Featured Authors:
Peggy Trotter
Gay N. Lewis
Prism Book Group Authors:
Renee Blare
Nancy Shew Bolton
Paula Mowery
Gail Pallotta
Susan M. Baganz
Lisa J. Lickel
Julie B. Cosgrove
Gay N. Lewis
Anita Klumpers
Peggy Trotter
Gay N. Lewis
Prism Book Group Authors:
Renee Blare
Nancy Shew Bolton
Paula Mowery
Gail Pallotta
Susan M. Baganz
Lisa J. Lickel
Julie B. Cosgrove
Gay N. Lewis
Anita Klumpers
Peggy Trotter
If you're looking for the Writing Process World Blog Tour, you've found the right place! Amryn Cross was my link, so if you haven't been there yet, head on over. (http://www.amryncross.com/2014/05/20/blog-hop/)
I have to answer 4 questions about my writing then send you to 3 fabulous links of other authors who will, in their own words, answer the same 4 questions. Oooh, oooh. Sounds fun! Let's begin!
So, hmmm, we're supposed to answer four questions.
Numero Uno:
What am I working on?
Yeesh. Everything!!! The tunnel I'm in is never narrow! I'm editing a novella, and I always drag my feet for that, yet have such satisfaction when it's done! In the meantime, it's summer, sooooooo-I have a lot of time to write. I'm on chapter 8 of a contemporary Christian Romance of a New England Town, but I'm also on chapter 12 of a Historical Christian Romance set in the bootheel of Missouri. Plus the new blog (diamondsinfiction.blogspot.com-check it out!:) ) means interviews, so there's that! And this!
Numero Dos:
How does my work differ from others in it's genre?
Oooh, toughy. Let's see if I can nail it, or rather, staple it! I'd say I like to put characters at the end of their rope, where they must make desperate choices, or create characters that no one would want to associate with. My current historical is about a prostitute who must marry to provide a roof over her head. My contemporary is about a young woman who's been to the edge of life and is fighting to understand Christianity. They face unimaginable choices, because in life, we've all had to make those gut-wrenching decisions.
Numero Tres:
Why do I write what I do?
I can't not write it. It's that plain and simple. It's like ignoring the pink rhinoceros in the kitchen. It's BIG, PINK, and taking up so much SPACE you can't look past it. My writing is so up in my head, and it plays over and over and over, till it finds it's home in the pages of my books. I know God has blessed me with these ideas, scenes, and stories. And because He blessed me with such a gift, I want to share that with my readers-a good wholesome Christian story. I've read the secular Romance books. They were so out of my realm of beliefs, I had to stop reading them! That's why I love what I do.
Numero Quatro:
Eek, do I have to share this? It's sorta embarrassing. I'm not the outline, boxes ticked, thirty-five page synopsis starting author. I completely imagine them in my mind. Like a movie. And most disturbing of all, the movie starts playing at-BEDTIME! As soon as I lay my head down, it's like I'm in the upper film room of an old movie theater, where you lace the 8 mm film through the machine and switch it on. There's even a ticking noise. Weird. Now, I often have to come up with scenes that were never in my, ahem, 'movie,' then I do a lot of pacing and praying. Sometimes I have to just put it on the shelf for a few days. Then God pulls the chain and, 'flick!' Ohhh! That's what I'll have them do! I love those times! Then it's edits, and enriching the characters and plot, and it's done-by the seat of my pantaloons!
I hope you enjoyed this, 'hop.' *insert rabbit nose twitch* Many of God's blessings upon you and much peace and joy! Let me direct you to the next hops!!!
Join me at peggytrotter.com
diamondsinfiction.blogspot.com
Pintrest
Gay N. Lewis
Maddie's Choice
What genres to you write in?
Thanks Peggy, for asking. I usually write in the
genres of Fantasy and Romance. My Sarah series is about a dyslexic angel who
comes to earth to play Cupid but bumbles her way through assignments. The havoc
she creates makes the reader laugh out loud. The hallmark of all my writing is
humor and faith.
Where did the inspiration come from for your current novel?
Actually, Mattie’s
Choice is the first book I ever wrote, and it was the most difficult. It’s
Historical, Christian, Women’s Fiction, and it is a serious book that will make
the reader consider attitudes and social mores. It is loosely based on family
experiences. My mother-in-law was married to a demanding man who refused to let
her see her family. Research shows that controlling men do this, even today. These
men feel threatened by people who can see through them. In 1925, women had few
choices, but more are available today. There’s humor in the book, but there’s
also a lot about faith, or the lack of it.
Is there a theme in the book?
Yes. The original name of the book was Choices, but my publisher had already
published a book with that title, so I changed it to Mattie’s Choice. The choices the characters in the book make are
based upon their interpretation of Scripture, society’s traditions, and their
personal lack of self-confidence. Mattie is a naïve 17-year-old who elopes with
the love of her life, but she soon learns she’s made a mistake. Here’s a blurb.
In rural Oklahoma in 1925, a naive seventeen-year-old Mattie chooses to elope with Jesse, leaving behind an ideal life with her wealthy and loving parents and siblings. She vows to stay with her husband through good times or bad. The wonderful life she dreams of with Jesse is shattered by his abusive nature and his refusal to allow her to see her family.
When Jesse's brother, Joe, travels to Galveston, and returns with his new wife, the vivacious Ella, Mattie believes Ella is living the life Mattie prays to have with Jesse. As the years grow harder and Jesse and Mattie's growing family struggle to survive The Great Depression and The Dust Bowl and illness, Jesse's abuse worsens. Life for Ella and Joe also unravels as Joe begins to tyrannize his wife. Ella makes the choice that Mattie has never considered.
Will Mattie keep her vow to stay with Jesse at the risk of her own life and the life of her children or will she leave him despite the vow?
Interesting! Let's get to that writing time. Need a window? Prefer no distractions? Prefer laptop or a pc?
I write at my desk at home on my desktop computer. My husband and I share an office. He sits at his desk behind me and that's okay, as long as he's quiet. The problem? Well, he likes to talk to me. He thinks I know more about computers and technology than he does, so he asks me to handle his correspondence. I'm slowly teaching him what little I know. He always said he'd leave this world computer illiterate, but he's learning. He gets things mixed up. For instance, he says, "I texted you." When he actually emailed it to me.
I usually give up writing and wait till he is in another room.
What’s your next plans?
I’m writing my Sarah books again. I have one
contracted to be out July, 2018. Sarah helps a lady with a makeover in this
one. The young school teacher is overweight and thinks poorly of herself.
Sarah, the angel, has the ability to appear in any size or form, she wants. She
materializes as a young female in need of a transformation and befriends
Valerie. Just wait till you read the chaos Sarah creates for Valerie. I’m also writing a Sarah Christmas story for
next Christmas. Mattie’s Choice is a
bit darker and much more serious. I’m happy to be back to my silly Sarah.
A native Texan, Gay lives in Fulshear, a small town west of Houston. She loves to travel and engage in artistic ventures. Two videos she produced—The Canadian Rockies, English and Japanese translations and Psalms from the Mountains—sold well in international markets. Graphic skills kept her busy as a portrait photographer, and for over ten years, she used her imaginative insight in the interior design field.
As
a pastor’s wife, she writes Faith Features for various church periodicals. She
also writes articles for Texas Hill Country.
Gay is also a published author for Pelican Book Group in romance and
fantasy fiction. Her current series is about a dyslexic angel who comes to
earth to help humans, but Sarah, the angel, is more like Lucy Ricardo with
humorous antics and bumbles.
All of the Sarah books have appeared on Amazon’s
Best Seller’s List. The Sarah series is available in
eBook format as well as print at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Pelican Book Group,
and other book sellers. Some additions are available in Amazon Audible. Each
book in the series is a standalone novel.
Her latest books, Mattie’s
Choice, and Clue into Kindness
are not fantasy and romance. These books are women’s fiction. The stories are
about abusive men and women who are addicted to an unhealthy relationship.
The books are available in print,
eBook, and audio.
For more information, please go to http ://gaynlewis.com/
Gay would love to have you see her video
trailers and become a follower of her blog.
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/gaynlewis
Sarah has her own Facebook page. Follow
Sarah on Facebook@ Sarah Wingspand
Renee Blare
Snowy Range Chronicles, Book 2
If Mother Nature has her way, Timber Springs will never be the same...
A warm spring and early rainstorms melt the snowpack. Spring runoff compounded by the storm of the century sends Timber Springs into a tailspin.
Tossed into the role of rescuer, local pharmacist Paul Fitzgerald must face his past before the whole world falls apart. While he fights to contain the beast around him, he finds his steadfast control slipping through his fingers. And life…everyone’s life…hangs by a thread once again.
She isn’t a hero. Melissa Hampton has her own demons to battle. After she learns of her mysterious beginnings amidst her mother’s keepsakes, she faces more than just the river rushing outside her door. Now, she must discern friend from foe…but as waters rise and tension climbs within Timber Springs, she needs to rise to the challenge or lose the only man she's ever loved.
Can two people find each other through raging waters?
And in case you missed the first installment, click here: Amazon.
Renee Blare has been buried in a book for as long as she can remember. Raised in Louisiana and Wyoming, she started writing poetry in junior high school and that, as they say, was that. After having her son, a desire to attend pharmacy school sent her small family to the University of Wyoming in Laramie. She’s been counting pills ever since. While writing’s her first love, well, after the Lord and her husband, she also likes to fish and hunt as well as pick away on her classical guitar.
Nestled in the foothills of the Wind River Mountains, she lives in Wyoming with her husband, crazy dogs, and ornery cat. She serves her beautiful small town as a pharmacist while penning her stories about struggling Christians as they travel along the journeys of their lives. She loves to interact with readers and invites you check out her website, blog, and social media.
Website: http://www.reneeblare.com/
Blog: https://reneeblare.blogspot.com/
Group Blog: http://diamondsinfiction.blogspot.com/
Prism Book Publishers
Love Is . . .Series
Renee Blare
Your hunger for a compact satisfyingly clean romance can be assuaged right this moment. And in any form you'd like. These two are as different as can be, but no less endearing. Want a tale of a married couple facing a matter of life and death over their firstborn? Choose Racing Hearts by Renee Blare. Yearning to escape the bustle of busy life and grow with the heroine as she discovers God's forgiveness and love? Haven in the Woods by Nancy Shew Bolton is the one for you. Here's what others are saying about these novellas.
Renee Blare
Your hunger for a compact satisfyingly clean romance can be assuaged right this moment. And in any form you'd like. These two are as different as can be, but no less endearing. Want a tale of a married couple facing a matter of life and death over their firstborn? Choose Racing Hearts by Renee Blare. Yearning to escape the bustle of busy life and grow with the heroine as she discovers God's forgiveness and love? Haven in the Woods by Nancy Shew Bolton is the one for you. Here's what others are saying about these novellas.
“Learning to trust God for everything from their marriage, health, finances, and baby, makes for a story that will warm your heart…and perhaps make it race too…” Susan Baganz
#prismbookgroup #LoveIs #Amreading #ChristianRomance #CleanandWholesomeRead
Need more? How about a little excerpt:
The small cubicle darkened. As she struggled to slow her breaths, her heart thundered in her ears as fast as a mustang across the high plains.
She slid to her knees and pressed her forehead against the cold steel of the dividing wall. “Oh, Lord, help me.”
Nancy Shew Bolton
Or how about this one?
"Bolton’s lush setting paints a perfect backdrop for these people who learn that protecting each other, no matter how they came together, as well as living under the protection of God’s wings, makes life worth living. Told in multiple viewpoints from the perspectives of the main characters, this sweet novella clips right along at a quick pace. Full and satisfying, readers will root for both Robert and Ellen, even in the darkest moments." Lisa J. Lickel
A Haven in the Woods by Nancy Shew Bolton OUT NOW from Prism Book Group.
#loveis #prismbookgroup #amreading #kindle #ChristianRomance
Don't miss this excerpt:
She kept the gun aimed at him. “Stay off my property or I’ll shoot you.”
“Technically, I’m standing on my land.”
His calm voice didn’t fit with having a gun trained on him. He pointed at a small orange flag affixed to a rod in the ground near him. “The survey marker shows where your land starts and mine ends. Also, you can’t just shoot someone in New York State for stepping onto your property.”
He seemed like a reasonable person, but didn’t people always say psychopaths were good at appearing normal? She continued to point the gun at him. “I can shoot anyone I think means to harm me.”
“Well, that wouldn’t be me.” He shrugged and gave a brisk flip of his hand. “See ya.”
Ready to select? Just click the blue words beneath each cover and you'll zoom right over to Amazon, where you can purchase each book for only $2.99. Now that's a steal!
Nancy Shew Bolton
“Love is kind…” 1 Corinthians: 13:4
Ah,
love! Such a topic!
For me,
I had a close, loving family growing up, but we hit some rough times when my
siblings and I were all teenagers in the 1960’s, and the closeness often became
strained and rocky, especially with our Dad who felt pretty overwhelmed with
his outspoken, stubborn children. How I longed for the uncomplicated days when
we were smaller!
I’d always gotten along well with boys, and
often preferred their company. But due to a childhood trauma, as I grew older,
I was wary of any romantic relationships, and figured I’d never marry since the
whole dating process appeared pretty scary to me. Though I perceived interest
from various boys during high school, I kept a friendly distance, protecting
myself from the titanic hurts I watched my siblings suffer as they navigated
through their dating years.
Then, in
my junior year, when I was seventeen, I became re-acquainted with a boy who’d
once lived next door to us years back, and who I’d hardly seen in recent years.
He had soulful, dark blue eyes, and a marvelous, quirky sense of humor which
captivated me. He didn’t show any of the annoying romantic attention that
always made me wary, and I delighted in humorous bantering with him, and
sharing comic observations about everything. He was such fun to talk to.
Somehow,
he snuck through my giant defenses, and I found myself fascinated at the
thought of getting to know him as more than a friend. Though I resisted it once
I realized he was becoming romantic toward me, it grew more difficult to push
away the strong feelings I had for him. To his credit, he waited and maintained
our friendship while the attraction deepened. When I finally opened the door to
my heart, he rushed in and though we’ve had our rough times, now five sons and
40 plus years later, he still makes me laugh and is my other half.
We also
shared our spiritual journey toward new birth in Christ in our twenties, and
God has been a huge part of our ongoing relationship. I am well and truly
blessed with love, and children and we even have two grandchildren now. We’ve
never had a regular sort of life, but I’m comfortable being rather an oddball,
and so is my husband, who first taught me to embrace my eccentricities, and
enjoy them, just as he’s always enjoyed his and mine. God makes all kinds of quirky folks, and I’m
so happy to share my life with my husband John, though honestly sometimes he
drives me nuts!!! I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Check out Nancy’s contribution to Prism Book Group’s new Love Is series…
A Work in Progress
“Love is kind…” 1 Corinthians: 13:4
There’s something cooking outside
the kitchen….
They’ve worked together for two years, but that’s all they have in common. Like oil and water, they just don’t mix. Julie thinks he’s a shallow flirt, Mark thinks she’s a cold fish. Despite their mutual dislike, they’ve carved out a civil work relationship at the restaurant. But after each of their inner worlds suffer a jolt; the careful, polite kitchen routine becomes a stew of conflicting emotions. Things are about to get interesting.
Paula Mowery
“Love does not dishonor…” 1 Corinthians: 13:4
We’re told
in Scripture that God is love. He definitely proved His kind of love is an
unconditional and undeserved type through sending His Son to die for our sins.
Some love
isn’t hard to conjure. God just helps us to enhance it. For example, I am still
head-over-heels in love with my husband of twenty-six years. But through God’s
Word and leading, I’ve learned to love my husband more like God planned for a
wife to love her husband.
When my
little girl was born, I was in love, even though it took a lot to get her here.
But God has shown me how to love my daughter through example and discipline.
I
struggled with infertility issues before finally conceiving my only daughter.
My bitterness heightened each time I would hear about a young woman or girl who
conceived out of wedlock and by accident. I cried out to God that this wasn’t
fair. I wanted a baby and would care for that child and love that child, giving
her a mother and a father.
Some years
later I was approached by the director of our church association’s Pregnancy
Crisis Center to become their devotional leader. I struggled with my answer for
a bit but knew God was pushing me to do this.
As I
shared about the love of God and then listened to these girls tell their
stories, I had to repent of my former bitterness. God taught me to love and
care for these girls and their babies. They each had a story with hopes and
dreams of their own.
Everyone
deserves to know about the unconditional love God offers. This is what I hope
readers see in the story, The Crux of
Honor.
Since God
is love, when we allow Him to teach us His kind of love, we can’t help but be
richer and enrich others.
Check out Paula’s contribution to Prism Book
Group’s new Love Is series…
The
Crux of Honor
“Love
does not dishonor…” 1 Corinthians: 13:4
Chelsea Wilson’s life
is a constant reminder of what living dishonorably looks like. At every turn
she continues to prove her mother’s shunning must be deserved.
Dr. Kevin Alley returns to the old home place to establish his medical practice. After running into Chelsea, he knows his love for her is still strong.
Chelsea is ousted from her small rented room when her mother bursts in, proclaiming Chelsea’s pregnancy.
Kevin takes Chelsea in, giving her space to live on the upper level of his house.
When Chelsea’s baby displays life-threatening symptoms, Chelsea must face her mother. Secrets unfold about Chelsea’s parents. Can Chelsea and Kevin uncover the secrets linked to Amish heritage in time to save the baby? Can the two find love together despite their history?
www.prismbookgroup.com
Gail Pallotta
“…love is not easily angered …” 1 Corinthians: 13:5
When I was in college I used to run into an atheist in the small cafe where we gathered for Coca-Colas, hamburgers and French fries after class. I tried to avoid him, because he always hopped over to my table and started an argument about my faith.
Perhaps he comes to mind on the release day of Breaking Barriers for several reasons. One, he was angry at me because I am a Christian. Even though today I can’t recall which verses he used, he’d take passages from the Bible and try to make me say they weren’t true. When I wouldn’t, he’d retort with a scientific argument and claim it had to be right.
The second reason he comes to mind—it was the mention of God’s love that finally silenced him. One day I grew so frustrated I asked, “If there’s no God, where does love come from? Why don’t you mix me up a little bowl of it? If scientists could do it, they would, because they could sell a ton of it for lots of money.”
His mouth gaped.
He never trotted to my table again.
Since then I’ve read that we have chemicals in the brain that produce love. I’ve often wondered if he came up with that theory. Even if that were true, the chemicals in the brain came from somewhere, and that would still lead back to God. I hope it wasn’t him. I hope he thought about God’s great love for us and decided to read the Bible.
Check out Gail’s contribution to Prism Book Group’s new Love Is series…
Breaking Barriers
“…love is not easily angered …” 1 Corinthians: 13:5
Gunshots ring out as Ann Jones enters the church. She hides in the bathroom until they stop, then stumbles into the sanctuary. The congregation lies dead in pools of blood. To rebuild the church, she starts True Light Guardians. At the first meeting, she’s attacked by a terrorist, but rescued by James Crawford. He melts her heart, cold from her father’s abuse, and they fall for each other. She’s afraid to commit to love that might grow angry later, like the type she knew as a child. James yearns to stop other attempts on Ann’s life, but can’t. Tormented by her constant risks, he breaks up with her. When an assault sends her to the hospital, an unlikely ally shares Ann’s plight with James, but he reveals a lead that puts all three of them in even more danger.
Susan M. Baganz
“Love does not delight in evil …” 1 Corinthians: 13:6
Growing up, I would walk home and look up to heaven, spin
around, and wonder if God was taking my picture. Did He care for my
overly-sensitive, hurting and lonely heart? All a teacher had to do was look at
me wrong and I’d burst into tears until sixth grade when I learned to hide my
pain.
The sweetest love story is when, after years of sensing
God’s call to me, I finally understood that I could respond. That he was
waiting for me to do so! James 4:8 says “Draw near to God and He will draw near
to you. (NASB)” Really? He wasn’t some distant King high on a thrown beyond my
reach. I first came to understand this at a Campus Life/Youth for Christ
meeting.
For weeks I had begged some friends to let me come to a
meeting. They seemed happy. They had something I didn’t. And they would go to
concerts for groups like . . . Petra, who I had never heard of. Finally, I was
invited and we had a conversation about misconceptions people had about
Christianity. I was raised knowing about God and taught to fear Him, so I was
fully engaged in the conversation. Then the biggest misconception hit me—that
people didn’t understand that they could have a personal relationship with
Jesus Christ.
Whoa. Really?
I prayed right then and there and my entire world
shifted.
I went out and bought a Bible and started devouring it.
Opposition came but I clung to Christ. To a hurting, lonely fifteen-year-old,
the fact that the God of the universe wanted me—Me?—was a huge revelation. When depression plagued me, I was told I
was trying to manipulate people. The only reason I never attempted to take my
life was because of the love of God.
Thirty-five years have brought me through many trials and
triumphs, deep pains and sweet moments. God has been there by my side through
all of it. I wish I could say that I’ve been as faithful to Him as He has been
to me. It’s hard when people have wounded me deeply to trust the God who
allowed it to happen. Yet I wouldn’t be here without Him. He’s led me, grown
me, matured me . . . and I’ve learned that in Him I have more strength than I
could ever have on my own. Some trials I look back on in wonder at how I was
able to respond the way I did. That couldn’t have been me, could it?
Only God.
Through abuses, betrayals, heartache, He has been my
constant. My one true love. When I write my romances my hope and prayer is that
at some level the reader will understand the love of God that underlies the
journey’s my characters take.
God is faithful. He has never abandoned me. The fact that
He gives me the opportunity to put some of those experiences into my stories to
bless others is just another example of His love for me.
Check out Susan’s contribution to Prism Book Group’s new Love Is series…
The Baron’s Blunder
“Love does not delight in evil …” 1 Corinthians: 13:6
Fighting
evil has been a hobby, but fending off marriage-minded debutantes—a chore.
Lord
Charles Percy fends off a land pirate robbing a carriage in broad daylight.
Noting he has rescued a beautiful debutante, he lies about his title claiming
to be a mere mister.
The
Honorable Henrietta Allendale isn’t convinced Mr. Percy is who he claims to be.
But after he admits to one blunder can she ever truly trust what he says?
Especially about the evil threatening her? Who is the Black Diamond anyway and
why would he be after either of them?
One
intrepid debutant and one bumbling Baron soon join forces to defeat evil. But
to do so might mean they have to sacrifice the one thing they’ve each held as
most important—their single status.
Can
the truth set them free to love?
Lisa J. Lickel
“Love is not proud…” 1 Corinthians: 13:4
From the time boys became more than “tag” targets I was never without
someone of the opposite sex to hang out with, call on the phone, escort me to
dances or movies, even when Mom was the chauffeur. I was a drama queen flirt,
histrionic friend, and disingenuous church group groupie. I’d love to say it
changed in an instant when as a middle teen the Holy Spirit provided the answer
to that infinite question of whether Christ was for real. Decades later, I am
still working out who I am on many levels. That story won’t get the final edit
until it’s over.
In between, I went to college and joined not one, but two Christian
groups, fell in love with the music, studying anything and everything, and the
boy with the wispy blond mustache and high-water pants from one of the faith
groups who prayed with me for John Denver’s soul. Seriously. We won’t know for
a while if poor John received the benefit of our intervention. When the
mustached boy didn’t run screaming after meeting my family for the first time
when we got snowed in and ate turkey three days in a row, and his dad laughed
in good humor when I dropped and broke dishes on the way from the table to the
sink the first time I met his folks, I knew things would work out fine.
Two grown up children and an odd assortment of grands—girls, boys, and
kitties—later, life is full circle as our oldest son heeded the call to
seminary and now serves as area director for the many branches of the campus
faith organization his dad and I attended. Son number two followed in his
father’s footsteps, attempting to encourage a better world through public
education. “Love is not proud” is not an easy description to avoid when it
comes to introducing family.
Love has shown me all the attention I need has always surrounded me,
filled me, poured out of me in ways I don’t have to control or manipulate, or
understand. The Lord of life is in charge. My job is to leave behind a story
that boasts only of God’s great mercy and grace exemplified in what He has done
for me.
Check out Lisa’s contribution to Prism
Book Group’s new Love Is series…
Everything
About You
“Love
is not proud…” 1 Corinthians: 13:4
She
needs a movie set miracle, he needs cash...can a farmer morph into a movie star in five days?
If Shelly has her way, Danny will become America’s next heartthrob and she’ll get her own promotions company. He’s already gorgeous, a little naive, and needs to work on that accent. To Danny, Shelly is on the pompous side, but holds the key to his real dreams...if he can figure out all the rules, say the right things for the daily vlog session, keep his heart strings in place, dodge Shelly’s vicious former boyfriend and the movie star diva.
Shelly’s about to lose a lot more than her heart if she can’t get a handle on her wounded pride and learn who to trust.
If Shelly has her way, Danny will become America’s next heartthrob and she’ll get her own promotions company. He’s already gorgeous, a little naive, and needs to work on that accent. To Danny, Shelly is on the pompous side, but holds the key to his real dreams...if he can figure out all the rules, say the right things for the daily vlog session, keep his heart strings in place, dodge Shelly’s vicious former boyfriend and the movie star diva.
Shelly’s about to lose a lot more than her heart if she can’t get a handle on her wounded pride and learn who to trust.
Julie B. Cosgrove
Sibling Love
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
I guess most sisters bicker as they grow up. We have a
tendency to be a tad jealous of each other. “How come she gets to…” and later,
“Why do all my boyfriends notice her?” Even later, “Why doesn’t my husband
treat me like hers treats her?” or “”Why are her kids so well-behaved?”
My sister and I are six years apart so by the time I entered
my teens she was married. I felt a deep loss and for a long time I felt the odd
person out. She and my brother’s wife were closer in age, so they bonded. They
always huddled at family events. I felt the pangs of exclusion like the wimpy little
kid slumped on the sideline bench whose muscles would never fill out his
uniform.
Until my husband died suddenly in the shower getting ready
for work. Though five hours away, my sister dropped her life and rushed to my
aid. She boarded her animals at the vets, packed a bag and drove to my door. I
honestly cannot tell you how long she stayed with me. Certainly until after the
funeral five days later. Having lost her husband a year previously, she guided
my numbed mind and aching heart through the planning, the visitations and the
arrangements as I sniveled for days on in overwhelmed by it all.
When I sold the house and moved to a one bedroom apartment,
all I could afford at the time, she returned. We spent hours rubbing masking
tape onto the floors mapping out where furniture would go and plotting what I
could bring and what I should leave behind for the estate sale. She then monitored
the estate sale like an award winning car salesman, raking in the bucks so I could
afford the moving company.
My brother, an attorney, drove in to handle all the legal
affairs pro bono without blinking an eye. All I had to do was show up at the
courthouse and swear my husband to be deceased—by far my highest hurdle.
Declaring him legally dead before a magistrate made it real, too real. My
brother stood by my side as my knees quaked. His even-toned professionalism
became my boulder. I watched, wide-eyed and tear-blinked as he handed off paper
after paper to the court clerk. Documents all identified by letters and numbers
which I never understood.
Growing up, my brother seemed a phantom. Eleven years older
than me, he was a teenager locked in his world by the time I could toddle. Then
came the college years away. When I was in third grade, he walked down the
aisle. After that, he moved away, had a child of his own and built a life.
Eventually I did the same. For decades we acknowledged each other like shadows
at family gatherings. But that day at the courthouse, he became flesh and bone
to me.
God purposes good from tragedy. My husband’s passing brought
me closer to my siblings and showed me what family-bound love is all about.
Five years later, we are able to communicate at a deeper level, share our
feelings openly, and be there for each other through this roller-coaster called
life. Now, that’s true love— a love akin to no other on earth..
Twin sisters, Erin and Ellen, covet each other’s lives and husbands. Their festered envy has not only kept them at arm’s length for almost two decades, it has placed both on a precipice of divorce— something they’d never admit to each other.Yet after two weeks together with their spouses, as they sort through their mother’s belongings following her funeral, they discover the flaws in their sibling’s “grass-greener” lives. But will that revelation help each sister appreciate her own husband and lifestyle as truly according to God’s plan? Or is it too late for a change of heart?
Julie
B Cosgrove is a novelist, but she also writes devotionals and inspirations
articles for several publications and websites on a regular basis. In college
she won the American Bible Society’s Religion Major of the Year award and went
on to study in seminary until the birth of her son, who was in and out of the
hospital most of his childhood. However, she never lost the itch to write.
After a hiatus of thirty years, she once again picked up the pen and became a
freelance writer. She was awarded one of the
50 Great Writersr You Should Read for 2015 by the nationally syndicated
radio The Authors Show and her novels awarded her Best Religious Fiction 2016
by the Texas Association of Authors.
She has four novels, Focused, Hush in the Storm, Legitimated Lies and Freed to Forgive and six non-fiction
works published. She is under contract for two more romance novellas, Navy Blues and Hill Country Homecoming, and
a three-book cozy mysteries series called the Bunco Biddies for 2016-2017. The
first, Dumpster Dicing, releases June
3, 2106.
When
she isn’t writing, Julie is a part-time church secretary, active in her own
church, especially in missionary outreach, and mentoring new writers in the
craft. A professional speaker, she leads women’s retreats, Bible studies and
writer workshops.
Julie
is a widow who lives in Fort Worth, Texas with her two spoiled-rotten and
lovable house cats whom she dubs her ”beastie boys.” She enjoys clean, romantic
suspense and mysteries in print and on film, especially British ones. She is an
avid word puzzle player and loves to spend time floating in the Guadalupe River
at her maternal family’s cabin in the Texas Hill Country.
Gay N. Lewis
A Whirlwind Relationship
A Whirlwind Relationship
At the age of seventeen, my boyfriend presented me
with an engagement ring. I said yes and then wondered what I’d done.
My fiancé was good-looking, charming, and he cared
for me, but our goals were different. The man I’d promised to marry planned
life as a farmer. Can you imagine me as a farmer’s wife? I grew up in the city,
had never even planted a pot of ivy, and possessed no idea about country life.
And to top that off, at the age of eight, I’d
surrendered for God’s service. I presumed I’d teach children Bible stories in a
distant country in South America. After all, I was studying Spanish.
To say I had second thoughts about marriage to this
nice guy is an understatement. Our ideas were totally incompatible. I guess
when I said yes I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.
I finally decided it would be kinder to undo this
tragedy in the early stages rather than continue in a relationship destined for
failure. Three months later, on a Saturday night, I gave him the ring back. He
reluctantly accepted it and said to me, “You’re gonna get your feet wet.”
As I tried to sleep the night of our heartbreaking parting,
I thought about his odd remark. I’d never heard the expression before, but I
had an idea what he meant. The thought came to me that my feet had been in hot
water when I’d accepted his proposal. I’d just dried them off when I returned
the ring.
The next morning dawned warm for early March in
Texas. After church, I spent the afternoon washing cars for a high school fundraiser.
The project kept my mind off the sadness dwelling in my spirit. During a lull
between vehicles, I inspected my appearance and gave a rueful smile. My feet
were literally wet, and so was the rest of me. I was a dirty mess, but I don’t
think that was the kind of prognostication my former fiancé had meant.
As I finished hosing down the last car, a friend and
her mom came by. I declined their invitation to attend a new church, but they
talked me into it and waited for me to change clothes. The three of us strode
late into the service. The small, crowded sanctuary left no room for us to sit
together, so we split up.
A handsome young man with black, wavy hair and
sparkling brown eyes led the music. At the end of the service, he slipped out the back
door and managed to be the first one to greet me as I left the sanctuary. The
guy must have sprinted—he appeared faster than Texas tornado. We exchanged
names and spoke a few minutes, and then I left.
Intuition told me he’d call on Wednesday night. And
he did. We made a date to go bowling the coming Saturday night. The evening was
fun, and in between my falling down once or twice and throwing my ball into the
gutter rather than down the alley, I discovered he planned to enter the
ministry.
He walked me to the door as our date ended. He
kissed me goodnight and then said, “I’m in love with you, and I’m going to
marry you.”
Whaaat?
Was
he kidding? Seriously. I’d just ended a relationship and had no intention
of jumping into another one. This guy didn’t know me, and he loves me? What
kind of nut could he be?
Before long, I learned. This man is a fast mover,
makes speedy decisions, and is seldom wrong with his discernment. Our relationship moved along at a rapid pace, and I
discovered we shared the same goals.
He was in college, worked full time, gave twenty
hours a week to the church, and somehow managed to find time for me. Before long, a church in Oklahoma invited him to
become their pastor. He accepted the invitation, and then drove back to Texas.
We met for lunch the day he returned. He proposed marriage—presented me with a ring. I felt comfortable accepting this one, but I wanted to wait before we said the vows. I’d just graduated high school and wanted to attend college for at least one semester. During those few months, I could plan a wedding.
We met for lunch the day he returned. He proposed marriage—presented me with a ring. I felt comfortable accepting this one, but I wanted to wait before we said the vows. I’d just graduated high school and wanted to attend college for at least one semester. During those few months, I could plan a wedding.
“Oh no, you can’t do that—no time. I told the church
I was bringing a wife in three weeks. We have to marry now.”
Whaaat?
Was
he kidding again? Seriously?
After I gulped back my shock, I responded. “I can’t
marry you right now. My mom is in the hospital.”
His reply? “We can have the ceremony there.”
My fiancé drove to the hospital to visit with mom.
She was extremely ill, and we weren’t supposed to upset her. She surprised me
by accepting the news well, but she asked the young preacher how much money he
would be making.
“Fifteen dollars a week.” Came the reply.
Mom almost fell from the bed. “Fifty dollars a week?
You can’t live on that.”
Uh oh. She’d misunderstood the amount. My sweetheart
merely nodded and said, “The Lord will provide for us.”
Six months after we met, we had a small ceremony in
the chapel at the Methodist Hospital in Dallas, Texas. We said vows on a
Thursday night and packed our few belongings on Friday. We drove to Oklahoma on
Saturday, and Paul preached his first sermon on Sunday morning.
Our meeting and wedding sounds fictional, doesn’t it? But it is a true story. I tell it often when I speak to groups. Maybe I’ll include it in a book in the near future. My sweetheart isn’t the most romantic guy in the world, but he is kind, caring, thoughtful, and funny. The first time I saw the Dallas skyline lighted up against the black sky as we drove in from rural Oklahoma, I cried.
My new husband said, “If I’d known lights would make
you this happy, I would have fastened a string of them in the back yard.”
Three daughters, and four grandchildren later, we
find we think alike—even finish each other’s thoughts.
The Lord, Paul Lewis, family and friends are the
loves of my life. I’m thankful that God graciously prevented me from making a
mistake with a nice guy—but he was the wrong one for me. God was kind to me,
and I didn’t get my feet wet. God gave me the husband He’d intended for me all
along. I just had no idea a whirlwind
came with him.
And here’s the thing, this man of mine still moves
faster than I do. Somewhere over the years, I’ve adapted to his swifter pace.
On the other hand, he’s slowed down a bit so I can keep up.
Check out Gay’s contribution to Prism Book Group’s new Love Is series…
Clue into Kindness
“Love is kind…” 1 Corinthians: 13:4
Georgia loves her
husband, Alan. She shows him kindness with actions and words, but Alan responds
in a heartless, selfish way. In order to be respected by people, he believes he
must have a perfect wife—so he criticizes Georgia at every opportunity—even
tells her she’s fat! Alan’s best friend, Ken, and his wife, Jana, reassure
Georgia that she is still the gorgeous beauty queen she was during her college
days. Who will Georgia believe—her friends or the mysterious stranger who comes
into her life?
Circumstances bring a
change to Alan’s attitudes. But is it too late to save this marriage?
Anita Klumpers
“Love is patient…” 1 Corinthians: 13:4
Old Maid, Do-Si-Do, and the Bottomless Cup of Love
By the time I was twenty-five my mother had given up on
the hope that I would marry. She bought me pots and pans and Pfaltzgraf and
flatware because, she reasoned, even single women need to live. And, Lord
willing, I wouldn’t live with her and Daddy forever.
Dad wasn’t too concerned. After all, he hadn’t married
Mom till he was in his early 40’s. And if God didn’t want me to wed, then I
could follow in Cousin Angie’s footsteps and be a missionary in Africa.
The idea of a single life filled me with dread. Please,
please, PLEASE God, don’t be equipping me to remain unmarried. I developed
crushes. Friends tried setting me up with their relatives. I went out dancing
with friends. To bars. After all, I was a nice Christian lady at a bar. Why
couldn’t there be nice Christian guys there too? Maybe there were. I never met
one.
A few months shy of my 27th birthday I decided I was
tired of looking for potential mates. Although not at the point of picking up
books on how to enjoy the gift of singleness, I figured it might be time to
focus on my relationship with God. So, along with several wonderful single
girlfriends I went to a spiritual winter retreat for young adults from a dozen
churches across our state. Did I mention I’d determined not to check out every
eligible young man also in attendance?
I meant it. So when I took note of a devastatingly
handsome man with dark eyes and a dimpled chin sitting across the room, it
wasn’t his good looks that got my attention. Arms crossed, looking bored, he
was the only one sitting out the square dance mixer. In gracious and generous
Christian-girl fashion I thought ‘Jerk,’ and went back to dancing my little
size 9’s off and trying to remember my allemande left from my do-si-do right.
Later that night, after devotions, a group of us played
cards. A game I didn’t know, called euchre. I’m a dab hand at Old Maid but this
one had me flummoxed, and a group of generous friends tag-teamed trying to
teach me to play. It was hilarious. Really hilarious.
Later that night a group of us went into town for coffee.
The dark-eyed square-dance-boycotter came too. He sat across from me and told
me he got a kick out of watching me laugh over euchre. He flirted just enough
to make me feel interesting but not so much as to make himself look insincere
or lecherous.
We went our separate ways after that weekend and didn’t
meet up till early summer. It took him till late summer to ask me out and in
the meantime one of my major crushes from the previous few years, a Christian
marathon runner and photographer I’d met at work, finally returned my interest
and began asking me out. After I lectured God about his timing I realized maybe
He knew what He was doing. I had to make a decision between two attractive men
(my daydream back in the days before I realized it would be painful) and I
chose the right one.
Wouldn’t my story make a fine romance movie? Sort of an
‘At Long Last Love’ type of life? But now, three sons, four grandsons and
countless prayers and tears and rejoicings later, I realize that my entire life
has been filled with love.
From birth, before my birth, my parents loved me, and
continued until their last breath on earth. Aunts and uncles and cousins by the
dozens meant extended love and the kind of safety net children long for but
don’t always enjoy. Then there is my family in Christ. Brothers and sisters
more than the sands on the shore, and wherever there are God’s children there
is my family, and we love each other. We don’t always play well together, but
the love is there.
My friends—oh, my friends! When I bemoan my limited
practical skills and meager dose of common sense I remember my glorious
friendships with some of the most godly, delightful, gracious,
fault-overlooking women as can be found. I would rather have my friends than an
artist’s eye, a singer’s silver tongue, or an athlete’s supple limbs.
On all this abundance of love God set a gem of a husband.
He is as attractive, open, and affirming as when I first met him, and he still
refuses to dance. Those three sons love me in spite of a plethora of faults and
mistakes and my little grandsons still give me smooches in public.
Do I know I have been gifted far and above anything I
could think or ask, much less deserve? You bet. But what if God had not seen
fit to give me a husband, children, grandbabies? What if my parents had been
cold, negligent, absent, and I didn’t have some sort of strange ability to find
wonderful friends? Would I be any less blessed? No. Not a bit.
God loves me. God has loved me before I knew what love
was. If I had never known human love, God’s love would be beyond the heights
and depths and breadths of what I think I need. Jesus prayed for me the night
before His death and prays for me today and the Spirit intercedes for me with
sighs too deep for words and the Father’s love is vast beyond all measure. What
wondrous love is this?!
Family, friends, husband and children have all hemmed me
in love, and the love that comes from God is greater than these.
Check out Anita’s contribution to Prism Book Group’s new Love Is series…
Hounded
“Love is patient…” 1 Corinthians: 13:4
Elise Amberson’s husbands always die before she can get the
marriage momentum going. At least this last one left her with lots of money.
Now she can hang out with her dogs, avoid men, and try to keep off God’s radar.
But her dogs are behaving oddly, a pesky pastor can’t keep
his hands off her soul, and God is backing her into a corner.
It’s all more than a rich, beautiful young woman should have
to bear. But when someone begins targeting Elise, she’ll have to figure out why
before she becomes the late Widow Amberson.
Renee Blare
Christian Suspense Author
Beast
of Stratton
By
Renee Blare
Release
Date: March 11, 2015 from Prism Book Group
Romantic Suspense
Available on Amazon,
Barnes & Noble, and other select retail stores.
He appears the beast, but she sees his heart.
Architect Aimee Hart, determined to locate her father, infiltrates Miles Stratton's engineering firm as a secretary. Her presence wrenches the shaggy, wounded man from his penthouse, and the quest begins.
Betrayed by his best friend, Miles would rather hide than help, especially from the man's daughter.
But something's not right. Someone's trying to destroy Stratton Industrial. A decorated war veteran, he's defended his own before and the Beast of Stratton can do it again.
He appears the beast, but she sees his heart.
Architect Aimee Hart, determined to locate her father, infiltrates Miles Stratton's engineering firm as a secretary. Her presence wrenches the shaggy, wounded man from his penthouse, and the quest begins.
Betrayed by his best friend, Miles would rather hide than help, especially from the man's daughter.
But something's not right. Someone's trying to destroy Stratton Industrial. A decorated war veteran, he's defended his own before and the Beast of Stratton can do it again.
Even with the enemy at his side.
EXCERPT:
Copyright 2015 © Renee Blare
He'd vanished.
She'd called his friends, the family. She'd even tried her stepmother who'd hung up on her. Well, okay, maybe that wasn't the brightest idea.
A red rose rolled across her father's tattered note, caught in the breeze from the open window. Sliding the pan down, she picked up the flower. The words on the page blurred as she buried her nose in the soft petals.
Instead of saying goodbye to his wife in his last letter, he'd simply left explicit instructions not to follow him. Aimee snorted. Like the woman would care. He'd sent it with the rose and an antique necklace. She held the thick chair aloft and peered at the golden key spinning in the light. The jewelry had probably cost a fortune.
And her stepmother was nowhere to be found. Scratch that. According to her, she wanted to be left alone. It didn't make a difference to Aimee what the letter said and to whom, she'd follow. A small smile worked its way to her lips as she fastened the necklace around her neck.
He'd vanished.
She'd called his friends, the family. She'd even tried her stepmother who'd hung up on her. Well, okay, maybe that wasn't the brightest idea.
A red rose rolled across her father's tattered note, caught in the breeze from the open window. Sliding the pan down, she picked up the flower. The words on the page blurred as she buried her nose in the soft petals.
Instead of saying goodbye to his wife in his last letter, he'd simply left explicit instructions not to follow him. Aimee snorted. Like the woman would care. He'd sent it with the rose and an antique necklace. She held the thick chair aloft and peered at the golden key spinning in the light. The jewelry had probably cost a fortune.
And her stepmother was nowhere to be found. Scratch that. According to her, she wanted to be left alone. It didn't make a difference to Aimee what the letter said and to whom, she'd follow. A small smile worked its way to her lips as she fastened the necklace around her neck.
The zipper stuck on the edge of the suitcase and she gave it a hard jerk. Dagging the bulging bag off the bed, it hit the floor with a thunk. She slid her arms into her jacket and looped her purse over teh handle. She dropped the rose, and it landed beside her plane ticket next to her wallet. Before latching her fingers around her bad, she tucked the key under her shirt and out of sight. "Stratton Industrial, here I come."
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About
the Author:
Renee Blare’s nose has been buried in a book for as
long as she can remember. Raised in Louisiana and Wyoming, she started writing
poetry in junior high school and that, as they say, was that. After having her
son, a desire to attend pharmacy school sent her small family to the awesome
town of Laramie. She’s been counting pills ever since. While writing’s her
first love, well, after the Lord and her husband, she also likes to fish and
hunt as well as pick away on her classical guitar.
After a brief detour to Texas, she back home,
nestled against the Black Hills with her husband, crazy old dog and ornery cat.
Add her son and parents dropping in for a home-cooked meal, and life’s never
dull around her house. She serves the community of northeastern Wyoming as a
pharmacist while penning her stories about struggling Christians as they travel
along the journeys of their lives—keeping things interesting, of course. She loves
to interact with readers and invites you check out her website, blogs, and
social media.
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