Love Inspired Author Allie Pleiter Talks About a Mother’s Choice

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Allie Pleiter

My guest today is Love Inspired Author Allie Pleiter who is a fun lady and avid knitter and of course–a Mom! She has something important to say about a mother’s choice. Here’s Allie:

“One of the great discoveries of motherhood

is the unfurling of your own daughter’s strength.  As parents, we spend so much energy on “extra-curricular” activities, academics, college choices–all the details we believe will turn them into well-rounded and high-achieving adults.

A Choice

Then, as children are most wont to do, they turn around and head in a direction we didn’t choose.  They craft their own life on their own terms of success, and we are left with a choice:  discover and appreciate who they are, or sulk about the part of them that isn’t what we would have chosen.

I’m visiting my daughter this weekend in Charleston SC,

and I’m discovering her own strength.  She’s done college on her terms–with all the ups and downs that implies–and carved out a life for herself that is uniquely her own.  Do I like all of it?  Not exactly.  Am I pleased that I’ve raised up a woman strong enough to think for herself, act on her own behalf, be independent, and find her own skills, talents, and priorities?  Absolutely.  Her life goes on her path because she is strong.  She’s met the challenges of her own life head-on, warts and all, and done pretty well for herself.  I don’t alwlays agree with her, but I am continually proud of her.

Homecoming Cover

The Fireman’s Homecoming Blurb

To purchase, click here. The Fireman’s Homecoming (Love Inspired)

Melba Wingate is a daughter learning her own strength.  Now she faces one of the toughest challenges for any child–caring for an ailing parent.  Melba must carve her way through a tangle of family secrets to discover what’s truly important to her and why it is worth fighting to keep.  She starts out her story thinking she isn’t strong enough to face what’s ahead of her–and haven’t we all been there?  The great truth is that God is always ready to show us how strong we can be when we trust His guidance and keep ourselves open to His lessons.

What about you?  What in life is revealing your strengths or the strengths of those around you?–Allie

Visit Allie at www.alliepleiter.com, or her knitting blog at www.destiKNITions.blogspot.com, or like her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/alliepleiter

Thanks, Allie. You’ve hit on one of the areas that surprise most parents. We see talents and personalities in our children but often are surprised by their paths. Thanks for being my guest.

ALSO, DEAR READERS, you may have noticed that I ran three book reviews in a row and didn’t reply to comments. I WAS ON AN ALASKA CRUISE with my dear husband and several other writers and their spouses.

We visited Seattle, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Victoria in British Columbia and on our last day, rented a car and drove out to see Mt. Ranier. I will be posting photos on Facebook as I recover from traveling. I’ll post notices here with the links to my Facebook page as I get organized. It was a great trip. Our first and probably last cruise (I’m becoming a homebody.)

WHERE ARE YOU HEADED THIS SUMMER??–Lyn

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Lyn Reviews Mystery Writer Suzanne Young’s Murder by Proxy

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Murder by Proxy (An Edna Davies Mystery, #2)Murder by Proxy by Suzanne Young

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well, I continued reading Suzanne Young’s Edna Davis mystery series AND I’M GLAD I DID!

For me, Suzanne hits just the right note for a cozy mystery. Yes, there is a murder, maybe more than one, but Ms. Young doesn’t drown me in blood and the thoughts of a psychopathic killer.

I like a simple murder motivated by: greed, passion or revenge. I won’t tell you which motive is the one that results in death in Murder by Proxy, but it is one of those classic three.

I really like Edna Davis, amateur sleuth, but she worried me by taking people at face value. Of course, that made me nervous and a murder mystery is supposed to make me nervous. I’m supposed to worry about Edna and I did.

I also liked the family relationships–but when will I meet Edna’s husband Arthur?

I’m going on to read the 3rd one in this series MURDER BY MISHAP

Murder by Mishap (An Edna Davies Mystery, #3)

so I admit to being hooked.
Suzanne Young, KEEP BUSY WRITING. I’M GOING TO BE READY FOR another book from you soon!

To purchase, click here. Murder by Proxy (Edna Davies Mysteries)

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Lyn Reviews Mystery Author Sarah R Shaber’s Final Simon Shaw Mystery

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Shell Game (Professor Simon Shaw, #5)Shell Game by Sarah R. Shaber

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My giving Shell Game by Sarah R Shaber five–count ’em–five stars will come as no surprise. This is the fifth in her “Simon Shaw” mystery series and I’ve give all 5 FIVE star reviews.

I’ve enjoyed each mystery by this forensic historian, but this time the murder is a recent one and a shock. Dr. Shaw works at trying to find out who killed his friend and why.

This happens as his romance which has threaded through the first four mysteries comes to an end. Will Dr Shaw find love?
Well, whatever happens to his heart, we know he will solve the murder.

Again I find the spiritual search by Dr. Shaw (who is half Jewish-half Baptist) interesting. I believe it’s in this book that he ponders the idea of grace that his Baptist aunt believes. The idea of being forgiven for one’s sins without any effort to do good bothers him. I smiled to myself because of course it would bother his Jewish side.

Moses received the LAW and the children of Israel were commanded to follow it. After several thousand years, something like that can become ingrained. However, I also think that most humans prefer to work for their salvation. We like to think that we are able to do it ourselves. Personally I’m grateful not to be expected to do it myself. 🙂

Anyway that’s my response to Simon Shaw, PhD, and really good amateur sleuth. I’ll miss you, Dr. Shaw!

View all my reviews

To purchase, click here. Shell Game (The Professor Simon Shaw Murder Mysteries)

 

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Lyn Reviews British Author Betty Neels’ Stormy Springtime

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Stormy SpringtimeStormy Springtime by Betty Neels

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Betty Neels is my role model. She started writing for Harlequin in the 1960’s and wrote till she died in 2001 after penning 134 books.

Betty’s books are all very similar–a masterful hero who is usually a doctor and with a family connection to Holland.

I’m fascinated by her books. This is because while they are all vaguely familiar, I always enjoy them! And I always care about her heroines.

How did she do that? I even re-read her books. Three times for this one!
To purchase this book, click here. Stormy Springtime (Best of Betty Neels)

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Author Christina Berry & Her Super Mom

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Mom & Me, back to back 2013

My guest today is author Christina Berry who is going to tell us about her Super Mom.Christina is going to give away two copies of her newest book. Here’s Christina:

The Unexpected–Africa

“Sherrie Ashcraft, my mother married an engineer. That meant marrying into a stable career with lots of financial security. Little did she know he would soon be called by God to enter the ministry.  That meant lots of change and being supported on tithes.  She followed him gracefully—at least that’s what I like to think, as I wasn’t around yet!—because she loved him and wanted to serve the Lord at his side. They had two kids and then Dad heard a new calling—the drum beat of Africa. Off our family went to Nigeria for 3.5 years.

Not until I had children of my own did I comprehend how strong my mother had to be, taking her young kiddos into a dangerous land, learning to make her way among the beggars and flies to buy strange foods, cooking everything from scratch and washing dishes by hand, leaving her own parents to follow her husband when letters took months to make it across the ocean …

The After Effect-Depression

I’ve seen her strength throughout my life, from faithfully submitting herself to my father (revealing that true submission shows strength, not weakness) to nursing her mother-in-law through Alzheimer’s into a peaceful death.

My mother struggled greatly with depression after our return from Africa. Instead of letting that experience defeat her, she let it define her for the better. These days, she is the women’s ministry director at her church. Her compassion and encouragement for the women is so deep precisely because of what experienced. She’s lived transparently as my marriage fell apart, my brother was falsely convicted and imprisoned, and her dreams of writing sat on the shelf.

OTT cover perfect size internet
To Purchase, click here. On the Threshold

 Mother and Daughter Write Together

Thankfully, we just released our first co-written novel. What’s it about? Oh, a mother and a daughter and the mother’s journey through depression, among other things. 🙂

Mom, I love how you take the hard things in life and make them blessings!”–Christina
Book Blurb for ON THE THRESHOLD:

Suzanne-a mother with a long-held secret. Tony-a police officer with something to prove. Beth-a daughter with a storybook future. When all they love is lost, what’s worth living for?

Christina’s web links:
www.ashberrylane.net
www.twitter.com/authorchristina
www.facebook.com/authorchristinaberry or www.facebook.com/authorchristina
www.authorchristinaberry.blogspot.co

Christina, Thanks for sharing your mother’s story and for offering two copies for my blog followers. Here’s the QUESTION:  Would you go if God wanted to send you to another continent? Why or why not? –Lyn

Piper and SBMommy won last weeks books by Miralee Ferrell and Christine Johnson.

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Author Christine Johnson & Motherly Sacrifice

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ChristineJohnsonMedium

My guest today is Love Inspired author Christine Johnson. She will chat about the sacrifices our mothers make. She is also offering a book giveaway so be sure to leave a comment to be entered into the drawing. Here’s Christine:

“The big sacrifices are stunning: a mother donates a kidney to her child; another gives her meager rations to her children; yet another gives her life to protect her child in a tornado. No one can miss those heart-tugging stories, but mothers also make

countless unheralded sacrifices every day.

I was blessed with a stay-at-home mom. Money was always tight when I was growing up, and we didn’t have the newest and shiniest of everything, but I always knew my mom would be there. Granted, when I was misbehaving, I wished she wasn’t always there, but for every scrape and hurt I sought solace in my mother’s arms.

All in-laws all the time!

One sacrifice she made might not seem like such a big deal these days, but it was a little less common then. My mother grew up in a big city. When she married my dad, she moved to a tiny town where she knew no one. Many women in the Bible had to do the same. Rebecca, Ruth, and Sarah come to mind. What courage and trust it took to leave everything behind. Like Rebecca and Ruth, my mom left her family to join her husband’s family. All in-laws all the time! My mom must have been relieved that her mother-in-law was a kind, Christian woman who understood that her son and new daughter-in-law needed space.

The Marriage Barter web
To purchase, click here. The Marriage Barter (Love Inspired Historical)

In The Marriage Barter,

Charlotte Miller moved to the tiny frontier town of Evans Grove only to lose both her family and her husband. The child she wanted so desperately had just become a reality after she and her husband took in a little girl off the orphan train. But the rules don’t allow a widow to take in an orphan. Charlotte must give up her new daughter unless she can remarry in three short days. Charlotte sacrifices her dreams of a loving marriage in order to keep her daughter. Did any of the courageous women in your family make sacrifices for their children? Let’s share.

I will be giving away a copy of The Marriage Barter to one fortunate commenter!”–Christine

http://christineelizabethjohnson.com

http://www.facebook.com/ChristineJohnsonAuthor

Twitter: @ChristineJWrite

Thanks, Christine. QUESTION: What was the biggest sacrifice your mother made for you? OR what was the biggest sacrifice you made for your children?–Lyn

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Author Miralee Ferrell & The Harm a Mother Can Do

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Miralee-2

My guest today is historical author Miralee Ferrell who shares the stress that can occur between mothers and daughters. I found it thought-provoking. Again Miralee is offering a giveaway so be sure to leave a comment. Here’s Miralee:

“Even the strongest of women can break under the right, or should I say, the wrong kind of pressure. I’m a certified counselor with The American Association of Christian Counselors, and it’s something I’ve seen far too often with women who’ve visited my office. So many times I end up praying with women about old emotional wounds, and a large percentage of those wounds deal with family issues—often times stemming from a mother.

My editor for Blowing on Dandelions, Ramona Tucker, expressed it this way after she read my book:  “When I was the head of Today’s Christian Woman Magazine, this subject of stress between a daughter and her mother was one of the HUGE relational issues that caused women pain across the years…I was struck by the power and transformation this story can and will have in women’s lives—healing of the generations. And tears flowed…that a writer like you would have the heart, the passion, and would listen to the Lord to address this difficult subject for the world to read in a form (fiction) that they will accept. Healing will happen. I am convinced.”

With God, all things are possible. He can take the worst of situations, the most hopeless, and turn them around, even if that only happens within your own heart. God is able to transform lives and heal hurts, whether ones that occurred a decade or more ago…or ones that are still happening now.

Blowing Dandelions
To purchase, click here. Blowing on Dandelions: A Novel (Love Blossoms in Oregon Series)

While Blowing on Dandelions has a strong romance thread, it also tackles a subject not often shown in fiction—the hurt inflicted on Katherine by her mother, even when Mama believes she’s being helpful or instructive. In the 1800’s, even grown children respected their parents and didn’t answer back, no matter how harsh a parent’s treatment might be. Katherine is no exception, and she works hard to keep her temper intact while teaching her daughters how to relate to their grandmother in the proper way. She has no expectation that her relationship with her mother will ever change, and she is faced with daily challenges, but her quiet strength shines throughout the story.

I’ve been blessed over the years to be part of God’s healing, transformational power in women’s lives—both through counseling and prayer—and now, God willing, through the words He directs me to write. And my prayer will always be that He’ll direct my books to the women who will benefit most from them—whether for healing or simply entertainment. He has a purpose and a plan for each of us, and I’m proud to play a part in whatever He might choose.”–Miralee

You can find Miralee at:

Web site:  www.miraleeferrell.com

Blog:   www.miraleesdesk.blogspot.com

Facebook Author page:  www.facebook.com/miraleeferrell

Twitter:  www.twitter.com/miraleeferrell

As a mother and a daughter myself, I understand how intense and layered the relationship between a mother and daughter can be. As the mother of an adult daughter, I have prayed many times that God would show me when to speak and when to keep silent. When in doubt, I bite my tongue.

Question: As a mother, what do you find difficult to get right with your daughter? As a daughter, what do you wish you could tell your mother? Loaded, fearless questions, ladies!! Leave a comment and be entered in the drawing–Lyn

BTW, the winner of Laurie Kingery’s book is Cheryl Baranski!

 

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Lyn Cote Interviews Historical Author Laurie Kingery

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Laurie web

I have the pleasure of interviewing Love Inspired Historical author Laurie Kingery today. She’s also offering a book giveawy so be sure to leave a comment!

Tell us a little about your writing and your real life, Laurie.

–I’m a Texan-in-exile living in rural central Ohio. I met my husband via eHarmony—it works! I’m a mother of two daughters, grandma of ten (with one more on the way!) I have three dogs, a collie, a sharpei-pitbull mix and a Bernese Mountain dog. In my “other life” outside of writing, I’m an emergency room RN of 42 years (4 more years to retirement, halleleujah! ?)
I’ve been published since 1987, having written my first 16 historicals in the general market as Laurie Grant. I switched to writing Christian fiction under my own name and have written eight books for Love Inspired Historicals with more on the way. Due to working hours at the other job being at night, I write in the afternoons, though of course at deadline time I’m writing more or less nonstop.

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

There have been many challenging times—I think none of us through life without that, but I think the hardest one was when my previous husband left me for another nurse in the same ER I worked in. The Lord was very present and real to me during that time of heartbreak, and He sustained me during those years alone, enabling me to take care of a two-acre rural home by myself. I became stronger and more self-reliant during that time. Then He guided me to Tom, and “restored the years that the locusts have eaten” to use a Bible verse found in the book of Joel. Today, life is truly good and we are blessed.

What is special about your most recent book to you?

I enjoy writing “fish out of water” and “clash of culture” stories, and HILL COUNTRY CATTLEMAN is certainly both of those. Violet Brookfield is a disgraced English aristocrat, sister of a viscount, and must flee England just ahead of scandal when a libertine lord nearly ruins her good name. She thinks to bide her time with her brother and his wife in the hill country of central Texas where he has resettled, gathering material for the western novel she aspires to write until she can return to her earl, whom she believes will wait for her. She never counts on meeting her true love in the form of a real Texas cowboy, Raleigh Masterson—nor does Raleigh think an English noblewoman could ever fall for a landless fellow such as himself.

HILL COUNTRY CATTLEMAN
To purchase, click here. Hill Country Cattleman (Brides of Simpson Creek)

Violet thinks of religion as just another social duty, while Raleigh has recently come to faith during a near-disaster. But they have a love of horses in common, and when she discovers a way for Raleigh to win a ranch of his own in a horse race, she’s compelled to help him. And he helps her find her way to the Lord. I enjoyed writing this story because I believe that with God’s help, love will always find a way. And of course every Christian novel contains some sort of faith journey, and watching Violet come to faith on the screen before me was very rewarding.
Thanks, Lyn, for this opportunity to talk about HILL COUNTRY CATTLEMAN. I hope your readers will leave lots of comments for me to respond to, and or course one lucky commenter will win a copy of the book.” Blessings, Laurie Kingery

I love how candid my guests are about their struggles. And I love a happily ever after ending. And now we know eharmony.com works! Don’t forget to leave a comment to be entered into the book drawing.

QUESTION: Has anyone ever betrayed your trust? You don’t need to go into details, but please share any insight you gained from this dreadful event.–Lyn

www.lauriekingery.com       @LaurieKingery on Twitter

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My Sister Carole, The Smiling Cat Quilter!

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Daisy-An Appliqué Cat

Hi-My name is Carole, and I’m so happy to be a guest on my sister’s blog. Though a longtime quilter, I only recently began writing a quilting & general sewing blog, where I share my projects. You can look me up at: The Smiling Cat. 

I only get to see my big sis, Lyn, once a year, usually in the summer, at her lovely home in upper WI.

Biennial Quilt Show–serendipty?

Last summer we spent an afternoon at a quilt show in nearby Eagle River. The Trees for Tomorrow Park provided the perfect setting for the Cranberry Country Quilt Guild’s ‘Walk in the Woods’ Quilt Show. Beautiful quilts displayed informally outside on clotheslines between the trees.

Along with the quilts were lots of vendors, such as Laura Krasinski, who was representing Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. She was also selling her first original pattern, Daisy, a raw-edge, appliqué cat pattern. My sister bought the pattern and I promised to make it for her. She wanted to have something made by me to hang in her office, she’s such a sweetie. When she asked me to be a guest on her blog, I thought it would be the perfect project to share.

The ‘Daisy’ Pattern can be found at Craftsy.

Daisy kit preview

Daisy pattern

This is not a pattern for beginners;

at least intermediate appliqué skills are needed. The pattern includes a layout guide and three sheets of fusible web with the pattern pieces already printed on them. The instructions are very general, leaving most decisions up to the quilter.  It’s designed to use up small scraps of favorite fabrics. The original Daisy pattern was fused, raw-edge appliquéd and then simply quilted. I decided to loosen up and see where the pattern would lead me.

Daisy materials

First, I got out my rayon machine embroidery thread, and started matching fabrics with the threads. I tried to choose a nice variety of colors and since the pattern pieces where small, I stuck to mostly solid fabrics.

Daisy layout

The first step of the pattern is to stitch together the cat.

I decided to make a black & white cat to match my cat,

“Miss Cookie.” (See Below)

(Somehow Miss Cookie does NOT look very happy!  NOT MY SISTER’S DOING–she’s a catlover like me 🙂

Daisy helpful cat

I found that my blog didn’t like too many photos! To see how this all comes out, you need to click here to go to my sister Carole’s quilting blog:

www.thesmilingcat.com

So go see what my sis made me! I can’t wait to hang this heirloom on my office wall. I love you, Carole!–Lyn

PS- Nat won Kathleen Fuller’s Letters to Katie! And AmyC won Danyelle Scroggins’s Destiny’s Decision. Congrats!

 

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Author Danyelle Scroggins & The She-Ro in You

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DanyelleP(1)

My guest today is Author Danyelle Sroggins. I discovered her through Shades of Romance. And as I read her post, I decided she’s my–OUR–kind of woman! Daneylle is offering a book GIVEAWAY, so remember to leave a comment. Here’s Danyelle:

“The She-Ro (She-Hero) in You

All my life I’ve thrived off action women who were able to make or be the difference in someone’s life. Normally, it is inevitably difficult not to build a drive to thrive at being the woman you admired, so I like many of you found myself striving hard to become that woman. In all my life adventures whether horrible, painful, or just plain ole’ bad, I found out that I just could not Wonder Woman my way over them or Bewitch myself out of life’s difficult situations. I also found out that I never needed a magical source or fictitious strength anyway because the source and strength of what I needed was always spiritual from the start.

So what are these spiritual sources that can propel one over mountains

of tribulations and wipe out the darkest of evils in spite of their strong chains of bondage and in one word with five letters and one word with four, I present to you FAITH and LOVE. Faith can produce Wonder in any Woman and can definitely give any woman all the power she needs to speak to any mountain that has positioned itself to block her, hinder her, or cover her from her goals, aspirations, or destiny; and it shall be removed! Love is the twinkle that can make a multitude of faults disappear, bound people who are miraculously connected, and be the motivational factor that causes us to become the She-Ro of every situation. Definitely my grandmother the late L.B. Ford and mother Helen Quaker Hall have been the prime example of women of faith and love and as I have witnessed the She-Ro in them, I too live a life of faith and one filled with love in order to be that same woman in the lives of my children, Raiyawna, Dobrielle, Dwight, Gabriel, and Reynard II.

Destinys-Decision-Front-Cover(1)
To purchase, click here. Destiny’s Decision

In Destiny’s Decision, I present a woman who is filled with love

and has allowed her mustard seed of faith to produce the She-Ro who could expect goodness from the things she could not change, envelope the people around her in love, embark upon new directions, and embrace it all as a gift from God. So as you woman discover faith and love, you will discover the She-Ro in you and the omnipresent ONE who is able to keep you from falling and present you faultless will cover you in all of you endeavors. Be blessed and remember a She-Ro lies in you, and she was there when God created you.”–Danyelle

BIO:

Danyelle Scroggins is the Assistant Pastor of New Vessels Ministries in Mansfield, Louisiana. She is Psychology major who is presently studying at Liberty University to achieve a Masters in Psychology and Minor in Biblical Studies. Danyelle is the author of Not Until You’re Ready, His Mistress or God’s Daughter, Destiny’s Decision, and The Power of Pain (eBook).

Find out more about Danyelle by going to

www.danyellescroggins.com,

twitter PastorDanyelle,

or connect with her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordanyellescroggins

or www.purposeprevailspublishing.com.

Thank you, Danyelle. Your words are powerful and spirit-filled. Please leave a word of encouragement for Danyelle to be entered into her book drawing.--Lyn

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