Susan F won my slightly read copy of Tamera Alexander’s A LASTING IMPRESSION!
This week Authors Sharon Dunn and Melanie Dobson will guest. Don’t miss a great week!–Lyn
This Week’s Winner & Zero Visibility
Lyn Reviews Tamera Alexander’s A Lasting Impression
A Lasting Impression by Tamera Alexander
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A Lasting Impression was my first Tamera Alexander historical romance. I doubt it will be my last. Her heroine Claire Laurent is living a lie and trying to escape her past. But can she? The settings are rich and her plot is tense. What more could I ask?
As usual, I have a slightly read copy of Tamara’s book to give away. Leave a comment and enter the drawing.
QUESTIONS: Have you ever told a lie? Has anybody ever lied to you? Have you ever wanted to lie but didn’t? Take your pick!
Best-Selling Author Sandra Byrd & A Fearless Woman
Author Sandra Byrd tells us the story of a fearless woman, fearless for the truth, the freedom to speak the truth and for God. Here’s Sandra:
“Anne Askew: Mother, Minister, Martyr
A hot day in July, 1546, was about to get hotter for Anne Askew, tied to a bundle of sticks. Her jailers had secured the wood to her mid-section because she’d been tortured to the point where she could not hold herself upright any longer. Anne was the married mother of two young children, twenty-five years old and about to be burnt to death for her faith.
Anne had been born to an up-and-coming gentry family in Lincolnshire and at the age of fifteen she’d been forced to marry her dead sister’s fiancé, a not unusual arrangement. The Dictionary of National Biography says that she left her family to go “gospelling”, the sixteenth century word most often used for preaching scripture. This, of course, was unusual in a time when by law women were not only under the constant legal authority of their husbands, but were also forbidden from reading the Bible aloud to any but their close friends, in private.
Reformist Anne was caught in the middle of the maelstrom that was religion in the Tudor Court. Religious traditionalists wanted a return to the Roman Catholic faith which had been foundational in England for more than a thousand years. Reformers wanted change in the church, or perhaps to establish a new church altogether. Henry, sick, seemed to lean more and more upon his sixth wife Queen Kateryn Parr, a strong reformer, and the heroine in my latest novel, The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr. Parr hoped to continue to influence her stepson, Edward, after her husband’s death, but religious conservatives wanted Edward under their control. By implicating Parr through her friend Askew’s heresy, they hoped to bring down the queen, too. But Ann was not a fair weather friend to the queen.
Anne was brought before the infamous rack in the Tower of London and asked to name other highborn women in the queen’s household who believed as she did, the implication being that the Queen should be named, too. When she refused she was stripped of her clothing down to her shift and racked – a means of torture in which ankles and wrists are strapped to a pulley which stretches until all joints are dislocated. Afterward, Askew was brought to the stake in a chair.
After the fire was lit, Anne continued to correct the bible teaching of Bishop Nicolas Shaxton, so recently a friend and fellow reformer till he recanted when faced with torture and death. As the flames grew higher, she’d speak out, correcting Shaxton on his scripture. “Yes, he’s got that right,” she’d boldly call out on a passage, or, “No, there he misseth and speaks without the book.”
John Foxe, author of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, tells us that someone provided gunpowder to be added to the stakes below Askew to speed her death and more quickly ease her pain. Many believe that the same strong women at court that she protected – the Queen and her highborn ladies in waiting – supplied that gun powder to speed the bold and courageous Askew heavenward on her “chariot of fire.”–Sandra
http://www.sandrabyrd.com/
http://sandrabyrd.com/blog/
Wow, stories like this amaze me. First that Christians used to kill other Christians and wondering how a woman stood up to those who wished to oppress her. Humbles me. How about you?–Lyn
Last Week’s Winner Is…..And How’s Your Dishwasher Doing?
Marion Stroud won Bonnie Leon’s JOY TAKES FLIGHT! Thank you, Bonnie for being my guest and giving away a book! Congrats, Marion!
This week best-selling author Sandra Byrd will guest on Monday and I will review a new book on Thursday and do a giveaway of my slightly read copy. Should be a fun and interesting week!
Now about the dishwasher–About two months ago, my 3 year old dishwasher started doing a really poor job. I finally called my local appliance repair guy who told me this:
The US Govt in its wisdom has ordered all phosphates be taken out of dishwasher soaps. This means that dishwashers may not clean as well as it should. SO the fix is:
- Buy one of those dishwasher cleaner things and use it.
- Run hot water in the tap nearest the dishwasher right before starting the washer so you start with hot water.
- Finally, use Finish cubes with the red dot
Well, I tried these suggestions and they worked for me. I don’t know if they’ll work for you. No guarantee or warranty! But what gets me is -WHY DIDN’T ANYBODY WARN ME?–Lyn
Author Rachel Hauck & A Wedding Dress, A Symbol of Freedom?
Author Rachel Hauck writes the most interesting books, all a bit out of the ordinary. Her latest release THE WEDDING DRESS is no exception. Here’s Rachel:
“Fighting for What We Believe In
When I started writing The Wedding Dress, I knew I was going to have two plots in two different timelines — 1912 and 2012.
Since there are so many fascinating things happening in history in the early 20th Century, I gave my heroine Emily a “cause.”
I thought it was going to be women’s suffrage. But as I researched 1912 Birmingham, Emily’s issue became one about defying prejudice. She stared down Jim Crow laws. Better known as Separate but Equal.
Emily wanted a certain dressmaker to design her wedding gown, but the woman, Taffy, lived on the wrong side of town. In racially segregated Birmingham, Emily broke all protocol and society rules by seeking out a black dressmaker.
But she knew what she wanted. She connected with the regal and peaceful Taffy. She wanted to wear the one she designed. The gown became a symbol of Emily’s desire for independence. Because nothing else about her wedding was her own choice. Not even the groom. But she didn’t know what she wanted until the dramatic ending.
Even when Emily found herself on the wrong side of the law and jail cell, she was determined to fight for what she believed in. She believed in the dress Taffy was making.
Charlotte, the 2012 heroine, faced a different battle. One that did not breaking society rules but one that defied her own identity.
To purchase, click here. The Wedding Dress
I wonder who faced the more difficult battle. Emily or Charlotte? It’s often easier to fight the external battles while avoiding the turmoil inside. Or the notion that the way we’ve chosen to believe about ourselves, others, and the world around us just might be wrong. At the very least, skewed. Facing those notions confuse us. Even frighten us.
If we recognized our own weaknesses, have we turned on our truest friend? No matter what we struggle with, we are our own best friend.
Often taking a look at our internal values and allowing them to be challenged makes us a much stronger person. Our beliefs are validated. But wow, the first leap into the “internal” is challenging.
We have to be willing to change. Be wrong. To look inside.
It takes a strong woman to look at the world around her and speak up for change, to defend the weak, to challenge the wrongs. But it takes an even stronger woman to shine the light of truth on her own heart and… change.
But I don’t want to be the same, do you? I want to leave my Sunday morning church service, changed. I want to leave lunch with friends, changed. Inspired. I want to read a book and think, “How can I do more for others? For myself? For the Lord?” Maybe a novel leaves me inspired to speak up more for what I believe. Or, to open a blind eye about an issue.
Fiction is a cocoon that delivers butterflies of truth, values, ideas and beliefs. Through story, we get to see beliefs – good or bad — wounds and epiphanies — acted out.
That’s why I love fiction. There’s nothing like a good book!
Thanks to Lyn for having me today. Thanks to all of you for stopping by!”–Rachel
BIO: Rachel is an award winning, bestselling author living in sunny, breezy central Florida. Her latest release, The Wedding Dress, debuted on the CBA bestseller list. Her next release, Once Upon A Prince, about a prince who falls in love with an American girl, releases in 2013 from Zondervan. She is on the Advisory Board of American Christian Fiction Writers and the book therapist at My Book Therapy.
Thank you, Rachel. This sounds like a fascinating book and truly fits this blog about STRONG WOMEN and THEIR BRAVE STORIES.
Have any of you ever read a book by Rachel Hauck? Did any of you read THE HELP? Sounds like this book has similar themes about women in the South finding strength.–Lyn
Author Bonnie Leon & Her Real Inheritance
Author Bonnie Leon guests today and shares a story of an amazing woman, her mother. Bonnie also has a new book out, Joy Takes Flight. And she will be giving away a copy to a commenter. Here’s Bonnie:
“My mother is strong and brave. You wouldn’t know it to look at her. She’s small, quiet and unassuming.
Mom is an Alaskan—Aleut. Throughout much of her youth she was ridiculed because of her native blood. The barbs thrown were unjust and they left scars, but Mom never allowed the injustices to taint her view of the world. Instead, others’ prejudices strengthened her conviction to treat all people with kindness and respect.
When Mom was a teen-ager, she contracted rheumatic fever. The illness kept her in a hospital bed for months. Doctors told her the damage done to her heart would prevent her from living a normal life. Mom wasn’t about to let anyone else decide what kind of life she was going to live, very much like my character Kate. Mom resumed doing what she always had. And like Kate, she proved the naysayers wrong.
My mother is now eighty-seven years old. She’s lived a good long life, but the heart valve that was damaged during her bout with rheumatic fever finally gave out. In October of 2011 she had open heart surgery to replace it. She could have quietly let go and died, but that wasn’t Mom’s way. When she went into surgery she didn’t know if she’d wake up on this earth or in heaven, either way was okay with her. All that mattered is that she’d tried hard.
She survived the surgery and all looked good—she was on the road to recovery, or so we thought. A germ called staph found its way into her wound and did all it could to end her life.
For many months my mother battled the terrible infection. On more than one occasion I thought we were saying our final farewells. Each time she pulled through, dredging up the strength and courage to go on. A terrible blow came one day before she was to be released from the nursing home where she’d been rehabbing. Her husband of thirty-four years died suddenly.
My husband and I raced up the freeway to Washington to be with Mom. We found her in the hallway of the nursing home, slumped over in her wheel chair. I didn’t recognize her at first. She’d given up, but who would blame her. She was weary, heart sick and ready to go home.
Somehow Mom rallied. I still don’t know how she did it. God’s power and her courage, I guess.
She buried her husband, left her home and moved to Southern Oregon, close to family. She’s made a new life for herself in our community and though she is in a weakened physical condition her spirit is strong. She doesn’t complain. Instead gratitude is on her lips every day.
I don’t know how many weeks, months or years we’ve been given, but I’m grateful for the moments. I’m thankful for the example she’s been to me and my family. She’s strong and full of grace, good humor, compassion and gratitude.
I’m proud of my mother who lives rather than simply exists. She regrets that she’s using up her childrens’ inheritance by living so long. Every time she mentions it, I tell her that we want her to use up every penny because the real inheritance she’s leaving has nothing to do with worldly riches.”–Bonnie
To purchase, click here. Joy Takes Flight: A Novel (Alaskan Skies)
BLURB:
Kate Evans and Paul Anderson are finally married, settling in, and starting a family. They rejoice when Kate finds she is pregnant, but soon it is clear that there are hurdles ahead. Should she continue in her dangerous profession as an Alaskan bush pilot? Can she really fall into the role of a wife? Then tragedy strikes, life begins to unravel, and Kate fears she may have lost Paul for good.
Chock-full of high-flying adventure, romance, and the drama of life, Joy Takes Flight is the exciting conclusion to Bonnie Leon’s Alaskan Skies series.
I’m in the middle of reading this book. I love it!–Lyn
Questions: PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT TO ENTER THE DRAWING.
Have you ever flown in a small private airplane?
What is the best thing (physical or otherwise) your mother left you?
Last Week’s Winner & What’s Coming This Week!
LyndeeH won the autographed copy of Maureen Lang’s Bees in the Butterfly Garden!
This coming week two authors, Bonnie Leon and Rachel Hauck will share stories and their books with us. Don’t miss two more books giveaways!
BTW, if you’ve read my EBOOK Summer’s End and liked it, email me at l(dot)cote(at)juno(dot)com and I have a deal for you.
Hope you all had a great Independence Day!!!–Lyn
Lyn Reviews The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation
The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation: Stories of My Family’s Journey to Freedom by John F. Baker Jr.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I bought this autographed book in the museum store at the Hermitage, Andrew Jackson’s estate, near Nashville, TN. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars was that the author told of family relationships of those he interviewed but he should have included a fold-out family tree so I could keep them all straight. The publisher may have nixed this as an extra cost. Too bad.
Whatever–
the book was an amazing story of a antebellum white family and the black families they owned on the main plantation and several satellite ones in TN during the first half of the 19th century. Compared to other slave narratives, the white owners come off as people who took the responsiblity to treat their slaves humanely. But since the whole system was a travesty, they failed.
However, strange anamolies appeared. The master trained his acknowledged son by a young slave girl to be his valet and the son was treated as “almost family” by the Washingtons. That must have been odd since most children of this kind of alliance were never acknowledged or kept so close to the family. (This son committed suicide long after freedom, another unexplainable event.)
Also after the war, the white family had artists paint portraits of some of the former slaves and hung those portraits in the foyer of their home. I can’t figure that one out.
This is an intriguing story of a large entertwined family in special circumstances in the context of slavery, of the Civil War and then after freedom.
Utterly fascinating and enlightening. A complex evolving movie picture of slavery, war and freedom.
Here’s a fascinating video with the author John P Baker
Here is a website about this book and the author. http://www.wessyngton.com/
Author Maureen Lang & Bees in the Butterfly Garden
My guest today is Author Maureen Lang who writes such touching stories. Today she is OFFERING A BOOK GIVEAWAY and going to talk about –Is being strong the same as tough or mean? Here’s Maureen:
“I’m not sure whether this is a universal truth, but some of the strongest women I know are also the toughest. Sometimes—but not always—I include myself in that arena. The tough arena, I mean. There are times when something really gets under my skin and I can stand up for myself or someone else without hesitation. Not just in those rare moments I happen to see injustice, but when something doesn’t make sense to me. Such as being refused coverage for a medical treatment, or reimbursement for an insurance claim. My arguments don’t always sway the side of Big Corporate America, but I usually feel better for having voiced my side.
Does strong always equal tough? My grandmother was one of the strongest women I’ve met. She filed for divorce from a philandering husband back in the day such a thing was unheard of, risking social ostracism and financial ruin. A great-grandmother of mine left everything she knew in Germany to live in America. She was only 19 and jilted in romance, so she set out for a new life in a new world.
But being tough can sometimes be interpreted as . . . well, being mean. I know that’s how I’ve sounded when I’m arguing with a bureaucrat about something that doesn’t seem right to me. I know that’s how my grandmother sounded, at least to my dad, when she filed for divorce from his father. Perhaps my great-grandmother sounded mean to her parents when she refused to remain at home instead of setting out on her own so far away.
Such thoughts may have inspired my Gilded Age heroine in Bees In The Butterfly Garden. Meg Davenport was raised with every possible need fulfilled. Pampered and well educated in a prestigious New England school for girls, she hobnobs with other heiresses in one of American society’s richest neighborhoods: New York’s Fifth Avenue.
But Meg knew she never belonged among society’s so-called finest. Her father had money, but since her pedigree was never mentioned, she assumed it was something to be hidden. Upon his death, she’s shocked to learn her father “earned” his money from gambling and conning. There was a reason she never once felt his love—but not because he didn’t love her. It was because he was too busy loving her in the only way he knew how: by sheltering her from himself and his illegal ways.
Now that it’s too late to rectify, Meg is enraged over having been kept out of her father’s life. His protege, Ian Maguire, is initially no help when she wants to discover everything about her father. Ian would be happy to watch over Meg now that her father is gone, since he always told Ian to watch over her anyway—but from afar. She’s been raised as a lady, and if Meg’s father wasn’t good enough to share her life, then neither was Ian.
Once Meg pries the truth from Ian, she’s determined to prove her father wrong to have shut her out of his life. In fact, she wants to take up his illegal ways. Even though Ian initially refuses, she offers some very tempting targets with an open invitation to visit the wealthiest families on Fifth Avenue. Together they could be quite a pair . . .
But could such a heroine come off mean? Perhaps so, if her ambition remains to con honest people out of their own legally earned money. Not even knowing her heart was broken by an absentee father could justify such selfish and illegal behavior, right?
Meg is, however, one of my strongest heroine’s. And loved by a God willing to offer extraordinary grace. See how that happens in Bees In The Butterfly Garden!”–Maureen
BIO: Maureen Lang writes stories inspired by a love of history and romance. An avid reader herself, she’s figured out a way to write the stories she feels like reading. Maureen’s Inspirationals have earned various writing distinctions as a finalist for the Rita, Christy and Carol Awards. In addition to investigating various eras in history (such as Victorian England, First World War, and America’s Gilded Age) Maureen loves taking research trips to get a feel for the settings of her novels. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband, children, and Labrador retriever.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maureen.lang
My website and blog: www.maureenlang.com
So what do you think? does the world often see a strong woman as tough or mean? Leave a comment and enter the drawing for a copy of BEES IN THE BUTTERFLY GARDEN. (I love that title!)–Lyn
Two Winners in Amish Week! AND A FREE E-BOOK FOR ALL!
I have TWO WINNERS this week thanks to the generosity of two authors I call friends.
Linda (onedesertrose) won Marta Perry’s DANGER IN PLAIN SIGHT!
Judy B (judyjohn2004) won Adina Senft’s THE HIDDEN LIFE!
CONGRATULATIONS!
Now if you didn’t win, here’s somthing for EVERYONE!
Murder in Plain Sight by Marta Perry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Marta Perry knows how to tell a story that keeps a reader turning pages. Her hero and heroine captured my interest immediately and I admired their strengths. Marta also knows the Pennsylvania Amish community well and it shows. A good solid read.
If you haven’t heard, Marta has a free EBOOK, HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT. Click cover here to download for FREE!
This upcoming week, Author Maureen Lang will share about being strong or being tough and I will review a book you’ve never heard of.
Lyn