Blast From The Past – Guess the author

It's that time when we glimpse into the past of one of our Craftie Ladies. The first reader to correctly guess this month's author will receive an e-copy of one of her previous releases and a print copy of her upcoming release. Ready? Here we go…

 

If you know anything about me, you know I’m proud to be a seventh generation Texan. Part of that heritage it deeply rooting in raising and training horses. On my tenth birthday I was given my very own horse. I had been riding my mom’s until then.

Over the years there were more horses and by the time I was in high school I was working part time as a trainer at Hill View stables.

I tried barrel racing but didn’t enjoy the speed it took. Did some horsemanship but what I fell in love with was American Endurance Riding. (through AERC). You ride about fifty miles of two days. There are check points where your horse goes through a physical. If there is anything wrong, you are held until you are given the okay to continue. There are obstacles along the way: ditches, water, jumps, steep hills.

I have not owned a horse since 1998, but now that my four kids are grown I might rediscover the love I had for hitting the country side on horseback.  

The first picture was taken in 1983 at the end of the trail on the second day. 

 

 

The second is the same horse a few years later two days after her foal hit the ground. They are registered appaloosas. That is my mother in the picture. I don’t think was ever a time in her life where she didn’t own at least one horse. My little sister still owns the last horse my mother had at the time of her death.

Thank you for allowing me to take this trip down memory lane. To show my appreciation I will give an e-copy of one of my books and a print copy of my upcoming release. 

 

Do you know who this is?  Well, here's one more hint. This author writes for Love Inspired and will be writing for Love Inspired Historical soon.

Leave your guess in the comments to be entered in the contest. And be sure to look for more clues in the comment section throughout the day.

 

Good luck!

 

Mary Alford

Blast from the Past - Guess the Author

It's that time when we glimpse into the past of one of our Craftie Ladies. The first reader to correctly guess this month's author will receive a copy of this author's latest Love Inspired release.

Ready?

Here's your clue:

I was fresh out of high school and moving to the big city of Austin after living most of my life in a small town. I'd stared a job, working for a lab in the bookkeeping department. My first real job. I'd also just met my boyfriend who later became my hubby. This picture was taken when I was going to see him, thus the smile on my face.

At that point in my life, I had no idea about the future. That I'd soon become a step mom and that I'd fall in love with my granddaughters beyond belief and that I would someday see my dream of becoming a published author come true.   

Do you know who this is?

Well, here's one more hint. This author will be taking over Blast from the Past posts starting next month.

Leave your guess in the comments to be entered in the contest. And be sure to look for more clues in the comment section throughout the day.

Good luck!

Blast from the Past - Guess the Author

It's that time when we glimpse into the past of one of our Craftie Ladies. The first reader to correctly guess this month's author will receive a copy of this author's latest Love Inspired release.

Ready?

Here's your clue:

This photo is of me (center, in the yellow) with my sister (far left) and three of my cousins. I always lived six hours from extended family so didn't get to see them often. Whenever I did, it was a special treat. And this event was even more exciting than usual. We got to get all dressed up to celebrate our grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary! They threw a big party at the Holiday Inn and invited a huge crowd. It was such fun! And we felt very glamorous. :)

Do you know who this is? Leave your guess in the comments to be entered in the contest. And be sure to look for more clues in the comment section throughout the day.

Good luck!

Blast from the Past - Guess the Author

It's that time when we glimpse into the past of one of our Craftie Ladies. The first reader to correctly guess this month's author will receive a copy of this author's latest Love Inspired release.

Ready?

Here's your clue:

This author grew up in Michigan and clearly is an attention hog. Look at that costume! Her beautiful sister is NOT strangling the dog—they both loved Lady. This photo was taken when the author was five. She’d taken a tumbling class all year (and bragged to one girl that she could do the splits on a balance beam even though she’d never been on a balance beam) and almost spontaneously combusted at the thrill of dressing up for an actual recital. She lived in this costume until, sadly, she outgrew it.

The author dreamed of being an Olympic gymnast (two tumbling seasons don’t produce Olympic athletes), an Olympic ice skater (she’s skated roughly four times in her life), a dancer in music videos, and pretty much any other activity that requires a costume. Today, she does not wear polka-dotted tumbling costumes, but she does love yoga pants!

Do you know who this is? Leave your guess in the comments to be entered in the contest. And be sure to look for more clues in the comment section throughout the day.

Good luck!

Blast from the Past - Guess the Author

Yes, friends, we are back. It's that time when we glimpse into the past of one of our Craftie Ladies. The first reader to correctly guess this month's author will receive a copy of this author's latest Love Inspired release.

Ready?

Here's your clue:

In this picture, taken in the late 1980's,  my second grade class and I studied a unit on Hawaii, including the geography, history, music, myths, flora and fauna and so much more about our 50th state. On the last day, we celebrated with a luau. Kids tasted tropical fruits, danced the hula, and shared some of the things they'd learned and stories they'd written. It was a blast!

Do you know who this is? Leave your guess in the comments to be entered in the contest. And be sure to look for more clues in the comment section throughout the day.

Good luck!

Blast from the Past - Guess the Author

It's that time once again, when we glimpse into the past of one of our Craftie Ladies. The first reader to correctly guess this month's author will receive a copy of said author's debut Love Inspired release (there's your first clue).

Ready?

Here's your clue.

This is a picture of one of my sister, my best friend, and me dressed for Trick or treating.  I'm the artist in the middle. I guess even back then I had a yearning to be creative. The pink fuzzy thing in the corner is the poncho my mother was wearing - the very height of fashion back then.

I have three younger sisters and no brothers. My father always said he traded in a mother and four sisters for a wife and four daughters - and he loved every minute of it. Speaking of my dad, he got in big trouble when I decided on my Halloween costume the following year. I wanted to be a bride so my mom was going to let me wear her bridal gear. Except she couldn't find her wedding gown. As it turned out, my father, trying to be helpful, took her at her word when she muttered (after a strenuous move) that she should have just thrown out the gown. Yes, dad put it on the curb and the trash men picked it up.

Do you know who this is? Leave your guess in the comments to be entered in the contest. And be sure to look for more clues in the comment section throughout the day.

Good luck!

Blast from the Past - Guess the Author

It's that time again, when we glimpse into the past of one of our Craftie Ladies. The first reader to correctly guess this month's author will receive a copy of said author's latest Love Inspired release. 

Ready?

Here's your clue.

This is a picture of my son and me deep sea fishing in the Gulf on my stepfather's boat. Every summer Shaun and I would go to see Tony and my mother. A highlight of our vacation was always going out on the boat, fishing and spending time on the beach at Ship or Horn Island. My son still talks about those fishing trips. He loves to fish now and I think it is because of those times in Biloxi. Both Tony and my mother are dead, but I have such fond memories of time spent with them. Seeing this picture brings those memories to the foreground.

Yes, you may have seen this photo before. However, since we had no correct guesses, we're bringing it back. Do you know who this is? Watch for more clues throughout the day, then leave your guess in the comments to be entered in the contest.

Good luck!

Blast From the Past - Guess the Author

It's that time again. When we glimpse into the past of one of our Craftie Ladies. The first reader to correctly guess this month's author will receive a copy of said author's latest Love Inspired release. 

Ready?

Here's your clue.

The only thing better than a small-town parade is when you get be part of such a wonderful tradition. I was so excited to be marching with my baton-twirling friends. We wore those pom-poms on our shoes like a badge of honor. Now that I live in the big city, I miss those small town experiences and can't wait until the day I once again call a small town my home.

Do you know who this is? Leave your guess in the comments to be entered in the contest.

Good luck!

Blast from the Past

It's that time again. When we glimpse into the past of one of our Craftie Ladies. 

Our featured author this month is Barbara Phinney.

Tell us about your photo, Barbara.

Shortly after we arrived in Canada from England, my aunt came for a holiday. We lived near Toronto and it was a natural fit to visit Niagara Falls. I don’t remember this photo being taken, being the youngest of the family, but my brother remembers the US Scouts’ hat he’d traded something for, and the play gun he ‘shot’ around the Falls. I bet he wouldn’t be allowed to do that now. But I can remember how close I was to my mother. I always wanted to sit on her lap. And see the sweaters we’re wearing? She knitted them for us. My mother passed away a few years after this photo but I will always cherish my relationship with her, and I work hard to have the same with my children.

Oh, I love that, Barbara. What a special memory.

Thank you for sharing it with us.

Blast from the Past - Guess the Author

It's that time again. When we glimpse into the past of one of our Craftie Ladies. The first reader to correctly guess this month's author will receive a copy of said author's latest Love Inspired release. 

Ready?

Here's your clue.

That’s me, sitting in front of my little sister, Gina Dee.  We grew up as farm girls, but we always had a creative side.  She became a well-known artist who is featured in galleries across the U.S.  I’m SO proud of her, and I’ve actually named a recurring character after her in my Love Inspired series.  We were raised on a Charolais cattle farm.  I loved living on the farm, with our entire extended family living nearby.  I hated my curly hair (still do, though I’ve learned to straighten it somewhat to bypass Troll doll status), but I loved being a country girl (still do).  My grandmother made my shirt, and I remember selecting the fabric at Hancock Fabrics.  It had a Raggedy Ann print, and it made me happy simply looking at it.  My mother and grandmother made most of our clothes back then, even the jeans that I wore in this photo.  Though I don’t live on a farm now, I do live in the same neighborhood where I was raised, in North Alabama and near Lookout Mountains (where my Love Inspired series is set). 

Do you know who this is? Leave your guess in the comments to be entered in the contest.

Good luck!

Blast from the Past - Guess the Author

Last month we started a new feature here at the Craftie Ladies called Blast from the Past and we introduced you to our newest Craftie Lady, Lisa Jordan. You can read that post here.

This month, we're going to play a little game. The first reader to correctly guess this month's author will receive a copy of said author's April Love Inspired release.

Are you ready?

Here's your clue:

This current Love Inspired author grew up in Omaha, Nebraska.  Here she is at age six.  The hairs the same, sorta, except there's more gray now. This author loves animals. This is the first one she remembers.  His name is Tiny, and he's a chihuahua.  She used to dress him up in doll clothes and push him around in a doll buggy. True story.  When this author was about five, her mother said, "We're getting a puppy, and you get to name him."  This author, at the time, loved Pop-Eye the Sailor Man cartoons.  This author picked the name Sissy.  This author never wanted to be a sissy, but liked the sound of the name.  Mother said, "Hmm, I don't really like that name.  How about we name the puppy Tiny."  Too obedient by far, this author simply nodded.  No surprise, the dog wound up belonging more to the mother than the daughter :)  Not so true for the cats, rabbits, Guinea pigs, birds, and hamsters that came later.  Today, she's the proud owner of a seven-toed cat named Tyre. 

Do you know who this is? Leave your guess in the comments to be entered in the contest.

Good luck!

Blast from the Past and A New Craftie Lady

Today we're starting a new monthly feature called Blast from the Past. In it, you will have the opportunity to see another side of your favorite Love Inspired authors. Photos and memories from back in the day. 

Today, we're going to get started by introducing you to a new Craftie Lady.

Please join me in welcoming Lisa Jordan

Lisa has written four books for Love Inspired, Lakeside Reunion, Lakeside Family, Lakeside Sweethearts and her January 2015 release, Lakeside Redemption.

Don't you just love that cover? Such a tranquil setting.

Okay, Lisa, time to tell us a little bit about yourself and share your blast from the past.

Thank you, Mindy. I'm excited to be a part of the Craftie Ladies to help spread the word about Love Inspired novels.

So here’s a photo of me in third grade at Christmas time. I was very excited about the Barbie bathtub I had received. I was a girly girl who loved Barbies, dolls, and the pretty dresses my mom made for me. I grew up down the road from my grandparents’ dairy farm, so my preteen years were spent swimming in the creek, sleeping in the hay barn, and feeding all sort of barnyard animals with my very large extended family. My cousins were my constant companions. Maybe that’s why I’ve always been drawn to young children. I spend my days caring for Little Darlings in my family child care program. However, I’ve always been a happily ever after girl, so, by night, I write contemporary Christian romances that promise hope and happily ever after. My husband and I just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary by renewing our vows in front of family and friends. Our two boys are growing into fine young men. In my free time, I enjoy paper crafting, reading, Netflix binging, and snuggling with my Chihuahua mix Penny. 

So cute. 

We're glad to have you with us, Lisa.

Heart, home, and faith have always been important to award-winning author Lisa Jordan. So writing stories that promise hope and happily ever after come naturally. She's been married to her real-life hero for over twenty-five years, and they have two grown sons. By day, Lisa is an early childhood educator, and by night, she writes contemporary Christian romances for Love Inspired. She is represented by Rachelle Gardner of Books & Such. Additionally, she serves as the My Book Therapy Voices Community Hostess. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her family, papercrafting, Netflix binging, and snuggling with her dog Penny. Learn more about her at www.lisajordanbooks.com.