Disclaimer

DISCLAIMER:

I do not read every book/author I spotlight or book tour I host!
Readers, Please research and use wisdom before buying

Thursday, August 31, 2017

#ThursdayThoughts on Harvey

As I sit here wondering what to write about, my thoughts are a jumbled mess. Last week I talked about Higher Love and mentioned a "storm" in the Gulf.

Well that 'storm' turned out to be a real bitch of a storm. A monster who has stolen life and property from millions...yes, MILLIONS!

In case you don't know, I LOVE the water....lakes, beaches, creeks, bayous, waterfalls.
While on my West Coast Vacation, I saw rivers so furious it would take a truly foolish person to try and navigate them.


(Kings River - Kings Canyon National Park)

Of course there were some who tried and they cause not only injury to themselves but put others in danger.

I saw placid lakes and pure beauty in waterfalls.









Narada Falls Mt. Rainier Ntl. Park

                                                                     Crater Lake, Crater Lake National Park

But we have to remember to respect what we love and not turn our back on the power of water. The power of nature.

A friend of mine lived in Rockport, TX. She has nothing to go back to.

Other friends and family have lost everything but their lives. I'm eternally grateful.

We hear so many horror stories and yet see so much beauty in neighbors helping neighbors regardless of race, color or creed.

But, what can we do?

We must be wise as serpents yet gentle as doves. We must pray and research the "relief" organizations. Be smart about going to help out and protect ourselves from illness and injury.

Do what you can with what you've got and expect God's blessings on your efforts.

Something to think about...
"Inspirational with an Edge!" 

Hope you enjoyed today's post and that you'll drop by each week for more Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time, take care and God bless.
PamT


Tuesday, August 29, 2017

#TuesdayTreasures Guest post by Terry Palmer

Good Morning,

It's soggy, soggy, soggy here in SWLA. Hurricane Harvey has caused torrential rains and flooding all over TX and is headed in our direction as a Tropical storm. Hope everyone is safe! Today's guest is new so please give Terry Palmer a great big welcome....

I found a treasure to share with you today.  It’s not unlike what my granddaughter does.  When taking a walk with her, don’t be in a hurry, as every few steps another treasure shows its way into her world.
Especially the neighbors flowers.  Oh, the fascination of the different textures, colors, and fragrance.  For her, these call out to her, to touch, to share a fragrance, or just to enjoy in passing.

As a Christian writer, her antics have taught me so much to apply to my stories.  Instead of rushing through a scene, now my characters stop and become aware of the background, the theme, and become a richer scene for it all.

As a result, each character has a moment to develop his or her character strengths or lack of, as the villain deals out treachery with a skill and finesse to make the best hero falter.  At the same time, our heroes can make a stand for faith at the exact crucial moment so that darkness is defeated and people find Jesus as the solution and not the problem.

Ted pulled his black Harley around in back of the church, letting his mind follow a prompt.  Look to the northwest.  He parked next to the familiar blue Harley and let his feet take him to the second lower lookout.

Rita glanced up as his stocky form emerged from the boulders.  “This is getting to be a habit.”

Ted nodded as he levered his weight down against the hard boulders.  “You come here often?”

She jumped at his bait.  “Just when I want to meet my kind of guy.”

Ted raised his eyebrow but ignored her jest.  He pointed past the city of Ravenna nestled below along the muddy Mississippi River and high hills toward the northwest.  “It’s getting stronger.  Any clue yet?”

Rita followed his gaze and lowered her voice to whisper.  “Ted…”

His voice matched hers.  “I know…”

She leaned against his bulk and shivered.  “I’ve heard of the call of the wild.  We both KNOW the call of the road. But what’s this?  So many conflicting thoughts.”

Ted gasped as sudden revelation came into clear focus.  “Yes!  That’s it exactly.  Two conflicting voices, battling to be heard.”  His shiver matched hers.  “The first one scares me an’ that isn’t easy to do…”

Rita pulled her long legs up and pulled her arms around them in thought.  “Me too.  I get these visions of an evil presence, reaching out toward me, trying desperately to drown out the second voice.”

Ted jerked back against the hard rock and gulped.  “That’s it exactly.  Thanks.  Couldn’t put it into words…”

Rita grimaced at her recollection.  “An’ the other voice?”

Ted lowered his voice again.  “Still small voice, carrying an awesome message…  In Spirit and Truth!”

She reached out a shaking hand.  “Ted…  This…  This is scaring me!”

He put his arm around her and sighed.  Me too.  Whatever it is?  Is gonna happen soon, like real soon.  Then…, as far as I can tell, that’ll set up a sequence of events like…”

She put her hand on his arm as shiver convulsed her again.  “You believe in evil?  A yawning darkness, seeking to swallow us up to prevent His Word from coming out?”

Ted nodded as he absently put his hand over hers.  “My place…  Hmmm, don’t quite know how to explain this.  My visions you know…  When I went to a place of higher understanding.  Seemed so real, like it just happened.”  He felt his lips move per his thought.  “Because they won’t stop.  Won’t stop and be still!  Be still and know that I am God…”  He startled at his own words.  “Just what Ralph said…  Hmmm.”

Rita nodded.  “Tell me again…, please?”

Ted closed his eyes.  “He took me to a place of higher understanding.  Hard to explain.  I saw it there. A depth of darkness trying to steal this nation.  Some kind of evil motive, trying to subvert the government to its will.  Really scares me, you know?   The depth of wickedness involved in that.  Then, a hand of disaster…”

Rita gasped as he said the word.  “I feel that too.  Jumbles of rock and heat moving toward some kind of rendezvous.”

Ted hesitated.  “Yeah an’ that brings me to the tiny chapel window blowing out, the floor shakin’ so…  Can’t get away from that…  To know that level of evil…”

My characters move on to discover that Jesus is the source of their strength as the storms of life do come and darkness does take a swipe at them, but through all things – faith makes the difference.

That is the theme throughout the series.  To overcome adversity through a step of faith in Jesus.

Terry Palmer is a new author to most of you.  He lives with his wife, Leann, in Rosemount, Minnesota, where he is mostly retired and loves to write his novels and devotionals.  You can find his latest title for free at this link in INKITT.  https://www.inkitt.com/stories/thriller/129589

Hope you enjoyed today's post and that you'll join me each week for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.

Saturday, August 26, 2017

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Clare Revell and All That Glitters!

Good Morning!

Clare Revell is no stranger to our blog. She recently shared treasures with us and introduced us to her newest release, All That Glitters.

Today we'll get a peek further into the book.

Gold medalist, Peter Stanmore has returned home a broken man and intends to put the past behind him. But love isn't so easily repressed, and second chances are rare.

Jill Davenport has given up any hope of marriage and a life of her own, after all, years ago, she lost the only man she ever loved. But the truth is impossible to hide.


When secrets are revealed, decisions must be made in spite of the consequences. Can what was once lost be found, or is love destined to remain forever lost?

Excerpt: 
Peter Stanmore stood on the Olympic podium, the men’s figure skating gold medal surprisingly heavy around his neck. From the speakers to one side of the ice rink, the United Kingdom national anthem played while the Union Flag fluttered over his head. This is for you, Mum and Dad. Tears pricked his eyes as he sang along. He’d watched ceremonies like this before and couldn’t believe the number of athletes who shed tears during them, yet here he was doing the very same thing. Crying and smiling with overwhelming happiness and at the same time, in awe of what he’d just done.
It had to be the pinnacle of his career. Proof, if proof were needed, that God honors those who honor Him.

Peter had made a concerted effort never to compete on a Sunday, which resulted in him being dropped from teams or not even selected. Sundays were for God, not for skating and definitely not for competitions. And it seemed his faith and determination were now paying off. Just as it had for Eric Liddell decades before him.

Peter finally had the medal he’d craved, without having to compromise either his beliefs or his promise to the Lord along the way.

And the glory went to God, not him.

He waved as the anthem ended and posed for photos with the other medalists, including the obligatory kissing-the-medal picture that he’d never seen the point of before and still didn’t now. As the cameras flashed around him, the ‘if onlys’ began to filter through his mind.

If only things were different.

If only Mum and Dad were here. His heart broke that they weren’t here to share it with him. An accident had ripped his family apart just months before the Olympics, taking his parents from him and leaving him alone. He hoped that somehow they were watching him from heaven and shared in the mixed emotions that filled him.

If only Jill had been here to collect it with him.

His career had begun in pairs skating. He and Jill worked their way up to the nationals and just as they were about to make it big, he’d messed up completely. As a result he’d made a career decision he now wished desperately he could undo. He’d allowed himself to be persuaded the right hand path was better than the left. That meant leaving Jill behind, a decision he’d regretted every moment of every day since.

This should have been both of them, not just him. He needed to call her, to put things right, to try to atone.

Three hours later, he sat on the couch in the team hotel still trying to pluck up the courage to call Jill.

Winston Brown, one of the bobsleigh team, nudged him. “Hey, a bunch of us are going to celebrate your win with a bottle of soda and a game of darts. Coming?”

“Sure, why not.” He grabbed his coat and followed them outside. It was snowing again and the wind turned the heavy flakes into a blizzard. As Peter stepped out onto the wooden decking, his foot slipped on the ice beneath him sending him flying to the floor. His ankle snapped with an audible crack as he landed.

Pain ricocheted as stars danced in front of his vision. For a long moment he wasn’t sure if he would throw up or pass out. Either way, nothing made much sense. He closed his eyes, hoping the pain would just go away.

Sometime later he opened his eyes to find a doctor wearing surgical scrubs beside his bed. He remembered falling and vaguely remembered an ambulance, but that could have been a dream. The smell told him he was in hospital, and he was definitely awake. Wide awake. He glanced down at his legs, but his vision was obscured by a screen. His stomach plummeted. “Doctor, what have I done? And please, don’t sugarcoat it with platitudes. I need to know.”

“OK, Mr. Stanmore. When you fell, you shattered your ankle. So we had to operate to screw your ankle back together. The metal pins will need a mention in your passport—I’ll give you a letter for that. You’ll be able to walk, possibly without a limp eventually, but I’m afraid your competing days are over. Your ankle just won’t take the strain of the jumps and turns.”

The bottom fell out of his world. The irony was not lost on him.

Only a few hours ago, he’d been on top of the world, literally. Now, he was at his lowest ebb. As the doctor left, Peter closed his eyes as the words of Psalm 31 filled his mind.

Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief. My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak.

~*~

Jill Davenport picked up the local paper and put it on her mother’s tray. Despite it being the previous day’s news, her mother liked reading it over breakfast. Not that she remembered what she’d read, but it gave her something to do for a while. The headlines were once more dominated by the victorious Olympic team who, having won more medals at a Winter Games than any previous British team, had visited both Downing Street and Buckingham Palace yesterday.

In the middle of the picture stood Peter Stanmore—the kid next door who grew up to be a friend, then more than a friend, and a skating partner…until the lights of stardom called him away, leaving her behind.

Buy links

Clare is a British author. She lives in a small town just outside Reading, England with her husband, whom she married in 1992, their three children, and unfriendly mini-panther, aka Tilly the black cat. They have recently been joined by Hedwig and Sirius the guinea pigs. Clare is half English and half Welsh, which makes watching rugby interesting at times as it doesn’t matter who wins.

Writing from an early childhood and encouraged by her teachers, she graduated from rewriting fairy stories through fan fiction to using her own original characters and enjoys writing an eclectic mix of romance, crime fiction and children's stories. When she's not writing, she can be found reading, crocheting or doing the many piles of laundry the occupants of her house manage to make.

Her books are based in the UK, with a couple of exceptions, thus, although the spelling may be American in some of them, the books contain British language and terminology and the more recent ones are written in UK English.

The first draft of every novel is hand written.

She has been a Christian for more than half her life. She goes to Carey Baptist where she is one of four registrars.

She can be found at:

Hope you enjoyed today's spotlight and that you'll drop by each week for Tuesday Treausres, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time, take care and God bless.
PamT

Thursday, August 24, 2017

#ThursdayThoughts on Higher Love

Good Morning!

Well, August is winding down...only 1 week to go before we get into September. Fall is quickly approaching and there's a tropical storm (Harvey) in the Gulf so everyone is on high alert. But that's not what I want to talk about....

I'm reading A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson and the song Higher Love by Steve Winwood is one of the tunes in the current Centergy workout I stretch, bend, strengthen and sweat to at Dynamic Demensions in Moss Bluff.

As a word person, the lyrics to this song really caught my attention. Steve talks about finding a higher love "down in the heart or in the stars above" and how without this higher love, life is "a wasted time."

As a spiritual seeker, it amazes me how, where some folks hear a tune that gets their feet moving (it does that for me too LOL!) I hear words that reflect the longing in my soul.

In fact, I'm pretty sure it's the longing of everyone's soul.

How often do we run from job to job or relationship to relationship or even move from one location to another in search of something better? Something higher. Something that fulfills the ache in our heart and longing in our soul.

In reality what we're seeking is already within us....in our relationship with God.

And that's where Marianne's book comes into play.


A Return to Love is filled with thoughts and prayers about returning our hearts and minds to God, to reconnect with His love by power of the Holy Spirit within us and in others - which we pray to recognize, see and call forth in those whom we love and come into contact with. This leads to the healing of our soul, the perfection of our inner being, and is reflected in our outer life circumstances.

Now I know there's a lot of controversy around A Course in Miracles and this book is based on the author's understanding and reflections on the Course, but for me, it has opened a whole new outlook on Jesus' commandment to love God with all our heart, soul and mind and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:36-40).

Here's the rub though....do we really love ourselves?

And, how can we truly love anyone if we don't first love God and love our self?

How often do we put ourselves down in a way we'd never put down a friend or even a stranger for that matter!

So instead of thinking about all that's wrong in your life or the world at large, take a moment today and meditate on the blessings in your life and the good within yourself. Reflect on the love you've given others, the help you've extended when possible, the knowledge and experience you've shared just because you love what you do, and spend a few moments thanking and praising yourself for your generosity and God for the gifts and talents He's given you.

I promise doing this on a regular basis will lead to a realization of how full and beautiful your life really is!

Something to think about...
"Inspirational with an Edge!"

Hope you enjoyed today's post and that you'll drop by each week for more Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time, take care and God bless.
PamT

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

#TuesdayTreasures with Heidi Chiavaroli

Good Morning Friends,

Today's guest is new to me and out blog and brought to us by Tyndale Publishing, so please welcome Heidi Chiavaroli....

Heidi Chiavaroli is a writer, runner, and grace-clinger who could spend hours exploring Boston’s Freedom Trail. She writes women's fiction and won the 2014 ACFW Genesis contest in the historical category. Her debut novel, Freedom’s Ring, releases from Tyndale House Publishers in August 2017. Heidi makes her home in Massachusetts with her husband, two sons, and Howie, her standard poodle. Visit her online at HeidiChiavaroli.com.

A Treasure from the Past

I stood in the funeral home, staring at the painting. It was beautiful, of a young African American girl wearing a headdress. The faint lines of brushstrokes and vivid color came alive to me, and it was here—not in the photograph of my once-young great-grandmother sitting beside the painting—that I felt the remembered presence of Great-Grammy the most. Here, in her beautiful creation, did I feel the past and present come together.

I’d grown up with Great-Grammy as my neighbor. She took care of me and my sister often. And when I became interested in drawing, she encouraged my love to create. 

There was something special about Great-Grammy. Something . . . spunky. She was gorgeous and glamorous, one of the first women in Massachusetts to wear pants (gasp!) to work. And Great-Grammy was talented—she amazed me with her gift of painting.

Now, about to enter the room where I would say my final good-byes, I lingered at the painting of the young girl, imagined my grandmother bringing her to life with skilled hands. 

That was more than a year ago. Just last month, my family celebrated a wedding. Following the reception, we went to my great-aunt’s home to continue the party. My aunt prompted us to go into her finished basement and peruse Great-Grammy’s many paintings—and to take one if we wanted.
When I looked over all the lovely paintings—each a part of my grandmother—one in particular caught my eye. To me, it was obviously the best. Why hadn’t one of my cousins or aunts or uncles taken it yet? As I scooped it up, my family affirmed how the painting suited me. And as I held it, I felt the grand orchestration of the moment. Such a small thing, but God was in it. In some ways, it was as if my grandmother—in her desire to create—had made the painting for me. A small gift, a small legacy, for me to remember her by.
In my book, Freedom’s Ring, Brad gives Annie a ring to comfort her after she is injured in the Boston Marathon bombing. When they reunite two years later, they search for the history behind the heirloom. Although Brad has had the ring for years, and is attached to it because of circumstances regarding his time in Iraq, he has never looked further until Annie inspires him to do so. 
Treasures from the past are all around us. It’s why I love hanging out at antique shops, why I can’t get enough of the Freedom Trail and other local history. Though we are often caught up in the here and now, the past holds riches we won’t see unless we look. An old ring, a dusty painting, a chipped piece of furniture. Treasure—maybe that of your own family—is all around us if we just have the eyes to see.

How beautiful! Heidi's new book. Freedom's Ring can be purchased at Tyndale.com and Amazon.com

Hope you enjoyed today's spotlight and will join me each week for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time, take care and God Bless.
PamT


Saturday, August 19, 2017

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Nikola Dimitrov & The Four in One Gospel of Jesus

Good Morning!

Our guest in the spotlight has been here before. Pastor Nikola Dimitrov has shared thoughts and treasures with us. Today we get another glimpse into his book, The Four in One Gospel of Jesus.....


Ventura, CA – May 2017 -Pastor Nikola Dimitrov has been led of the Spirit to assemble this chronological version of The Four in One Gospel of Jesus, (Nordskog Publishing, Inc.) dedicating a full decade of scholarship and effort to this work. It is a reader-friendly His-Story (history) of the incarnation of Jesus in the order the events occurred, blending the four Biblical Gospel books that tell of the New Testament era, written by apostles Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It is unique in its rigorous harmonizing and combining of texts, without any omissions from the original King James.

For anyone interested in learning of the life of Jesus Christ and His Good News in a natural, accessible way, this Four in One provides a harmony of the four Biblical Gospels rearranged into a single chronological narrative. Using the venerable King James Bible word for word, this faithful Gospel telling is perfect for seekers, new believers, and scholars alike.

This is a serious and thorough undertaking.  In 1979, Thomas Nelson republished a popular 19th century edition of Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Holy Bible, which included additional commentary by others, including a tabular harmony of the Gospels. The author carefully compared The Four in One Gospel of Jesus to the Matthew Henry harmony and found it to be a 99% match to that esteemed resource. This affirms our confidence in the accuracy of this work, and is due to the thoroughness of Pastor Dimitrov’s methods. The book is meticulously crafted, with detailed Scripture references that reveal the compiler’s process of interweaving the texts, and make it easy to refer to the original Scriptures.

Watch the Video!



In 1992 Nikola Dimitrov experienced a miraculous conversion, receiving Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Since 1995 he has been a full-time minister of the Gospel, serving as pastor, Bible teacher, preacher, and Christian educator. He started his first church in 1994, which is still standing today, and in 1998 he began his traveling ministry. Nikola is currently pastoring several church groups in Bourgas, Bulgaria and is frequently sought out as a speaker around the country. He also serves as a Bible teacher at the Apostolic Kingdom Institute in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria.

As editor-in-chief of Vetil Media Ministry, Nikola has translated and published more than thirty books into Bulgarian, as well as writing some himself. He then encourages his congregations to take responsibility in word and deed toward that end. As a translator, Nikola has also produced and distributed around the nation nearly 1000 Bulgarian versions of audio and video teachings by famous foreign preachers and teachers.

As part of a charity in Bulgaria, along with other volunteers, Nikola takes care of needy people from the minorities, distributing clothes, food, medicine, and school materials to children.

Nikola is married to Helen, and they have two lovely young-adult daughters, Annie (which means grace) and Mikaela (which means who is like God?). Both are part of Nikola and Helen’s ministry, serving in the area of music.

Hope you enjoyed today's spotlight and that you'll join me each week for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time take care and God Bless.
PamT

Thursday, August 17, 2017

#ThursdayThoughts Respecting our Land

Good Morning!

If you followed my west coast vacation, you know we covered a lot of ground. We traveled through 14 states and visited 15 National Parks, 1 Historical National Park and a pretty famous lake.


In each area, there are numerous signs asking for help in preserving the land and protecting the wildlife as well as plants native to the land.

Signs requested 'no pets on trails' or if pets were allowed, there were stations that contained plastic bags to pick up their poop. Other requests included not walking on certain areas because the park officials were trying to regrow native grass and plants.

I even saw a place that had boot brushes for us to wipe off our shoes so that invasive species couldn't take root.

What broke my heart on more than one occasion is how many people blatantly disregarded these signs.

If we want to leave an inheritance for our children's children, we need to do our part in respecting our land and the rules in place to protect it.

Something to think about!
"Inspirational with an Edge!" (tm)


Tuesday, August 15, 2017

#TuesdayTreasures Our Children

Good Morning Friends,

School starts today in the area and so I thought I'd talk a moment about one of our most valuable treasures....

Our Children!

One of my dear friends lost a child in a tragic auto accident and it's going to be a long tough journey to get through the grief and shock.

Your prayers for her and her family and friends are greatly appreciated.

PLEASE slow down and look both ways....more than once.

Until next time take care and God Bless.
PamT

Saturday, August 12, 2017

#SaturdaySpotlight A Review of Mail Order Mishap by Samantha Fury

Good Morning!

Today's spotlight is a little different but I think you'll enjoy it.....



Samantha Fury's Review
Mail Order Mishap
Clean Romance with an Edgy story line
Barbara Goss  


Samantha Fury 
Audio Reviewer
I'll state that I could write a book when making a review but I like to keep things crisp and to the point. I hope you enjoy my review and that you will consider listening or reading Mail Order Mishap. I've been listening to audio books for over 18 years, and I enjoy a good listen. I also make most of Barbara's Covers and enjoy working with her. I hope you enjoy this review and will consider taking a listen to one of her novels.

Mail Order Mishap

History Lesson 
Let me start out my saying this book made me think about the Civil War. It never crossed my mind that after the war there was a shortage of men and that there were many women left widows, some of them with money in the bank others not.

A good way to start a novel
I enjoyed the way Barbara starts her novel, instead of a lot of boring backstory she uses
letters mailed back and forth to keep us up to date about what has been transpiring.

Spoiler Alert

A different kind of love Triangle
This is a bit of a spoiler but it won't take you long to figure it out. The story has a twist and a lot didn't like it because her supposed betrothed was Gay and looking for a marriage of convenience. Some will think this is a bit edgy and there are a few moments that you think the wrong thing is going to happen but it does not. I for one found this a reality novel, and that this could have very well happened.

A fast Listen. 
I loved this story it moved fast and though the narrator is not my favorite I didn't have any trouble following who was saying what. I listened to this on my phone and my echo dot and they synced back and forth. A fast good listen.

A Clean/Church Backdrop 
Though this book is not Christian to me it's very clean, and a good read.  It takes life as it is, and it's not always what we think it will be. Good things happen along with bad, it's all about what you handle yourself and the decisions you make that determines your outcome.

Garret and Charles the brothers 
I fell in love with Garret quickly. He's my type of rugged young man. He can carry a heavy trunk with ease. He's supportive of his brother because he cares for him and  he's handsome what more can you ask for in a cowboy. Oh yes and he has morals though he forgets them now and then but at the right moment he comes to his senses.


Happy Endings.
I do not like to read a book that ends wrong, I do love a happy ending. Life is not always what we want it to be so we sure need a good ending.

What I didn't like
I think every book has something we don't like, but the only thing is that she was rich and didn't cook or clean. I found that a little unrealistic, BUT I am not very familiar with this time period, but that said. I still give it a 5 star.



Book Link 
Audio Link 

Book Blurb
Amber Wakefield travels to Hunter’s Grove, Kansas to meet her intended and walks into a very unwelcoming atmosphere. Charles Turner, her intended, seems cool and aloof, and his brother Garrett—downright rude. She wants nothing more than to rush back to Virginia, until Edna Smith, her chaperone, falls ill, and she's forced to stay. She knows Charles harbors a secret, and she isn't sure whether Garrett is her friend or her enemy. When she finally discovers the truth, she wants nothing to do with either of them. One of the Turner brothers vows to win her love. But which one?

 Today's review comes from 
Samantha Fury
Website 
Facebook Group
Contact Us
Samantha Fury is the author of  the Street Justice Series.  
She's written many articles on book covers, for Indie Authors.
She operates several Indie Groups. Editing Services, Cover
Artist, Helpful Indie Fac





Hope you enjoyed the spotlight and will drop by weekly for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time take care and God Bless!
PamT

Thursday, August 10, 2017

#ThursdayThoughs with Theresa Lynn Hall!

Hello Again and Welcome!

Today's guest has been in our spotlight and shared treasures with us so please give a great big welcome back to Theresa Lynn Hall as she shares some thoughts with us....

Sometimes we never know how our work has touched someone’s life. We often think that what we do goes unnoticed by many, and maybe you even questions why you do what you do in the first place. I think this holds true for everyone—no matter their profession. As a teacher, mom, writer, wife, friend, aunt, co-worker, etc., I can honestly say that I’ve often felt unappreciated or unnoticed. To inspire me, I often think about what the Bible says regarding our works. "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. —Jeremiah 29:11
This year, I struggled with my job as a second grade math and science teacher. I struggled with a co-worker, with my health, and with finding new and exciting ways to teach kids how to add and subtract by “regrouping” (borrowing and carrying back in the old days!). Basically, the school year was not exciting to me. I felt like I was in a rut. Like my work didn’t matter. For the first time in a long time, I just didn’t want to go to work.
As the end of the school year drew nearer, I began to get notes from my students and parents. Sweet notes telling me how much they love me. Notes thanking me for everything I’ve taught them. I began to get letters from parents telling me how much of an impact I had made on their children this year and how their child had a new love for coming to school. The notes and emails brought me to tears. The whole time I had been struggling, God had me exactly where he wanted me. I was making a difference to someone and I didn’t realize it. He never said it was going to be easy. He never promised me that I would receive accolades or even a thank you. He just put me where He wanted me to be. Looking back, it wasn’t about me. It was about how he was using me to impact someone else’s life. I was only needed to do the job I had been placed there to do.
I think we often miss the forest for the trees because it’s in our nature to try to figure out the direction of our life. But God’s plan for us is so HUGE that we often misinterpret it, too. His plan is awesome and great. It’s THE BEST plan we have and if we follow it, we are guaranteed to make a difference on someone else’s life.
As a writer, I have to apply this same lesson. I may never know if my stories touch anyone. All I know is that all things work for good through Him. He never promised me things would be easy. He simply called me to do a job and promised to carry me through it.  No matter what you do in life, give it your best and let God handle the rest. We all make a difference somehow.
      ”You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours." —Psalm 128:2
Oh Wow...how sweet and pretty, Theresa! Thanks for sharing these thoughts and another treasure
with us!

Theresa is an award-winning author of Christian Fiction. A native Texan, she loves to write suspenseful stories that happen in small Texas towns with old fashioned Southern values. She’s an elementary teacher and mom to two boys—the oldest being in law enforcement, which comes in handy when she’s researching.

When she’s not teaching kids or writing, she loves to cook, read a good suspense, and binge-watch episodes of Dateline. Someday she plans to seek help for her chocolate addiction, but she’s just not ready yet. She loves to hear from readers and can be found at www.theresalynnhall.com

Find and follow her on FacebookTwitter (@theresalynnhall) and Pinterest!
Her new book, Ransom in Rio can be found at Pelican Book Group and at Amazon!

Thanks again Theresa! Good luck and God's blessings with your new release!

Hope you enjoyed today's post friends and that you'll join me weekly for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.


Until next time, take care and God Bless.
PamT

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

#TuesdayTreasures Guest Post by Clare Revell

Good Morning!

Today's guest, Clare Revell has shared treasures, thoughts and the spotlight before but today she returns with another treasure and a brand new book!

Take it away Clare.....

In All That Glitters, Peter thinks he’s finally attained his dreams. Only he learns that what he really wants isn’t any of it—it’s not that gold medal he wins at the Olympics. Jill on the other hand, is convinced that if only she had her dreams, then life would be perfect.

They are both so very wrong.

True treasure isn’t what’s lying at the end of the rainbow. It’s found in everything around us.

For me that’s found in the little things, like sunsets and rainbows and family. I’ve been married almost 25 years. And it’s gone in a flash. My children all live at home still, but the rest of my family are scattered all over the country—and world, and we are together so rarely now. Mum says all she wants is everyone together for more than a few hours at a time, and yeah, that really would be a thing to treasure.

Clare is a British author. She lives in a small town just outside Reading, England with her husband, whom she married in 1992, their three children, and unfriendly mini-panther, aka Tilly the black cat. They have recently been joined by Hedwig and Sirius the guinea pigs. Clare is half English and half Welsh, which makes watching rugby interesting at times as it doesn’t matter who wins.

Writing from an early childhood and encouraged by her teachers, she graduated from rewriting fairy stories through fan fiction to using her own original characters and enjoys writing an eclectic mix of romance, crime fiction and children's stories. When she's not writing, she can be found reading, crocheting or doing the many piles of laundry the occupants of her house manage to make.

Her books are based in the UK, with a couple of exceptions, thus, although the spelling may be American in some of them, the books contain British language and terminology and the more recent ones are written in UK English. 

The first draft of every novel is hand written.

She has been a Christian for more than half her life. She goes to Carey Baptist where she is one of four registrars. 

She can be found at:

All that Glitters can be picked up at Pelican Book GroupAmazon UK and Amazon US

Hope you enjoyed today's post and that you'll return each week for Tuesday Treasured, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight!

Until next time take care and God Bless.
PamT

Saturday, August 5, 2017

#SaturdaySpotlight is on @MeganWhitsonLee & #SuburbanDangers

Good Morning and Welcome to the first Saturday Spotlight in August!

Whew, it's been a crazy (in a fun way) couple of months, but now I'm back home and getting into my normal routine. 

Today's guest has shared treasures and thoughts with us before, so now we'll get a closer look at Megan Whitson Lee's book, Suburban Dangers.....

Sixteen-year-old Kaki Jones lives a normal life in suburbia. She makes good grades, runs on the cross-country team, and helps care for her younger brothers and sisters. Her younger brother, Brandon is the troubled child. He parties, fights at school, keeps photos of girls on his cell phone, and runs into trouble with the police.

But Kaki harbors a secret. After meeting cool girl Sydney Diaz, Kaki’s life is forever changed.  Now, she’s a sophomore by day and a commodity sold at the hands of gang members by night. Living a double life and controlled by threats of violence against her family, Kaki sees no chance of escape.

When parents look the other way and strangers offer more affection than a father, God’s deliverance is the only answer.

Excerpt: At home that night while Kaki checked her social media sites, she was surprised to see that Sydney had followed her. @HotSydGirl was Sydney’s handle, but Kaki immediately recognized Sydney’s picture—a close-up shot of her posing for the camera with puckered lips. Later, Sydney’s picture and name popped up on another one of Kaki’s accounts. Sydney Diaz has just followed you.

Kaki was excited. She’d figured Sydney would think she was a total loser after their conversation on the track. “Maybe I’m just one of the only people she knows at school,” she said out loud as she clicked to confirm. She scanned Sydney’s page for her statuses, pictures, and people she knew. Sydney had over 2,000 followers on one account and over a thousand on her other accounts. 

Inferiority crept over Kaki. She only had around 160 followers, and most of those were family members, distant cousins, and a few friends. Her other social networking accounts were just as pathetic, and she wondered how it felt to be someone like Sydney Diaz—obviously popular, especially with the guys. Most of the posts to her page were messages from them:

hey syd. where u been girl?
heard you moved schools. 
Ill still c u this weekend rite? got some peeps for u to meet.

There were a lot of posted selfies from guys and a few girls dressed up in short-short skirts, high-high heels, and tight-tight tops. Sydney definitely moved in different social circles.

Pictures on Kaki’s page were of friends making faces in the camera, a few family photos, and a lot of shared dorky sayings: Only you can make it happen and Just because someone doesn’t like you doesn’t mean you’re not likeable. 

Kaki felt too intimated to even send Sydney a private message. And she resolved not to be clingy at school either. The quickest way to drive a cool girl away from you was to be too needy.

Suburban Dangers can be found at Amazon in Print and for Kindle and at Pelican Book Group.

Megan Whitson Lee is a wife, a mom of two greyhounds, an editor for Pelican Book Group, and a high school English teacher. Her novel, Captives, won the 2016 Director's Choice Award and was a finalist for a Selah Award in the women's contemporary fiction category at Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference.

Megan writes women's contemporary and historical fiction featuring characters standing at the crossroads of major life decisions, crises of faith, and moral dilemmas. Her novels depict real-life problems, address universal spiritual and moral struggles, and offer messages of hope, recovery, and redemption through God’s saving grace.

Find out more about Megan by visiting herWebsite and connecting with her on Facebook, Twitter (@MeganWhitsonLee),Instagram and Pinterest.

Hope you enjoyed today's guest post and that you'll join me each week for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight!

Until next time, take care and God Bless.
PamT

Thursday, August 3, 2017

#ThursdayThoughts North Dakota & Minnesota

Good Morning,

If you've followed my West Coast Vacation you've been to Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California (CA #2), Oregon, Washington and Montana. Today we'll visit North Dakota and Minnesota!

Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Medora, ND is one of my favorites out of all the parks we explored. There we saw beautiful mountainous formations similar yet unique from the others we experienced. We also saw buffalo, prairie dogs, and the musical "Medora."

We left ND on Saturday the 22nd, spent the night in Park Rapids, IA then continued to MN on Sunday morning. Monday and Tuesday we visited Voyageurs National Park - which you have to reach by boat. Some of the main attractions of Voyageurs are the mine shafts where gold was found, but ultimately failed....


We only got a short tour of Rainey Lake, but there is a longer tour which includes an actual stop at Kettle Falls for lunch. So, if you're ever in the mood to visit, check out the boat tours and schedule your trip accordingly.

  

Same goes for Isle Royale National Park! The passenger ferry takes you across beautiful Lake Superior to the island where they drop you off for a 4 hour visit before returning! This is another park where you need to research and plan before visiting as the boats fill up pretty quickly, especially in summer.

Well friends, hope you enjoyed my West Coast Vacation and that you'll stop by each week for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time, take care and God Bless.
PamT