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Amish Author Vannetta Chapman & This Imperfect Life

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Lyn CoteMay 9, 2014

Today my guest is Amish Author Vannetta Chapman. She takes a different approach to women and what is demanded of us in this life. Here’s Vannetta:

Women and the Imperfect Life

My latest release, Murder Simply Brewed, is set in Middlebury Indiana. The story revolves around the life of two women—Amber Wright and Hannah Troyer. Hannah is young and has nothing but optimism about the future. Amber, on the other hand, is a bit older. She’s not sure that the “perfect life” she believed in as a young woman will ever be hers. She’s not sure that is God’s plan, though she had once strongly believed it was.

Though happy in her job,

Amber has no personal life to speak of. She’s short on friends—after all, everyone is either busy or paired up! As far as romance, that doesn’t seem to be in her future either. Then one of her employees has a heart attack on the Village property where she is manager. Or was he killed? As the investigation grows more mysterious and the stakes grow more personal, Amber learns to rely on her faith, her friends (new ones that she never would have envisioned as her friends), and her neighbor (Tate Bowman, who is certainly not a love interest).

Quite a bit of biographical details

I’ll admit as I wrote this story I included quite a bit of biographical details. At 34, I was a single mom and my life was far from perfect. Like Amber, I had a good job but few friends and no love interests. I wasn’t sure about God’s plan for me.

But God’s plans are often different than our plans,

and He can bring victory out of the most dire of consequences. By the time I was 36, I had met and married Bob. We’ve been married 15 years now, and we’re both good friends and soul mates. I could never have envisioned that at 34. The last 15 years have been fraught with both good times (college graduations, promotions, and special family trips) and bad times (dread diseases, financial issues and family hardships).

So what of this imperfect life?

What’s a girl – ummm, woman – to do? If I could speak to that 34 year old I used to be, I’d tell her a few things.

Hold on to your faith.

Trust in God’s provision.

Believe in a Holy providence.

Sometimes as women, we convince ourselves

that we have to go it alone, that we need to be strong enough to do things all by ourselves. And sometimes that might be true. But more often, there are friends just waiting to be found and a path, that God has ordained, right around the corner.

That was certainly true for Amber Wright, and it was true for me as well.”–Vannetta

For more about Vannetta:
http://vannettachapman.com
https://www.facebook.com/VannettaChapmanBooks

I’m always so suprised and pleased with what my authors share here. QUESTION: What do you think of her idea of this imperfect life?–Lyn

Also if you missed it, I reviewed Vannetta’s book, The Christmas Quilt.

Poem “Mother Gone” by Sydney Halet

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Lyn CoteApril 28, 2014

I decided to join a poetry group on Goodreads.com. I was so taken with this poem, “Mother Gone” that I asked the poet, Sydney Halet, for permission to share it here. She graciously agreed. Here’s “MOTHER GONE.”

MOTHER GONE

by Sydney Halet

I hear your voice rippling through
The stilled pools of my past youth;
It echoes in the caverns
Of my half remembered dreams;
It calls me back again
To yesterday’s careless joys
When my world was young and green.

I hear your voice whispering to
My secret heart of hearts,
Urging me to come away
To a time when I was young,
And spring flowered everywhere,
In sunshine and in shade,
For me to wander through.

I hear your voice calling me
In tones of warmth and love,
Singing in my memory
As only a mother can,
And I’ll come to you again
With outstretched arms
When my winter passes by.

I was really touched by so many of Sydney’s word pictures and sensory touches, especially the references to her mother’s voice. I recall so well my mother’s voice and then the image of running to mother with outstretched arms. If you still have your mother, give her a hug. Mothers and daughters, one of the closest relationships in life. Thank you, Sydney, for a beautiful and evocative poem.–Lyn

If you want to read more of Sydney’s poetry, click here, her Goodreads profile.

Lyn Interviews Book Blogger Kav of Best Reads

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Lyn CoteMay 10, 2014

Canadian librarian Kav decided in 2010 to start keeping track of the best books she read and the rest is history–or actually a very interesting blog. Here’s Kav’s interview.

1-Who are your favorite authors?

That’s an impossible question to answer. Perhaps I’m too fickle of a reader, but I adore so many authors that I couldn’t possibly start naming them. I will say that I pretty much only read Christian fiction. That’s definitely my favorite genre.

2-What kind of book is the one you look for in bookstores and online?

Christian fiction – preferably romance. ? I have my go-to authors and publishers but I’m always on the lookout for debut authors I can fall in love with. I will admit that book covers draw me and a great cover may make the sale for me when I’m struggling over which book to buy. I love brick and mortar bookstores and frequent a family owned Christian bookstore in my town. There’s something about being able to breathe in that distinct just-off-the-press smell that sends me into reader euphoria

3-What prompted you to start a book blogging site?

I love books and when I discovered Christian fiction about five years ago I wanted to shout it out to the world! Who knew the depth and breadth and inspiration found in the CBA lineups every year?!

4-Tell us a bit about yourself.

I love to read. Was actually a late reading bloomer but once I figured it out I devoured books and never grew out of my love of reading. I’m a school librarian and love sharing the joy of books with kids. I’m also an aspiring writer. You might say I’m story obsessed.

I enjoy the challenge of upcycling furniture and am pretty proud of the fact that my wee little house is full of nearly new cast offs that have been repurposed. My favorite project is an old card catalogue that I turned into a coffee table on wheels.

I’m an animal lover…dogs, cats, budgies, rats, mice, dwarf bunnies…even raccoons…have shared my home at one time or another. Sadly, I’m dogless for the first time in twenty-five years. My old man sheltie died just before Christmas. I’m anxiously on the search for a new furrever canine friend.”–Kav

Here’s the link to Kav’s blog http://bestreads-kav.blogspot.com/

And she actually reviewed one of my books, Heartland Courtship. Here’s that link too.

I hope you’re getting to know some new book bloggers and finding some more good books to read!–Lyn

BTW, Danie won a copy of my book, HER CAPTAIN’S HEART. Congrats, Danie!

Lyn Interview NY Times Author Francine Rivers

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Lyn CoteMay 7, 2014

Francine Rivers is one of those friends that I wished lived closer, but she loves California and I love the northwoods of Wisconsin. I rank Francine’s novel Redeeming Love as a modern classic and her “Mark of the Lion” series helped launch the resurgence of the inspirational romance market in the 1990’s. I’m happy to welcome Francine here to my “Strong Women, Brave Stories” blog. Here’s the interview:

Tell us a little about your writing and your real life?

Writing is like going on an expedition. It could be a swamp with crocodiles, or a desert so hot I see mirages and become lost. Sometimes I’m climbing a mountain without the map that shows the best route to take and I run into stone walls or get swept away by an avalanche. (The manuscript goes into the garbage and I start again.) Usually, I’m not even sure where I’m going, other than I have to keep moving forward, asking for directions from the One who knows the destination and what He wants me to learn from the experience. Writing is never a walk in the park.

In real life, I get up around 6 a.m., have coffee and read the One Year Bible and several other devotionals with my husband, Rick. I read the newspaper, eat breakfast, ride my recumbent exercycle (5-7 miles) and walk on the treadmill (1-2 miles now with a goal of 5). I shower and get ready to do whatever needs to be done (errands, house-cleaning, yard work, play with Sarge – our German Shepherd). Tyndale House Publishers releases Bridge to Haven on April 22, so I’m not writing (other than blogs and long emails to friends and family).

I have no deadline, no project in the works. I’m diving into my TBR (to-be-read) pile of books that have accumulated over last eighteen months. I’ve been to the movie theater twice in the last week (“Divergent” and “God is NOT Dead”) with plans to go several more times in the weeks ahead. I’m going out to lunch with friends, playing golf with Rick, watching DVR-ed shows and favorite DVDs until 11 p.m. (Downton Abbey, anyone?) I’m taking an R&R until an idea grips me and characters begin to carry on conversations inside my head again. Then it will be time to get back to work.

Francine, I’m impressed with your physical fitness routine. I just do the treadmill for a half hour every week day. Goodness.

Was there a time in your life when you think God challenged you to become stronger? Please share.

A number of years ago, when I was a fairly new Christian, I attended an RWA Conference and was presented with an award. When I stood at the podium, I knew God was calling me to “come out of the closet” and share my faith. I did so briefly and dedicated the award to all the other Christians who wanted to honor the Lord and asked them to stand. Many did. Many had been told by editors and publishers to “cut the God stuff” from manuscripts. The following day, many others took issue over what I had said and done. They didn’t come to speak to me, but directed their complaints to a close friend who was in leadership. Though I was sorry for the persecution she suffered, we both came away more assured of our faith and what God is calling each of us to do: write for Him.

I remember that incident. I was there. It certainly stirred controversy, but it didn’t stop your writing “sisters” from continuing to keep the “God stuff” in!

What is special to you about your most recent book?

It comes from a scriptural allegory about God’s love for Israel as well as for each individual believer in Jesus. The Lord is at the very center of the story, and it is a romance. In truth, the Bible is a romance and every word is true. It is the story of the heights, lengths and depths that God will go to bring us into an intimate, all-consuming love relationship with Him.

Every character in Bridge to Haven is on a journey to be in that relationship or run from it. The bridge is an important feature in the story and represents the heart of the novel. What is a bridge? Who is the bridge? How do we cross the great divide to reach the love for which we yearn?

That certainly sounds interesting. Thanks for sharing, Francine.

BIO

New York Times best-selling author Francine Rivers began her literary career at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and journalism. From 1976 to 1985, she had a successful writing career in the general market, and her books were highly acclaimed by readers and reviewers. Although raised in a religious home, Francine did not truly encounter Christ until later in life, when she was already a wife, a mother of three, and an established romance novelist.

Shortly after becoming a born-again Christian in 1986, Francine wrote Redeeming Love as her statement of faith. First published by Bantam Books and then rereleased by Multnomah Publishers in the mid-1990s, this retelling of the biblical story of Gomer and Hosea, set during the time of the California Gold Rush, is now considered by many to be a classic work of Christian fiction. Redeeming Love continues to be one of the CBA’s top-selling titles, and it has held a spot on the Christian best-seller list for nearly a decade.

Since Redeeming Love, Francine has published numerous novels with Christian themes—all best sellers—and she has continued to win both industry acclaim and reader loyalty around the globe. Her Christian novels have been awarded or nominated for numerous honors, including the RITA Award, the Christy Award, the ECPA Gold Medallion, and the Holt Medallion in Honor of Outstanding Literary Talent. In 1997, after winning her third RITA Award for inspirational fiction, Francine was inducted into the Romance Writers of America’s Hall of Fame. Francine’s novels have been translated into over 20 different languages, and she enjoys best-seller status in many foreign countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, and South Africa.

Francine and her husband, Rick, live in northern California and enjoy time spent with their three grown children and taking every opportunity to spoil their grandchildren. Francine uses her writing to draw closer to the Lord, and she desires that through her work she might worship and praise Jesus for all He has done and is doing in her life.

QUESTION: Is there anything you’d like to ask Francine about her books or her faith? Please feel free. And don’t forget Lady Sarah, an American Regency Romance, free to my enewsletter subscribers. Click New Free Read above.–Lyn

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What’s Your Earliest Memories of Your Mother?

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Lyn CoteMay 5, 2014

Today’s topic:

“What’s Your Earliest Memories of Your Mother?” is part of my sixth annual MEGA MAY celebration of mothers and daughters.

Not all of us have been mothers

but all of us have been daughters. My mother passed away in 2007 but a mother is someone that never really leaves your life IMHO. And I’ve always believed that the mother-daughter relationship is the most complex and complicated of human relationships.

My earliest memory of my mother

takes place in a kind of golden afternoon setting. I’m lying on my stomach on my parent’s bed. I’m only wearing panties. The window by my head is open and I feel the warm breeze. But my back itches terribly. My mother is sitting beside me and stroking my back with something soft and talking to me.

That’s it. Just a glimpse of time.

From telling this to my mother years after, I know that it is a snapshot of my having chicken pox when I was four years old. All diseases are unpredictable and my chicken pox chose to appear only on my back.

Emotionally I remember the tenderness of my mother talking softly to me and gently stroking my back that itched so terribly. A sweet memory.

So What’s Your Earliest Memory of Your Mother? Please share. I will be giving away a copy of

to one commenter. So leave a comment to be entered into the drawing. I’m really interested in your memories and how the memories make you feel Let’s Remember, Mama.–Lyn

PS-Heidi won my copy of Beth White’s THE PELICAN BRIDE. CONGRATS!

Lyn Reviews Beth White’s The Pelican Bride & Giveaway

Posted on May 1, 2014 by Lyn CoteApril 20, 2014

The Pelican Bride by Beth White

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not your usual setting, not your usual historical romance–The Pelican Bride breaks new ground in the historical genre. Choosing to write a story set in the French colony that became Mobile, Alabama, draws the reader into a new and exciting period.

I fell in love with Tristan Lanier just as Genevieve Gallain did. Who can resist a kind but fearless heroine and a hero who refuses to be molded to fit what others think is right–when he knows what is right and will do it? A winning beginning to a new historical series.

View all my reviews

BLURB:

It is 1704 when Genevieve Gaillain and her sister board a French ship headed for the Louisiana colony as mail-order brides. Both have promised to marry one of the rough-and-tumble Canadian men in this New World in order to escape religious persecution in the Old World. Genevieve knows life won’t be easy, but at least here she can establish a home and family without fear of beheading. But when she falls in love with Tristan Lanier, an expatriate cartographer whose courageous stand for fair treatment of native peoples has made him decidedly unpopular in the young colony, Genevieve realizes that even in this land of liberty one is not guaranteed peace. And a secret she harbors could mean the undoing of the colony itself.

BIO: BETH WHITE

is a native Southerner, born on the Gulf Coast and reared in northwest Mississippi. With undergraduate degrees in music and English education, plus a Masters in Creative Writing, she has spent the last thirty years teaching fine arts to preschoolers through college students. Besides performing professionally as a singer and flutist, in the last thirteen years she has published (as Elizabeth White) four novellas and ten full-length novels with such publishers as Tyndale House, Zondervan, and Love Inspired.

Beth’s current and most ambitious writing project to date is the culmination of a decade’s research into the cultural, political and religious development of the American Gulf Coast. A lifelong passion for stories which chronicle the innate human drive for romance, faith, and adventure began when she was still a child. Her favorite books—Walter Farley’s Black Stallion series, westerns by Max Brand and Zane Grey, Samuel Shellabarger’s epics, and Georgette Heyer’s Regency romances—fed a growing desire to write a large-scale family adventure that would tie together six to eight novels in historical continuity, while at the same time provide a satisfying conclusion for each book. The Pelican Bride launches “The Gulf Coast Chronicles” with the adventures of a ship full of French mail order brides.

Beth and her husband Scott have two married adult children and one grandchild. Beth teaches piano and chorus at an urban high school in Mobile, Alabama, an occupation which will undoubtedly one day become a story thread in a novel.

So that’s my review and I’m offering my copy of THE PELICAN BRIDE. QUESTION: What is your favorite setting for a historical romance? Enter a comment to be included in the drawing.–Lyn

Author Beth White & When a Tsunami Hits!

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Lyn CoteApril 30, 2014

Today’s guest is author Beth White, who is a personal friend. Beth is another sweet Southern belle like Lenora Worth. I was fortunate enough to visit her in her home church in Mobile, AL. And this story of a tsunami or storm surge is amazing. Here’s Beth:

“Storm Surge

I would like to tell you about a young woman I have come to know quite well over the last six or so years. Nicole is the product of a large, close-knit family, a link in a long line of strong women. Her great-grandmother, still active in her nineties, was one of the first computer-operators for the defense department in the 60’s. Both her grandmothers are still teaching weekly Bible studies, and her mother is a respected English teacher in the public school system.

Nicole married my son in 2008 and found herself a Navy wife, subject to the whims of the U. S. military in terms of location, housing, and myriad other details affecting everyday life. When she and Ryan were assigned to Misawa, Japan, they said goodbye to family, church and friends, and moved to a foreign culture. It wasn’t long before Nicole, ever resourceful, found employment as an English language tutor. She familiarized herself with churches, markets, currency and anything else that would make life easier for her hard-working young husband. And on those long days and nights when she was alone, she connected with neighbors. Mutual dependency, as in old pioneer days, was a means of not just surviving but thriving.

A couple of years into the tour, two events collided like trains heading toward each other on a single track. Ryan and Nicole became pregnant with their first child, two days before Ryan received orders to Iraq. Taking a deep breath and burying her own anxieties, Nicole prepared for the separation. Fortunately, Ryan’s duties allowed him to stay in touch via Skype, and the pregnancy went smoothly. Ryan was even able to return to Japan, briefly, for their son’s birth.

Then, a few weeks after Ryan returned to Iraq, the day after Nicole’s mother returned to the States, the century’s most devastating earthquake and tsunami on that side of the world hit north Japan. Nicole tells of driving off base with baby Judah asleep in his car seat, feeling the tremors underneath the car, and stopping to check on him. The world literally shifted on its axis, knocking out power lines, tumbling huge buildings, washing away whole villages. Nicole and the baby found safety in the fire station on base, and neighbors reached out to help one another. It was a frightening time for family on the other side of the world, who could do little except pray, and communication with Ryan in Iraq was sketchy.

Eventually the Navy airlifted dependents from Japan and brought them home. The day we welcomed Nicole and Judah in the Mobile airport is a time I’ll never forget.

To purchase, click here. Pelican Bride, The (Gulf Coast Chronicles Book #1): A Novel

Women have always been survivors. Such is the heroine of my new book, The Pelican Bride. In 1704, Genevieve flees religious persecution in France with her younger sister, sailing to the colony of Louisiana on the frigate Pelican. As Geneviève falls in love and makes a life for herself, she grows into one of the women who made America a great nation under God.”–Beth

Wow. Now that was a story! And I read and reviewed Beth’s book too and will post it SOON. Really an interesting and unusual historical romance. I loved it.–Lyn

Beth’s website and blog are at www.bethwhite.net
Twitter handle: @bethsquill
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beth.white2

Reminder: Lady Sarah, Have You Subscribed?

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Lyn CoteApril 20, 2014

Over the past two weeks, I have posted the Prologue and Chapter One of Lady Sarah. This is my newest independent novel. I am sending it out chapter by chapter to my newsletter subscribers. Tomorrow CHAPTER TWO will be delivered via email. But only to those who have subscribed. If you want to receive this original novel in serial form, be sure to enter your email address in the top right in the lime green border.

To catch up, here’s the link to the Prologue:

http://booksbylyncote.com/SWBS/new-book-release/lady-sarah-american-regency-story-begins

Then on to CHAPTER ONE, click here. http://booksbylyncote.com/SWBS/new-book-release/lady-sarah-cha…stallment-blog

Please sign up and tell your friends who enjoy an American historical romance. Thanks-Lyn

Best-Selling Author Roxanne Rustand & Mother’s Day is Coming

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Lyn CoteApril 26, 2014

Today I’m happy to welcome as my guest, author Roxanne Rustand who is one of my dearest friends. She and I wrote and critiqued and helped each before publication and still help each other in this crazy business, callled publishing. Roxanne is offering copies of some of her best-selling novels to a couple of commenters, so read to the end and leave a comment to be entered into the drawing.

BTW, Mother’s Day is coming and as many of you know MEGA May is the way I celebrate that special day honoring women. Even if you haven’t been a mother, we’ve all been daughters. Be sure to drop by often in May, I have some great guests, gifts, and topics ahead for you. Here’s Roxanne:

“Lyn’s theme–

in her books and on her blog–has always been about strong women. It’s a theme that resonates with me and with multitudes of readers who admire the strength and resilience of women who persevere despite the toughest odds, and succeed no matter what obstacles are in their way. And not just fictional characters, but everyday, heroic women who struggle to keep their home together despite financial challenges, and who raise their children well, with deep moral fiber, faith, a strong work ethic and a positive outlook.

In Your Own Life

Who are some of the strong women? I’ll bet we can all think of some–whether they are a mom, a grandmother, a beloved aunt, or someone else in our lives. What about those who lived through the Depression–or soldiered on despite crippling health problems, or loss?

My Mom

Mother’s Day is just a few weeks away, and each year, it reminds me of how blessed I am to have two daughter’s-in-law who are wonderful, loving mothers. It also is a poignant time for me, because my own sweet mom has been gone for over three years. It was devastating to lose her.

But I’ll never forget the wonderful times we had, her staunch loyalty and protectiveness for her family, and the fact that despite her health problems and some other daunting challenges and tragedies in her life, she always had a twinkle in her eye, a charming sense of humor and a zest for living. She continues to be an example of the kind of person I want to be for my own family.

QUESTION: Who are (or were) some of the people in your life who mean the most to you in your own life…and why? I would love to hear about them!”–Roxanne

Roxane is the author of over thirty traditionally published novels. She now has two self-published novels available: Comeback Cowboy and Summer at Briar Lake, and a third, A Montana Legacy, will be available in May.

For more about Roxanne and her books:

www.roxannerustand.com
www.facebook.com/roxanne.rustand

BTW, I love that cover, how about you?–Lyn

Catching up on Announcing Winners!

Posted on April 27, 2014 by Lyn CoteApril 27, 2014

Sorry! I’m behind on announcing winners.

Here they are:

Charity L and Sunnie won copies of Pat Simmon’s NO EASY CATCH.

Valri Western won a copy of Lenora Worth’s Bayou Sweetheart.

Helen Clouse won a copy of my Dangerous Season reissue in Larger Print.

CONGRATULATIONS, LADIES!!-Lyn