My guest today is Author Allie Pleiter, who has gone through a personal crisis over the past year. (BTW, she’s a knitter so she probably knit that scarf.) She is also offering a free copy of her latest Love Inspired Romance, Falling for the Fireman. Here’s Allie:

“You never know how strong you can be until strong is the only choice you have.”

This is a sign my heroine Jeannie Nelworth remembers from a hospital in FALLING FOR THE FIREMAN.  It’s also a real sign, taken from my own life.  This sign hangs in the Ronald McDonald House near the hospital where my son was treated for cancer.  The words have been so potent for me that I knew not only would I share them with Jeannie, but Jeannie would share them with the world.

Jeannie has been through a great deal, and life is about to hand her another enormous challenge.  She’s worried she can’t love her son through the emotional damage of the fire that took their home.   An eighth grade boy can only stand so much.

To purchase, click Falling for the Fireman (Love Inspired)

My family has been through a great deal, and my son’s cancer was life handing us a life-and-death challenge after two years of extended illness.  I was worried I couldn’t love my son through the medical and emotional challenges of cancer.  An eighth grade boy can only stand so much.

It’s true a writer writes the book she need to read, don’t you think?

Oprah always asks people “what do you know for sure?” This sign is one of those bone-deep “for sures” for me.  There are times in all our lives where strong is the only choice we have, and despite shaking in our shoes, we step up to the plate.  When strong is our only choice, the great blessing is that “God is our refuge and our strength.”

My son is healthy and strong, and I thank God every day for that blessing.  Jeannie’s son finds his healing too…but if I told you how, I’d spoil the book for you, wouldn’t I?”–Allie

Links:  “Ronald McDonald House” http://rmhc.org/

“Oprah” http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/What-I-Know-for-Sure-Oprah-Winfrey

Falling for the Firemam Back Cover Copy:

There’s something achingly familiar about the look in fire marshal Chad Owens’s eyes. Widowed mom Jeannie Nelworth knows firsthand what it is: loss, hurt and yes—bitterness. Ever since the fire that changed their lives, Jeannie’s young son has borne that same look, pushing everyone away. So she’s grateful when Chad tries to get through to the boy with the help of his trusty fire station dog.

But the man who’s all about safety and prevention keeps himself protected—from loving and losing again. Seems as if Jeannie will have to add his kind, guarded heart to her rebuilding efforts.

Author Bio: An avid knitter, coffee junkie, and devoted chocoholic, Allie Pleiter writes both fiction and non-fiction. The enthusiastic but slightly untidy mother of two, Allie spends her days writing books, buying yarn, and finding new ways to avoid housework. Allie hails from Connecticut, moved to the midwest to attend Northwestern University, and currently lives outside Chicago, Illinois. The “dare from a friend” to begin writing has produced two parenting books, fourteen novels, and various national speaking engagements on faith, women’s issues, and writing. Visit her website at www.alliepleiter.com or her knitting blog at www.DestiKNITions.blogspot.com

Allie, I’ve watched Oprah on and off but never heard her ask that. But the question certainly fits her and this situation.

Readers, remember to leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for Allie’s book. Have any of you found strength through crisis? Perhaps you’ll share a little in a comment. Or answer Oprah’s question: What do you know for sure?–Lyn