Welcome to the Ladies of Love Inspired--Lenora Worth

Hello, and Happy Easter! We are all excited around here. Today, we launch the new and improved Ladies of Love Inspired blog site--Love Inspired: Stories of Faith and Love for Every Reader.

To kick things off, here is a little poem we put together (kinda, sorta, to the tune of "The Brady Bunch." Hope you enjoy it. We are still building our pages, so please come back for book updates and pictures of the Ladies and our fun times. We'll also introduce you to some new Ladies who've joined the blog. More authors, more books, more posts! This week, we will post fun stuff until we're fully loaded. Meantime, if you have questions or suggestions, let us know! We love our readers!

Oh, and to celebrate, I'm putting together a Lovely Ladies spring box of books and goodies. If you post over the next two weeks, you'll be entered into the contest. I will announce the winner here on Saturday, April 29th!!!

Here's the story of some lovely ladies

Who were writing many lovely books,

All of them had plots of gold, with great endings,

That cleared up all the hooks.

Here’s the story of some hunky heroes who always

make us swoon,

They are strong and hardworking, with dreams that always bring them home.

These are men, who love their women,

And don’t want to wind up all alone.

And so we write some love stories, where the lady always gets her man,

Because they know there’s so much more to this life,

When they kiss and take each other’s hand,

And that's how this hunky, loving man marries a strong and loving wife.

Love Inspired Stories

Love Inspired Stories

Faith and love, that’s the way we make every reader smile.

Return to Autumn House--A Halloween Serial--Chapter Four--Jean C. Gordon

Hallie tightened her grip on Kane’s waist as much to steady herself as him. Even in his weakened state, he was a solid support. She blinked the approaching Sheriff Department cruiser into focus and relaxed. The car came to a dead stop in front of them and a tall muscular deputy climbed out.

“Hallie, are you all right?”

Crispin Apple, Kane’s high school sports rival and nemesis.

Kane tensed and put his arm around her waist. It had been ten years since they’d graduated. The two of them couldn’t still be carrying on the rivalry. She glanced from Kane to Cris and felt the charged air between them. Or maybe they could.

Cris rested his right hand on his sidearm. “I stopped at the Allhallow Inn on my patrol for coffee and one of their apple cider donuts, and Mary Ann asked me to check on you.  She said you’d come up here a while ago and, with it getting dark and all, she was worried. Some of the Cliff Road residents have reported strange lights and sounds coming from Autumn House. Cris’s gaze drilled into Kane’s.

Kane straightened and pulled his arm from her, and she reluctantly released him. He moved away.

“I’m fine, but Kane’s been hurt. His head—“ She stopped when Kane grunted something intelligible under his breath and swayed slightly toward her before pulling himself back up to his full height, an inch or two taller than Cris.

“Hallie,” Cris said, “I assume that’s your roadster parked below. “

“Yes, but we’ve got to get Kane to Doc Snicks.”

Kane massaged his forehead and the gash on his temple reopened. Her heart pounded. He must be really out of it. It wasn’t like Kane to stand silent, to not take charge—at least the Kane she’d known. She ran her gaze over him. He wasn’t going to pass out, was he? Before she could reach and steady him, Cris stepped between them.

“I know all the locals cars,” he said. “Didn’t see yours on the road or driveway, Cornelison.”

“You couldn’t have looked very hard, Apple. My Phantom Drophead Coupe is right there on the side of the driveway under the weeping willow.”

Hallie’s throat clogged. She hadn’t seen it either. She cleared her throat. “Stop, both of you. Kane needs to get to the doctor’s. Drive us down to my car.”

“Come on.” Cris yanked open the back door of the cruiser and grabbed Kane’s arm as he would with someone he was arresting.

Kane shook him off, and Cowardly crashed out of the underbrush by the house growling.

“Cowardly, stop,” she screamed when she saw Cris’ hand tighten on his gun. The dog skidded to a stop next to her, and she promptly sneezed.

“Come on, boy, we’re going for a ride,” Kane said, taking measured steps to the cruiser and motioning the dog into the back seat.

Cris opened the passenger side door for her and slid in the other side. “Keep that monster under control, Cornelison.”

“Afraid of a little house pet?”

Cris’ knuckles went white on the steering wheel. “When you’re done at Doc’s, I want you at the station to answer a few questions.”

They drove down the winding drive in silence. What was going on? Crispin was supposed to be one of the good guys. 

Sign up for Jean's Author Newsletter at www.JeanCGordon.com

Oh, those winter blues...

Barbara Phinney here. Recently, I noticed that some people were a little crabby. It was on a loop, and they were quite testy. Last week, a woman rammed my grocery cart and yelled at me because I was in her way. Last night, I learned that my pastor's mother was feeling a little blue, and another woman felt her mother was also.

It's a tough time of year. Regardless of the fact that most of us have enjoyed a nice winter so far, the lack of sunlight, and mounting debts can bring to a grinding halt even the most bubbly of personalities. And with flu season here, and children generously spreading their germs around us, we can succumb in more ways than one.

What can we do?  We all don't have access to light therapy, or a chance to fly off to sunnier and warmer places. Here are some tips I have gathered to help us all out.

Keep moving. Get up and exercise. Yup, I hate it too. And if you're already doing that, good for you!  But why not encourage someone else? Break out the Wii and challenge someone to bowling or golf. Did you know that Wii will kick you off a golf course if you get a high enough score? Learned that the hard way.

Host a dinner/movie/fun night. Or attend one. Bring popcorn and tissues if necessary. Plan a dinner for a few friends. We did that the other day and played that game Apples to Apples. Everyone had a blast.

Get outside. Check out the sun on your face. Take your vitamins, Eat porridge and lentils and spinach and avocado. Maybe not all at once, though. But these food help mood.

Volunteer. Anywhere, but have fun. Spend time doing something fun, smiling all the time, and just relax. And when it's all done, get plenty of sleep.

Do you have any hints on how to get through this season?

Barbara writes inspirational romantic suspense. Check out her books here.
http://www.amazon.com/Barbara-Phinney/e/B001HPFZ16/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
or
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/barbara-phinney

Sharing Family Excitement

Missy, here. We've had some excitement in the family this summer and fall. My nephew, Buster Posey, has had a great rookie season with the San Francisco Giants. And they're the National League West division champs, heading to playoffs! This photo is a shot my father-in-law took off the TV the other night after they beat the Padres. :)

It's been fun to be able to watch him play on TV. We even got the chance to go watch him when they played the Braves in Atlanta back in August. And now they'll be playing the Braves in the playoffs. It's all been very exiting to watch him living out his dream.

Selling books to Steeple Hill has been a dream come true for me! Have you ever had the chance to live out one of your dreams?

Joining In Is a Good Thing by Debra Clopton

Hi Everyone Debra Clopton here posting late !!!! Wow God has been busy in my life. But even so there are moments where I can get discouraged...maybe its just me but I don't think so :) Life is just built that way. WE have ups and we have downs. THANK goodness for a wonderful church family who can lift you up, give you things to get involved in, be there for you when you need them and you be there when they need you.

I urge each of you if you don't have a church family that you find one. Don't just go on Sunday and leave, but jump in and get involved with the people--claim it for your own and you will be amazed at how it will bless you!!! But also how you can bless others. I spent yesterday with about 40 youth playing volleyball in the horse arena at our church (Cowboy Church of Leon County) and there is just no way not to feel uplifted after that!!! Yes I'm using a few exclamation marks cuz I'm excited :) If that wasn't enough to get my "happy" going then I stayed and went to the women's Bible study after that...yes I had to rinse off outside at the faucet because I was really covered in sand but the ladies still let me come. It was awesome. SO the moral here is don't let a bad moment, a bad morning, or any other thing Satan throws your way discourage you from joining in at your local church. Someone there needs you and you need them. Hey, and if any of you are in the Centerville area on Saturday May 15 stop by our church for a benefit we are having for Willie Perry one of the dear men in our cowboy band who is fighting lung cancer. Its going to be a great day of music, a roping of some sort--check out Cowboy Church of Leon County's facebook page to get all the details. There will be many silent auction baskets and some great BBQ. I'm just sayin...come have some fun--and do a good deed at the same time :)

Also, keep your eyes posted the 2nd book of my Men Of Mule Hollow series hits the shelves June 1 COWBOY FOR KEEPS I hope you grab a copy and enjoy !

Until next time, live, laugh and seek God with all your heart!

Debra Clopton :)

Finding Gems

Missy Tippens, here. Okay, so finding gems might be a misleading title for my post. I didn't find a diamond or rubies. What I'm talking about finding is...photos. Photos that I just found on my cell phone today! :)





So I thought I'd share a fun story with you that happened back in July on our beach vacation.


The day we checked out and were leaving the condo, I saw a gorgeous view from the parking deck. Yes, even the parking deck had a view in this great place! So as we were driving off, I yelled for my husband to halt the car so I could snap a few photos (and take one last look at the beach--which is always sad for me). I grabbed my phone and climbed out.


This is the beautiful blue and white and green of the Alabama Gulf. Gorgeous. And such a perfect day made it difficult to leave.

Then I turned and snapped the next photo while breathing in the fresh air, hoping that we'd be able to come back to the same place next year.

Then I turned around...and my family and vehicle were gone! Vanished. No sounds. No honking and waving. No quiet sneaking away. I'd been so wrapped up in the scenery that I'd lost total track of time.


Well, I knew they hadn't forgotten about me and left. Or at least I hoped they hadn't! LOL I figured they'd opted to give mom a scare. So I walked out of the parking deck. Still no car.

I walked toward the main highway and looked for them. Nothing.

They'd really pulled a good one on me! Then it hit me that they may have gone up to a higher level on the deck.

About the time I reached the bottom of the ramp, here they came. The last photo is the one I snapped as they acted like they were going to pass me by. You can even see my reflection (snapping said photo) in the side of the car if you look.

What fun! Don't you love it when you can laugh with someone you love?

Lyn Cote's Fun Weekend

Lyn Cote here--Just got back from a fun weekend. My dh and I drove to Minneapolis last Friday. We arrived around supper time and treated ourselves to a Rib Feast at Tony Roma's at the Mall of America. I hadn't been to the MOA since last year. But that was for a booksigning with a crowd of authors so I didn't have any shopping time. I didn't do a lot of shopping but my dh cetainly studied the Craftsman tool section of Sears.

The next day, I attended a very interesting day-long workshop featuring Michael Hauge, a screenwriting teacher and script doctor in Hollywood. This was sponsored by Midwest Fiction Writers. Anyway, it was great to see friends there that I hadn't seen for a long time and the buffet was yummy! And the workshop gave me deeper insight into the characters of the Love Inspired romance I'm writing right now. So a day well spent!

Then we drove down to St Ansgar Iowa to spend a few nights at The Blue Belle Inn B and B, one of my favorite places in Iowa or anywhere really. Sherrie Hansen Decker, the proprietress, bought the decrepit Victorian for $18,000 just before the city was going to tear it down. Six months later she with the help of her family renovated it and opened it for business. Each room in the bed & breakfast has a name and theme, such as "Never Never Land," "The Wrinkle in Time," "The Secret Garden." This time we stayed in "Anne's House of Dreams," the Anne referred to is of course Anne of Green Gables. Sherrie and her dh are writers too, so we had a lot to talk about.
Anne's House of Dreams

Monday morning my dh and I headed back to Wisconsin. It was a quiet but "gusty" drive home. After a lovely weekend away, we unloaded the car only to find out that two of our beloved cats had gotten out!

Since we live in a forest, which has many other animals who think cats are a delicacy, we had a tense period till we found the youngest cat who belongs to my daughter in the garage. Whew! Just what we all needed to up our blood pressure.

Have any of you stayed at a B and B? I've only been inside one other B and B, but I can't believe that there are too many as lovely as The Blue Belle Inn! Drop by her website and see what she did with a house the town was ready to demolish.