Engaging Father Christmas

Robin Jones Gunn is my long-time, all-time, very most favorite Christian author! I still count the Glenbrooke series as my favorite series ever.

Yes, I'm gushing. Yes, I admit it! No, this is not a paid endorsement . . . nevertheless, I must gush! I so thoroughly enjoyed Engaging Father Christmas! What a delightful story!

I'm still bummed my local Christian bookstore doesn't have the first one, Finding Father Christmas. Never fear, you can read this one without that one and still love it!

I am absolutely thrilled to offer a giveaway of this book. Miriam Parker from Hachette Books graciously offered to send one lucky FreshBrewedWriter blog winner a copy of Engaging Father Christmas. To enter, please leave a comment and a way I can reach you, BY SATURDAY. I'll choose the winner over the weekend.
(US Addresses only, please.)

You can also buy a copy here.

And now, CFBA presents...

This week, the


Christian Fiction Blog Alliance


is introducing


Engaging Father Christmas


FaithWords (October 30, 2008)


by


Robin Jones Gunn


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Robin grew up in Orange County, California and has lived in all kinds of interesting places, including Reno and Hawai’i.

She and her husband currently live near Portland, Oregon and have been married for 30 years. They spent their first 22 years of marriage working together in youth ministry, and enjoying life with their son and daughter who are now both grown.

As a frequent speaker at local and international events, one of Robin’s favorite topics is how God is the Relentless Lover and we are His first love. She delights in telling stories of how God uses fiction to change lives.

Robin is the recipient of the Christy Award, the Mt. Hermon Pacesetter Award, the Sherwood E. Wirt Award and is a Gold Medallion Finalist. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Media Associates International and the Board of Directors for Jerry Jenkins’ Christian Writers’ Guild.



ABOUT THE BOOK

Miranda Carson can't wait to return to England for Christmas and to be with her boyfriend, Ian. She has spent a lifetime yearning for a place to call home, and she's sure Carlton Heath will be it, especially when a hinted-at engagement ring slips into the conversation.

But Miranda's high hopes for a jolly Christmas with the small circle of people she has come to love are toppled when Ian's father is hospitalized and the matriarch of the Whitcombe family withholds her blessing from Miranda. Questions run rampant in Miranda's mind about whether she really belongs in this cheery corner of the world. Then, when her true identity threatens all her relationships in unanticipated ways, Miranda is certain all is lost.

And yet...maybe Father Christmas has special gifts in store for her after all.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Engaging Father Christmas, go HERE

When the Soul Mends

When I first began to read When the Soul Mends, I was intrigued. How did Hannah, an Old Order Amish woman, work as a nurse? Why was she living "fancy"? What was her "disgrace"?What were these events that kept being alluded to? Why? Who? What?

Then I got frustrated. Perhaps a book not as well-written would not bother me so much. I decided I needed to read the others in the series to really understand what was going on, to know what the events leading up to this book were. Thankfully, my local library had them, so I went to get them and dive in.

I was not disappointed. I thoroughly enjoyed this Sisters of the Quilt trilogy. Thought-provoking, educational without being didactic, characters who are wonderful . . . they are terrific!

While it is possible to read book 3 on its own, I highly recommend reading books 1 and 2 first.

I think fans of Beverly Lewis's Amish books will like Cindy Woodsmall's Sisters of the Quilt series.

Publisher's Summary: After receiving a desperate and confusing call from her sister, Hannah Lapp reluctantly returns to the Old Order Amish community of her Pennsylvania childhood.
Having fled in disgrace two years earlier, she finally has found a satisfying role in the Englischer world, as well as love with Martin Palmer, a man with whom she can safely entrust her heart. But almost immediately after her arrival in Owl’s Perch, the disapproval of those who ostracized her reopens old wounds.

As Hannah is thrown together with former fiancé Paul Waddell to work for her sister Sarah’s mental health, unexpected truths surface about the events during Hannah’s absence, and she faces an agonizing decision. Will she choose the Englischer world and the man who restored her hope, or will she heed the call to return to the Plain Life—and perhaps to her first love?

This intriguing final novel in the Sisters of the Quilt series is richly textured with authentic details drawn from the author’s real-life connections with Amish Mennonite and Old Order Amish families.

Edited to add: I am donating my copy of this book to my library, so that many other readers can read all three of the Sisters of the Quilt series.

Quills and Promises by Amber Miller

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Quills And Promises
Barbour Publishing, Inc (May 28, 2008)
by
Amber Miller


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Hi, I'm Amber, but my friends call me Tiff, short for Tiffany, my first name. I am in my 30's, married the love of my life in July 2007, and live in beautiful Colorado just east of the Front Range of the Rockies, but I love to travel and visit new places. Ultimately, my dream is to own horses and live in a one-level rancher or log cabin nestled in the foothills of the mountains. For now, I will remain where I am and do what I love—design web sites and write.

Amber's very first book, Promises, Promises, released in February 2008. It's a historical fiction set in Delaware during the Colonial period and the Great Awakening. The other 2 books in the series are this current one, Quills And Promises (July 2008) and Deceptive Promises (December 2008). In 2009, they will be repackaged for a state set entitled Delaware Brides. She has also sold another series set in historical Michigan during the Industrial Revolution. The 3 books in that series will begin releasing in May 2009 and will be repackaged in 2010 as Michigan Brides.


ABOUT THE BOOK

-- Separated from Madison when he leaves to fight the French and Indians, Elanna Hanssen must choose between her heart and her head, especially when Madison's integrity is questioned. --

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not until thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." ~Proverbs 3:5-6

Innocence paired with wisdom beyond her years. With these traits, Elanna Hanssen unwittingly captures the attentions of Major Madison Scott. Her honest desire to understand the war fascinates him, and he resolves to get to know this perspicacious young lady better. When his military duty separates them, they begin a correspondence, cautiously baring their hearts to each other. Elanna has never known emotions like this before, but she is drawn to the integrity she sees in her major. Wh a local news reporter questions the major's credentials and activities, however, will she allow her heart or her head to rule? Can true love grow over such distance and around such obstacles?

If you'd like to read the first chapter of Quills And Promises, go HERE.

A Christmas Blog Tour for Hands of Hope

Give the gift of life this Christmas!

Hands of Hope, a charity of Women Helping Women A World Away, is announcing that their Holiday Gift Cards are available for purchase. These cards provide food,income and water for impoverished women and children in Zambia, Uganda, andSouthern Sudan. They can be purchased on the Hands of Hope website

www.handsofhopeonline.org

for $15.00, $30.00 and $50.00. Purchasing these cards will provide goats, chickens or wells to help change lives.

What could be a more meaningful gift for holiday giving for family, friends, and customer appreciation?

Hands of Hope helps mobilize communities to respond to the needs of women and childrenaround the world. With an ever-expanding support base in the Chicago area, Hands of Hope works to raise community awareness regarding poverty and HIV/AIDS in Africa and its relevance globally.

We are confident in the integrity of the channels we have established so that contributions provide the highest possible impact for the most critical needs.

A Chicken Card will purchase a gift of twelve chicks and be given to an impoverished family in Africa. As the flock multiplies, a struggling family will be given the hope to survive. Your gift will help those in need for generations to come.

A Goat Card represents an actual goat being purchased for a needy family. Beyond providing much needed milk, a few goats can quickly become a herd, providing sustenance and additional income that can make the difference between whether a child goes to school or not.

A Well Card will go toward funding a well in the Western Province of Zambia. Statistics show that nearly half of all people in developing countries suffer from health related problems caused by unsafe water. In addition, African women and children spend several hours every day collecting water.

Links: http://www.handsofhopeonline.org

The cards: http://www.handsofhopeonline.org/goat.asp

Purchase cards: http://www.handsofhopeonline.org/goat.asp#purchase

How HOH got their start: http://www.handsofhopeonline.org/history.asp

Current Projects: http://www.handsofhopeonline.org/ourwork.asp

Contact at Hands of Hope: VickyWauterlek, Hands of Hope
VWAU@aol.com, 847-381-7367

What I learned in November 2008

My fifth time attempting National Novel Writing Month ended with a win for me. This was a hard-earned victory.

Here are some of the things I learned in the month of November:

• When inspired, I can write a lot in a short amount of time. A LOT! As in thousands of words in one day.
• When not inspired, it's torture to crank out even 500 words.
• When word warring with friends, if I'm winning, I am happy and encouraging to myself and others.
• When word warring and not winning, I'm crabby, depressed, and convinced I will fail.
• Apparently that sort of competition does not motivate me well.
• I am also apparently a sore loser, which is not a pleasant thing to learn about oneself, and less pleasant to admit.
• I am harder on myself than I should be.
• Balance is hard! I let a lot of things go to get this goal accomplished. Namely, my Bible study. That is also an unpleasant fact, and difficult to be honest about, but hey, I'll be honest. I skipped Bible reading to write. I let papers and stuff pile up and take over my desk, in order to write. I sacrificed a lot of reading time, to write instead.
• If I am going to keep writing, I am going to have to find some kind of balance. I don't know how and I don't know what I will have to give up to make that happen.
• Chocolate and coffee make me happy. They can also string me out.
• Getting "go Pattie" shoutouts really motivated me.

So, there they are, the pleasant and not-so-pleasant truths about Pattie.

Christian Fiction Advent 2

Here's the code to the main page. :-)
and here is the link to Lena Nelson Dooley, Heartsong author extraordinaire!

Advent Day 1

Click here to go to the Christian Fiction ADVENTure!