Milestones

Hello readers! Christine Johnson here to talk about the milestones in our lives. At my house, the flowers are blooming and the birds chirping. It’s May, and in this part of the world, it’s prime time for engagements, weddings and graduations.  Many people are celebrating a milestone of some type.

Later this summer, my husband and I will celebrate our 25^th anniversary.  Ten years ago, a retired pastor surprised us with the trophy in the picture. He said it was important to celebrate our 15 years together in the same way that an athlete celebrates a victory in a sporting event. So he came up with the idea of an anniversary trophy and gave them to couples who’d reached an important anniversary. Needless to say, we were deeply touched.

I write stories set in the early 1920s and wondered about milestone celebrations in that time. According to Emily Post’s 1922 book on etiquette, like today the first anniversary was marked with gifts of paper. The fifth was wood, and the tenth tin, but none of these invited serious gifts. Instead the gift-giver usually gave something symbolic or even humorous until the couple reached their crystal anniversary at 15 years.

My upcoming November book is set in 1922 and marks a different kind of milestone. In that month ninety years ago, archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the entrance to King Tutankhamun’s tomb.  News of the discovery swept through the world press.  Before long, even fashion was influenced by the riches found in that tomb.  People became obsessed with treasure hunting, and my heroine, Anna Simmons, is no different.  She dreams of finding a hidden treasure to pull her family from financial trouble, but tiny Pearlman couldn't possibly hide a lost fortune, could it?

So what milestones will you be celebrating in the coming months?  Any graduations, new jobs, weddings, career milestones, anniversaries, birthdays or anything else coming up?

Overwhelmed? What God has been teaching me about that...

Whoops! I’m a little late today. But seems like that’s par for the course these days. Being late has never been an issue for me. I’m always the early bird. Up early in the morning, early to church, early to appointments…um…okay, so I may be a little late for the dentist. But most of the time, I’m well prepared ahead of time.

Only I forgot about blogging. I seem to forget a lot of things lately and I think that’s because I have way too much on my plate. I’m homeschooling (coming to an end June 1!), I’m working full time (also coming to an end June 1!), and writing full time (not coming to an end any time soon, I pray!). So you might say I’ve been a bit overwhelmed.

Just curious. Why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we take on more than we can do in the time allotted to us? Is it because we feel we have something to prove? Or because we’re trying to please those who matter to us? Family, friends, co-workers, editors, agents, etc.

I think it’s a combination. I like to think I can do it all. I like to think I’m Superwoman. But you know what? I’m not. And it feels great to admit that! God has been teaching me a lot over the last few months, one of which He is faithful. As long as I’m doing what He’s called me to do –which is be a mom, a wife and a writer—He’s going to take care of the details.

Once I came to that realization, I felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Now I look back and shake my head. I knew God was telling me something had to go and so I turned in my resignation from the full time job. If only I’d listened instead of arguing with Him. J

How about you? Are you anything like me and pile on the responsibility until you feel crushed by it? If you used to do that, what are some things you learned from it? If you do it now, are you looking for way out? Are you arguing with God about letting something go?

Just curious.

Lynette

Suspense Field Trip

Debby Giusti here.

Lucky me! I'm heading to the Cobb County Medical Examiner's office in Marietta, Georgia, for a tour and possibly to watch an autopsy.  For a suspense author, the day looks delightful, although I'm sure most folks think I'm crazy to get excited about visiting the ME's office.

Actually, I asked my hubby to join me, but he's more interested in mowing the lawn! LOL!

The Atlanta Chapter of the Sisters in Crime arranged the tour, but everything was up in the air until the ME gave his approval this morning.  Now everyone's hustling to get there on time.

I've got to run.  Will provide more info later.  Perhaps a pic or two, as well.

So what exciting field trips have you taken that provided research for the stories you write...or could provide great info for the type of stories you love to read?

Wishing you abundant blessings,

Debby Giusti
www.DebbyGiusti.com
www.seekerville.blogspot.com
www.crossmyheartprayerteam.blogspot.com

Final Installment in Fitzgerald Bay series

Hi everyone Sandra Orchard here, filling in for Lynette Eason who is away at a conference. But perhaps she'll get a chance to pop in later.

In the meantime, I'd like to tell you about Lynette's May release, the much-anticipated final installment in the Fitzgerald Bay Series.

The Black Sheep's Redemption:

Everyone in Fitzgerald Bay—except his law-enforcement family—is convinced Charles Fitzgerald murdered his children's nanny. Condemned by public opinion, his only hope for a replacement nanny to take care of his two-year-old twins is newcomer Demi Taylor. But Demi has problems of her own…starting with amnesia. She doesn't remember who she is, doesn't know where she's from—and has no idea why she always feels like someone is watching her. Is she in danger because of Charles? Or has someone sinister from her old life found her yet again?

Other books in the series include:

The Deputy's Duty by Terri Reed

The Widow's Protector by Stephanie Newton

The Detective's Secret Daughter by Rachelle McCalla

The Rookie's Assignment by Valerie Hanson

The Lawmen's Legacy by Shirlee McCoy

Your Turn: Do you enjoy mini-series like these? Do you wait to collect all the books before reading them.

Wedding Belles, Part Two!

Wedding Bells at the Rustand household.....again! Our second son got married in January, and now we're at it again--another child's wedding. Only this time, it's our only daughter, I'm a lot more involved. I'm sure glad we had that earlier experience in preparation for Emily's! This blog is being posted a bit late, because Emily and I got home late last night from a 950 mile trip to a lovely shower given by Emily's northern aunties. It was such fun!

Brian's fiancée Julie was incredibly organized and well-prepared, but we still got to help out with the decorating and afterwards, the process of dismantling what had been a candlelit fairyland the night before. This time, we are doing all the planning. Wow! Times have sure changed since my own wedding, back in the dark ages. Wedding shows were held in the mid-seventies, but now there are so many of them to choose from--and the goods and services are mind boggling! I figured we'd be set, once the dress and the DJ and florist and venue and cake person and photographer and tux decisions

(this is a photo at one of the tux places) and videographer and soloist and violists and make-up artist were chosen, but there are meetings upon meetings with these people as the details are slowly, carefully ironed out. Here is Emily, trying on a bridesmaid's dress, as she won't let me share one of her wedding gown--yet!

There are still floral arrangements and other decorations to plan, though the backdrops, invitations guest lists , menus and myriad other details are decided. Whew! But I love it. Love it, but also feel a twinge of sadness and nostalgia as the big day draws near. Wasn't it just last year when Emily was toddling around the house in her white-blonde braids and diapers? Heading off for her first day of kindergarten? Riding her pony Penelope in the backyard? Now here she is in grad school, planning her wedding, with stars in her eyes over what her future will hold. In just a month, our baby will be gone...and we will truly have an empty nest. It's funny, how once we had kids, they became the focal part of our lives, and it seemed as if life would revolve around them forever. And yet all too soon they have flown away into careers and families of their own. Makes me wish I'd had three more, just to be able to savor these years longer! So how about you--what are some of the stages in life that have taken you by surprise? And do you have any wedding advice to share? We could sure use it!

Homefront Hero Interview

How exciting to have Captain John  Gallows the hero from Homefront Hero written by  Allie Pleiter a May 2012 release from Love Inspired Historical Romance.

1.  Captain Gallows, tell me the most interesting thing about you.

There’s a great deal interesting about me--at least if you ask the Army.  They seem to consider me quite the hero for crawling out on the stay-wires of my airship over France.  It’s not that astounding the lengths a man will go to save his life--calling it bravery and lauding me with all these medals and honors seems a mite disingenuous.  Still, I’ve never been a man to let a golden opportunity go by

2. What do you do for fun? 

Not much fun to be had in the Army at the moment.  I’ve been working like a madman to get my leg back in shape.  That means endless painful laps around the camp gymnasium.  The fun in that usually comes from my lovely company, Nurse Leanne Sample.  She’s no end of diversion.  As a matter of fact, she’s proven to be as much irritating as she is diverting. She knits for fun--if you can call it that--and I’m convinced she takes endless fun in watching me attempt the stuff.  I’m rotten at it, but if the US Army tells you to knit in front of cameras to convince boys to join the sock knitting campaign, then that’s what a smart Captain does.

3.  What do you put off doing because you dread it? 

I’m not the kind of man who puts anything off.  I’m mighty short in the patience department.  The only thing I’m dreading at the moment is not getting sent back to France to combat where I belong.  Well, maybe that and my next knitting lesson with the insistent Nurse Sample.  Come to think of it, I don’t really dread that at all--I rather look forward to that kind of  “combat.”

4.  What are you afraid of most in life?

I’m not afraid of anything, but it’s absolutely important to me that I get back to France.  I don’t want to end this war as a walking poster boy for yarn and needles.

5.  What do you want out of life?

Up there on that airship, the most important thing to me was to stay alive.  There was no bravery in it...either I fixed the ship or the ship went down.  I suppose that means what I want most is to feel like I earned this medal the pinned on my chest.  At the moment, it feels like they lauded the wrong man.

6. What is the most important thing to you?

Honor.  Sounds funny from a man boasting a medal of honor, don’t you think?  I’ve got more honor than I deserve, and I mean to change that.  My goal is to get back to France and prove my honor.

7. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I spend nearly every waking hour trying to build enough strength so I can walk without this cane.

8.  Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet?

Unless you count the countless little buggies crawling around this army camp, I’ve no pets here.  I had a wonderful horse once, but that was a long while back.

9. Can you tell us a little interesting tidbit about the time period you live in?

I don’t think the Spanish Influenza Pandemic qualifies as an “interesting little tidbit,” but it’s shaping up to be one of the most challenging public health issues ever to face the United States.  I think the children’s jumprope rhyme is the most poignant:

            “I had a little bird

            Her name was Enza

            I opened the door

            And In-Flu-Enza...”

A morose little thing for youngsters to be chanting, don’t you think?

FEATURED BOOK: HOMETOWN HERO BY ALLIE PLEITER

Dashing and valiantly wounded, Captain John Gallows could have stepped straight out of an army recruitment poster. Leanne Sample can't help being impressed—although the lovely Red Cross nurse tries to hide it. She knows better than to get attached to the daring captain who is only home to heal and help rally support for the war's final push. As soon as he's well enough, he'll rush back to Europe, back to war—and far away from South Carolina and Leanne. But when an epidemic strikes close to home, John comes to realize what it truly means to be a hero—Leanne's hero.

Ask Elnora--About Jeopardy??? Lenora Worth

Thirty minute show that takes trivia and begs the question--What is Jeopardy?? Elnora is no genius, but I do have a guilty pleasure every afternoon at precisely 4:30 Central time. I shut down my work and go downstairs and fall down on the couch, grab my favorite palm tree embossed throw and watch "Jeopardy" with Big Daddy. I usually fall asleep during the Double Jeopardy round, but I'm thinking all of that knowledge is still channeling through my poor, tired brain. Because I always wake up for Final Jeopardy. And sometimes I actually know the answers.<< This week the show has been interesting since Alex Trebek has taken the show to Washington, D. C. so some "power players" could face off. He defined "power players" as celebrities or famous people who influence the masses with their words or actions. (I paraphrased that, but you get the idea.) Most of the contestants on this week are newscasters, authors and bloggers. The money they win goes to certain charities. That's all fun and games, but it got Elnora to thinking--We all just might be power players. After all, we write books that influence the masses. We get letters from readers acros the universe, telling us how much they love our stories. We go to speaking engagements to explain how we create our stories and talk about the business side of commericial fiction. We tell stories about heroes and hardworking people who love their families and love God. We tell stories about the issues of the day, good and bad. We write heartwarming stories full of universal truths and human nature, stories that readers seem to identify with and understand. Someone, somewhere, in one of those workshops said if you write a book and 2500 people buy and read that book, then you have touched 2500 people and you should be proud of that. Elnora agrees with that, because 2500 is a lot of people. But most of us here sell way more than 2500 books each time we have a new release out on the shelves. Personally, Elnora has an estimated (over) 3 million copies of her books in print. (As we say in the South, it ain't bragging if it's the truth!) And I don't say this to brag. I say it to make a point. Knowing that millions of people have bought your books over a fifteen year period is amazing, a blessing, a gift. But the point is--we write for an audience of one. The One. We write to celebrate the love of Christ and the beauty of romance and two people discovering love and a lifetime together, through all the odds and obstacles that life throws at them. And that, dear readers and dear ladies of Love Inspired, makes us power players. One day, we might even wind up in a Jeopardy question: A series of heartwarming, sweet books that women the world over buy and read and enjoy. The answer: What is a Love Inspired book? Let's discuss--What is a Love Inspired book to you? Do you think we have the power to change lives with our words?

RITA WATCH: The Christmas Child

A Christmas Story to Cherish
Interview by Lacy Williams, on RITA WATCH

 

Meet THE CHRISTMAS CHILD, one of the finalists for the RITA in the Inspirational Romance category.

When were you born?

September 2011. Which is kind of funny, since I’m a Christmas story.

Where were you born?

My creator, Linda Goodnight, is from Oklahoma, from a small town much like the fictional one featured in my pages. This gives her special insight to creating the small-town feel that my readers seem to like so much.

Do you have any brothers and sisters?

I’m one of about forty other books Linda Goodnight has written, and some of my “siblings” have won a RITA, two ACFW Book of the Year Awards, a Booksellers’ Best, and a Reviewers’ Choice from RT Book Reviews.

I’m not gonna lie. It’s a lot to live up to. But if I can touch one reader’s heart, then I guess I’ll be satisfied.  

Watch for the repackage of A Season for Grace and The Heart of Grace coming July 2012—if you haven’t read these books before, you’ll love them.

What do you think made you a RITA finalist?

Definitely my hero, Kade McKendrick. ::whistles:: There is something about reluctant heroes… good guys with something hard in their past that they have to overcome… yup, get’s the ladies drooling every time. AND he has a dog. And stubble. Did I mention he’s a cop?

And if I had to make a second guess to the answer for this question, I’d say little Davey, the child pictured on my cover. He’s a boy in need of a lot of love, and between Kade and Sophie, they end up giving him a Christmas to remember. Some of my readers really love the kids that Linda seems to write so well, and Davey is no exception.

Briefly tell us your story.

It’s Christmastime and Kade’s home in Redemption, Oklahoma, nursing a deep, dark hurt from his job as an undercover cop. He and some dumpster divers find little Davey huddled in a trash dumpster and Kade sort of becomes his protector. With the help of schoolteacher Sophie Bartholomew, who is a Christmas junkie, of course. Between Sophie and Davey, Kade can’t keep his heart protected for long and then he has to decide whether to leave town or stay and try to mend what’s been eating him for so long.

Good luck to Linda with THE CHRISTMAS CHILD!

What's the craziest thing you've ever done?

Lacy Williams here today, to talk about the craziest thing you’ve ever done.

My husband can tell you, I’m not a very impulsive person. He is. Sometimes it drives me crazy when he wants to make plans at the last minute. But sometimes it turns out really good. Like the last-minute trip to New York City we took once several years ago when his family lived on the East Coast. We got to see a Broadway play (matinee) and visit some of the touristy places and had a great time.

Probably the craziest thing he’s ever talked me in to on an impulse was driving to Topeka, Kansas, when we were still newlyweds. We went because he had a hankering for a certain Mexican restaurant there. We took a couple of friends on our road trip and made a round-trip all in one day.

So… not very crazy, even at my most impulsive.

But the heroine in my newest book, THE HOMESTEADER’SSWEETHEART… well, she’s a different story. Her name is Penny Castlerock, and her impulsiveness tends to get her in trouble, even though she tries to behave because her father is a big-time banker and on the town council.

But the craziest thing she does is get on the back of a bucking bronco in a cowboy exhibition (that’s what rodeos were called back before they were called “rodeos”). And she does it for love. Here’s a short excerpt of part of her adventure:

She shouldn't be doing this.

Of all the things Penny had ever regretted because of her impulsiveness, this decision topped the list.

She couldn't stop shaking as she waited outside the arena, Oscar at her side. She kept her head down, hoping no one could tell there was a woman hiding under Edgar's shirt and trousers. She'd tucked her braid up into the hat, praying it wouldn't be knocked off during her ride.

She felt sick.

For Breanna, she reminded herself silently.

Oscar's turn came and he left her with a final squeeze of her hand. She focused on her boots, unable to watch him ride the bucking horse while knowing she would be next.

The crowd went wild during Oscar's ride, cheering and clapping. Perhaps he'd done well and she didn't have to ride, after all—

And then a shove to the middle of her back sent her reeling up to the prep stall and she was being boosted onto the back of a sweating, snorting animal.

"I can't—" She started to gasp, but a grinning, snaggle-toothed cowboy slapped her on the shoulder.

"Have fun, young'un."

"But—"

Photo courtesy of www.sxc.hu

She swallowed her words as the gate swung open.

For Jonas.

Penny forgot about showmanship and everything else as she clung to the animal's back. The bronco bucked and see-sawed, whirled and wheeled. She thought once that all four of its feet left the ground.

All she could think about was those feet landing on her if she fell off.

I’d love to know, what is the craziest or most impulsive thing you’ve ever done?

Did you ever have to pull the plug on a book?

Howdy, all. Dana Mentink here, writer of Love Inspired Suspense. I really enjoy reading mystery and suspense (as you could ascertain by the giant pile of books next to my bed.)I read both general market and Christian fiction so the stories run the gambit. At times, I find that I need to stop reading a book because the content is too violent or the subject too creepy. No matter how riveting, there are some stories where I need to stop if the images become gory. Also, if there is brutality towards children I generally can't stick with it unless there is some redeeming message or greater purpose. Perhaps I'm becoming a marshmallow in my old age but I find that there's that fine line between suspenseful and gratuitous. What do you think, dear readers/bloggers? Am I alone in this?

Travel by Merrillee Whren

Do you recognize this place? My husband and I enjoy traveling. I have been to all fifty states and numerous foreign countries.

Sit back, relax and leave the driving to us. I think that was an old Greyhound bus slogan. I have traveled by Greyhound, but I prefer cruises, automobiles or airplanes rather than buses. 

Do you recognize that location in this photo? 

How about these places? Do you know where they are?

These are just a few interesting places that I have been. One cool thing about reading books is being able to travel without ever leaving your chair. Books can transport us not only across the miles but across the years. Books can open whole new worlds to us. I found this especially true when I was a child, growing up in the wide open spaces of Montana. Books took me to Florida, where I now live. They also took me to New York City, where I couldn't imagine having no front lawn. Books introduced me to countries across the ocean and made me want to visit those places. Fortunately, I have been able to travel in person to many of the places I have read about.

What about you? Has there ever been a book that took you to a place where you had never been? Do you like to travel? Where have you been?

Also, I will give away my latest book, Montana Match, to anyone who can give me the location of the places in the photos.

www.merrilleewhren.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Merrillee-Whren/233910490013374

The Homesteader's Sweetheart Interview

How exciting to have Jonas White, the hero from THE HOMESTEADER’S SWEETHEART, written by Lacy Williams a  May 2012 release from Love Inspired Historical.

1.  Jonas, tell me the most interesting thing about you.

I have eight children. Seven adopted sons ranging in ages from seventeen to eight and one daughter, age five. The boys are a real big help around the homestead, but they can get into scrapes and definitely keep things lively. Since I didn’t have much of a childhood myself, I secretly enjoy it when they pull pranks on each other.

2.  What do you do for fun?

Between keeping food on the table and keeping the boys in line, I don’t have a lot of free time, but one of my favorite things to do is break horses. The animals are much easier to understand than women are, and at least I know where I stand with a green broke horse.

3.  What do you put off doing because you dread it?

Going to the bank. It seems like there’s never enough money for what my family needs. Keeping the kids in clothes is hard enough, and the boys eat more every day, seems like.

4.  What are you afraid of most in life?

Losing someone I love. Before the kids came into my life, I didn’t have anyone, and now I can’t imagine my life without them.

5.  What do you want out of life?

I used to dream about finding a wife and getting married, but I guess that dream got lost in the chaos of raising kids and survival out here in the West. But now that I’ve gotten to know my neighbor’s granddaughter, Penny Castlerock, that dream seems to be coming to life again…

6.  What is the most important thing to you?

My kids.

7.  If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

Because of my broken childhood, I grew up without much schooling and I can’t read. If I could change one thing, it would be that.

8.  Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet?

No pets around here, just working animals. My daughter has an affinity for one of the chickens, but that’s about it.

9. Can you tell us a little interesting tidbit about the time period you live in?

This time period is all about change. New inventions, new medical advances, and Wyoming is transitioning from a Territory to Statehood. And my life is changing too, with new friends and maybe even… love.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

By day, Lacy Williams is a stay-at-home mom battling dirty diapers and dog-hair dust-bunnies. By night, she is a novelist whose debut book has been nominated for an RT Book Reviews 2011 Reviewers’ Choice Award. Her current projects include a screenplay and potty-training her little girl.

SPECIAL PROMO:

To celebrate her birthday, Lacy will be offering special birthday gifts to her readers. Find out more at www.megamaybirthdaybash.com. 

Featured Book: The Homesteader's Sweetheart by Lacy J. Williams

To escape a dreaded arranged marriage, Penny Castlerock will face anything—even life on her grandfather's farm. But it isn't the rustic lifestyle that's got the Philadelphia socialite tied in knots. It's the handsome homesteader and his eight adopted children next door….

With seven boys and a girl to raise, transplanted farmer Jonas White could sure use some help. He just didn't expect it to come from the high-spirited, copper-haired beauty he's always admired from afar. But surely working the land is no life for a woman like Penny. Yet a threat to Jonas's farm just might show him how perfect Penny is for him after all.

Ask Elnora--About Diamonds??? Lenora Worth

Hello, my sweet summer friends. It's always exciting when a new book is coming out. My next one will be out this August. It's a suspense--We love those, don't we? "The Diamond Secret" is set in New Orleans. What better place for a treasure hunt and lots of strange clues that all come together? My hero, Cullen Murphy, is Irish. Sigh. Irish and ambitious. My heroine Esther Carlisle runs an antique shop that she inherited from her stoic father. Cullen comes looking for an infamous diamond but discovers a diamond in the rough in prim little Esther. While she's always longed for a grand adventure, Esther is too sensible to fall for the good-looking adventurer. It's Indiana Jones meets Southern mystery. It was so much fun to write this book. After all, Elnora knows that diamonds are a girl's best friend! Unless someone is trying to kill you in order to get a diamond. That got me to thinking about grand adventures. Who amongst us has been on one? Who amongst us is afraid to go on an adventure? Recently, some friends took Big Daddy and I out on a boat ride. Elnora doesn't really like big bodies of water, except to look out on them while enjoying coffee and a good book and maybe some chocolate. It's safe to sit and read about adventures but ... to go on one? What if I break a nail or worse, a leg? What if bad guys do start chasing me? Anyway, I went on this boat with friends and we went out into the big bay. The really big bay. And we kept on going until we reached a little sliver of a sand bar that had a sign post at the end which told how far away certain places were. The sign also had the words "Skull Island" and "You are here" on it. So there I stood on Skull Island out in the middle of the really big bay and of course, my writer's mind was coming up with all sorts of scenarios. How did Skull Island come to be known as Skull Island? Were there really skulls on this island and did I really want to know that? While there, we saw a stingray and I thought about being out in the ocean on a raft with sharks and stingrays all around. Frightful. But it all ended okay since we got back in the boat and started home. The boat captain (we'll call him Bennie) also pulled the boat up to another kind of secretive place which could only be reached by boat or a long, long road that seemed to go nowhere. Of course, my mind went into imagination land again. Who lived on such a desolate, bug-infested place? Modern day pirates, drug runners, criminals and misfits, murders and mad men? I didn't want to find out. So when the boat got stuck in the shallows, I sent up a little prayer. I did not want to spend the night with whoever lived in the two houses we saw from the shore. Thankfully, we managed to get back out into deeper water and then we headed home. I had survived Skull Island and what was probably a band of pirates. The next week, our captain sold that boat so I won't be taking anymore trips like that for a while. But my mind is still out there, wondering while it's wandering. For Elnora, those few hours were grand and scary and interesting. What kind of adventures have you been on? Let's discuss this some more. I had fun talking about this over on the Love Inspired Authors Blog yesterday, so I thought we'd continue it today in celebration of my next book and in celebration of all the adventures, large and small, that we find in life. We are blessed to have adventures, right??? :))

RITA ENTRY - A LOVE NOTE FROM GOD

Linda Goodnight here with an unusual RITA story I think will touch your heart.

Last fall when the RITA contest opened for entries, my family suffered the most terrible time of our lives. First, my son was diagnosed with “untreatable, incurable” stage four cancer. A few weeks later my brother, worried about his sister and nephew, decided to drive to my house for Thanksgiving. Two hours out of Atlanta, he died in a car accident. My sister-in-law was critically injured.

Needless to say, the last thing on my mind was entering a contest. By the time I remembered, the contest had closed. So I signed on to judge the inspirational category instead.

Fast forward and a packet of books arrived for judging but none were inspirational. I emailed RWA and mentioned that I’d still be willing to judge inspies if needed. Within five minutes, my phone rang. Carol of RWA explained that I could not judge the category because I was entered.

Shock ran through me, followed by tears as she told this story. A Love Inspired author who remains anonymous knew about my personal heartache. That precious sister in Christ contacted RWA and did the most incredibly unselfish thing. She withdrew HER beautiful book from the contest and replaced it with mine. Then she purchased the five required copies of THE CHRISTMAS CHILD and mailed them in to RWA. Entering the RITA is expensive. Books and shipping aren’t cheap. But this amazing woman chose to give up her slot, her money, and her opportunity to bless a hurting sister.

When the RITA calls went out in March and I learned that THE CHRISTMAS CHILD had finaled, I cried most of the day. I’m crying still as I tell the story. Not just because my book was a finalist. Of course I’m delighted, but the final itself seems less important at this point. Rather, I weep with joy for the gift of love and compassion someone gave at the time I needed it most.

God works in the most wonderful ways through his amazing people.

This Months LIH's

Rhonda Gibson here...

I love this blog and I love the Love Inspired Historicals that come out each month. This month my first Love Inspired Historical, The Marshal's Promise came out.

Isn't Seth Handsome? Sigh....

I was thinking about what great company I am in.

Renee Ryan's Mistaken Bride is the second in the Irish Brides series, I can't wait to read this series.

Also this month we have Allie Pleiter's book, Homefront Hero. I've been a fan of Allie's for a long time. Her books never disappoint me, so if you haven't read her before. Read this one! I'm sure it will be a winner, too.

Lacy Williams is an Oklahoma girl like me, I grew up in Oklahoma but have been transplanted to New Mexico. The Homesteader's Sweetheart, sounds like my kind of story and I plan on reading it next.

As you can see, I am blessed to be a Love Inspired Historial author. All the Love Inspired authors are great! And I have lots of favorites. I just finished reading Brides Of The West by Janet Dean, Victoria Bylin, and Pamela Nissen.

I'm curious, which Love Inspired book/author did you read last?

Book Clubs

I stayed up late last night, reading THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS, by Vanessa Diffenbaugh.  Usually I read Love Inspired books by my favorite authors or single title suspense stories, often best sellers, so this current book isn't one I normally would have bought. However, I'm in a book club, and THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS was this month's selection.

The book is a riveting read and hooked me on the first page.  I'll finish it this evening and will discuss it with my friends tomorrow night when the book club meets.  We rotate homes each month, and the hostess picks the next selection so we get a mix of genres and titles.  In my opinion, that's good.  It forces me to read stories outside my usual reading comfort zone.

Are you in a book club?  If so, share what you enjoy about your group and the way you choose the monthly titles.

Not currently in a book club?  Then share what you're reading, especially if it's a book you normally wouldn't have read.

What do we gain by reading outside our favorite genres?

Wishing you abundant blessings,

Debby Giusti
www.DebbyGiusti.com
www.seekerville.blogspot.com
www.crossmyheartprayerteam.blogspot.com

Love Finds You

Watch This

My new book, Love Finds You in Sunflower, Kansas, hits the shelves in a few weeks.  I've made a short video in celebration.  Please check it out. 
http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/13377540/love-finds-you-in-sunflower-kansas

Lost Legacy Interview

Today we're welcoming Brook Ramsey, the heroine of Lost Legacy, the first book in the Treasure Seekers series written by Dana Mentink, releasing in May 2012, Love Inspired Suspense.

Wow, you've just had quite an adventure.  

1.  Tell us a little about yourself and how you came to be in the midst of such suspense. Trouble found the Ramsey family when my father was ruined after the art gallery he was responsible for was robbed. Fast forward several years and he had a chance to redeem himself when he acquired a previously unknown painting which would fetch millions. It was stolen from him. I made it my mission to find the painting before my father’s mind was erased due to a genetic illness. 

2.  So, during the book you met Victor Gage. Tell us a bit about him. Victor and his siblings run a Treasure Seekers agency so I went to them for help. What was your first impression? He was aloof, and what I took to be arrogance I later discovered was a shield which he put up around himself after his wife was killed.  When did you know it was love? Let’s just say my heart knew it long before my brain got the message.  

3.  What strengths/skills do you have?  What is your greatest weakness? I love my father and my brother Tad, who is mentally disabled, and I would do anything to secure a future for them. Weaknesses? Does being shy count? I’m not a confrontational person by nature but this adventure put me on conflict ground zero.     

4.  What scares you? Inheriting my father’s disease and not being able to care for my brother.

      

5. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I’d be more confident, trust my instincts more. 

6.  Where are you in your faith at the start of your story? I am a woman of faith and it has kept me going through plenty of roadblocks, I can tell you. 

7.  Where are you in your faith at the end of the story?  Even stronger in the knowledge that He is the one in charge, regardless of how hard I strive or how much I worry. 

8. You've got a scripture at the beginning of the story.  Tell us why this scripture is significant.     Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.- 2 Timothy 1:14. Treasures are different things to different people, but there’s really only one eternal treasure.

9. If you could be a dessert what would you be and why? Probably summer ripe strawberries with fresh whipped cream. Sweet, simple and straightforward, a perfect complement to Victor who is a darker kind of delicacy.

Brooke Ramsey is running out of time. She needs to save her father's reputation before she loses him to illness. That means finding the painting that went missing while in his care. Fast. Which is why she teams up with Victor Gage, owner of Treasure Seekers agency.




The charming private detective has more at stake than uncovering a lost masterpiece. He's investigating his wife's death, and the artwork holds the answer. As Victor and Brooke draw closer to each other, so does a murderer. Someone wants the past to remain buried and will kill again to keep it hidden.

Ask Elnora--About Building a Book??Lenora Worth

If I had a hammer.... We all know that song, right? Lately, Elnora has heard a whole lot of hammering going on. Big Daddy has single-handedly renovated our retirement condo here on the bay in Florida. I know this because while I write my chapters, he's downstairs working away on everything from carpet to tile to bathroom fixtures to paint and then he starts it all over again. He has suffered through with cuts, bruises, a hurting back and yesterday, he drilled his thumb. Not a pretty picture. He and a friend built a closet underneath the stairs, too. Amazing! That got me to thinking about how we write. Maybe we use some of the same tools but in a different way. We build our stories, word by word. We use certain tools to do certain things. For example, we hammer away at creating an outline or synopsis then we take that and make a blueprint of what we want to create. Following that blueprint (kind of) we lay out the foundation and measure off the needed space. Then we take patterns (formulas) and saw away until we have the right shape for our words. We put the whole thing together by hammering away, holding things together with plot points sort of like nails and glue hold a house together. Then we tread on the carpet. Pacing is always important, especially when building up to the end. We tend to level off and stay on task, but we are always editing and tweaking in the same someone does when creating a room. We rearrange here and move a piece there to make things match up, but we keep an eye on the whole overall creation to make sure it flows and looks pretty. We build up walls with our characters then tear them down to get to the foundation of a character's roots. We open doors where walls once stood and we go down paths where no one has ventured before. We build communities and new worlds and we explore frontiers and start all over from scratch. While writers don't drill holes in our thumbs, we do drill ourselves at workshops and with "how-to" books because just like a true carpenter, we never tire of creating. So let's discuss--building books? What are some of your favorite tools? And who amongst us has the cutest tool box?? Are you a carpenter or are you a design specialist? Architect or contractor? If we build a good story, they will come. What do you think??

RITA Roll Call

2011 - Our finalist this year is Linda Goodnight.  Check back next Thursday for the story.

2010 - Finding Her Way Home by Linda Goodnight

2008 - A Touch of Grace by Linda Goodnight

2008 - Pamela Tracy finaled with her Love Inspired Suspense Pursuit of Justice.  Pamela says, "I knew when I started this book that it was different.  The story had been hammering at me for years, begging me to give it a turn.  From the first page, it felt right.  When it finaled in the RITA, I felt like someone had just whispered in my ear, 'Hey, you really can write.'  I felt like Cinderella the entire conference.

2007 - Allie Pleiter finaled with My So-Called Love Life

2006 -  One finalist this year was Lyn Cote.  She had this to say.
"The first book in my Women of Ivy Manor historical series, Chloe, finaled in 2006.  Finaling in the RITA bolstered my confidence and helped me be more adventurous in what I write. My book Chloe has remained one my most popular and controversial books. I say controversial because either readers love the heroine or hate her. But once they start reading her story they can't stop reading. Chloe was one of my few heroines who didn't start out as a brave woman. Life beat her up in many ways till she finally saw matters clearly and could take charge of her life. She is the matriarch in the remaining books of the series and everyone looks up to her. But early in the 20th century, she had been raised to be just a pretty face, an elegant hostess and nothing more, but she became a woman of character, one I've proud to have written.

 
2006 - Terri Reed also finaled in the RITA in 2006 with her second Love Inspired Romance A Sheltering Love.


There you have it! 
Most of us Craftie Ladies have our Writers' Goals.  Winning a RITA is fourth on my list of five things to do during my writing journey.

How about the rest of you?

Allie Pleiter on Faith and Sock Heels

Faith and sock heels

I thought I'd share with you a piece that I wrote for fellow author Cara Putnam's blog last month.  It's a personal favorite. 

I’m often asked where my story-lines come from, how I pull my unusual plot lines out of the mist of my muse.  I know people are looking for some stunning formula, some admirable technique, but I haven’t got one.  I just pull on a threat and start unraveling, following where it leads.

I was standing in the First Division Museum in Wheaton, IL, looking for a thread to tug.  I knew I wanted to write about WWI, but not much more than that.  My knitter’s eye caught a WWII olive sweater vest in an exhibit, and when I read the description “hand made according to a Red Cross pattern,” I knew I’d found it.  A little more research turned up the WWI “Knit Your Bit” Red Cross knitting campaign poster to produce wool socks for soldiers, and the rest is HOMEFRONT HERO.

Wounded war hero John Gallows finds himself in the unenviable position of having to learn to knit socks in public so that boys will join the ranks of Red Cross knitters.  You can imagine his lack of enthusiasm.  Nurse Leanne Sample takes her knitting very seriously, and isn’t about to let an arrogant poster boy make fun of her efforts.  She sees through Gallows’s bravado to his very deep pain.  It takes faith on both their parts to see why they make good partners.

At one point in every knitter’s life comes the challenge to “turn a heel,” or do those wondrous stitches that take a two-dimensional tube around a corner to make a three-dimensional sock.  It’s complicated as a whole, but simple when taken in small steps.  It looks daunting--and it is.  But it is doable, and a wonderful thing when accomplished.  Still, a knitter has to have faith in her instructions and in the truth that each row builds toward an end she might not yet see.

Sound like life?  Sound like faith?

John’s journey to making a sock isn’t about yarn and needles at all...it’s the perfect metaphor for his journey toward Christ, toward love, and toward healing (or in this case is it “heeling”?)

I hope you’ll enjoy this tale of wartime love that’s so near and dear to my romance-writing, sock-knitting, story-collecting heart!

My favorite gumbo recipe

Hi!  Winnie Griggs here.  Monday was an important day for my home state of Louisiana - it marked the 200^th anniversary of its statehood.  In honor of that auspicious occasion, I thought I’d post one of my favorite regional recipes - gumbo.  Every cook in Louisiana has her own version of this versatile dish.  This is mine - a recipe I’ve adapted over the years through tweaking one passed down from my grandmother.    

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup butter or vegetable oil
• 2 tblsp flour
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup green onions, chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped bell pepper
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 4 cups water
• 1 can (14-15 oz) diced tomatoes
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 lb sliced okra (sautéed with ½ teaspoon vinegar until ‘slime’ is gone)
• 4 lbs meat - any one type or a combination of your favorites.  Meats that work well in a gumbo are sausage (cut into ½ inch slices), deboned chicken or other fowl, pork, shrimp, crawfish, crab or game meats
• Tabasco sauce or liquid crab boil to taste (optional)

Directions:

• Use flour and oil or butter to make a roux.
  Do this by combining ingredients in a heavy saucepan and cooking over a low heat,  stirring constantly until the mixtures is a medium brown color (about 10-15 minutes).
• Add garlic, onions, green onions, celery and bell peppers.  Cook until tender
• Add remaining ingredients except okra (and shellfish if applicable) and bring to a boil. 
• Reduce heat, cover and cook for 30 minutes, adding additional water if needed
• Add okra (and shellfish if applicable).  Return to a boil. 
• Reduce heat and simmer for another 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove bay leaves, skim excess oil, and serve over rice.

This makes a very large batch.  Leftovers can be frozen for later consumption.

So, do you have any favorite recipes that reflect your home region?  Care to share?

THE COLONEL'S DAUGHTER

Debby Giusti here!

A surprise arrived in an email today.  My publisher sent the cover for my next book, THE COLONEL'S DAUGHTER, an August Love Inspired Suspense.  As most of you know, authors submit detailed information, along with photos, explaining what they would like to see on their covers.  I've been lucky and have always loved what the Art Department created.

My story takes place on Fort Rickman, a fictional army post in Georgia.  The quarters where my heroine lives is a two-story brick home with a small front porch trimmed in white.  As you can see, the Art Department got it right, including the heroine standing at the upstairs window.

Do you have a funny cover story?  One you really, really liked?  One that was a terrible disappointment?  I hope the readers will share what they like to see on a cover and some of their favorites.

Wishing you abundant blessings,
Debby Giusti
www.DebbyGiusti.com
www.seekerville.blogspot.com
www.crossmyheartprayerteam.blogspot.com