First Lines of Famous Books Quiz + Giveaway

By Meghan Carver

The first lines of books have an incredibly important role – to pull the reader in and make her want to read more.

If you’ve read a lot (and you probably have since you’re here, reading this), you’ve read a lot of good first lines. Want to test your knowledge?

Better yet, want to win a signed copy of a new 2-in-1 that includes my Love Inspired Suspense novel Amish Country Amnesia and Leigh Bale’s Runaway Amish Bride?

Buy Now on Amazon

The following are the first lines of well-known books. All you need to do is leave a comment with the titles, and the one with the most right wins a book. It’s the honor system, so no peeking at someone else’s answers! 😊 Alternatively, if several have the right answers, I’ll randomly choose a name. (U.S. winners only. Post will be updated at 8:00 tonight with the answers and the winner.)

1. It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.
2. Once upon a time, sixty years ago, a little girl lived in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, in a little gray house made of logs.
3. Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that.
4. “Where's Papa going with that axe?” said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast.
5. Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. This story is about something that happened to them when they were sent away from London during the war because of the air-raids.
6. “Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,” grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.
7. Mrs. Rachel Lynde lived just where the Avonlea main road dipped down into a little hollow, fringed with alders and ladies' eardrops and traversed by a brook that had its source away back in the woods of the old Cuthbert place; it was reputed to be an intricate, headlong brook in its earlier course through those woods, with dark secrets of pool and cascade; but by the time it reached Lynde's Hollow it was a quiet, well-conducted little stream, for not even a brook could run past Mrs. Rachel Lynde's door without due regard for decency and decorum; it probably was conscious that Mrs. Rachel was sitting at her window, keeping a sharp eye on everything that passed, from brooks and children up, and that if she noticed anything odd or out of place she would never rest until she had ferreted out the whys and wherefores thereof.
8. "Tom!" No answer. "Tom!" No answer. "What's gone with that boy, I wonder? You Tom!" No answer.
9. Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, where we lay out scene, from ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
10. As I walk’d through the wilderness of this world, I lighted on a certain place where was a Den, and I laid me down in that place to sleep; and as I slept, I dreamed a Dream. I dreamed, and behold I saw a Man cloathed with Rags, standing in a certain place, with his face from his own house, a Book in his hand, and a great Burden upon his back.

This is the honor system. No google! 😊

Have fun, and I'll post a winner at 8:00 tonight!


***UPDATED WITH ANSWERS***
Are you ready for answers?

1. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
2. Little House in the Big Woods, Laura Ingalls Wilder
3. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
4. Charlotte's Web, E.B. White
5. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis
6. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
7. Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maude Montgomery
8. Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain (aka Samuel Clemens)
9. Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare
10. Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan

{An interesting side note: E.B. White was an English professor who wrote what writers just call “Strunk & White,” a brilliant little book actually titled The Elements of Style.}

And the winner is….

~~ Debbi ~~

Congratulations! Send an email to MeghanCCarver@gmail.com with your mailing address, and I’ll get the book out to you. 😊

Thanks for taking part!

~ Meghan

Sign up for Meghan’s author newsletter HERE.

MeghanCarver.com

Sometimes the Suspense is Real

By Meghan Carver

For the past couple of years, I have had the honor of working with a missionary from our connection of churches to write his story of surviving an attack by a Mexican gang.

As you know, I write inspirational suspense, and I often scare myself or become worried over my characters as I plot how to make their story more difficult. {Read to the end to see my new Amish Love Inspired Suspense releasing next month!}

This missionary story, though, just now released, is no suspense novel. This is real. This book will give you goosebumps as you read of God's protection over this family who sacrificed to bring the gospel to Mexico.

In Angels’ Charge is the incredible true survival story of a missionary attacked by a Mexican gang and God’s amazing protection over him as his family journeyed into another culture, suffered spiritual attack, and came within breaths of seeing Heaven.

Here’s a sneak peek from the prologue:

Somewhere in Mexico, October 23, 2009, before sunrise

Blood pulsed out of the large wound in my head. I had a white dress shirt on that morning, and it was so completely saturated with my red blood that you could not tell it had been a white shirt. My pants were covered with blood. The car seat between my legs was pooling with my blood. The steering wheel, the dash, the window, and the console of my Toyota Sequoia were all completely covered with blood. Blood had exploded from my forehead, and even John was sprinkled with droplets of my blood.

The first thing I remember after returning to consciousness was John’s voice tinged with panic, “Oh God, please don’t let Marc die!” In a haze of semi-consciousness, I asked, “What happened?” Even as I write this, John’s next words echo in my memory transporting me back to that terrifying moment: “Marc, you’ve been hit in the head with a rock, and I don’t think you’re going to make it.” There was a trembling tone of fear and resignation in the way he spoke those words to me that morning that I can never dislodge from my memory.

In that moment, in the midst of those dire and surreal circumstances, John grasped the steering wheel from the passenger seat, and I remained incapacitated in the driver’s seat. I had been instantly blinded by the attack, so he was telling me when to brake and when to accelerate –all the time hoping and praying I wouldn’t lose consciousness or worse as he attempted to find someplace where we could get help.

For indeed, in that moment, I was dying.


It was a true blessing to work with Marc, to have the honor of asking him probing questions about his experiences and his faith. I pray you will be blessed by this story!

In Angels’ Charge is available now for kindle. You can find it on Amazon HERE.

~~~~~

My next Amish Love Inspired Suspense releases next month!

After Amish widow Katie Schwartz’s search for her reclusive brother results in a shooting and her finding a cryptic message, she must rely on federal agent Adam Troyer to shield her. But, undercover as a Plain man, can Adam save her brother’s life and protect Katie? Trusting the handsome Englisch agent is already dangerous…but falling for him could risk everything Katie holds dear.

You can pre-order Amish Covert Operation HERE.

Meghan Carver is a homeschooling mother of six, writer of faith-filled romantic suspense, unabashed bibliophile, and law school graduate. She has four books published with Love Inspired Suspense (Under Duress, Deadly Disclosure, Amish Country Amnesia, and Amish Covert Operation). You can connect with her on her author Facebook page or sign up for her author newsletter and find links to buy her books at meghancarver.com.

Something Good to Eat

Patricia Davids here with something good.

Crab-filled crescent wontons

I like to cook good things for my friends and family.

I LOVE to cook things that are good and EASY.

This appetizer fits the bill. Picture and recipe are from the Betty Crocker website, my go to place for all things delicious if what I'm looking for isn't in the 1974 dog-eared copy of my own Better Crocker Cookbook that I received as a wedding gift in 1974. http://www.bettycrocker.com/ I seriously love that book. And the man.

Crab-filled crescent wontons

Ingredients

1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury™ refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury™ refrigerated Crescent Dough Sheet

1 package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup chopped cooked crabmeat

1 tablespoon chopped green onion (1 medium)

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)

1 egg white, beaten

Directions

Heat oven to 375°F.

Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Unroll dough on work surface (if using crescent rolls, pinch seams to seal); cut into 6 rows by 4 rows to make 24 squares.

In small bowl, mix cream cheese, crabmeat, onion and red pepper. Spoon about 1 teaspoon crab mixture 1/2 inch from 1 corner of 1 square.

Starting with same corner, fold dough over filling and tuck end tightly underneath filling; continue rolling to within 1/2 inch of opposite corner. Lightly brush exposed corner with egg white.

Roll moistened corner of dough over roll; press to seal. Place on cookie sheet. Brush with egg white. Repeat with remaining squares and filling.

Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

The ladies of Love Inspired who blog here have recently talked about adding recipes once in awhile to change things up. I like the idea. Dear Readers, what do you think?  After all, what we write is for you, our books, our blogs and our Facebook posts are all aimed at making you feel like you know us.

Happy cooking and Happy Reading.

My next book, The Wish, will be in stores May 1st.

Pat

2019 is off and running. Me too.

Patricia Davids here, Happy New Year to all.

2019 is off and running and so am I. Not my feet, my fingers. I have four books scheduled to be finished this year. (What was I thinking?) Two are for Love Inspired and two are for HQN. I have always claimed that I do my best work under pressure. I reckon we'll see if that is true.

One thing this killer schedule has prevented is any New Year's resolutions from me. I used to list the usual, lose weight, eat healthy, exercise more (or some). This year all I'll have time for is writing.

Are you making a resolution this year?

What is the one resolution you can say with certainty that you kept in the past? To stop smoking? To balance the checkbook? Change jobs? Give up soda or coffee? Keep a clean house? I once decided to quit my nursing job and write full time. I can't say it was a smart move but I have made it work.

To take a ride in a hot air balloon is one resolution that has never happened for me. I'd like to say this year is the year but I'm pretty sure I'll be too busy writing.

What is the one resolution or item on your bucket list you haven't accomplished and dearly wish you had?

I'm going with a visit to the Grand Canyon and beachcombing with Lenora Worth. Maybe not this year but I can always hope.



Love Inspired is reissuing my story, An Unexpected Amish Romance in Feb along with Jan Drexler's
The Amish Nanny's Sweetheart in a 2-1 collection.









Be sure and look for my first new 2019 release, The Wish from HQN. It comes out in May.

If you'd like to win a free ARC (advanced reviewer's copy) of this
book simply comment below or contact me by e-mail at pat@patriciadavids.com. I have about ten to give away. I ask that you post an honest review of the book on the book review site you like best (such as Goodreads) but you are not required to give a review to win a copy.

We All Need a Valley of Hope

This month, Harlequin released my novel, Valley of Hope. Well, technically, it’s a re-release since I originally wrote this novel in 2013 and self-published it.

Sarah Price's Amish romance, Valley of Hope, at Walmart

For over 35 years, I’ve been writing romance novels. Seeing a novel published and sitting on the bookshelves of a store, especially Walmart, is always a thrill.

But especially for this book, Valley of Hope.

You see, in most Amish romances, the Amish are depicted as living idyllic lives. They smile as they do chores, they fall in love by fence posts, and they live happily ever after.

Having grown up in a Mennonite family, I’m very familiar with the culture of conservative Mennonites as well as Amish. When I was nineteen, I found an Amish family who took me in and let me stay with them. For years I would spend summers and spring breaks at their farm. Later, an older Amish woman let me rent a room from her and I spent several years with her, going back and forth to Pennsylvania from my life in New Jersey.

And I know that not all Amish romances begin with the sweet meeting by the fence post.

In Valley of Hope, the fourth book in my Amish of Lancaster series, Samuel Lapp is a headstrong young man who, while on rumpschpringe—that period of freedom before Amish youth take their kneeling vow—prefers to hang out with Englischers. He loves Mary Ruth, but he’s wrong when he thinks she will wait for him forever.

What I loved about writing this novel was how it depicts the inner turmoil some of the youth go through when involving the process of making that final commitment to join the Amish church. Not a lot of people realize that there are two types of Amish: those who are born into the community and those who join the church. Not all of those who are born Amish actually become Amish.

An Amish Farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Photo Credit: Sarah Price

Samuel Lapp isn’t certain that he wants to become Amish and give up the good life. Only he comes to learn that what he believed was exciting and fun isn’t as ‘good’ as he originally thought. Isn’t that something we can all relate to? How many times have we thought we wanted something, worked hard to achieve it, and when we obtain those goals, we realize that we aren’t as happy as we thought we’d be.

Does Valley of Hope have a happy ending? Well, most of my novels do. But surprises happen along the way because…well…that’s life. It’s full of surprises, just like the real world of romance and life. And just like the real world, sometimes we all need a valley of hope in times of indecision. 

Sarah Price is the author of over 40 novels, several of which were on the ECPA Bestseller Fiction List. She runs the Amish Fiction Authors blog at http://www.amishfictionauthors.com. Her own website is http://www.sarahpriceauthor.com.   

New for October from Our Love Inspired Suspense Authors

Jean C. Gordon here with three new must buys from our Love Inspired Suspense authors. Just click on the cover to purchase it. And to learn more about these talented ladies, click on her name.

Framed for Murder
by Mary Alford 

FALSELY ACCUSED
Framed for helping her partner smuggle guns—and then murdering him—CIA agent Liz Ramirez must find the evidence that will prove her innocence…before she's caught or killed. So when her squad's leader attempts to bring her in for questioning, she knows her future depends on convincing Aaron Foster to go rogue and help her. On the run from the rest of her team and the gun dealers who are convinced she knows the location of their missing weapons, Liz risks losing the proof that would clear her name. But will eluding her pursuers—and trying not to fall for the handsome commander—prove to be fatal?

Undercover Amish
Publishers Weekly Bestseller by Debby Giusti 

AMISH COUNTRY REFUGE
After Hannah Miller’s mother is murdered and her sisters go missing, someone comes after her. Now the only way she can survive is to entrench herself in an Amish community…and rely on Lucas Grant, a former police officer who is planning to join the Amish faith, for protection. But finding refuge for Hannah— disguised as Plain at a secluded inn—pulls Lucas back into his old life. And when Lucas discovers the criminals after them may be the people who killed his partner, the mission to take them down becomes personal. With the assailants closing in, though, can Lucas stop them…and finally put his past behind him to start an Amish life with Hannah?

Christmas Amnesia
by Laura Scott 

MISTLETOE MEMORY LOSS
Assaulted a week before a high-profile drug trafficking trial, assistant district attorney Madison Callahan narrowly escapes death…but suffers amnesia. Now, when she can't recall the identity of her attacker, everyone is suspect—except the handsome policeman who saved her. Officer Noah Sinclair will do anything to bring the mob-connected drug trafficker to justice, including providing personal protection to Madison—the sister of the partner he nearly got killed. But helping her regain her memory may end their unlikely alliance because once she remembers him, Noah might be the last man she'll want to rely on. As the trial looms and with the assailant dead set on ensuring that Madison doesn't survive to see Christmas, it'll take everything Noah's got to keep Madison alive.