Award-Winning and Best-Selling Author Linda Goodnight & HK2

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LindaGoodnight-10

My guest today RITA Award-Winning Author Linda Goodnight will share how she became interested in her favorite charity and all about her Christmas book! She’s even offering a book giveaway! Here’s Linda:

A TV Show

“Some years ago I saw a television program about the deplorable conditions in international orphanages, particularly the old Soviet Union. The experience so touched me that I wanted to support ministries that reached out to those children. One ministry, His Kids Too! grabbed my attention. Begun by one very strong, determined woman and her husband, HK2 collects and distributes humanitarian aid to thousands of orphans in Ukraine. The ministry also provides summer Bible camps, aid to shelters and widows, transitional living facilities for orphaned teens who age out with nowhere to go, medical assistance to the poor and elderly and much more, all through a grass-roots effort by the founder and director, Teresa Fillmon.

A One-Family Show or Charity

A few years ago, my oldest daughter had the opportunity to travel with Teresa to Ukraine. The conditions stunned and changed her. A couple of years later she again returned to teach and minister in the orphanages and attests to the fabulous work done by the selfless Teresa and her husband.

The fascinating thing about HK2 is there is no huge staff of workers. This is not a giant charity raking in millions with a large overhead and big administrative salaries. To this day, HK2 remains one woman and her family who rally a team of volunteers from churches and communities who want to make a difference. Next summer, my oldest Ukrainian daughter and I plan to be part of that team of volunteers to work in the Bible camps and distribute aid to the orphans and needy of Ukraine.

Sugarplum homecoming png

Sugarplum Homecoming

To purchase, click here. Sugarplum Homecoming (Whisper Falls)

How, you may ask, does this relate to the heroine in my latest book, Sugarplum Homecoming?

Here’s how: His Kids Too! gives young girls and women a chance, no matter their pasts. Many come from abusive, alcoholic situations and have lived on the streets. Lana, the heroine in Sugarplum Homecoming is no different. Ashamed of her bad girl past, she’s been on the streets. She’s struggled with alcoholism. But faced with the care of her niece, Lana must dig deep inside and find the strength to make a home for a needy child in the very place that brought her the greatest pain and shame. With the help of the Lord and the town “good guy”, Lana just might find her happy-ever-after.

Because I really want you to enjoy this warm, emotional Christmas story, I’m giving a copy away! Leave a comment for a chance to win Sugarplum Homecoming.“–Linda

Learn more about my favorite charity at www.hiskidstoo.org

Thanks, Linda, for sharing about HK2. I noticed that you have an oldest Ukrainian daughter so I know there is more to your story. QUESTION: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CHARITY AND WHY? Please leave a comment to enter the drawing for Linda’s book!–Lyn

Connect with Linda at:
www.lindagoodnight.com
http://lindagoodnight.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/#!/linda.goodnight

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The Movie the Son of God, Another by Roma Downey

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Here’s the trailer for a new movie coming out February 28, 2014

I loved Roma in TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL.

I know I’ll go see this movie too.

And here’s a Christmas book for you.

A Story of Christmas and All of Us by Roma Downy and Mark Burnett. I have a copy of this hardback to giveaway. I think it would be excellent for a family with children.

BOOK DRAWING
See the question at the end and leave a comment to enter the drawing for the book.

To purchase, click cover.

QUESTION: Do you like to go to movies based on the Bible like this one? Why or why not?–Lyn

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Lyn Interviews Author Karen Kirst

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I would have liked to show a photo of Karen Kirst here but none of the photos would “stick.” Here’s the link to Karen’s Website and her photo! http://www.karenkirst.com/about.html
BE SURE TO LEAVE A COMMENT FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A BOOK! Here’s the interview with Karen:

Talk a little about your writing and real life.

I’m currently in the middle of my first series, Smoky Mountain Matches, which revolves around
the O’Malley family and is set in 1880’s East Tennessee. I live about forty-five minutes from
Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, so setting the series here was a natural
choice. When I’m not writing, I’m homeschooling my three boys, spending time with family
and friends, or planning my next tea party. I love books, café mochas, and tea rooms.

Was there a time in your life God challenged you to become stronger?

Early in my marriage, I had an ectopic pregnancy that resulted in emergency surgery and
ultimately, a miscarriage. I was told that because it wasn’t caught early enough, that my
chances of getting pregnant again were reduced. Although I already had a two-year-old son,
the loss crushed me. While my life had been far from perfect up until that point, losing a child
was the hardest thing I’d ever had to deal with. It made me question my faith. Question God.
Doubts poured in…maybe God doesn’t think I’m a good mother. Maybe He doesn’t want me to
have more kids. I struggled with anger and sadness. Then the day came when I took part in my
first Beth Moore Bible study and, as a result, my relationship with God deepened. He helped me
work through my grief. I learned that God knows best. The loss of that child forced me to trust
His plan, even when I didn’t agree or like that plan. Two years after the miscarriage, I became
pregnant with my second son. My husband and I were overjoyed. And almost two years after he
was born, we welcomed our third son. We are blessed.

What is special about your most recent book, The Husband Hunt?

This book is special to me because it portrays two friends/neighbors who fall in love. The
friends-to-romance story theme is one of my favorites. Something about the journey from
friendship to love fascinates me, so I set out to portray that with Nathan and Sophie. Tomboy
Sophie is strong-minded and independent, but she’s also impulsive. Nathan has had to rescue
her countless times. Because he’s naturally cautious, he disapproves of her antics. He wants her
to act like a lady. Mid-way through the book, Sophie reluctantly submits to a makeover in order
to snag a husband, something she’s forced to do in order to save her farm and keep her younger brother with her. Nathan’s reaction was fun to explore.”–Karen

To purchase, click cover.

Wanted: A Husband
Sophie Tanner gave up hoping for Nathan O’Malley’s approval—and love—long ago.
Getting married is the only way to protect her younger brother and keep her family’s Smoky
Mountain farm. As much as she’d like Nathan to be the groom, he can’t seem to get past their
friendship…or their differences.
Since they were children, Nathan has known Sophie was too impulsive, too headstrong. She’s
forever rushing into situations without thinking them through, like this scheme to snare a
husband in under a month. Nathan always thought he’d fall in love with someone like himself—
sensible, cautious, levelheaded. Sophie is his polar opposite. So why can’t he picture anyone else at his side?
Smoky Mountain Matches: Dreams of home and family come true in the Smoky Mountains
Website: www.karenkirst.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenKirst.author
Twitter: @KarenKirst

Thanks for being my guest, Karen. And I wish you many more books!

To have your name entered into the drawing for a copy fo THE HUSBAND HUNT, here’s the

QUESTION: Do you think that opposites attract? Did you marry someone opposite you?–Lyn

 

 

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Author Laura Abbot & an Independent Granddaughter

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Laura Abbott

My guest today is author Laura Abbot who has written for Superromance and now for Love Inspired Historical. Today Laura shares about the Strongest Women she knows. Here’s Laura:
I am grateful to Lyn for showcasing strong women and the significant contributions they make as well as the examples they set.  We are the richer for it!

My 22 year old Granddaughter

We often think of strong women as being those seasoned by years and experience.  One of the strongest women I know, however, is my twenty-two year old granddaughter, Katie.  In Into the Wilderness, my first book for Love Inspired Historical, Lily Kellogg, the heroine, had long fantasized about the glamorous life she would live in the big city, far removed from rural Kansas.  Discovering that her ideal world was tarnished, Lily had to do some deep soul-searching and open herself to other opportunities.

To Be a Lawyer

Likewise, Katie had unswervingly set her sights upon becoming a lawyer, marrying, and working ultimately in the high-stress world of politics.  Just as Lily’s dreams were altered by circumstances requiring openness to new possibilities, so Katie’s have been.

Just days before her nineteenth birthday

she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a condition for which stress is the ultimate enemy.  Worried that she would never achieve her lofty ambitions or find a man willing to accept her limitations, she experienced a natural letdown.  Yet hardly had the ink dried on her first prescription than her darling Andrew appeared, full of love for his remarkable Katie, whom he married in June of 2013.

Her career plans thwarted,

Katie prayed for enlightenment concerning a different path for her life, one involving service to others.  After graduating from college in December, 2012, she took on a two-month assignment as a substitute teacher in the independent school where she had been a student, grades pre-K through12.  True, God had shut one door, but consider the window He opened!  Katie currently has a full-time position teaching ninth grade social studies at that same school and is striving to set an example of excellence and resilience for her students.

Life is full of twists and turns.

Lily Kellogg and Katie each experienced the challenge of forgoing long-cherished dreams.  They are examples, though, of the fact that strong women not only adapt, they thrive!”–Laura

http://lauraabbot.com
Laura Abbot on Facebook

Into the wilderness

To purchase, click here. Into the Wilderness (Love Inspired Historical)

Blurb:

Wounded by Love and War

He survived a battlefield massacre and, before that, his fiancee’s betrayal.  Cavalry officer Caleb Montgomery is unable to trust in anything now, especially himself.   But then he’s stationed in Fort Larned, Kansas, where Lily Kellog, the lovely army surgeon’s daughter, begins to rekindle his faith – and his hope.

Caleb is the kind of gallant, surprisingly sensitive man Lily never expected to find on the Western frontier.  Since childhood, she has longed for the stability and culture only the big city can offer, and her most cherished wish is suddenly within reach.  Still, putting both their dreams to the test is the one way she and Caleb can find their road home…to each other.

Such a great tribute to a beloved granddaughter. Have any of you had plans that changed? What were they and how did you handle the diaspointment?–Lyn

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Auhtor Bonnie Leon & The Journey of Eleven Moons

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Me and Brandi

My guest today is Northwest author Bonnie Leon who shares her mother’s story. Here’s Bonnie.:

“For a lot of years, my mother was just Mom.

I loved stories about her youth and I’d witnessed her generosity and kindness, but I didn’t think much about her being special. It’s interesting how we can have a genuine heroic person in our lives and not know it . . . at least not until something happens to open our eyes.

 

Like Anna, in The Journey of Eleven Moons, my mother is part Aleut.

World War II was raging and she was just eighteen when she left her Alaskan home and headed for Seattle and adventure. She met a handsome sailor named Roy (my dad) and married him in 1946. They remained deeply in love up until his death in 1975. Mom remarried three years later and found another adventure with a man named Orville.Everyone called him Trigger.

I missed a lot of those years.

I married and moved away from home when I was nineteen and lived far from my mother most of my life. Distance didn’t diminish my love or admiration for her, but I didn’t know her the way I do now.

 Needed a Heart Valve

In September 2011, at age eighty-seven, Mom was told she needed a heart valve replacement or she’d die. The valve had been damaged by a bad case of rheumatic fever when she was fifteen. The doctors had said she’d never live a normal life—they were wrong. Mom wasn’t going to hand over her life then and she wasn’t going to hand it over at age eighty-seven either. Surgery went well, though we weren’t prepared for the intense pain that followed. Evenso, Mom looked like she was on her way toward recovery.

Two weeks later, that changed

when a fiery red incision sent Mom to the ER. She had staph. Months of IV antibiotics and a wound-vac followed. The incision was opened and cleaned every other day. More than once we were convinced Mom was going home to heaven. But she still had a lot of good humor, thankfulness and optimism to share. After more than five months in rehab, Mom was finally well enough to go home.

And then the unthinkable happened.

Trigger died.Family gathered. We mourned and we fought for Mom. She’d been our strength for so long, now she needed us. It took only a few days for her to rally. She dug down and found strength and courage to do what she must.

Bonnie Leon's mom

Mom had to say farewell to her Washington home and move on to a new way of living here in Oregon. It hasn’t been easy. She never fully recovered from the surgery and staph infection. She lives in an assisted living home near me and every day is a challenge. But Mom rarely complains. Instead, she talks about how blessed she is and how thankful she is for the people in her life. And she tells me every day how much she loves me.

 These days, Mom and I spend lots of time together.

We laugh and cry and pray. And now I really know my mother. Like Anna, in The Journey of Eleven Moons, Mom fought for life, unwilling to give up when most would. She’s a living example of what it means to be courageous. She’s shown me how to live, and her thankful heart reminds me how much I have to be thankful for.”–Bonnie

Eleven Moons cover vfinal front cover
To purchase, click here. The Journey of Eleven Moons

Bonnie be found online at:

www.bonnieleon.com

www.facebook.com/BonnieLeonAuthor

http://bonnieleon.blogspot.com

I’m so happy that Bonnie and her mother are growing closer in the later years. I lost my mom and the years before her death were turbulent with dementia and personality change. I loved my mother but wasn’t able to show her my love. She pushed us all away. Have you experienced anything like that–wanting to help but unable to? Or have you experienced what Bonnie has where she is able to help her mother?–Lyn

PS-The winner of Penny Richards’ WOLF CREEK WEDDING is Alisha.

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Author Penny Richards & Grandma Lang

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Penny Richards

My guest today is veteran author Penny Richards. She, Lenora Worth and I wrote a novella collection about a decade ago, Blessed Bouquets. Now she’s writing for Love Inspired’s Historical line. SHE’S OFFERING A BOOK TO ONE COMMENTER. SEE QUESTION. Here’s Penny:

“I appreciate Lyn asking me to be her guest. I actually come from a long line of strong women, including both of my grandmothers who had very different roles. I loved them both dearly but today I’d like to talk about Grandma Long, my mom’s mother.

She was part Sioux,

and brought much of her heritage with her when she married my grandfather, who was twenty years older than she and had teenage children. The first petroleum that was found in Fayette County Illinois was found on her dad’s property, and the William Henry Lilly field is still pumping. He bought all his kids a farm, and grandma did a man’s work while my grandpa worked for the highway department or the county as road commissioner.

Doing a Man’s Work

I remember her wearing men’s clothing and shoes as she tackled doing everything, from planting a garden and canning hundreds of jars of stuff for the winter, milking the cows and seeing to planting and harvesting the fields. Somehow she found time to have amazing flower gardens and even propagated her own new colors of iris. She didn’t have much education and her writing was pretty crude, but she loved to read and because of that, she never stopped learning. Besides her garden and orchard, she knew what wild things were good to eat, like dandelion, wild onion, dock and cattail roots. She was always pointing out things to us kids when we were with her.

Her way to “get away”

was to go fishing in the creek or to walk the plowed fields looking for arrowheads and other Indian artifacts. When she died, she had bushel baskets full. She didn’t have in indoor bathroom until I was grown. I never heard her complain. She was a woman who lived close to the earth, did what was needed to provide for her family and took her joy in small pleasures.

To Purchase, click cover.

Abby Gentry in WOLF CREEK WEDDING

has many of the same traits. She knows what is important and does whatever is necessary to provide for her family, even giving up her last links to her mother. Like Grandma Long, Abby takes great joy in reading, learning and teaching. She also knows how to make something pretty and memorable out of something as simple as pine boughs wild berries and a cup of hot cocoa. She knows that fun times are often impromptu and unexpected. Abby knows the importance of tradition and family and is determined to create both with her new husband, Caleb.
www.pennyrichardswrites.com

FB: Penny Richards, Author

Thanks for sharing Grandma Lang’s story. I wish more young people had known people like her. Many need a good dose of reality.

QUESTION: WHAT DO YOU THINK GRANDMA LANG OR WOMEN LIKE HER WOULD SAY TO YOUNG WOMEN TODAY? LEAVE A COMMENT TO ENTER DRAWING FOR PENNY’S BOOK.–Lyn

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2014 & New Ideas for this Strong Women, Brave Stories Blog

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Strong Women, Brave Stories

is my theme as an author and this blog is dedicated to that concept.

True Stories

I really enjoy hosting other authors here. I’m always amazed at the wonderful true stories that guest authors reveal and how readers respond to these stories with their own real feelings and experiences. It is a pleasure and an emotional lift to me and I think, to you!

On November 30th, this blog will celebrate its 5th anniversary. It now has over a 1000 subscribers and 100-300 visitors drop by every week also.

Guest Authors, Books, Interviews & Reviews

You’ve become accustomed to each guest author sharing about her life and connecting her life to the story she has written. This year I also added the Interview format for a change of pace. Plus I have continued to post reviews of books I’ve enjoyed and think you might enjoy also.

I want to continue the brand of this blog with more stories of strong women but I also like to add something new each year.

Would you like to be Interviewed?

I was wondering if any of you subscribers or readers would like to be interviewed here. I’d like to ask a few questions about the books you have read and love and any wisdom you would like to share. Would you be interested? If so, please leave me a comment and I’ll get back to you in 2014 and schedule you for an interview.

Sequel to La Belle Christiane

Also in 2010, I share an original novel here, scene by scene. La Belle Christiane. I have a sequel to it, Lady Sarah, already written but in need of revising. I’m planning on posting some chapters next year for comment. I reallly appreciated the comments on Christiane I received. I think it made the book much stronger. I’d like the same feedback on Christiane’s daughter’s story. (If you missed La Belle Christiane, click Archived Free Read to find it.)

I’m looking forward to another rewarding year with this blog, its many guests, and the comments–Lyn

 

 

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Author Patty Smith Hall & A Season, A Purpose

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PATTY SMITH HALL

My guest today is Heartsong Presents Author Patty Smith Hall. Her latest book is dedicated to her grandmother. Here’s Patty:

Ecclesiates as Inspiration

“When I was writing The Doctor’s Bride, my biblical focus for the book was Ecclesiastes 3. You’re probably familiar with the verses; For everything, there is a season, a purpose for everything under Lord. I always find comfort in these verses, a reminder whether in the mist of the raging storms or the joy in those last few steps as we rise to the crest of a mountaintop, God is fully in control.

God Prepared Her

I look back now and wonder in amazement at how God was preparing me for this changing season. Back in March when it had come time to dedicate this book, I made the obvious choice–my sassy, adorably joyful grandmother, Ruth Rogers Clark. Like my heroine, Grandma hadn’t had an easy life; her father had abandoned her when she was just a snip of a girl, leaving her, her mother and four sisters to struggle in a world plunged in the Great Depression. She started work early in life, getting just enough education to read and write before joining the rest of her sisters in the cotton fields. Even as she struggled to put food on the family table, Grandma bubbled with an irrepressible joy. Married at sixteen to my granddaddy, she faced the ebb and flow of life with a sunniness that infected those around her and when asked how she found joy in such hardship, I heard her more than once say it was her Jesus shining out of her, lighting up her soul.

Grandma lit up my world for fifty two years

before stepping in to Heaven a few weeks ago, sharing her faith with an ease that comes from an intimate walk with the Lord. She taught me to look for blessings even in sorrow which is what I’m doing now, remembering her sweet smile, the life lessons she taught me so lovingly and the words she whispered to me in her final moments, words I’d heard often from her throughout my life– “I love you.”

The Doctor’s Bride is dedicated to the memory of my grandmother, Ruth Rogers Clark with all my love.

BIO:

Patty Smith Hall made up stories to keep herself occupied since on boring Sunday drives into the Georgia countryside when she was too young to stay home by herself. Now she’s happy to share her wild imagination and love of history with others, including her husband, Danny, two smart and gorgeous daughters, and a Yorkie she spoils like a baby. She resides in North Georgia.

The Doctor's Bride cover
To Purchase, click here. The Doctor’s Bride (Heartsong Presents)

BLURB: The Doctor’s Bride

Dr. Joshua McClain is headed west
First stop: Hillsdale, Michigan, to break the marriage contract his late mother arranged between him and Katie Clark. Years ago, Katie left him behind in Charleston. But after a train crash, he comes face-to-face with Dr. Kathleen Clark, his childhood friend all grown up.
When Josh shows up in town, claiming they’re betrothed, Katie refuses to consider an arranged marriage. She’ll marry for love or not at all. Besides, he’s headed for Kansas Territory; her practice is here in Hillsdale. So why are they both finding it hard to break their betrothal and say goodbye?

Thanks, Patty. So happy your grandmother chose happiness. QUESTION: Do you agree or disagree with this statement. YOU ARE AS HAPPY AS YOU DECIDE TO BE.–Lyn

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Author Sharon Dunn & Don’t Kick Yourself When You’re Down

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Montana dunn

To purchase, click here. Montana Standoff (Love Inspired Suspense)

It’s been a while since I hosted the delightful Sharon Dunn. I first met her online when I endorsed her humorous mystery. Cow Crimes & The Mustang Menace. What a stitch that book was! Now Sharon writes regularly for Love Inspired Suspense. Here’s Sharon who shares not only the struggle her characters face but the same in her own life:

Your past choices do not determine your future.

That is the journey the heroine of my new Love Inspired Suspense Montana Standoff has to make. As a teenager Sarah Langston became pregnant and gave the baby up for adoption. Now ten years later, the father of that baby has come back into her life. Can they repair the damage that was done and rekindle a love that happened too quickly? People can have a second chance at a first love, but both Sarah and Bryan have to learn to forgive themselves and each for the destructive choices they made all those years ago.

Sharon Dunn

In my own life,

I too am learning the value of forgiving myself. After years of being overweight, I am out of excuses and need to get healthy. I have a stronger motivation than ever before. My husband has been diagnosed with a very serious and difficult to treat cancer and I may be the only parent my kids have in a few years.
Now that’s motivation~

It has been less than a month and I have lost somewhere between 7 to 10 pounds, I joined a gym and am exercising every day.

One of the keys to not feeling defeated~

and wanting to give up is getting past my mess ups by repenting and forgiving myself. If I don’t do that, the little mess up of eating too much or eating the wrong thing just gets bigger in my mind and pretty soon I’m drowning in a sea of self condemnation. My past choice of indulging in pasta or eating the cupcake does not determine my future as a healthy person.

You can learn more about Sharon, her books and her weight loss at www.sharondunnbooks.net

I’m always amazed at how my guests share their lives so openly on this blog.

QUESTION: HAVE YOU EVER KICKED YOURSELF FOR SOMETHING YOU’VE DONE? HOW DID YOU GET PAST THE EXPERIENCE OR ARE YOU STILL STRUGGLING?–Lyn


To purchase, click cover.

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