Friday, June 17, 2011

anticipation

This blog gives me so much anticipation it's hard for me to stand it! I'm sad I won't get to meet this precious military wife, as she's headed to Oklahoma right now and we're in standby mode a few weeks more until we get to Alaska. But this, this makes me yearn for our new home.


How much more, then, do we who know Christ yearn for heaven...

anticipation

This blog gives me so much anticipation it's hard for me to stand it! I'm sad I won't get to meet this precious military wife, as she's headed to Oklahoma right now and we're in standby mode a few weeks more until we get to Alaska. But this, this makes me yearn for our new home.


How much more, then, do we who know Christ yearn for heaven...

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Saturday, June 11, 2011

My Foolish Heart

The latest from Susan May Warren is My Foolish Heart, from the Deep Haven series of books set in northern Minnesota.

Don't forget about the contest Susan May Warren is hosting! Click here for more details.

About the Book:

Unknown to her tiny town of Deep Haven, Isadora Presley spends her nights as Miss Foolish Heart, the star host of a syndicated talk radio show. Millions tune in to hear her advice on dating and falling in love, unaware that she’s never really done either. Issy’s ratings soar when it seems she’s falling in love on-air with a caller. A caller she doesn’t realize lives right next door.

Caleb Knight served a tour of duty in Iraq and paid a steep price. The last thing he wants is pity, so he hides his disability and moves to Deep Haven to land his dream job as the high school football coach. When his beautiful neighbor catches his eye, in a moment of desperation he seeks advice from My Foolish Heart, the show that airs before his favorite sports broadcast.

Before he knows it, Caleb finds himself drawn to the host—and more confused than ever. Is his perfect love the woman on the radio . . . or the one next door?

Read an excerpt here: http://www.susanmaywarren.com/novels/contemporary-romance/

About the Author:

Susan May Warren is an award-winning, best-selling author of over twenty-five novels, many of which have won the Inspirational Readers Choice Award, the ACFW Book of the Year award, the Rita Award, and have been Christy finalists. After serving as a missionary for eight years in Russia, Susan returned home to a small town on Minnesota’s beautiful Lake Superior shore where she, her four children, and her husband are active in their local church.

Susan's larger than life characters and layered plots have won her acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. A seasoned women’s events and retreats speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!. She is also the founder ofwww.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice.

Susan makes her home in northern Minnesota, where she is busy cheering on her two sons in football, and her daughter in local theater productions (and desperately missing her college-age son!)

A full listing of her titles, reviews and awards can be found at: www.susanmaywarren.com.

Pattie's Review:

I really enjoyed this book. There's something about Susan May Warren's writing that is engaging from the beginning. I think part of it is the strong sense of place--small-town Minnesota--that draws me in as a reader and grabs my attention.

The characters are also wonderful. Issy's agoraphobia is understandable in that it is something that engulfs her and controls her life. I'm glad the author allows her the opportunity to naturally push that boundary when the time and circumstances seem right--but also that Issy is seeing a counselor. Sometimes we need professional help to get past the major events in our lives, and there is no shame in that.

Caleb is a likeable Iraq veteran with something to prove--and while he might not go about it the proper way, he is certainly tenacious in his goals.

The world of internet radio is explored here, and it is an interesting one for sure. I don't think I've ever really done more than listen to a handful of rebroadcasts over the years.

Susan May Warren always has faith in her fiction, and it is never preachy or forced.

For fans of Christian fiction, I recommend this book and any by Susan May Warren.

This book says "Deep Haven Book 4" but you don't have to have read any of them to enjoy this book. In fact, it's been 2 1/2 years since I read The Perfect Match and I'd forgotten a lot of it! But reading the other three is not a prerequisite to enjoying My Foolish Heart.

Thank you to LitFuse for a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Saturday, June 04, 2011

Onward to the Final Frontier

...and no, I'm not speaking of Star Trek ;)

Chaplain Hubby got orders to Alaska, so off to Elmendorf AFB we go! I won't get there till the end of July, almost a month after the Chaplain, because of some planned summer activities in the "lower 48."

I will have occasional internet access for email, but to be honest, I'm going to be trying not to be online as much. I think it will help break my Facebook addiction, for sure :)

So I will check in on the other side of summer, from a new location.

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

My Foolish Heart Contest

Win a Romantic Night on the Town from Miss Foolish Heart!

Susan May Warren is thrilled to announce the release of her latest Deep Haven book, My Foolish Heart!

Read what the reviewers are saying here. My own review will be posted here on June 11. Stay tuned!

To celebrate this charming novel about a dating expert who's never had a date, Susan has put together a romantic night on the town for one lucky couple. One grand prize winner will receive a Miss Foolish Heart prize package worth over $200!




The winner of the Romantic Night on the Town Prize Pack will receive:

* A $100 Visa Gift Card (For Dinner)

* A $100 Gift Certificate to a Hyatt/Marriott Hotel

* The entire Deep Haven series

To enter just click one of the icons below. But, hurry, the giveaway ends at noon on June 16th. The winner will be announced that evening during Susan’s Miss Foolish Heart Party on Facebook! Susan will be chatting with guests, hosting a book club chat about My Foolish Heart, testing your Deep Haven trivia skills, and giving away tons of great stuff! (Gift certificates, books, donuts, and more!) Don't miss the fun and BRING YOUR FRIENDS!



Enter via E-mail Enter via FacebookEnter via Twitter

The Life Ready Woman + Giveaway

Life Ready Woman has been lauded by reviewers as an essential resource for navigating all the roles women play - wife, mother, worker, co-worker, single, etc.... Follow the links below to read the reviews.

More about Life Ready Woman: Are you a ‘Doing it all’ or ‘Do what matters’ woman?

Whether a stay at home; or working mom, an airplane-hopping executive, an empty-nester caring for multiple generations or a single juggling high demands of career and personal life, today's fast-paced modern world leaves women gasping for balance. We as modern Christian women want to look to the Bible for guidance on how to manage our lives -- but because the world of women looks so different today than it did when the Bible was written, it is hard to find chapter and verse that seems to apply to our situation today.

More about Shaunti Feldhahn: Shaunti Feldhahn is a former Wall Street analyst, best-selling author of the book For Women Only, national speaker, and regular commentator in the media. She has been featured on The Today Show, PBS, TNT and Fox News- to name a few. You can learn more about her many activities by visiting her website Shaunti.com or get some great mom advice from her atMomLifeToday.com. She and her husband live with their two young children in Atlanta, Georgia and enjoy every minute of living at warp speed.


About MomLife Today: At MomLife Today you will enjoy community with real moms experiencing every age and every stage of MomLife—right alongside you.

Moms need friends we can walk through life with, but more importantly we need friends who will encourage us and equip us in our role as moms in an honest and transparent way … and that’s just what you’ll find by becoming part of our MomLife Today community! We believe that every MOMent counts!

We admit it, being a mom 24/7 is not easy. Rather than lament the role of motherhood, however, we choose to embrace that role and learn from each other how to make it through each day with the right attitude. Come share the joys, sorrows, insanity, and special moments of motherhood with us as we live it and candidly write about it…we’ll have lots of fun along the way! Join us, and do tell… What’s happening in your MomLife Today? www.momlifetoday.com

Review:

I have not finished this book, but I have read the first few chapters. So far what I've found is what I would call the typical Shaunti Feldhahn book: lots of statistics that she somehow manages to find interesting and thought-provoking. I recommend this book for either individual study or group discussion.

Giveaway Information:

I have a new copy of this book to give away. All you need to do is leave a comment on this entry to be eligible to win. The winner will be chosen at random from comments left.

Be sure to link your blog or give me your email in your comment, so I can get hold of you if you are the winner.

The winner will be chosen on Friday, June 3, at noon central time.

**Update June 9: No one commented, so I mailed the book to a good friend of mine this morning. Thank you!**