Ann Richardson won Debra Clopton’s Her Lone Star Cowboy!
Laura Hodges Poole won Peace Like a River the book I handed out for World Book Night. Laura even knew that World Book Night falls on Shakespeare’s birthday, April 23rd!
On Tuesday we begin a new month and if you recall, this blog always celebrates Mother’s Day with MEGA May. Have you heard of it?–Lyn
My guest today is Author Debra Clopton who is known for her “Mule Hollow” books. I’ve met Debra and her smile lights up everyone around her. She’s offering a book giveaway so don’t forget to leave a comment. Here’s Debra:
“I love strong women and count myself as one. I have always been one to encourage other women to be strong and to push themselves because I believe everyone can handle far more than they think they can. In 2003 when my first husband whom I’d been married to for 22 years passed away suddenly it was devastating, and my darkest hour. One of the ways that God helped me through it was that I knew that grief was not a singular journey for any of us. God had not singled me out for this terrible reality I and my sons were facing. Because I knew and accepted this, it helped me to understand that I could take my journey and use it to help others who were grieving. Others who had lost their husbands reached out to me and I have tried to honor Wayne’s memory by doing the same, offering comfort—part of that is to use my life experiences in my books and pray it touches someone.
I love to tell other women, “You can handle more than you think you can with God’s help.” The Bible tells us that all things can be used for good—and that means even our darkest hours can be used for God’s glory if we acknowledge that He helped us and then reach out to others.
I love this verse: Psalm 138:3 “When I called, you answered me; Lord, you made me bold and stouthearted.”
God helped me be bold in my life after Wayne’s death and stouthearted through the journey and beyond. God will give you strength even when you don’t feel you have it, just call on His name and believe. You may be going through the death of a loved one, or a divorce or fighting an illness or addiction…God can help you find your strength through anything.
In my stories I always write strong heroines who are fighting to meet a challenge or overcome a fear of some sort. Gabi Newberry in my latest book HER LONE STAR COWBOY is a new Christian and recovering alcoholic. Gabi is a strong character but she is challenged in this book to face some deep fears while helping the hero face his own fears. Gabi, to me is a woman who comes face to face with the woman she sees herself becoming and decides that is not the woman she wants to be. She is courageous in her decision to make a life change and stick to that decision even after it costs her more than she’d known it would. Sorry that’s all I can say without giving away the plot. But, to me Gabi is one of the strongest heroines I’ve ever written because of this aspect of the plot. I hope you’ll pick up a copy and take the journey with her.
Thanks for having on your blog today Lyn. Until next time, live, laugh and seek God with all your hearts!”–Debra
Recently I had a guest author who spoke of the Widow’s Journey. Who was she and what advice did she give widows? Did Debra follow her advice? LEAVE A COMMENT and be entered into a drawing for Her Lone Star Cowboy.–Lyn
That’s World Book Night.
World Book Night is an annual celebration designed to spread a love of reading and books. To be held in the U.S. as well as the U.K. and Ireland on April 23, 2012. It will see tens of thousands of people go out into their communities to spread the joy and love of reading by giving out free World Book Night paperbacks.
I discovered this on GoodReads and signed up. Tonight I’ll go to my library to pick up 30 copies of Peace Like a River. I’ll hand out some at the library and then walk through town giving them out till they’re gone. If this were the summer tourist season, it would be easier. But I should be able to drum up 29 people who’d like a free book.
When I signed up to receive the World Book Night books and distribute them on Monday April 23, 2012, I was given a choice of several titles. I chose this one because it sounded like a book that I’d be happy to give anyone.
Here’s a review of it:
August 20, 2002
Hailed as one of the year’s top five novels by Time, and selected as one of the best books of the year by nearly all major newspapers, national bestseller Peace Like a River captured the hearts of a nation in need of comfort. “A rich mixture of adventure, tragedy, and healing, ” Peace Like a River is “a collage of legends from sources sacred and profane — from the Old Testament to the Old West, from the Gospels to police dramas” (Ron Charles, The Christian Science Monitor). In “lyrical, openhearted prose” (Michael Glitz, The New York Post), Enger tells the story of eleven-year-old Reuben Land, an asthmatic boy who has reason to believe in miracles. Along with his sister and father, Reuben finds himself on a cross-country search for his outlaw older brother who has been controversially charged with murder. Their journey is touched by serendipity and the kindness of strangers, and its remarkable conclusion shows how family, love, and faith can stand up to the most terrifying of enemies, the most tragic of fates. Leif Enger’s “miraculous” (Valerie Ryan, The Seattle Times) novel is a “perfect book for an anxious time … of great literary merit that nonetheless restores readers’ faith in the kindness of stories” (Marta Salij, Detroit Free Press).
I am going to hold one copy of the 30 I received to give away here on this blog.
Please leave a comment:
Here are a few questions to reply to:
What famous person’s birthday is April 23rd?
Have you ever heard of this book, Peace Like a River before?
Would you be interested in volunteering to be a book hander-outer next year?
Leave a comment and I’ll enter your name into the drawing for the 30th copy!–Lyn
My guest today is Author S. J. MacIver who has something good to say about strength! Here’s S. J.:
“You must do the thing you fear the most…” Eleanor Roosevelt
“When I think of strong women, Eleanor Roosevelt always rises to the top of my list. Thanks to her and the above quote, I found the strength to tackle a rather horrifying fear of heights. To that end, I made myself ride a little car up to the top of the Eiffel Tower (I still have the red paint under my fingernails to prove it), climbed up a narrow winding staircase to the whispering wall at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London where Charles and Di were married (I practically rode my husband’s back as if he were a donkey on the way back down), and almost made it to the top of the Statue of Liberty (I panicked just before reaching the windows, and scrambled down the up staircase, startling the other visitors). That’s just the short list of things I’ve done to try and overcome this fear. So far, nothing has worked, but I keep on trying, keep on daring myself to do what others seem to manage with relative ease.
In my first inspirational novel, CINNAMON GIRL, my heroine, Lacy, has a fear of commitment and struggles with the memories of her deceased husband and unborn child, as well as her subsequent loss of faith. When she meets Mike Lindahl, an insurance investigator who is trying to put his life in order, Lacy is attracted to him and his gentle ways, but wary of opening her heart to more pain and anguish.
Lacy resolves to focus on her position as the crime reporter for Bismarck’s major newspaper, and shoves thoughts of involving herself romantically again to the back burner. When the unusual murder of a young woman brings her in contact with Mike again and again, and the pair finds themselves increasingly attracted to one another, Lacy wonders if either of them has the strength to trust again–in each other as well as the Lord.”–S. J.
That sounds like a winner, S. J. And I love that quote by Eleanor Roosevelt. I wonder how many young women today even know who Eleanor Roosevelt was and all she did. She didn’t let life get her down. Do any of you have a favorite president’s wife? Leave a comment and perhaps you’ll get something nice!–Lyn
If you’d like more info about S. J.’s book, drop by
http://www.facebook.com/sharonmaciverihle
Today I have the pleasure of interviewing an intriguing author Cara Putman (NOT PutNAM). She is a sweetie AND a powerhouse! Quite a combination. Here’s a few interesting Q & A’s.
LYN: Tell us a little about your writing and your real life.
I love writing stories that draw people to a deeper realization that God is real and that His hope overlays our lives, even when we can’t see Him. Some of those stories have contemporary settings and involve women confronted with situations filled with mystery or suspense. The other half are set during World War II, a time-period filled with little, known stories I love to use as part of a larger romance.
LYN: Was there a time in your life when you think God challenged you to become stronger? Please share.
Because I was blessed to grow up in a Christian family, I’ve had faith in God and Jesus from a young age. My heart’s cry from my earliest memories was to serve and please God. My life was also pretty easy for the most part—though I’m sure there are times I would have told you it was anything but. Then in 2007 I had my first miscarriage. That experience shook me to the core. I say now that it stripped the candy-coating from my faith and made me examine whether I really believed everything I claimed. This trauma and a second miscarriage forced me to dig deep and determine whether God was who He said He was and I still believed Him. My faith is stronger and I have an area of ministry to other women who suffer this pain, that I wouldn’t have had without the miscarriages. I still have questions for God, but my faith survived and the roots sunk deeper.
LYN-In what ways does your heroine show strength? And where does she draw this strength?
Alanna Stone has spent the last eleven years running from a painful experience in her past. She’s adopted the philosophy that avoidance and busyness are the ways to deal with a pain she can’t change. As the story opens, she’s forced to return home and confront the past and the people and situation that brought her pain. In the process she learns that uncovering the truth is where she can find the freedom from the past she’s longed for. She gains the strength to push to the truth from her deep faith.
LYN-Share one fun fact about your life or books.
I have a passion for World War II and uncovering its unique stories. This is illustrated by the way I find links to WWII stories just about everywhere I travel. I may be the only writer who visits places like the Biltmore in Ashville, NC, and uncovers World War II stories.”–Cara
BIO:
Cara C. Putman lives in Indiana with her husband and four children. She’s an attorney and a teacher at her church as well as lecturer at Purdue. She has loved reading and writing from a young age and now realizes it was all training for writing books. She loves bringing history and romance to life.
An honors graduate of the University of Nebraska and George Mason University School of Law, Cara left small town Nebraska and headed to Washington, D.C., to launch her career in public policy.
Cara is an author chasing hard after God as she lives a crazy life. She invites you to join her on that journey.
Links:
Website: http://www.caraputman.com
Blog: http://blog.caraputman.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/caraputman
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cara_putman
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/caraputman
Have any of you ever been to Mackinac Island? Or Upper Michigan? Or to Lake Michigan? I grew up in Waukegan IL on the shores of Lake Michigan and I remember when our family took a summer ride all around it. Do any of you know what jam-jelly company is BIG in Michigan? You may get a surprise for the correct answer!–Lyn
The Captain’s Mission (Love Inspired Suspense) (Military Investigations, #2). by Debby Giusti
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Captain’s Mission is the first book I’ve read by Debby Guisti. I really like Debby so I was pleased that I enjoyed her book too! This is book 2 in her “Military Investigations” series. Her heroine CID Agent Kelly McQueen has the unpleasant task of investigating the death of a solider during a tranining exercise. The soldier was killed was under the command of Captain Phil Thibodeaux. The mystery of whether the soldier was killed by accident or murdered soon begins to threaten Kelly in particular. And what about the aging mother of the dead soldier? Why isn’t she getting the care Kelly thinks she needs. Both Phil and Kelly have to get past their pasts to figure out the truth of this death and what’s keeping them from a love they both deserve. Good book!
If you’d like to win my once-read copy of this book, leave a comment about whether you enjoy stories about the military. Or is there a TV show based on militray justice system you’ve enjoyed?
My guest today is a longtime acquaitance and author of many novels. Today author Gayle Roper shares a new venture of hers, The Widow’s Journey website and blog. Here’s Gayle:
“Two women stand out in my life, my mother and my mother-in-law. They were very different in personality and temperament, but I was blessed that they both loved me.
What fascinated me about them in their later years was the way they handled their widowhoods. My mom, a very strong woman I always admired, dealt with her widowhood very poorly. Mom Roper, on the other hand, was an excellent widow, spunky and lively.
Now that I’m a widow, I’ve thought a lot about what made the difference.
My normally active and opinionated mother sat for five years in an ugly green chair she loved and stared across the room at a picture of my father. I do not exaggerate. It broke my heart that she so completely gave up on life. I know my father’s long illness took the starch out of her, but still, such apathy!
My mother-in-law was a homemaker of the old school who kept a spotless house and showed her love by cooking us wonderful meals. Even after Dad died, we went to her house every Sunday after church for a full pot roast dinner with glasses of V-8 for appetizer. She continued to play the piano and be involved in her church and civic activities.
Three things have become apparent as I consider the two women, and these three things are vital for any woman to know if she wants to survive her widowhood with grace (and since most of us will be widows, we all need to consider them carefully).
First, my mother was very private and my mother-in-law was very social. When friends were needed to help with the loneliness and the sorrow, my mother had very few. She thought groups of women were catty and wasn’t involved in any women’s organizations. My mother-in-law had her civic and church women’s groups to go to and to draw friendships from.
Secondly, my mother did not go to church and my mother-in-law did and was active there. When my father died, my mom had no spiritual support beneath her. By contrast my mother-in-law had a strong faith to cling to and lots of church people to watch over her.
Thirdly, these two precious women differed in what they had in life that was theirs. I don’t mean material things; there they were similar. I mean activities and interests. My mother had lost all interest in what was happening around her. When she wasn’t staring at Dad’s picture, she was reading novels, not to enjoy a good story or meet interesting people in another world but to escape reality. My mother-in-law had church, music, contacts—things that kept her vital.
Friends, faith, and personal interests. As I move through this difficult time in my life, I have come to realize I need people about me, my faith within me, and my interests to spur me. I exercise the latter by writing Widow’s Journey, www.widowsjourney.com where I explore the emotions and truths of being alone.”–Gayle
Thanks, Gayle. You have described two completely different approaches to widowhood. I also had a mother in law and mother who were widowed and unfortunately both of them faced widowhood similar to your mother.
Are any of you widowed? How have you handled this? Do you think a woman should prepare for widowhood?–Lyn
Here’s the story of the women who went to the tomb.
Luke 24
1Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
2And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
3And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
4And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
5And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
6He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
7Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
8And they remembered his words,
9And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.
10It was Mary Magdalene and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.
11And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.”
I always sympathize with the women who went to the tomb and found it empty. Here’s more about that:
I recall the scene in the Franco Zefirelli film “Jesus of Nazareth” where Ann Bancroft playing the part of Mary Magdalene, tells the disciples she’s seen the risen Lord and they won’t believe her no matter how empassioned she speaks. What a scene. I believe her. Do you?
Hope your Easter is joyful!–Lyn
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23
Earlier this year I asked if you would like to discuss the fruits of the spirit. In January, we had a lively discussion on love and forgiveness. In February, the discussion was less spirited on the topic of “joy.”
I decided that perhaps instead of doing one a month as planned, doing all of them now the week before Easter might engender more discussion. (After all, I don’t write these blogs just to talk to myself. 🙂
One point that occurred to me is I believe there are two different types of fruits. The active “doing” fruits.
And the fruits we receive as a testimony of our relationship with God through the Holy Spirit.
For example, love is something we do–it’s active. Joy, on the other hand, is something we receive. Joy is an evidence of God’s working in us and joining with us. We receive it.
What do you think of that idea? Perhaps that’s why love is more of a concern to us. That’s what we are supposed to be doing. But joy we experience through nearness to God.
If we take this approach, which are the fruits that are “active?”
Which of –love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance?
Or do I have it wrong? What do you think? And how are you preparing for Easter-spiritually? (Though I love coloring eggs too!)–Lyn
Hi Thanks to our two authors from last week, Janet Chester Bly and Jane Myers Perrine, we have two winners to announce!
Peggy Clayton won Jane’s book!
SC Mitchell won the book Janet offered!
Coming Tuesday we’ll wrap up our discussion of the fruits of the spirit and prepare for Easter!
Happy Palm Sunday!–Lyn