contemporary Suspense category for her 2009 release, Evidence of Murder. Jill speaks regularly at conferences, writer’s groups, library associations, and civic and church groups. When teaching classes for writers, she thrills to bring the Ahah! moment to her students as they make a new skill their own. Jill and her husband live in rural Minnesota where they raised four children and are currently enjoying their first grandchild. Visit Jill on the web (link below) for book giveaways, excerpts, and information.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO HER WEB SITE!

Cheryl Wyatt

In Seekerville Today

2010-10-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

I'm blogging in Seekerville today.

Zip on over and join in the fun.

Thanks all!

Cheryl Wyatt

Facelift by Leanna Ellis

2010-10-18T00:17:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Have a new book to tell you about by an author friend whose work I love. It's available wherever books are sold. Here's the scoop:

Title: FACELIFT
Author: Leanna Ellis
ISBN: 0805449892
B&H Publishing

A ‘can do’ kind of woman runs her own business, raises her teenage daughter, and takes care of her ex-mother-in-law after a botched facelift. But Kaye learns a facelift is more than skin deep. Joy is more than tacking on a happy face. It's relying on her sovereign God who has a plan for her life.

About the author:
Winner of the National Readers Choice Award, Leanna Ellis writes women’s fiction and is known for her quirky characters and wacky plots as in her current novel, FACELIFT. But don’t let the quirkiness fool you, Ellis probes the heart and plucks at the heartstrings. In 2011 FORSAKEN, the first of an Amish/vampire series, will debut. Now that is wacky!

Amazon Purchase Link

Excerpt Link

Author website and blog.

Look for Leanna's PLAIN FEAR series starting Aug. 2011

Cheryl Wyatt

Recommending the London Confidential Series by Sandra Byrd

2010-10-11T14:40:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I'd like to tell you about a fun series by Sandra Byrd: London Confidential

Byrd's ability to provide a fun story that incorporates biblical truth will help teens relate to this new series. Readers will identify with the struggle to fit in while staying true to one's convictions.
Romantic Times, 4 star review

Book Three, Don't Kiss Him Goodbye, finds Savvy, now established in her quirky British village, working hard to get an article with her own byline published. When an attractive and mysterious boy asks her for help with his school work, Savvy is slowly pulled into his circle and soon finds out that the wrong set of friends—boys and girls—can influence her own behavior. Following her own advice to cut ties with a charming bad boy would mean abandoning her dearest wishes, and it just doesn't seem as wrong as it feels. Is it? Read on for surprise twists throughout the book!

In a shocking turn of events, all writers for the Wexburg Academy Times will cast their votes for next year's editor—and it looks like Savvy's vote will be the tie breaker! In Book Four, Flirting With Disaster, Savvy must choose between a nasty-girl-turned-nice, with a sudden interest in letting Savvy get what she wants, and the prickly Hazelle, who promises nothing at all. Savvy then finds herself wrapped up in a new, seemingly innocent but potentially dangerous activity. It's all at risk in this book: her position on the paper, the boy she likes, the ministry she wants to go well. At a critical moment, Savvy must figure out how to rely on God rather than luck and to overcome temptation before it is too late.

London Confidential is a new series for tweens and teens where British fashion, friendships, and guys collide as an all-American teen girl learns to love life and live out her faith.

Please visit Sandra online at http://www.sandrabyrd.com/
The books can be purchased at amazon.com through her website or at other fine online or local bookstores near you. If they're not stocked, just ask!

London Confidential Books 1 and 2 were featured in Focus on the Family's Thriving Family Magazine ... click here.

Have fun with these books!

Warmly,

Cheryl

Recommending The Perfect Blend by Trish Perry

2010-10-04T16:22:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Recommending another book by a fabulous author: The Perfect Blend by Trish Perry published by Harvest House. I ABSOLUTELY love this cover, don't you? Makes me want to go there. The Perfect Blend is Book 1 in The Teashop Series...how fun!

A little about Trish:

Award-winning novelist Trish Perry has written The Perfect Blend (2010), Sunset Beach (2009), Beach Dreams (2008), Too Good to Be True (2007), and The Guy I’m Not Dating (2006), all for Harvest House Publishers. Her monthly column, “Real Life is Stranger,” appeared in Christian Fiction Online Magazine during its inaugural year. She was editor of Ink and the Spirit, the newsletter of Washington D.C.’s Capital Christian Writers organization (CCW), for seven years. Before her novels, Perry published numerous short stories, essays, devotionals, and poetry in Christian and general market media. She will release several new books in 2011.

Perry holds a B.A. in Psychology, was a 1980s stockbroker, and held positions at the Securities and Exchange Commission and in several Washington law firms. She serves on the Board of Directors of CCW and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. She invites you to visit her at www.trishperry.com

A little about The Perfect Blend:

Steph Vandergrift left everything to elope with Middleburg attorney Rick Manfred, who then stood her up at the altar. Too embarrassed to return home, Steph hopes to earn enough to get by until she can decide what to do next. Tea Shop owner Milly Jewel hires her and appreciates the extra help at the tea shop.

Also appreciative of Steph is Kendall James, one of the kindest, most eligible bachelors in the area. But by the time Steph feels able to consider dating again, her run-away fiancé returns and tries to win her back. Steph is wary, but she and Rick always blended so well.

Christie Burnham, the frank-talking equestrian from whom Steph rents a room, and her frillier sister Liz become fast friends and confidantes to Steph. Between the two sisters, there isn't much any man is going to pull over on Middleburg's newest bachelorette and tea shop employee.

Hope you'll pick it up!

Cheryl Wyatt

Recommending Letters in the Attic by DeAnna Dodson

2010-09-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Recommendng a new book by new-to-me author, DeAnna Dodson

About DeAnna Julie Dodson

DeAnna Julie Dodson is the author of In Honor Bound, By Love Redeemed and To Grace Surrendered, a trilogy of medieval romances, and Letters in the Attic, a contemporary mystery in the Annie’s Attic series. She is currently working on The Drew Farthering Mysteries, a new series of books set in 1930s England. A graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas, she currently lives in North Texas with four spoiled cats and, when not writing, enjoys quilting, cross stitch and NHL hockey.

About Letters in the Attic

Up in her grandmother’s attic in Stony Point, Maine, Annie Dawson finds a stack of old letters from her childhood friend Susan Morris. Annie remembers Susan fondly and would like to get back in touch, but nobody seems to know what’s become of her. Her friends at The Hook and Needle Club aren’t much help either. All they remember is that Susan left town more than twenty years ago to marry a very wealthy man, but none of them is quite sure who he was. And Annie can find no record of any marriage.
The more Annie searches, the more she begins to wonder if something has happened to Susan. Something bad.

Interview:

Tell us about your latest book.

I’m very excited about the release of Letters in the Attic, an Annie’s Attic Mystery. Letters is the fourth book in this new series about Annie Dawson, a widow from Texas who goes up to clean out and sell her late grandmother’s Victorian house in Maine only to find a whole attic full of intriguing and sometimes mysterious objects. The series particularly interested me because Annie and her friends are all needleworkers – knitters, crocheters, quilters, cross-stitchers – and I’ve been interested in needlework for as long as I can remember.

Letters in the Attic came out this summer from DRG.
DRG

What's your favorite part of the story?

I think I enjoyed writing Officer Roy Hamilton the most. I actually didn’t think much about him at first. He was meant to be a very minor character who was there just to take fingerprints. Soon, though, he let me know that that was not going to be enough for him. He put on his mirrored sunglasses and sauntered up to me and said he just knew I had something more important for him to do. And darned if he wasn’t right!

What do you hope your readers will get out of the story?

I think the most important thing is that there is freedom in truth. Hiding from it only weighs you down and keeps you prisoner. Facing the truth breaks those chains and breaks the hold of those who would use the fear of that truth against you. Once it’s in the light of day, whatever it is you’re hiding from, it loses its power.

Tell us a little about your writing. Is there any one thing or reference you keep handy when writing? Anything you kept around for this particular book?

Of course, the greatest reference tool these days is the internet. It’s made research so much easier, though you do have to be careful of which sources you trust. Still, I like to have some actual reference books handy when I’m writing. I especially like The Well-Tempered Sentence by Karen Elizabeth Gordon and Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss for solving those thorny grammar and usage questions. They’re both extremely practical while appealing to my sometimes-off-the-wall sense of humor.

For Letters in the Attic, of course, my best friend was the packet of series information the publisher gave me so my book would mesh with the others in the series. Since writing this kind of book was new to me, this packet was really a life saver.

Who do you rely on for help when writing?

Writing can be a very lonely and isolated job. And the worst part of it is that, once you’ve written something, you can never see it the way a new reader will see it. Obviously, you know what you meant to say when you wrote it, but does it really say that? Really? You just have to have a pre-reader look it over, someone who will speak the truth in love and tell you honestly what works and what doesn’t.

I met author Robin Hardy (The Chataine’s Guardian and many, many more) when I took a “Writing Christian Fiction” class at the local community college. At that point, I didn’t imagine I would ever actually be published. She was so gracious and so kind to this very green wannabe writer. She actually read through my 250,000-word manuscript (the one that became In Honor Bound) and showed me how to improve it and, more importantly, how I could cut it down to a manageable length. Now, years later, she’s still my first and best pre-reader and a terrific friend. She catches inconsistencies and stupid mistakes and tells me when something just falls flat. I would so much rather hear it from her than from my editor or, worst of all, from my readers. I’m so blessed to know her!

Aside from writing, what takes up most of your time?

I’m addicted to cross-stitch and quilting. I have just a ton of projects yet to be done because I want to do everything. That’s one of the reasons I have enjoyed working on this series so much. I can relate to the ladies in the Annie’s Attic Mysteries who love to make beautiful things by hand.

What advice would you give to an unpublished writer?

I suppose there are writing prodigies out there, people who can just sit down and write perfection from word one, but I’ve never met anyone like that. The only way I know to succeed in writing is to write. And write. And write. And read a lot. And write more. I’ve heard it said that it takes about ten thousand hours to really master the craft of writing. Shortcuts don’t work. Put in your time. There’s really no other way to end up with a product that will make you proud.

But while you’re putting in your time, don’t get discouraged. Really learning to write is a long, arduous process. It’s usually a thankless job. Lots of people say they want to write. Very few stick with it long enough to actually become writers. Writing is a lonely business. It can be a very discouraging one. But if it’s something God has called you to do, there is nothing else as satisfying. Stay the course. Learn your craft. Write the book that’s on your heart. God will use it where He sees fit.

DeAnna's Website

DeAnna's Blog

Purchase Letters in the Attic
here

Cheryl Wyatt

Recommending Formula for Danger by Camy Tang-Love Inspired Suspense

2010-09-22T17:40:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I'm thrilled to recommend a GREAT book by my great friend, Camy Tang. You must read the book dedication too...snicker, snicker. It mentions moi! LOLOL.

Anyway, I got to help plan and plot this book and I absolutely love the finished product. Camy writes romantic suspense with a kick of wasabi. You will love the ethnic flair to this too. And the spa setting...love it!

It can be purchased anywhere books are sold but I've also included links at the bottom of this information.

Here's info:

Formula for Danger by Camy Tang from Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense

About the book:

HER LIFE WAS ON THE LINE

Someone wants dermatologist Rachel Grant's latest research, and they'll do anything to get it. Including trashing the plants needed for her breakthrough scar-reducing cream—and trying to run Rachel down. Desperate for help, she turns to Edward Villa, the only man she trusts. But the greenhouse owner knows too much about Rachel's research, and now he's a target, too. Break-ins, muggings, murder…the would-be thief is getting desperate—and getting closer. Edward vows to protect Rachel at all costs. Yet with time ticking away, Edward knows they have to uncover the madman shadowing Rachel before their chance for a future is destroyed.

Links:
Camy's website
Camy's blog

Order from:
Barnes and Noble

Large Print

Amazon.com

Christianbook.com

Books a Million

Camy's Website
Sign up for her newsletter at her website! She has awesome writing advice and interesting stuff on her blog.

Warmly,

Cheryl Wyatt

Recommending Shelter of Hope by Lyn Cote-Steeple Hill

2010-09-13T06:25:00.000-07:00

Hey all~!

A new book to tell you about from my FAVORITE publisher...Love Inspired Romance.

I LOVED this story and the premise. The characters leapt off the page. The opening was very intense...just how I like it! Hope you'll pick this one up and the other LIs this month. There are many great ones to choose from.

Title: Shelter of Hope
1st in New Friends Street series
Steeple Hill Publisher
# ISBN-13: 978-0373876211

Blurb: The House that Love Built
Struggling single mother Rosa Santos is deeply touched when volunteers
band together to build her a home. With a waitressing job, community
college and church, Rosa barely has time to help, let alone dream
about a husband and father figure. But when handsome volunteer Marc
Chambers hands her withdrawn young son a little hammer, her heart
swells. Suddenly, her son is blossoming. But the closer she and Marc
get, the more he pulls away. Why? He's built her a shelter of hope.
One she—and her son—pray he'll take refuge within….

Author: Lyn Cote
http://strongwomenbravestories.blogspot.com

For the latest Christian Fiction Market Updates from Lyn:
http://www.booksbylyncote.com/publishers.html

More about Lyn:
When Lyn Cote became a mother, she gave up teaching, and while raising a son and a daughter, she began working on her first novel. Long years of rejection followed. Finally in 1997, Lyn got "the call." Her first book, Never Alone, was chosen by Steeple Hill for the new Love Inspired romance line. Since then, Lyn has had over thirty novels published. In 2006 Lyn's book, Chloe, was a finalist for the RITA, one of the highest awards in the romance genre. Lyn’s brand “Strong Women, Brave Stories,” always includes three elements: a strong heroine who is a passionate participant in her times, authentic historical detail and a multicultural cast of characters. Lyn also features stories of strong women both from real life and true to life fiction on her blog http://strongwomenbravestories.blogspot.com Lyn also can be found on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads. Drop by and "friend or follow" her. Now living her dream of writing books at her lake cottage in northern Wisconsin, Lyn hopes her books show the power of divine as well as human love.
To purchase a copy, drop by www.LynCote.net

Cheryl Wyatt

Book recommendation: Whisper on the Wind by Maureen Lang

2010-08-30T11:50:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Today I'm recommending Whisper on the Wind by Maureen Lang

ABOUT THE BOOK:

She risked everything to rescue him.
But what if he doesn’t want to be saved?

Belgium, 1916

The German Imperial Army may have conquered Belgium on its march through Europe, but the small country refuses to be defeated. An underground newspaper surfaces to keep patriotism alive and bring hope and real news of the war to the occupied country. It may be a whisper amongst the shouts of the German army, but it’s a thorn in their side nonetheless—and Edward Kirkland will do anything to keep it in print . . . even risk his life.
Isa Lassone is a Belgium socialite whose family fled Europe at the first rumblings of war. Now, two years later, she sneaks back across enemy lines, determined to rescue Edward—the man she has loved from afar since she was a child.
But will he ever see her as more than the wealthy, silly girl his mother once cared for as a daughter?
When Edward refuses to leave, so does Isa, and soon she is drawn into his dangerous double life. But the Germans are closing in on the paper, and Edward had never planned to put any one else at risk . . . especially the beautiful, smart, yet obstinate young woman who has inconveniently managed to work her way into his life—and into his heart.

***
“Whisper on the Wind brings to life a time and place too often forgotten in historical fiction. . . . The suspenseful climax kept me on the edge of my seat!”
Lynn Austin, best-selling author of Though Waters Roar
“A suspense-filled romance. . . . an exciting page-turner, one that will have readers racing to reach the end so they can discover how it will turn out. I highly recommend Whisper on the Wind.”
Robin Lee Hatcher, best-selling author of A Vote of Confidence

A note from Maureen:

Whisper on the Wind holds a special place in my heart, because I conceived the idea during a time in my life when I wasn’t actively writing. I knew “someday” when I could devote myself to writing again, this would be the book I’d write. And here it is, years later—a book inspired by the true events surrounding a Belgian newspaper, La Libre Belgique. During the German occupation of Belgium in the First World War, the Germans ordered every legitimate Belgian newspaper to submit to censorship—and so sprang up La Libre Belgique, one of the few voices of opposition to the propaganda the Germans circulated. Their goal was to bring hope to a suppressed nation, and many people lost everything from their freedom to their fortunes, some even their lives to see this paper circulated. With so much material, it was easy to create a romantic tale of adventure and intrigue, so I hope you’ll enjoy the story—knowing the story-behind-the story is full of factual history.

A little about Maureen:
Maureen Lang is the author of several novels, including Pieces of Silver (a Christy finalist), The Oak Leaves (Holt Medallion Award of Merit, finalist in ACFW’s Book of the Year and Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence contests) and Look to the East (Inspirational Reader’s Choice Contest winner and Carol Award finalist). She is also the recipient of RWA’s Golden Heart and ACFW’s Noble Theme Award (now the Genesis). Maureen lives in the Midwest with her family and their much-loved dog, Susie. Visit her Web site at www.maureenlang.com.
Visit Maureen at:
www.maureenlang.com
http://maureenlang.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/maureen.lang
Whisper on the Wind is available at any bookstore, from Tyndale House Publishers or online at:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Whisper-Wind-Great-War-No/dp/1414324367/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276273621&sr=1-8
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Whisper-on-the-Wind/Maureen-Lang/e/9781414324364/?itm=11&USRI=marueen+lang
Christian Book Distributors: http://www.christianbook.com/whisper-the-wind-the-great-war/maureen-lang/9781414324364/pd/324364?item_code=WW&netp_id=754871&event=ESRCN&view=details

Happy reading!

Cheryl Wyatt

In Seekerville Today

2010-08-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

I'm blogging in Seekerville today.

Zip on over and join in the fun.

Thanks all!

Cheryl Wyatt

Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon-An Albuquerque Story

2010-07-10T07:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, I confess I chose that title because I wanted to see if I still knew how to spell it. LOL!

I love cowboy and cowgirl stories because they remind me of my western heritage. I grew up in New Mexico near Albuquerque so when I discovered Steven Bly's new book was set there, I was excited to let others know about it. Here's more info if you're interested in picking it up:

Here’s some bits of info below for Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon.

www.BlyBooks.com

www.BlyBooks.blogspot.com

BLURB:
A 10-year-old boy with red straw cowboy hat, cap gun, and silver-painted wooden bullets. Six story-telling, cribbage playing old cowboys. A ’49 Plymouth with open trunk. A damsel in distress. All the fixings for a summer’s day adventure at the Matador Hotel in 1954 Albuquerque.

Maybe you weren’t born 100 years too late!

SUMMARY:
Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon is a twist on the traditional Western story.

In 1954, six men who spent their youth as cowboys in the Southwest, now gather at the Matador Hotel lobby in downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico, for weekly games of cribbage. One rainy afternoon, one of the men brings his grandson. They’re delighted with this captive audience. They all play cribbage and the men tell stories of their exploits in the old days. The eldest was born during the Civil War. All of them cowboyed from the late 1880s until the 1940s. They tell first-hand stories of what the West was truly like.

Many years later, the boy looks back and remembers the day he heard of a way of life and western tradition that’s quickly becoming extinct. He also recalls the lessons he learned and the excitement of a drama that unfolded before them that provoked the cowboys’ last stand.

This reminiscent account of real cowboy lives resonates like Andy Adams’ book, The Log of a Cowboy, written in the early 1900s.

Author’s suggestion: this book is best read aloud, as though around a campfire, by someone who gets the hang of the rhythm of the language.

EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER ONE: http://snipurl.com/z5n0g

Miscellany Quotes from Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon:

The Matador Hotel died on July 5th, 1965, but they didn’t bother burying it until last fall.

New Mexico heat blanketed Albuquerque that July like too many covers in a stuffy cabin. . .the kind of day that you sweat from the inside out and feel sticky dirt in places that you don’t ponder much except in the shower.

Cribbage and cowboys. . .I figured I fit right in.

The early May rain came down hard, the kind of cloudburst when the drops slap your face and you take it personal.

There’s a quiet buzz from antique ceiling fans, like six thousand crickets, all out of tune. You don’t even notice, until there’s silence.

Folks today think that 1954 existed in some other galaxy, on some other planet. Maybe they’re right. It’s hard to believe that world and this one are made of the same stuff.

“If you feel prodded, Shorty, it’s the shovel of the Lord. He’s diggin’ you up and intends on restorin’ you.”

2 REVIEW QUOTES from previous Stephen Bly novels:

“I have always been a fan of Louis L’Amour but I must say your book is as good if not better than anything of his. I shall remain a fan of Stephen Bly.” -- Jimmy Dickens, Grand Ole Opry

“Bly offers a kinder, gentler Western that should appeal to fans of Louis L’Amour.” – Library Journal

INTERVIEW with the author:

Q. What is meant by the term “cowboy philosopher.” What is it about the “cowboy life” that lends itself to philosophizing and a closer walk with God?
A cowboy’s friendships were shaped by tough work and tragedy, companionship and daily battle with weather and critters. Only the battlefields of Europe and the Pacific would equal the old West in producing men of courage and character. This stark reality on the land, with lots of nights around a campfire and under the heavens, goaded them to storytelling, philosophizing, and wondering about God.

“Little Brother, a man don’t jump into the stream until he sees which way the water’s flowin’,” says a character in my newest release, Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon (June 1st, hardback). It’s told from a 10-year-old boy’s point-of-view, but years later as an adult. He learns many life lessons one summer’s day in a lobby at the Matador Hotel in Albuquerque. He gets a graduate degree in cowboy philosophy.

Q. Why did you pick Albuquerque, New Mexico for your setting in this newest novel?

Because I’ve been there many times to vacation or do research. I enjoy this state very much. The only other place I’ve been that possesses such wonderful layers of culture stacked one upon another is Rome. The old cowboys at the Matador Hotel in Albuquerque share one layer of New Mexico’s history, a fairly modern era.

Every chapter I wrote in Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon made me miss New Mexico. The state motto is “land of enchantment.” But it’s more than a Chamber of Commerce slogan that tugs me. It’s an intriguing state to explore. This state’s ripe for numerous stories.

Q. How did you get the idea for Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon?
This novel is not based on my life, per se. However, what makes it personal, like a memoir: as a 10-year-old boy in 1954, I spent many afternoons playing cribbage with my grandpa, just like Little Brother in the novel. And I also heard many accounts about the “old days.” Many images from those times together in the 1950s embedded in my mind. I finally wrote about it.

Q. What was one of your challenges in writing Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon?

A rather technical one…Albuquerque is tough to spell right every time. In fact, it ranks #4 in the most misspelled list on none other than ePodunk.com. The other contenders are Cincinnati, Tucson and Pittsburgh. I finally started to get it right on the second draft by remembering an old song: A-L-B-U-Q-U-E-R-Q-U-E (Lyrics by Herb Hendler, Music by Ralph Flanagan ©1951). This made it easy enough for even a cowboy to spell.

Gotta go, gotta go back to New Mexico,
where my true love waits for me.
Gotta get on the tracks
cause I'm on my way back
To A-L-B-U-Q-U-E-R-Q-U-E.

The tune, of course, is integral to teaching the spelling. I can’t help you there, even if we met in person. But my musical wife could hum it just fine.

However, I did discover that there are definite advantages to setting a story mainly indoors, as most of this book is. It’s easier to research. Take New Mexico, for instance. . .as soon as I move my characters out into the woods, I’ve got to decide which tree they’ll hunker next to. Hey, it’s not easy to pick the right tree. Picking the right weed can be tougher. So, I stayed most the time inside the Matador Hotel. Except when all the main characters hop into that ’49 Plymouth with the open trunk.

Q. What other kind of genre would you be interested in writing besides westerns?

My wife and I have enjoyed writing together what she calls ‘cozy mysteries’. We did The Hidden West Series (contemporary) and The Carson City Chronicles Series (historical) and so much enjoyed the research on location and process. I’d be delighted to do more these with her.

Q. What’s next for you?

I’ve got a contract for a historical romance western, set on a train from Omaha to Sacramento, with the working title Throw Away Heart. In addition, I’m thinking through a mystery story set in the early 1900s on the Oregon coast on a golf course, starring Stuart Brannon, one of my early cowboy protagonists, as an old man. He’s invited to a golf tourney by friends and feels very awkward on the links, but finds plenty of adventures anyway. As ardent fans of my books know, Stewart Brannon makes some sort of cameo appearance or mention in every Stephen Bly novel, whether historical or contemporary.

BIO:
Stephen Bly has published 103 books of historical and contemporary fiction (37 classic westerns) and Christian life and family nonfiction for adults, teens, and kids (9-14 yrs.). Eighteen books were co-authored with wife, Janet. Four of his novels were finalists for the Christy Award. His historical western, The Long Trail Home, won a Christy. The Blys have 3 married sons and 3 grandchildren and live in north-central Idaho at 4,000 ft. elev. on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation.

Learn more about the Blys at their website www.BlyBooks.com or “On A Western Trail” blog www.BlyBooks.blogspot.com or follow then on twitter www.twitter.com/BlyBooks or friend them on Facebook (Stephen Bly or Janet Chester Bly).

Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon (hardback, Center Point) is available by order through your local bookstore (Ingram Distributors) or online www.Amazon.com or www.BlyBooks.com . You may also check it out at your local library.

Warmly,
Cheryl Wyatt

Bookamendations: Bride in Training by Gail Gaymer Martin-Steeple Hill Love Inspired

2010-06-29T22:54:00.000-07:00

Hey blogees!

Have another great book to tell you about. This one is a Steeple Hill Love Inspired.

I have LOVED the art work on Gail's dog series. They are SO cute. The story is fabulous too. Hope you will check it out.

The author and book info can be found below. Hope you will check it out. Have a great week.

Warmly,

Cheryl Wyatt

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And Puppy Makes Three

Perfectionist Martin Davis's life is in turmoil. The lonely businessman's search for companionship led him to adopt a dog--a rather rambunctious terrier. And now Martin's at his wits' end. When dog trainer, Emily Ireland offers to help, Martin is grateful--and intrigued.

But he's wary of getting too close to the sweet, pretty Emily, especially when he learns of her scandalous past. Can Martin ever open his heart to the possibility that Emily just may be his perfect bride?
Bride In Training received 4 stars in the Romantic Times Book Reviews, and I was thrilled. So if you enjoy dogs, their antics and romance, I think you'll enjoy this series.

Bio
Award-winning author, Gail Gaymer Martin writes for Steeple Hill and Barbour with 44 published novels and over 3 million books in print . She writes women's fiction, romance and romantic suspense and is the author of Writing the Christian Romance, released by Writers Digest Books She is a cofounder of American Christian Gail was recently named Author of the Year by Barbour Publisher's Heartsong Presents readership. Gail is a popular speaker at churches and women's events and teaches writing at conferences across the U.S.

Review of BRIDE IN TRAINING at
http://carlybirdshome.blogspot.com/2010/06/bride-in-training-by-gail-gaymer-martin.html

You can also find this book on Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0373876122?ie=UTF8&tag=novgaigaymar-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN

Bookamendations: A MATTER OF CHARACTER by Robin Lee Hatcher

2010-06-22T12:42:00.000-07:00

Hello blogosphere!

Hope you had a great weekend.

Got a new book by an author I love to tell you about:

A MATTER OF CHARACTER
by Robin Lee Hatcher
Historical Romance
June 2010 release

Who says a woman can’t keep a secret?
It's 1918, and Daphne McKinley, heiress to a small fortune, has found contentment in the town of Bethlehem Springs. But Daphne has a secret.
A series of dime novels loosely based on local lore and featuring a nefarious villain known as Rawhide Rick has enjoyed modest popularity among readers. Nobody in Bethlehem Springs knows the man behind the stories … except Daphne.
When newspaperman Joshua Crawford comes to town searching for the man who sullied the good name of his grandfather, Daphne finds herself at a crossroads, reassessing the power of her words, re-thinking how best to honor her gifts, and reconsidering what she wants out of life.
View the book trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84yGMuj21Uo

About the Author:

The author of over 60 books, best-selling novelist Robin Lee Hatcher is known for her heartwarming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. She makes her home in Idaho where she enjoys spending time with her family and her high-maintenance Papillon, Poppet. She invites you to drop by her web site and her Facebook Page to learn more about her and her books.

Web site: http://www.robinleehatcher.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Robin-Lee-Hatcher-Novelist/48662178098?ref=mf

Hope you will check it out!

Have a wonderful week.

Cheryl Wyatt

In Seekerville Today

2010-06-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

I'm blogging in Seekerville today.

Zip on over and join in the fun.

Thanks all!

Cheryl Wyatt

Her Abundant Joy by Lyn Cote

2010-06-14T08:36:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

I have another book to tell you about. This is Lyn Cote's final book in the Texas Star of Destiny series. It's titled Her Abundant Joy from Avon Inspire.

ISBN # 978-0061373428

Tagline: Can a beautiful young widow find peace in the arms of a Texas Ranger?

In 1846, young widow Mariel Wolfe survived the grueling voyage from
Germany to start a new life in the "promised" land of Texas. Forced by
circumstances to become a servant, Mariel is now determined to quit a
harsh master. But how can a single woman face the frontier on her own?

Texas Ranger Carson Quinn is responsible for leading her party of
German immigrants safely through dangerous Comanche-held territory. As
he watches Mariel hold her head high in spite of everything, he will
stop at nothing to protect her.

But war is brewing: Mexico will not accept the U.S. annexation of the
young Texas Republic without a fight. Honor bound to fight for Texas,
Carson's deepest longing is to lay down his rifle. As Mariel and
Carson fall deeply in love, could her painful past or this new war
destroy all their hopes? Will the tide of history sweep them far from
peace, far from a life together?

Cheryl here: Lyn Cote writes about brave women with brave stories. This one is no exception and I hope you'll consider it next time you're looking for a good book to read.

Have a wonderful week!

Cheryl Wyatt

Recommending Love Inspired Suspense, End Game by Author Roxanne Rustand

2010-06-07T07:17:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I'm excited to tell you about a new Love Inspired Suspense that will keep you nibbling your nails deep into the night. Check out End Game by Author Roxanne Rustand.

Later taters!

Cheryl Wyatt

INFO on the book:

END GAME
Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense
Roxanne Rustand
Release: June, 2010

It should be IN STORES SOON so check the shelves on your next trip to town.

Here it starts:

"I'll be seeing you again…."

The attacker's words still ring in Deputy Megan Peters's ears. Her attempt to trap the serial rapist terrorizing Lost Falls failed, but she has succeeded in becoming the target of his attention. Undaunted, Megan moves forward in her investigation, and Scott Anders, the only newcomer in town, draws her suspicion. Is his gentleness just an act? Yet as Megan and Scott grow closer, she finds herself questioning her instincts. What will she believe—her heart or the evidence that seems to be mounting against Scott?

First Page:
"I won't stop until I find this guy, Anna." Seeing the raw pain in her friend's eyes, Megan Peters took a deep breath and forced back the memories threatening to swamp her. "I promise."

"How?" Anna lashed out, pulling her hands away from Megan's. "I didn't see his face. I don't know who it was, and neither did the other woman who got away. And the two dead girls won't be talking."

The bitterness in Anna's voice stung Megan as if she'd been slapped. "No. But the DNA—"

"Hasn't matched anyone in the system so far, and probably never will, right? This guy will never be caught."

"But it does connect the crimes, so when we get him, we'll be able to send him away for good. There'll be a time when someone picks up on a clue. Someone else who escapes."

They both fell silent, Megan's words a chilling re minder of the two women who had been raped and murdered within the past six months. If a group of noisy hikers hadn't come by and scared off her attacker, Anna might have been number three."

Author

Drop by Roxanne's blog (see blog roll on lower right) or her website.

To purchase, go here.

An excerpt is available here.

Author Bio:

This is Roxanne Rustand's twenty-fourth published book, and her seventh since moving into inspirational fiction. Her first manuscript won the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart, and her second was a Golden Heart finalist. One of her books won RT Bookclub Magazine's award for Best Superromance of 2006, and she was nominated for RT's Career Achievement Award in 2005. She has given workshops at national and regional writer's conferences from coast to coast, and also through various online venues.

The first book in this Big Sky Secrets series, FINAL EXPOSURE, won first place in the 2010 WisRWA Writer Touch Readers Award for Inspirational Fiction and is now a finalist in the 2010 Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence for Inspirational Suspense/Mystery.

Blogging at Novel Journey today

2010-06-02T00:02:00.000-07:00

Blogging at Novel Journey today. Would love it if you stopped by and said hey! Hope to see you there.

Have a great day,

Cheryl Wyatt

Blogging at Love Inspired Authors Blog today. Please join me?

2010-06-01T06:37:00.000-07:00

Who do you miss the most today and why? Tell me here @ the Love Inspired authors' blog.

Hope to see you there!

Have a wonderful week,

Cheryl Wyatt

Recommending SHADES OF MORNING by Marlo Schalesky

2010-05-24T07:07:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Here's another great book by an author I love. Hope you will check it out. Marlo is a fantabulous storyteller whose work will tug your heartstrings. You might find yourself different when you close her book than you were when you opened it...and that's a good thing. Be blessed! Here's more info:

SHADES OF MORNING
By Marlo Schalesky
Published by Waterbrook-Multnomah Publishers
Shades of Morning is Marlo’s third “Love Story with a Twist” (think a Nicolas Sparks type love story with an M. Night Shyamalan type twist!).

A BIT ABOUT THE BOOK:
Marnie Wittier has life just where she wants it. Quiet. Peaceful. No drama. A long way away from her past. In the privacy of her home, she fills a box with slips of paper, scribbled with her regrets, sins, and sorrows. But that’s nobody else’s business. Her bookstore/coffee shop patrons, her employees, her friends from church - they all think she’s the very model of compassion and kindness. Then Marnie’s past creeps into her present when her estranged sister dies and makes Marnie guardian of her fifteen-year-old son—a boy Marnie never knew existed. And when Emmit arrives, she discovers he has Down syndrome - and that she’s woefully unprepared to care for him. What’s worse, she has to deal with Taylor Cole, her sister’s attorney, a man Marnie once loved—and abandoned. As Emmit—and Taylor—work their way into her heart, Marnie begins to heal. But when pieces of her dismal past surface again, she must at last face the scripts of paper in her box, all the regrets and sorrows. Can she do it? Or will she run again?

FROM ROMANTIC TIMES:
Top Pick! 4 ½ Stars! “Schalesky has a knack for weaving a surprising spiritual twist into her tales. The touching plot will make readers examine how they deal with past regrets, and how God moves them through it. A not-to-be-missed, stunning novel!”

A BIT ABOUT MARLO:
Marlo Schalesky is the award winning author of numerous books, including her latest novel Shades of Morning, which combines a love story with a surprise ending twist. Marlo’s other books include the Christy Award winning Beyond the Night, and its sequel If Tomorrow Never Comes. Marlo is also the author of nearly 700 articles, the mother of 5 young children, and holds her Masters in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. When she’s not changing diapers, doing laundry, or writing books, Marlo loves sipping Starbucks white mochas, reading the New Testament in Greek, and talking about finding the deep places of God in everyday life.

FIND OUT MORE:
Marlo's Web site
Marlo on Facebook

Cheryl Wyatt

In Seekerville Today

2010-05-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

I'm blogging in Seekerville today.

Zip on over and join in the fun.

Thanks all!

Cheryl Wyatt

Saturday Book Stroll-Almost Forever by Deborah Raney

2010-05-08T23:14:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to Saturday Book Stroll! I'm here to tell you about another great book by an author I love. I LOVE this cover too. Just awesome.

Almost Forever
by Deborah Raney
A Hanover Falls Novel
from Howard/Simon & Schuster

Unearthing a lost memory may cause her to lose everything she holds dear. but could it also set her free?

Volunteer Bryn Hennesey was there at the Grove Street Homeless Shelter the night five heroic firefighters died at the scene. Among them was her husband, Adam.

Now a terrifying absence of memory has her wondering if she might, in some way, be responsible. Garrett Edmonds' wife, Molly, was the only female firefighter to perish in the blaze. He was supposed to protect the woman he loved.now she's the one who's died a hero. How can he go on in the face of such unbearable loss? And what started the fire that destroyed the dreams and futures of so many? Investigators are stumped. But someone knows the answer...

Deborah Raney books always captivate me! Almost Forever is a beautifully written and enthralling read. It made my heart sing, dance, cry, and turn more than a few flips!
~CindyWoodsmall, New York Times best-selling author

As a fan of the very talented Deborah Raney, I expected a great read and I got it in the richly emotional Almost Forever, a story of faith, forgiveness and redemption. It began with a gripping scene and proceeded to hold me enthralled to the end. Don't miss this one!
~Karen Young, author of Missing Max and Blood Bayou

DEBORAH RANEY is at work on her 20th novel. Her books have won the RITA Award, HOLT Medallion, National Readers' Choice Award, Silver Angel, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. Her first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title. Almost Forever, first in her new Hanover Falls Novels series, will release in May from Howard/Simon & Schuster. Deb and her husband, Ken Raney, enjoy small-town life in Kansas. They are new empty nesters with four grown children and two precious grandsons, all of whom live much too far away.

Visit Deb on the web at www.deborahraney.com
Order her books here.

Hope you will pick up your copy soon! Have a wonderful week.

Cheryl

Blogging at Love Inspired Authors' Blog Today

2010-05-05T10:06:00.000-07:00

I'm blogging at loveinspiredauthors.blogspot.com today. Actually, I'm doing a poll there and hope you'll drop by and comment.

I also provide a link to an interview with Steeple Hill's Executive Editor, Joan Marlow Golan. I love this woman! Hope you'll drop by and get to know her too.

We're doing GOBS of giveaways.

Zip on over and join in the fun.

Folks are TOO quiet over there. Go and stir up some comments. LOL!

Thanks all!

Cheryl Wyatt

Calculated Revenge by Jill Nelson-Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense

2010-04-27T16:26:00.000-07:00

Calculated Revenge by Jill Elizabeth Nelson
Steeple Hill Romantic Suspense
(c) 2010

Cheryl here to recommend another book. This is a fellow Love Inspired author who writes for the suspense line. Hope you'll check it out wherever books are sold. When it's off the shelf in stores, it will still be available online at any bookseller. Jill's plots are always unique, so check this one out.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

It’s been eighteen years since Laney Thompson’s sister was abducted and killed, but the pain Laney feels has never faded. And now the murderer is back, taunting Laney with mementos of her sister and threatening Laney’s young daughter. School principal Noah Ryder is her best hope for protecting her daughter—if she can convince the former investigator to take the case. As the threats accelerate, a string of clues leads Laney to uncover old secrets. Unless Noah steps in with his expertise, how can she piece together the puzzle before her child—like her sister—is lost to a killer’s revenge?

READER REVIEWS:

I just finished your book. I love Christian Suspense books and this one is the best one I have read in a while. I never figured out the solution until it was evident to all. Wonderful suspense weaving throughout the book. Thanks, I will look for more books by you. I could not put it down once I got started.

Excellent, excellent book! It caught my attention from the first page and was so hard to put down! Keep on sharing God's love and gospel thru your writing - it is important to those who need encouragement as well as need to know our precious Savior!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jill Elizabeth Nelson is an award-winning author of mystery and suspense. She writes what she likes to read—tales of adventure seasoned with romance, humor, and faith, earning her the tagline: Endless Adventure, Timeless Truth. Jill speaks at conferences, writer’s groups, library associations, and civic and church groups. She and her husband live in rural Minnesota where they raised four children and are currently enjoying their first grandchild.

Visit Jill Elizabeth Nelson’s website at http://www.jillelizabethnelson.com for excerpts, book giveaways, and contests.

You can order this book directly from your local bookstore, retail stores such as Walmart, or online here.

Jill Elizabeth Nelson
~~Endless Adventure, Timeless Truth~~

www.jillelizabethnelson.com

ALSO BY JILL:
Reluctant Burglar, Reluctant Runaway, Reluctant Smuggler from Multnomah Books
Calculated Revenge (April 2010) and Legacy of Lies (October 2010) from Steeple Hill

In Seekerville Today PLUS GIVEAWAY!

2010-04-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

I'm blogging in Seekerville today.

Zip on over and join in the fun. I've issued a fun challenge that you won't want to miss.

Thanks all!

Cheryl Wyatt

Saturday Book Stroll Feature: Sons of Thunder by Susan May Warren

2010-03-27T07:37:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday!
Here's another great book by an author I love: Sons of Thunder by Susan May Warren. The publisher is Summerside Press. If you like Steeple Hill books, I think you will enjoy Summerside's romance. If you read and enjoy Summerside, you'll also love Steeple Hill. Give them a try if you haven't or haven't in awhile. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

About Susan's book:
Sophie Frangos is torn between the love of two men and the promise that binds them all together. Markos Stavros loves Sophie from afar while battling his thirst for vengeance and his hunger for honor. Dino, his quiet and intelligent brother, simply wants to forget the horror that drove them from their Greek island home to start a new life in America. One of these “sons of thunder” offers a future she longs for, the other—the past she lost.

From the sultry Chicago jazz clubs of the roaring twenties to the World War II battlefields of Europe to a final showdown in a Greek island village, they’ll discover betrayal, sacrifice, and finally redemption. Most of all, when Sophie is forced to make her choice, she’ll learn that God honors the promises made by the Sons of Thunder.

Read and excerpt here.

About Susan:
Susan May Warren is the RITA award-winning author of twenty-four novels with Tyndale, Barbour and Steeple Hill. A four-time Christy award finalist, a two-time RITA Finalist, she’s also a multi-winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Book of the Year.

Susan's larger than life characters and layered plots have won her acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. A seasoned women’s events and retreats speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!. She is also the founder of www.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice.

Susan makes her home in northern Minnesota, where she is busy cheering on her two sons in football, and her daughter in local theater productions (and desperately missing her college-age son!) A full listing of her titles, reviews and awards can be found at: Susan's Web site.
Connect with Susan on Facebook: www.susanmaywarren.com

Buy the book here.

Enter Susan’s Memory Prize Pack contest:
Each one of us has a wealth of stories from the past – while they might not all be as sweeping and dramatic as that of Sofia and the Stravos brothers (swoon), your family history is a treasure nonetheless.

Well – let’s hear them! Were your great-grandparents ‘fresh off the boat’? Was your great uncle a war hero? Did your grandmother make unbelievable sacrifices to help or protect the family? Did your father harbor a family secret until his death? Are you related to someone famous (my assistant is related to presidents Harrison and Jackson – wow! Who knew?) Do you have a family treasure? Maybe you just have some lovely memories. Whatever it is that is unique in your family history – share it with us.

Have a photo to go with your story? Even better!!!! Email those to amy@susanmaywarren.com !

One grand prize winner will win a Memory Prize package containing a gift certificate to create your own hard cover photo book, a 6 month membership to Netflix (to satisfy that flick fix!) and a signed copy of Sons of Thunder! 5 runners up will also win signed copies of Sons of Thunder! Contest ends March 31st. Winners will be announced April 2nd.

TO ENTER THE CONTEST VISIT THE SONS OF THUNDER WEBSITE. CLICK on the SHARE page.

www.susanmaywarren.com
www.mybooktherapy.com CHERYL SAYS: This is GREAT HELP FOR ASPIRING AND GROWING WRITERS!

Cheryl Wyatt

Faith for a splinter & miracles abound

2010-03-22T06:49:00.000-07:00

Astonished & thankful. Last week, God pushed a splinter from a little girl's finger.

Yesterday he raised someone I love from death.

Grandma Veda went into Vtac then full arrest. Code team started compressions then recalled she's a DNR. Stopped CPR. Gma unresponsive several moments. Then her arms flew up & she started breathing on her own w/no intervention. Sat up immediately & later asked for food. Cardiologist termed it a miracle. Said, "People don't come back from this without the paddles. This rhythm is lethal. They usually drop dead and can't be brought back & they certainly don't come back on their own. It wasn't her time. It just wasn't her time."

Thanks be to God.

Then more miracles occurred in the cath lab. The doctor brought out her last films and compared them in front of us with the current films & said they were surprised to get in there and find no intervention needed. 1.No blockage found. 2.Last film showed she had two collapsed vessels so the third was stented. Dr (astonished) said, "Not only is the stented vessel fine, 1 of the 2 closed vessels has somehow reopened on its own."

Somehow.

I know how.

By His stripes we are healed...

Thank you, God. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you Holy Spirit for the peace and presence of yesterday. Profound thanks for more time with my granny.

She's determined to catch that elusive albino catfish in my parents' pond this summer.

Maybe God is determined she will too. :-)

Please believe.

God is alive and well and in control no matter what the circumstances look like.

If you're moved, whisper a prayer for her and shout a thanks for us because we have her for a while longer. God is still God. He is in control. He holds the keys.

I hope, in the light of this crazy health care plan, that brings peace in the midst of your fear regarding the future of America. Trust God and you will not be shaken no matter what is going on around you. We have a God who cares deeply about the stuff that concerns us. He is active and can intervene. He made a man out of dirt, a woman out of bone and He breathed life back into my grandma yesterday.

Cheryl

In Seekerville Today

2010-03-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

I'm blogging in Seekerville today.

Zip on over and join in the fun.

Thanks all!

Cheryl Wyatt

Featured book: Once in a Blue Moon by Leanna Ellis

2010-03-08T10:28:00.000-08:00

Howdy all! Here’s the scoopage on another great book by an author I love: Once in a Blue Moon by Leanna Ellis is IN STORES NOW!

About the book:

Once in a Blue Moon

ISBN: 978-0-8054-4988-4 B&H Publishing

Faith is the first step to soaring.

The day Armstrong stepped on the moon has special memories for most Americans, but not for Bryn Seymour. It’s the day her mother died. Despite death defying feats, guilt has always pulled Bryn down time and again. But a perfect love shows her taking a leap of faith is the first step to soaring. But it only happens … once in a blue moon.

About the author:

‘Leanna Ellis takes a back seat to no one,’ says Debbie Macomber. But Leanna hopes she allows God in the driver’s seat as she taxies her two children to and from all their activities, lets her menagerie of pets in and out … in and out ..., figures out what to cook for dinner (or where to order takeout), and at the same time keeps those quirky characters in her head from bothering others. Winner of the National Readers Choice Award, Leanna writes quirky women’s fiction with a splash of romance. From a long line of southerners and patriots, she lives with her family in Texas.

Amazon Purchase Link

Excerpt Link

Author website
Author blog

Look for FACELIFT by Leanna in September 2010

Cheryl Wyatt

The Canine Tumble aka Blushing Dog

2010-03-01T21:08:00.000-08:00

ROFL! My dog fell asleep on the back of the couch, was dreaming and rolled off! LOL! Thankfully he tumbled forward onto the cushioned part rather than backwards onto the floor because he landed before he was fully awake. It's been like ten minutes and poor thing is still laying there looking embarrassed and befuddled...like he's still not sure what completely happened.

He's so cute!

I'd love to hear about your favorite pet antics. Talk away! :-)

Hero's Tribute by Graham Garrison

2010-02-22T18:59:00.000-08:00

I read this book by accident. LOL! I received it from Douglas Public Relations
and had a few months to read it. I didn't intend to dive into it yet, but as soon as I opened it I started flipping through pages, curious to see what this new author had in store as far as writing style, etc. I couldn't stop reading.

The writing, the story and the dialogue in particular drew me in enough that I started at the beginning and inhaled it in one day...still sitting in the spot where I opened the box it came in. Call that engrosing. LOL! The characters sounded like real people. Graham's storytelling style reminds me a little of Philip Gulley, who I adore, and Graham shares the knack for depicting small town life well.

I was pleasantly surprised by this story...especially the beginning. Tonewise it reminded me of Facing the Giants. A gentle, surprising read. It's sold in stores and everywhere books are sold. Hope you'll pick up your copy soon.

Cheryl Wyatt

Blog Tour Stop-Deliver Us From Evil by Robin Caroll & Interview

2010-02-17T09:20:00.000-08:00

Cheryl here to introduce my good friend and awesome suspense author, Robin Caroll. I am so excited about the recent release of her debut single title, Deliver Us From Evil, from B&H. I read this story years ago in a contest, and even then, felt it would someday be a voice for little ones who can't speak out for themselves. While this book isn't agenda-driven, it does deal with child trafficking and I hope this book, though fiction, will help raise awareness of this horrific problem in the U.S. and abroad.

James Scott Bell, author of Deceived and Try Fear, said of Robin's book: "Deliver Us From Evil is the kind of novel 'Ripped from the headlines' was meant to describe. Compelling."

More about the book:

A beautiful yet tough woman working in a beautiful yet tough setting, Brannon Callahan is a search and rescue helicopter pilot for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Strong faith and a decorated history of service have kept her one step ahead of on-the-job dangers, but there’s no precedent for what’s about to happen. After a blizzard takes down a small plane carrying U.S. Marshal Roark Holland (already haunted by a recent tragedy), Brannon must save him in more ways than one and safeguard the donor heart he’s transporting to a government witness on the edge of death. Otherwise the largest child trafficking ring in history—with shocking links from Thailand to Tennessee—will slip further away into darkness along the Appalachian Trail.

More about the author:
Born and raised in Louisiana, Robin Caroll is a Southern through and through. Her passion has always been to tell stories to entertain others. Robin’s books have placed/finaled in such contests as Bookseller’s Best, Book of the Year, and Reviewer’s Choice Award. When she isn’t writing, Robin spends time with her husband of twenty years, her three beautiful daughters, and their four character-filled pets at home—in the South, where else? An avid reader herself, Robin loves hearing from and chatting with other readers. Although her favorite genre to read is mystery/suspense, of course, she’ll read just about any good story. Except historicals! To learn more about this author of deep South mysteries of suspense to inspire your heart, visit Robin’s website.

What's next from Robin:

Dead Air (March '10, Steeple Hill Suspense)
Fear No Evil (Aug '10, B&H Publishing)

Interview:

1. If the hero of your book could write a blurb about you, tell us what he'd say. Robin is demanding, and pushy. Wants to expose every weakness.
2. What about the heroine?
Robin works hard to live her faith, and loves to talk about it.
3. The villain? Robin?
That ()*(&^*&^%&^ who *&*&*^ is such a *(&(*&*&^..
4. What was the most interesting thing you learned while researching this book?
That human trafficking is modern day slavery, and occurs more often than people imagine-right under our noses!
5. What inspired the premise?
I saw a documentary and it ripped my heart out, but I couldn't stop watching.
6. What are some ways people can help stop child trafficking or bring awareness to the problem?
In the back of DELIVER US FROM EVIL, I list some links of some really awesome organizations. During the month of January, every post on my blog, www.robinswritingworld.blogspot.com discussed ways to raise awareness and get involved.
7. What are you working on now?
Right now, I've just finished the 3rd book in the "evil" trilogy. I'm working on ACFW conference stuff for the moment.
8. When will the next book be out in this series?
FEAR NO EVIL releases August 1, 2010
9. How can readers connect with you on the Web?
www.robincaroll.com
10. What other books being released by B&H are you excited about, other than your own? :-)
There are so many, but the one in my mind right at the moment (because it's on my desk since hubby finally finished reading it and returned it) is ROOMS by Jim Rubart. AWESOME read. And an upcoming one I'm REALLY excited about reading? Iscariot by Tosca Lee.

Thanks, Robin!

Everyone, I hope you will rush out and pick up your copy of Deliver Us From Evil today. You won't be sorry. It's an action-packed, emotionally-evocative story that you won't want to miss.

Later taters!

Cheryl Wyatt

In Seekerville Today

2010-02-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

I'm blogging in Seekerville today.

Zip on over and join in the fun.

Thanks all!

Cheryl Wyatt

Beneath A Southern Sky by Deborah Raney

2010-02-15T04:37:00.000-08:00

Hey all!

I have another great book to tell you about by an author I love: Beneath A Southern Sky
by Deborah Raney-WaterBrook Press

First released in 2001, Beneath a Southern Sky, has been reissued with a new cover as part of WaterBrook Press's new value line fiction.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Her Second Husband Healed the Sorrow of a Tragic Loss.
Her First Has Just Returned from the Dead.
Which Man Has the Right to Claim Daria's Heart?

After two years of serving as a missionary in a remote area of South America, Daria Camfield has returned to the States to mourn her husband, reportedly killed while providing medical aid to a neighboring Colombian village.

One family discovers how God can redeem any tragedy.

At first, Daria finds comfort only in the daughter born to her after Nate's tragic death. As she begins to heal, she also finds a listening ear and a tender heart in her new boss, veterinarian Colson Hunter. Determined to move forward with life, Daria ignores the still small voice calling her to wait and accepts Cole's marriage proposal. But after the wedding, Daria's new dream life turns into a nightmare with the arrival of an unbelievable telegram:"Nathan Camfield found alive. Flying into K.C. Int'l. via Bogota…"

Now two men have the right to her daughter, her life, and her love. Will Daria return to her beloved first husband, abandoning Cole? Or will she reject Nate and choose the only man her daughter has ever called "Daddy"--a man she has come to cherish with all her heart?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Deb has won numerous awards:
• 2002 RITA Award from RWA
• 2002 FH&L Inspirational Readers' Choice Award
• Book of the Year for American Christian Romance Writers (now ACFW)
• 2001 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award
• 2002 HOLT Medallion Finalist
• 2002 Aspen Gold Award, 2nd place
• Named one of christianbook.com's Top 10 Fiction book of 2001

BIO: DEBORAH RANEY is at work on her 20th novel. Her books have won the RITA Award, HOLT Medallion, National Readers' Choice Award, Silver Angel, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. Her first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title. Almost Forever, first in her new Hanover Falls Novels series, will release in May from Howard/Simon & Schuster. Deb and her husband, Ken Raney, enjoy small-town life in Kansas. They are new empty nesters with four grown children and two precious grandsons, all of whom live much too far away.

Visit Deborah's WEBSITE

PURCHASE THIS BOOK HERE.

Blogging at Love Inspired Authors Blog today

2010-02-10T10:20:00.000-08:00

I'm blogging at Love Inspired Authors Blog today.

Zip on over and join in the fun.

Folks are TOO quiet over there. Go and stir up some comments. LOL!

I'm talking about fear related to natural disasters akin to your region and would love your input.

Thanks all!

Cheryl Wyatt

Fatal Burn by Roxanne Rustand

2010-02-08T12:05:00.000-08:00

I have a new book to tell you about by an author I love:

FATAL BURN
Roxanne Rustand
Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense
Isbn 978-0-373-44380-2
February, 2010

Smoke and mirrors... 

Someone's after Kris Donaldson. and they don't just want her hurt--they want her ruined. First, an arsonist tries to destroy her cabin, and evidence points to Kris as possible insurance fraud. Then an injured deputy is found at her place...with ballistics proof that he was shot with her rifle. Even Trace Randall, the arson investigator who's helped her before, seems to doubt her now. She has to prove her innocence, but how? Her reputation, her life--and her chance for happiness with Trace--are all on the line. 

Roxanne Rustand is the author of twenty-eight romantic suspense and heart-warming relationship novels, including eleven inspirational titles. Her 2010 releases include two books in her Big Sky Secrets series for Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense: Fatal Burn in February and End Game in June. In November, 2010, Winter Reunion will be released, the first book in her Aspen Creek Crossroads series for Love Inspired. She lives in the country with her family, and a menagerie of pets that frequently find their way into her books. For information, visit her blogs and website at:

roxannerustand.com
Roxanne at Shoutlife
Roxanne at The All Creatures Great and Small Place

AVAILABLE NOW, WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD. Hope you will get yours today.

Have a wonderful week!

Cheryl Wyatt

Groom in Training by Gail Gaymer Martin

2010-02-04T10:46:00.001-08:00

Cheryl Wyatt here to tell you about another book by an author I love. Gail taught me a lot during a paid critique at ACFW through her gentle honesty and wisdom in craft. I appreciate her for that. Plus, her books are great. I hope you will get your copy of Groom in Training today. I love the concept of this story as well as the title and the cover. Very cute!

Cheryl

Groom In Training

by Gail Gaymer Martin
Second book in the Man's Best Friend Series from Steeple Hill Love Inspired

Friends, Four-legged Friends and Love.

A widow with a sad past, Steph Wright, finds comfort in her faith and her adorable Border Collie, Fred. When Fred becomes enamored with the neighbor's pedigreed Bouvier, Steph meets Nick. With a broken engagement and a busy job, Nick isn't open to love and romance. But when Nick steps in to defend Steph, long talks ensue during dog walking, and both begin to learn that God has plans for each of them, especially Steph who sees some unexpected "groom-in-training" going on.

Endorsements from readers:
Had a hard time putting this book down. I highly recommend Groom In Training, and look forward to reading more from Gail Gaymer Martin.
Rikki Lee Howland, Reader

A delightful story of two hearts discovering where they belong.
Jo Huddleston, Reader

Bio:
Multi-award-winning author, Gail Gaymer Martin writes fiction for Steeple Hill and Barbour Publishing, where she was recently honored by Heartsong readers as their Favorite Author of 2008. Gail has written forty-four contracted novels with three million books in print. She is the author of Writing the Christian Romance, a Writers Digest Books release. Gail is a co-founder of American Christian Fiction Writers. She is a keynote speaker at churches, libraries and civic organizations and also presents workshops at conference across the US. Gail has a Masters degree and post-master’s classes from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and is a licensed counselor. She lives in Michigan with her husband.
Links:
Website: www.gailmartin.com
Gail's Thoughts: www.gailmartin.blogspot.com
Writing Fiction Right: www.writingright-martin.blogspot.com

Facebook:: http://www.facebook.com/people/Gail-Gaymer-Martin/1429640580
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GailGMartin

Groom In Training available where books are sold or click below
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0373875794?ie=UTF8&tag=novgaigaymar-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0373875794

You can find this book and the first book in the series, Dad In Training, at
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0373875509?ie=UTF8&tag=novgaigaymar-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0373875509

The Sweet By and By by Sara Evans & Rachel Hauck plus Inverview

2010-01-29T08:30:00.001-08:00

I became excited about this book when Rachel mentioned it during downtime in Denver when I served on the ACFW operating board for a short time last year. She's on the advisory board and she also leads worship at the ACFW conferences. I was so excited when the book finally released. LOL!

I am reading it now and am not disappointed. I think the biggest reason I'm enjoying it so far is due to all the music-related dialogue in it. My husband is and has been in the music industry for decades and so this book has made me smile on more than one occasion.

The characters seem like people you'd know or want to. While the characters each have issues they're working through, the book doesn't seem issue-driven to me, a sure sign of the authors' careful handiwork in crafting this great story which paints a beautiful picture of how surrendering to forgiveness can transform (for good) a person's heart and life.

I highly recommend you go out and get your own copy. If someone in your family is a music buff, I think they'd enjoy this book.

Sarah and Rachel can both be found on Twitter, etc. If you enjoy the book, be sure to let them know.

Thanks all!
Cheryl Wyatt

BLURB:

Jade Fitzgerald left the pain of her past in the dust when she headed out for college a decade ago. Now she's thriving in her career and glowing in the light of Max Benson's love.
But then Jade's hippie mother, Beryl Hill, arrives in Whisper Hollow, Tennessee, for Jade's wedding along with Willow, her wild younger sister. Their arrival forces Jade to throw open the dark closets of her past--the insecurity of living with a restless, wandering mother, the silence of her absent father, and the heart-ripping pain of first-love's rejection.
Turns out Beryl has a secret of her own. She needs reconciliation with her oldest daughter before illness takes her life. In the final days leading to the wedding, Jade meets the One who shows her that the past has no hold on her future. With a little grace, they'll meet in the middle, maybe even before that sweet by and by.

Review blurbs:

"...heartwarming collaborative debut." - Publishers Weekly

"This Southern mother-daughter story is refreshingly well written and will easily engross readers of women's fiction." - Library Journal

Bio:
Multi-platinum recording artist Sara Evans has garnered such honors as ACM's Female Vocalist of the Year, CMA's Video of the Year, named one of People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People," and she was the first country star to compete in ABC's Dancing with the Stars. This is her first novel. Sara has said that the redemptive message always attracts her to a given story. It's the story she's cares about most in the songs she records and sings; it's the story of her life; it's the story she looks for in the faces of those she meets.
"I've been a Believer since I was 21. My faith has been everything to me in my life since then. In my marriage, my motherhood, my career, and just dealing with everyday life, God is my constant companion and friend. I find myself praying constantly prayers of gratitude and guidance. As a mom and a career woman, my life is filled daily with choices and decisions to make that will affect lots of people. So I rely on God to guide me!"

Best selling, award winning author Rachel Hauck is known for well-written stories that paint real-life characters facing real-life challenges. She writes with depth and humor. As an author, worship and prayer leader, it's Rachel's heart to spread the love and fragrance of God to those she meets. In person or on the page. His plans for each individual are vast and good. "I have one goal in life. To seek His face. Everything has come together for me because of seeking Him. Even in my weakness, He is strong. I'd like others to know the same success."

Rachel lives in central Florida with her husband, a teacher and pastor, and their ornery pets.

Amazon link
Rachel's web site
Sara's web site

INTERVIEW
Q: How did this collaboration come about?

RH: Really? God. Thomas Nelson approached Sara about a fiction project, then approached me about writing with/for her. My career was in a place of make-it or break-it, and I'd just prayed one of my "surrender prayers" to the Lord and was ready to go anywhere, do anything. Not having children, I am pretty much 100% available to pick up and go whenever and wherever. Knowing the Lord would take my husband and current writing and worship commitments into account, I was ready to go! It was very freeing to say, "God, I have nothing. What do you want to do? I'm 100% available. You're so good, whatever it is You want for me, I'll love it."

I've loved this journey writing with Sara. I struggled in some of my weaknesses from time to time, but this was one of the easiest books I've ever written even though I'd never written women's fiction. Never written flashbacks. Never written a continuing character series.

Q: What was Sara's part of the process?

RH: She cast the vision. We sat down and talked about what she wanted in the book, what kind of story she wanted to tell, and hashed out an overview. I went home and added the details and did the writing. If I was unsure about something, I'd email her and ask for her input. For example, we ended up dealing with a controversial social issue in this book and I wanted to know she was ready to assign her name to it.

Q. What do you want readers to take away from this story?

RH: God is good. There is always hope and redemption. While our past can impact our present, we don't have to carry the burden of pain and sin into the future. God truly does work all things together for our good.

Q. What's next for you and Sara?

RH: The second book, Softly and Tenderly, is written and releases January 2011. We are collaborating on two more books to be released January 2012 and 2013. They will be a continuation of the series. Book two is really exciting. Hit's the ground running.

Q. As an author, how did this book impact you and your work?

RH: I learned a lot about myself. Going back to the original prayer of surrender, I had to see that when God brought something to me to do it might not center around me! Maybe He wanted me to use my gifts and talents for others. At the same time, what amazing grace and peace He gave me.

My writing had to take on a different flavor and tone. I learned to write about two women instead of a romance with a hero and heroine. I had to develop back story that worked on stage instead of through dialog. This project forced me to work on a much deeper emotional level. I was exhausted when it was done. But I loved the process.

Q. Who is your favorite character?

RH: Well, Jade, the protagonist, of course. But her sister Willow really captured me. We had to back her up a bit or she'd steal the show! I also really had an affection for the character Dustin.

Q. What's next for you? Any solo projects.

RH: Yes! I have a late 2010 release from Thomas Nelson, Dining With Joy, about a cooking show host who can't cook.

I'm looking forward to that one!

Later taters,

Cheryl

In Seekerville Today

2010-01-15T00:01:00.000-08:00

I'm blogging in Seekerville today.

Zip on over and join in the fun. We're chatting with Dave Fessenden, Managing Editor for CLC Publications. Come wish him a happy birthday!

See ya there,

Cheryl Wyatt

How to help Haiti now

2010-01-13T07:43:00.000-08:00

My heart is broken for Haiti. I know many of you feel the same. Most of you know that I have a heart for orphans and the impoverished and that I went to India on media and humanitarian missions following the great tsunami. My affiliation for missions is Hopegivers International and I KNOW this charity is 100% legit.

They have set up a Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund which will be used to provide assistance in the aftermath of this tragedy. Haiti is already one of the most impoverished countries in the World, and they will need our help and care now more than ever. I encourage you to stand with us during this time and give whatever you can to assist with the relief efforts.

The Hopegivers International Staff thank you with all of their hearts for your ongoing prayers and generous support.

Hopegivers Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund

These are other ministries that I know are legit and who actively reach out to Haiti. Some of them have staffers who haven't been heard from since the quake. Please consider helping by offering your prayers at the very least. If you can, please assist financially as well.
Compassion International. There is a Haiti link.

World Vision

Finally, Michelle Cushatt, a writing friend who is becoming very dear to me because she has a heart like mine posted a beautiful note regarding Haiti. Her family went there in June and she offers these words: "If you’re aching to do something, contribute to what must be a world-wide effort to rescue and rebuild this country and her people, please go to the New Missions website. One of the best ways you can help is by partnering with an organization that has been there for decades. It’s the only way to insure your contribution makes it past the corruption to the people who truly need it.

And, of course, don’t underestimate the value of your consistent, heart-felt prayers. They will be needed long after these first few days of crisis."
New Missions

There are many, many other legit ministries and charities out there, but there are also many scammers who are out to take advantage of this horrific tragedy and those who would seek to give. Please make sure that the organization you choose is legit. You can rest assured that the aforementioned ones are.

Thank you for your prayers for Haiti. Please continue to lift them up in the following hours, days and weeks.

Blessings,

Cheryl Wyatt

Blogging at Novel Journey today

2010-01-13T00:07:00.000-08:00

Blogging at Novel Journey today. Would love it if you stopped by and said hey! Hope to see you there.

Have a great day,

Cheryl Wyatt

Blogging with the Inkies today

2010-01-11T00:02:00.000-08:00

Blogging here today about a million missing facts. Hope you will join me and leave comments. Inkwell Inspirations blog

Cheryl Wyatt

Blogging at Craftie Ladies Today

2010-01-07T00:54:00.000-08:00

Blogging here today. Hope you will drop by and comment.

Craftie Ladies of Romance

Cheryl Wyatt

Mission: Military Prayers-for military families separated at Christmas

2009-12-21T00:06:00.000-08:00

This video says it all.

Praying for all deployed servicemen and women and their families this season.

The image of the female soldier and little baby REALLY got to me. Still sopping tears.

Please lift up these dedecated members of society and the families who will miss their presence this season.

Presence trumps presents every time. But if you know a military family who had a loved one deployed, consider giving them a gift as well as your prayers. Times are hard for them as most take pay cuts to serve.

Merry Christmas all!

Cheryl Wyatt

Blogging at Craftie Ladies Today

2009-12-17T00:03:00.000-08:00

Blogging here today. Hope you will drop by and comment.

Craftie Ladies of Romance

Cheryl Wyatt

In Seekerville Today

2009-12-15T00:01:00.000-08:00

I'm blogging in Seekerville today.

Zip on over and join in the fun.

Thanks all!

Cheryl Wyatt

Monterey Memories by Gail Gaymer Martin

2009-12-03T08:48:00.000-08:00

Here's another good book to tell you about:

MONTEREY MEMORIES - Three novels by Gail Gaymer Martin set in the beautiful Monterey area in the central coast of California. The Barbour anthology includes the novels And Baby Makes Five, Garlic and Roses and Butterfly Trees.

Book Description
Walk the streets and countryside of Monterey, California, with three couples who are surprised by love in the midst of their busy lives. Chad helps Felisa when she goes into labor in his lettuce field. Juli meets Alan while volunteering at a soup kitchen. Ross takes an overdue vacation at Alissa’s bed-and-breakfast. Can busy people slow down enough to realize the love God has brought into their lives?

Reviews from AMAZON

Monterey Memories, an anthology, is a must buy. I truly love this book. In each of the three novels, set in the central coast of California, Gail writes of God's love with such ease and weaves His love throughout each story.

We see how faith and growth in the Word affects every aspect of the characters lives. Everyday normal people with trials and decisions, which we too, can identify. From trust, or acceptance to forgiveness, each of the story's characters learn to lean on God through their faith.

I'm adding this book to my gift list for friends and family. Who wouldn't want to find this warm, engrossing book in their stocking at Christmas? Or simply a gift to share.
Reviewer: Carolyn J. Devaney

Gail's Bio:
Multi-award-winning novelist, Gail Gaymer Martin is the author of forty-three novels with three million books in print. Her novels have received seven national awards and was presented the Favorite Heartsong Presents Author Award for 2008. She writes for Steeple Hill, Barbour Publishing, and is the author of Writing the Christian Romance from Writers Digest. Gail is a co-founder of American Christian Fiction Writers and a popular keynote speaker and workshop presenter at conferences across the U.S. www.gailmartin.com.

Purchase the novel is bookstores everywhere or click this link to purchase on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1602605823?ie=UTF8&tag=novgaigaymar-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1602605823

Cheryl Wyatt

A Hope and a Future by Don Wilton-B&H Publishing

2009-12-01T08:13:00.000-08:00

I imagine many of you are out Christmas shopping. If you or someone you love enjoys reading, I recommend A Hope and a Future by Don Wilton. This book really was like opening a treasure chest that had many different compartments. I'd read a chapter and say, "This one's my favorite."

Until I got to the next chapter and the next. There is SO much life application in this book and it's a simple read, meaning it doesn't involve a lot of think-time or effort on the reader's part.

This book helped me to understand those around me as well as helped me to understand some things within myself and how to let God breathe on the hope He has placed inside us.

Jeremiah 29:11 is one of my favorite verses because it's filled with promise that God has a future and a hope for us. This book delves into that promise and shows it both applicably and practically. Don't miss this treasure of a book!

MORE ABOUT THE BOOK:
Pastor Don Wilton, who is also known as Billy Graham’s pastor, believes that discouragement is prevalent today and can have a negative impact on a person's family, work, ministry and relationships, and may also lead to health ailments and depression. To encourage those who are feeling overwhelmed and uncertain about their future, Wilton has written A Hope and a Future(B & H Books) to help people break the day-to-day discouragement cycle. “I want to provide principles and illustrations from God’s Word for people to live beyond their circumstances, and despite their situation, show that God can bring them through it,” Wilton says.

In A Hope and a Future,Pastor Wilton parallels the lives of biblical figures Nehemiah, Samuel and Moses, men who overcame discouragement by making a choice to take action. He also stresses the importance of understanding spiritual gifts, sharing your faith, giving to others, and knowing the spiritual enemy. A Hope and a Future helps people to:

Identify and overcome spiritual emptiness and spiritual burnout
Recognize the relationship between health and fulfilling their spiritual calling
Understand why God allows spiritual attacks on Christians
Combat spiritual attacks with armor of God
Understand the ten tactics Satan uses to discourage and seven defensive actions

I hope you will pick up two copies...one for yourself and one for a friend or family member. Everyone faces discouragement at some point in life. I believe this book will be like a balm to hearts during those seasons. Happy Holidays!

Cheryl Wyatt

*Disclaimer note: This book was provided to me by the publisher or the author or marketing team but that in no way positively or negatively affects my opinion or review of the book.

Blogging at Craftie Ladies Today

2009-11-26T00:02:00.000-08:00

Blogging here today. Hope you will drop by and comment.

Craftie Ladies of Romance

Cheryl Wyatt

In Seekerville Today-Live Brainstorming Session & Crit Giveaway!

2009-11-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

I'm blogging in Seekerville today with my friends and crit buddies Camy Tang and Danica Favorite. Danica is our guestblogger and we will be doing a LIVE, real-time, interactive brainstorming session for one of my books.

We're also GIVING AWAY a first chapter critique by moi.

Zip on over and join in the fun.

Please pass this on!

Thanks all!

Cheryl Wyatt

Guestblogging at Moonlight, Lace, Mayhem today with Veteran's Day Giveaway!

2009-11-11T00:07:00.000-08:00

Guestblogging at Moonlight, Lace, Mayhem today with a post titled Bring on the Bad Boys.

Stop by and comment if you have time. I will give away a bundle of books...the first five books in my military series, Wings of Refuge, in honor of Veteran's Day.

Simply leave a comment ON THAT BLOG to be entered. Comments left here won't count today...click the link and comment on the Moonlight & Mayhem blog.

Thanks all!

See you there!

Cheryl Wyatt

Recommending Fit to be Tied by Robin Lee Hatcher

2009-11-10T11:28:00.000-08:00

Hey all, here's another great book by an author I love. I absolutely love the book covers for this series. This book is IN STORES NOW. Check it out:

FIT TO BE TIED
by Robin Lee Hatcher

Who says a woman can’t do a man’s job?
Cleo Arlington dresses like a cowboy, is fearless and fun-loving, and can ride, rope, and wrangle a horse as well as any man. In 1916, however, those talents aren’t what most young women aspire to. But Cleo isn’t most women. Twenty-nine years old and single, Cleo loves life on her father’s Idaho ranch. Still, she hopes someday to marry and have children.
Enter Sherwood Statham, an English aristocrat whose father has sentenced him to a year of work in America to “straighten him out.” Sherwood, who expected a desk job at a posh spa, isn’t happy to be stuck on an Idaho ranch. And he has no idea how to handle Cleo, who’s been challenged with transforming this uptight playboy into a down-home cowboy.
Just about everything either of them says or does leaves the other, well, fit to be tied. And though Cleo believes God’s plan for her includes a husband, it couldn’t possibly be Sherwood Statham. Could it?

BIO

Best-selling novelist Robin Lee Hatcher is known for her heartwarming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. She makes her home in Idaho where she enjoys spending time with her family and her high-maintenance Papillon, Poppet.

About FIT TO BE TIED, the Library Journal said: "A master of lively historical romances, Hatcher demonstrates an expert ability to craft spunky, unlikely heroines who go against the tide of the times in which they live, making for fun, exciting stories. She also pays close attention to historical detail. This second series entry (after A Vote of Confidence) is highly recommended for readers of inspirational and historical romances and women's fiction."

A Note from Robin

The Sisters of Bethlehem Springs series sprang from the question: Who says a woman can't do a man's job? And I can't fully express just how much fun I've had looking for the answer through the eyes of my heroines in this series. Although I have no favorites among the novels I've written (each were special to me at the time I wrote them), I do have some favorite characters. Cleo Arlington is one of them. I love her for her strong faith, for her quirky turns of phrase, for her confidence with horses and her lack of confidence with men, even for her impatience with Sherwood, the English aristocrat that she's supposed to turn into a cowboy. I've been so delighted that readers have taken her into their hearts the way they have. I hope you'll feel the same way about her.

*****************************

The trailer:

Here is the Amazon link:

Here is the Christianbook link:

And here is a link to an excerpt of FIT TO BE TIED:

Cheryl Wyatt

Blogging at Craftie Ladies Today

2009-11-05T00:05:00.000-08:00

Blogging here today. Hope you will drop by and comment.

Craftie Ladies of Romance

Cheryl Wyatt

Marcher Lord Select BEGINS TODAY!

2009-11-01T06:44:00.001-08:00

If you've ever wondered what it's like to sit on an editorial pub board and decide between a great bunch of acquisitions novels, now you can!

I have read all of these entry ideas and, trust me, the decision is going to be HARD.

October 19, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Marcher Lord Press Announces Marcher Lord Select

(Colorado Springs, CO)--Marcher Lord Press, the premier publisher of Christian speculative fiction, today announces the debut of a revolution in fiction acquisitions.

"Marcher Lord Select is American Idol meets book acquisitions," says publisher Jeff Gerke. "We're presenting upwards of 40 completed manuscripts and letting 'the people' decide which one should be published."

The contest will proceed in phases, Gerke explains, in each subsequent round of which the voters will receive larger glimpses of the competing manuscripts.

The first phase will consist of no more than the book's title, genre, length, a 20-word premise, and a 100-word back cover copy teaser blurb. Voters will cut the entries from 40 to 20 based on these items alone.

"We want to show authors that getting published involves more than simply writing a great novel," Gerke says. "There are marketing skills to be developed--and you've got to hook the reader with a good premise."

Following rounds will provide voters with a 1-page synopsis, the first 500 words of the book, the first 30 pages of the book, and, in the final round, the first 60 pages of the book.

The manuscript receiving the most votes in the final round will be published by Marcher Lord Press in its Spring 2010 release list.

No portion of any contestant's mss. will be posted online, as MLP works to preserve the non-publication status of all contestants and entries.

Participating entrants have been contacted personally by Marcher Lord Press and are included in Marcher Lord Select by invitation only.

"We're also running a secondary contest," Gerke says. "The 'premise contest' is for those authors who have completed a Christian speculative fiction manuscript that fits within MLP guidelines and who have submitted their proposals to me through the Marcher Lord Press acquisitions portal before October 29, 2009."

The premise contest will allow voters to select the books that sound the best based on a 20-word premise, a 100-word back cover copy teaser blurb, and (possibly) the first 500 words of the book.

The premise contest entrants receiving the top three vote totals will receive priority acquisitions reading by MLP publisher Jeff Gerke.

"It's a way for virtually everyone to play, even those folks who didn't receive an invitation to compete in the primary Marcher Lord Select contest."

The premise contest is open to anyone with a completed Christian speculative fiction manuscript that meets MLP guidelines for length, content, genre, worldview, audience, etc. To enter, authors must complete the acquisitions form found at the Marcher Lord Press site and supply all the components listed below on or before October 29, 2009.

Marcher Lord Select officially begins on November 1, 2009, and runs until completion in January or February 2010. All voting and discussions and Marcher Lord Select activities will take place at The Anomaly forums in the Marcher Lord Select subforum. Free registration is required.

"In order for this to work as we're envisioning," Gerke says, "we need lots and lots of voters. So even if you're not a fan of Christian science fiction or fantasy, I'm sure you love letting your voice be heard about what constitutes good Christian fiction. So come on out and join the fun!"

--

Marcher Lord Press is a Colorado Springs-based independent publisher producing Christian speculative fiction exclusively. MLP was launched in fall of 2008 and is privately owned. Contact: Jeff Gerke; www.marcherlordpress.com

He needs counseling...

2009-10-31T11:34:00.000-07:00

My poor dog.

He is so attached to me that he cannot stand to have me do ANYTHING other than pay attention to him straight time.

I played with him ALL morning then settled in to write.

He started dropping chew toys on my keyboard. I threw them for a long while and far enough each time that I hoped to wear him out so he'd take his nap.

But NOOOO. He kept dropping slimy toys on my fingers as I tried to type. I started hiding his chew toys. He totally freaked out. Huffed at me and started digging in the couch like it was a pile of dirt because I guess he smelled his toys. I'd stuffed them deep in the crack.

While he was busy in Plan B attempt to chew my sectional into shreds to rescue his toys, I took that opportunity to type.

He wised up and did what you see in the picture above.

Yes, threw half his body over my keyboard so I would stop typing and pay attention to him.

I am SO ready for this dog to take a nap so I can finish my proposal.

In the meantime, here's a small glimpse into the glamorous life of a writer battling chew toy slime and dogs with serious cyber-rivalry.

Off to write....

Cheryl Wyatt

Mission: Military Prayers-for families of the fallen

2009-10-29T10:06:00.000-07:00

I heard recently that October has been the deadliest month as far as current wartime casualties. I think about the servicemen and women in harms' way and I think about their families back home and remember that they both make sacrifices in order for their loved one to serve.

Some make the ultimate sacrifice and today my heart goes out to every family member who has lost a loved one to war.

Father, I lift them up and ask that you bring comfort and reconciliation. Help them run to You in their sadness and not away. Help them to know their loved one will never be forgotten nor will the sacrifice they made. If anyone knows what it's like to have a son sent to die, Father, it's You. You are the God of all hope and the God of provision and comfort. Give families of fallen servicemen and women a strong sense of your presence and surround them with peace. Ease them through the missing, through the intense sadness and through the pain. We remember Lord, and we lift them up to you today. In Jesus' name.

Feel free to "borrow" this prayer and say it, or your version of it for someone you know who has lost a loved one serving our country at the time of their death.

Blessings to those still serving. Father, keep them safe and help them know You so they'll be okay either way.

Monday Book Mania-White Picket Fences by Susan Meissner with interview

2009-10-19T08:42:00.000-07:00

Readers of emotional dramas that are willing to explore the lies that families tell each other for protection and comfort will enjoy White Picket Fences. The novel is ideal for those who appreciate exploring questions like: what type of honesty do children need from their parents, or how can one move beyond a past that isn’t acknowledged or understood? Is there hope and forgiveness for the tragedies of our past and a way to abundant grace?

The story in a nutshell:When her black sheep brother disappears, Amanda Janvier eagerly takes in her sixteen year-old niece. Tally is practically an orphan: motherless, and living with a father who raises Tally wherever he lands– in a Buick, a pizza joint, a horse farm–and regularly takes off on wild schemes. Amanda envisions that she and her family can offer the girl stability and a shot at a “normal” life, even though their own storybook lives are about to crumble.

What led you to write White Picket Fences?
Several years ago I was a court-appointed advocate for children involved in protective services. There were times when I saw that despite the outward appearance of a less-than-perfect home, a child could be loved there. Just because a parent is unconventional or unsuccessful career-wise or makes choices that buck societal norms, it doesn’t mean that he or she is by default a “bad” parent. Likewise, parents who we would traditionally call “good” -meaning they provide, they protect, they don’t hit, they don’t ridicule - can nevertheless make decisions regarding their children that have hugely negative effects and yet their outward appearance would never lead anyone to suspect it. Even if you live behind a white picket fence, you still have to deal with the fallout of a living in a broken world. You can’t hide from it. The perfect, idyllic life is an illusion. Life is a weave of both delight and disappointment and it’s precisely these things that give it definition and depth. To ignore what is ugly is to cheapen what is beautiful.

You dovetailed a current day family drama with the Holocaust and the Warsaw Ghetto. Why the connection?
I think it’s fair to say that the depth of the atrocities inflicted during the Holocaust wasn’t fully appreciated until after the war. There was ugliness happening, if you will, and much of the West failed to see it — for whatever reason. Within the horror, though, people made brave choices, selfless choices. And there were survivors who had to choose what they would take with them from the ashes of their suffering. I wanted to explore how a person makes that decision. Even the decision to pretend it never happened is a decision regarding those ashes.

What do you think interests you about the intersection of personal relationships and perceptions – a theme you wove into both The Shape of Mercy and White Picket Fences?
I see every great work of fiction being about human relationships. Gone With the Wind is so much more than just an epic story with the Civil War as a backdrop. It’s a story of human relationships. Scarlett and Ashley, Scarlett and Rhett, Scarlett and Melanie, Scarlett and her father. It’s within our closest relationships that our brightest virtues and worst flaws are exposed. That’s why there is such tremendous story value within intimate human relationships. We are at our best and our worst when we are responding and reacting to the people who shape who we are. Human history is the story of relationships and what they teach us about what we value. And what we don’t.

White Picket Fences is a different kind of novel than your acclaimed book, The Shape of Mercy, but there are some similarities too. Can you explain those?
As with The Shape of Mercy, there is a historical thread in White Picket Fences, though it is not as dominant. The invasion of Poland by the Nazis is woven into the story, and provides the backdrop for Chase’s and Tally’s discoveries about hope, dreams, and redemption. This thread is enhanced by visits to a nursing home where Chase and Tally meet a man blind from birth who survived the occupation of Poland. It is also a story that draws its pathos from family dynamics and the near-universal desire we have to make straight what is crooked. There are two young protagonists in White Picket Fences, like there was in The Shape of Mercy, as well as a third character, who, along with the two men in the nursing home, provide a similar multi-generational story thread.

What do you hope readers come away with after reading White Picket Fences?
The pivotal moment in the story for me is when Josef says to Chase: “[This] is what all survivors must decide. We have to decide how much we will choose to remember, how much courage we are willing to expend to do so.” It takes courage to acknowledge and remember what drove you to your knees or nearly killed you. If you choose to forget – and that’s assuming you actually can – then it seems to me you suffered for nothing. You are different but you don’t spend any time contemplating – or celebrating – how. I’d be happy if there was a takeaway for someone out there who needs to consider that.

More about this author:
Susan Meissner is the multi-published author of The Shape of Mercy, named one of the Best Books in 2008 by Publishers Weekly the ECPA’s Fiction Book of the Year. She is also a speaker and writing workshop leader with a background in community journalism. A devotee of purposeful pre-writing, Susan encourages workshop audiences to maximize writing time by mapping the writing journey and beginning from a place of intimate knowledge. She is the leader/moderator of a local writer's group, a pastor’s wife and the mother of four young adults. A native San Diegan, Susan attended Point Loma Nazarene University. When she's not writing, Susan directs the Small Groups and Connection Ministries program at The Church at Rancho Bernardo.

You can purchase White Picket Fences here.

And read an excerpt here.

Susan Meissner's:
Web site
Blog

Don't miss this book! Susan's writing is evocative and will move you in ways that will last.

Cheryl Wyatt

Mission: Military Prayers-for service members during training ops

2009-10-16T07:01:00.000-07:00

I heard news this morning about the two one-seat planes colliding in SC. One pilot came back safe and the other is still missing. It reminded me to pray for our sevice men and women during training operations.

I think sometimes I forget that there are dangers and risk involved on the homefront and not just when they're fighting and defending us on foreign land.

Father, I ask you to help the Coast Guard and other rescuers to help find the other pilot quickly. I pray it isn't too late and that he or she will be found safe. Please be with all service members during training operations. Watch over them and keep them safe. In quiet moments draw them to you and into a relationship with Jesus so that if something does happen, they'll be okay for the eternity portion of their lives. Be with the rescue crews today and the fellow pilots while crews search for the one missing. It reminds me, Lord of how you leave the 99 sheep to go look for the one. Bless all those who serve and their families who sacrifice so much so they can serve. Comfort family and friends who've lost loved ones during training operations. Thank you for hearing and caring about those we love even more than we do.

Cheryl Wyatt

Blogging at Craftie Ladies Today

2009-10-15T00:09:00.000-07:00

Blogging here today. Hope you will drop by and comment.

Craftie Ladies of Romance

Cheryl Wyatt

Squirrel's Treehouse

Story Starter Scene Prompts-20

Story Starter Scene Prompts-19

Story Starter Scene Prompts-18

Story Starter Scene Prompts-17

Story Starter Scene Prompts-16

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