#SaturdaySpotlight is on Lynn Crain & Avenging Angel!

Good Morning!

Well the year is officially half over today. A time when many reflect on their goals and purpose. I'm not going to do that because although I've had a stellar year so far, I'm not exactly where I want to be.....physically, spiritually, financially....but I'm happy and learning and growing and loving and appreciating my life!

Today's guest shared some thoughts with us a couple of months ago so please welcome Lynn Crain back with a sneak peek into her book, Avenging Angel......

Bound by vengeance, she is humanity’s one hope…

Aingeal Cochran is on a mission to save humanity from itself when suddenly she’s staring head-on at her forgotten past. Lukas Everhard must bring her up to speed regarding the real enemy before allowing himself to love her completely. In learning about her past and mission, Aingeal realizes the best is yet to be and she will do anything to protect those she loves. For Lukas, Aingeal is the mission.

Excerpt: Arching an eyebrow, I stared at him. No one in this facility could begin to hold a candle to me and I knew it. Worse, they knew it. “Whatever gave you the idea any one could kick my butt? Cause I know you can’t.” I sat there and listened to his buddies all crack up as Jonathan’s ears turned red. Now this was something I could really get into.

“Ever heard of Lukas Everhard?” The flash of puppy-like adoration almost made me lose it right then.

“You’re joking right? Everhard?” I couldn’t contain myself any longer and laughed so hard tears flowed from my eyes.  That would be the day.

“You’re just a bitch who won’t know what hit her.” His face took on a hard edge and if I hadn’t been so bored, I might have backed away.

“And you’re just an ass who will.” The orb bobbed in my hand as I stood, dangerously close to being thrown when something huge grabbed my wrist.

“You know the rules here. No fighting in the mess hall.”  The object didn’t remove itself from my body.

I whirled furious, jerking my arm away, energy in both hands now and was stopped short by the man who stood before me. I was not a small woman, yet this man dwarfed me.  Slowly, my gaze moved from his chest to his wide shoulders to his face and stopped there. Ice blue eyes stared at me without one bit of emotion attached to the look. He’s one cold cookie. I blinked rapidly almost as if I had been hit in the gut. This man was not going to take my crap in any way, shape or form. While I might be able to fool Darien somewhat as I had learned since I had arrived, I would never be able to fool this one.

Then there was the fact I felt more aware of him sexually than I had been with anyone else. Ever. There was a charisma about him which made me want to throw myself into his arms and beg to be taken.  And it was more than his physical appearance because if truth be told, this man looked good…the best I had ever seen…again a rarity for me to note. It was as if he were palpable under my hands even though we weren’t touching. My crotch tightened once more and I shook my head to clear my errant thoughts.

“Told you.” A snide voice commented somewhere off to my left.

I turned to look at my accuser, electricity leaping to my hand yet again. Some days I couldn’t control it at all. This could be a problem.

Stepping in front of me, the big man’s forefinger jabbed my chest in a hard push. “You. Me. In the sparring room immediately.”

I watched as he walked out the door, all predatory-like and with more purpose than I had seen anyone in this place have since my arrival. I eyed everyone else and realized it wouldn’t matter what I said, they were going to see if their man could best me. Sighing, I also knew I had brought this on myself. Vowing to make his fall gentle, I shook my head and followed him down the main corridor, wondering if I should even bother to introduce myself. I ran up to walk next to him and before I could even start, I was cut off by his raised hand.  

“Don’t bother. I know who you are.” He kept his eyes straight forward.

Frowning, I watched him for a minute. “Yeah, but I don’t know who you are, now do I?”

He stopped in front of the sparring room door. “And that should make a difference how?” Shoving it open, he waved a hand. “Ladies first.”

“As if I’d fall for that one,” I muttered more to myself than anyone.

Scowling at me, he shook his head. “Look one of us has to go in first. The door isn’t big enough for us to go side by side.”

“Fine,” I said through clenched teeth. This would end bad, I could feel it in my bones.

Amazon   iBooks   Kobo   Nook

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvnbNt2Mqc0&feature=youtu.be

Award-winning author Lynn Crain has done it all in her life. From nursing to geology, her life experiences have added to her detail-rich stories. She loves writing full time, weaving contemporary, fantasy, futuristic and paranormal tales, tame to erotic, for various publishers. Her home is in the desert southwest, and she’s just returned from her latest adventure of living in Vienna, Austria while her husband worked his dream job.

She loves hearing from her readers at lynncrain@cox.net

Where Lynn Is:

www.lynncrain.com

lynncrain.blogspot.com

https://twitter.com/oddlynn3

https://www.facebook.com/LynnCrainAuthor

https://www.facebook.com/groups/xtraordinaryromance/

https://www.pinterest.com/oddlynn3 /

https://www.instagram.com/lynn.crain

Hope you enjoyed today's guest and that you'll check back weekly for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight. 

Until next time take care and God bless!

PamT

#ThursdayThoughts with Bishop Ken & Pastor Sheila Giles

Good Morning and Welcome to the last Thursday in June!

Oh how time flies. Seems like just yesterday we were welcoming in the new year. Now, it's half over. Today we welcome a new author to our blog brought to us by PrimeStar Publicity.

Bishop Ken Giles and his wife Pastor Sheila Giles have decades of combined experience in Ministry and Christian Counseling. They both did undergraduate work at Prairie View A&M University Texas and were active in evangelistic work. Pastor Sheila Giles has served in church leadership for over two decades. She has a Master of Divinity from Houston Graduate School of Theology and is in the process of completing her Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Texas Woman's University.

Bishop Ken Giles began full-time ministry in 1993 as an inner-city Missions Leader in Dallas, Texas, while at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship under Dr. Tony Evans. He later served there as Assistant Executive Director of their nonprofit corporation. In 1998, he returned to his hometown of Beaumont, Texas, and served as Pastor of Outreach at Cathedral of Faith Baptist Church and Executive Director of their nonprofit corporation. In 2000, Lincoln Bible Church was planted in the Beaumont/Port Arthur area and is now located in the Greater Houston Texas area where Bishop Ken Giles and his wife, Pastor Sheila Giles provide servant leadership.

Bishop Giles has a Master of Education Administration from Prairie View A&M University and a Master of Theology from Southeast Texas Theological Seminary. He is in the process of completing a dual doctorate in Christian Education and Theology from Kingsway Theological Seminary.

Welcome Bishop & Pastor Giles! We're excited to hear your thoughts today.....

The very essence of help is captured in Genesis 2:18, when the Lord purposed and arranged for the Man to have his corresponding part, in the person of the Woman, fashioned as his helper. Specifically, to assist him(man) in fulfilling his God-given purpose and vision(Genesis 2:15-17) for his life, their marriage and family. Per the Lord's design, the Woman is purposed to be helper to the man, in spiritual unity and oneness via the institution of Marriage as established by Him. That is why, according to Proverbs 18:22, the man who finds a wife, finds a good thing; and obtains favor from the Lord. Learn more in the newly released book: Prayer, Marriage and the Leadership Roles of the Husband and Wife, which can be obtained HERE.

Thank you so much Bishop & Pastor Giles for sharing your thoughts with us today. We wish you the best of luck and God's blessings on all you do!

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

Until next time, take care and God Bless.
PamT

#TuesdayTreasures with Pam Hillman

Pam Hillman is new to our blog so please give her a great, big.....Good Morning and Welcome as she shares some treasures with us!


What is an heirloom?

Webster’s defines an heirloom as, “Something of special value handed down from one generation to another.”

As I ponder the meaning of heirlooms, I turn to the battered antique trunk at the foot of my bed. Its domed top and shiny brass accents shimmer in the late afternoon sunlight streaming through my bedroom window.

My husband bought the trunk at his great aunt’s estate sale several years ago. It is a beautiful old trunk. Battered, but sturdy, it cradles heirlooms handed down through five generations.

I flip the clasps open and lift the lid, letting the smell of old leather, musty books, and time gone by waft around me. For a moment, my gaze lingers on my treasures, old and new, before I reach for the baby clothes stacked on top.

I pull out dainty smocked suits that my children wore home from the hospital; a pair of tiny, hand crocheted booties; soft white and powdery blue blankets used to wrap my newborn sons in. Memories of those precious days parade through my head as I touch each object. I shake my head as I finger the baby clothes. It is hard to believe either of my young men were ever small enough to wear the tiny garments I hold in my hands.

Underneath a soft baby blanket, I spot a baseball glove, its brittle leather over thirty years old. The glove brings back memories of a brother whose life was cut way to short. Memories of the time he threw a baseball straight up in the air because I had decided I couldn’t miss it if the ball fell on me. I missed—and got a busted nose for my effort. But it really wasn’t my brother’s fault. The whole thing had been my idea.

As I dig deeper, the keepsakes grow older. I pick up a hymnal, dated 1907, a relic inherited from my husband’s great-great aunt. Its care-worn pages are a testimony to the many times Aunt Mary Ann lifted her voice in song. I can just see a dozen or so stout country women dressed in their Sunday best, hats perched just so, sturdy shoes dusty from their trek to church, lifting their voices in song. The song in my head fades away as the hymnal is placed carefully to the side.

In the bottom, I find a quilt. Not just an ordinary quilt—a special quilt—a quilt hand-stitched by my mother’s mother. I’m not sure how old it is. My mother doesn’t know, and Mamaw wouldn’t be able to tell us if she were alive.

I do know that it is old, and worn, the fabric stiff and shiny in places, the binding threadbare, the lining torn. It isn’t beautiful. Its pieces aren’t mirror images of each other, intent on showing off some delicate pattern. It’s a hodgepodge of color, shapes, and sizes. Some pieces of fabric are long and narrow, brown. Others tan, triangular. I spot a few pieces of dull green here and there. But even now, it has a thick sturdiness that guarantees a cozy night’s sleep on a frigid winter night.

As my fingers glide across the surface of the quilt, an image of my mother as a little girl, snuggling under the quilt, flashes like a movie clip before my eyes. As quickly as it appears, it’s gone. I sigh and lean over the edge of the trunk once again.

The afternoon shadows deepen as I examine each and every precious item in the trunk. I marvel at the black velvet pillbox hat with grosgrain ribbon Mamaw wore to church back in the 1940’s. I touch the cool metal of Papaw’s pocket watch, the stiff softness of his brown felt hat. The label inside says Adam, Fifth Avenue Quality, long oval, and I wonder how many hats he tried on, how long he stood in the store, before he picked just the right hat, just the right style, to suit him.

When I’m done, I carefully pack everything away, my trip down memory lane creating more and more memories, expanding, like sweet rolls set out to rise. I gaze out the window, enjoying a quiet afternoon reminiscing.

These heirlooms speak to me somewhere down deep inside. Their value is special, just like Webster declared. I knew the man who wore the hat, the woman who hand-stitched the quilt, and the young girl who grew up to be my mother.

I have the memories to prove it.

And that’s what makes an heirloom special.

Do you have a special heirloom handed down from your parents or grandparents? We'd love to hear all about it!!!

The Road to Magnolia Glen

CBA Bestselling author PAM HILLMAN was born and raised on a dairy farm in Mississippi and spent her teenage years perched on the seat of a tractor raking hay. In those days, her daddy couldn't afford two cab tractors with air conditioning and a radio, so Pam drove an Allis Chalmers 110. Even when her daddy asked her if she wanted to bale hay, she told him she didn't mind raking. Raking hay doesn't take much thought so Pam spent her time working on her tan and making up stories in her head. Now, that's the kind of life every girl should dream of. www.pamhillman.com

Purchase links for The Road to Magnolia Glen: http://www.pamhillman.com/books/the-road-to-magnolia-glen

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Linda Burson & Rage....

Good Morning!

A couple of years ago I was introduced - and introduced to you - a new to me author, Linda Burson. Today Linda returns with another of her "The Marcy Series" books, Rage. Please welcome her back!

Marcy Jensen finds she is having nightmares that she can’t control. She is frustrated, angry and confused by this sudden change. Her boyfriend and love of her life, Brad Preston, gives her an ultimatum: seek help, or he’s leaving.

One dark, chilly evening after a terrible, emotional day, Marcy finds herself in the middle of a robbery and a gun to her head. After her stressful day, she snaps. Pushed over the edge, she finds herself attacking the gunman.

The same night after this attempted robbery, Marcy meets Liam with whom she feels an inexplicable connection. After talking to Marcy, because she still having the raw edge of the evening with her, Liam convinces her to join him on his quest to find his family’s murderers.

As they delve into the dark world of revenge, Marcy’s life begins to fall apart. Before she realizes it, she falls in love with this mysterious stranger. They become close and gradually allow light and love to envelop them.

Excerpt:

When we arrive at the commuter lot where my car is parked, I remain seated looking at him. My thoughts return to the moment I realized I was in love with him. Was it always there somewhere in the depths of my soul, or was it at the moment when I saw the real person? My heart skips a beat every time I look in his direction and my emotions take over.

“You must think I cry an awful lot,” I impart as the tears come streaming down my face again.

“No, baby. I know you’re in pain right now. I wish I knew how to make things easier for you—for both of us.” Then he adds,

“Oh that my head were waters
And my eyes a fountain of tears 
That I might weep day and night.”

I look at him with my tear-filled eyes. “That’s beautiful.”

“Jeremiah, Chapter 9, Verse 1,” he replies.

“You’re a special man, Evan Liam Brooks. I don’t understand why all this happened, but I have to believe there’s a reason. I have to trust in my faith that everything will be fine and will work out as it’s supposed to.”

Rage is available at Amazon and Class Act Books.

Linda is an author from Connecticut.

After years of writing and editing for others, raising a family, and over twenty years of running her own businesses, Linda decided to tackle her first fiction novel entitled Rage, which began as a single book. Eventually, the novel became a trilogy, and finally a much longer series. All the books are a part of The Marcy Series, a romantic suspense series. There are currently six novels in the series.

In 2016, Linda was named one of the Top Ten Authors of that year by Preditors & Editors Readers Poll. Her novel The Agreement, (Book 4 of the Marcy series), was chosen as one of the Top Ten Thriller novels of the year also. In 2017, her novel Caught in a Lie (Book 7 in the Marcy series) placed second in Best Cover Artwork from Preditors & Editors Readers Poll. Her romantic suspense novel The Colors of My Life, also was a Top Ten Finisher in the Thriller Division that year.

Find out more about Linda at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lbursonbooks/?fref=ts 

Instagram:  www.instagram.com/lindajeanburson 

Website is lindaburson.com 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2258525.Linda_Burson

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Linda-Burson/e/B016SOB3S4

Twitter: @lindaburson23

Hope you enjoyed today's post! If you love books in series, check out Linda's. Meanwhile, please drop by again for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time, take care and God Bless.
PamT

#ThursdayThoughts More East Coast Vacation Memories....

Good Morning from Louisville, KY!

Today we'll weather the rain and visit Churchill downs - more on that later.

Last week I shared some memories from the first leg of our East Coast Vacation. Today I'll continue on our trip with you.

After leaving Boston, we made our way to Maine where we visited Acadia National Park and ate some of the BEST blueberry pancakes at the Log Cabin Restaurant and 'lobstah' and blueberry pie ever at Stewman's Lobster Pound in Bar Harbor.

Here are a couple photos from Cadillac Mountain and Bass Harbor.... 

                          

We also had a great lobster roll at Beal's Lobster Pier in Bass Harbor.

Upon leaving Maine, we traveled to NY where I got to visit with a friend whom I haven't seen in 6 or 7 years!

Now we're on the homeward bound part of our trip and our last main attraction, Churchill Downs!

I'll share those pics with you later.

Meanwhile, I hope you're enjoying my vacation with me and that you'll drop by weekly for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time, take care and God Bless.
PamT

#TuesdayTreasures with Tracy Krauss!

Good Morning from Randolph, NY!

We've begun the homeward bound journey of our East Coast trip. I'll be sharing more memories with you on Thursday but for now, please welcome Tracy Krauss back as she shares something she treasures with us.....

Treasure by Fire

When I was a teen, our house burnt down and we lost many prized possessions including my mother’s wedding dress, family photos, and the like. Since then, I’ve learned to keep a loose grip on most of my ‘stuff’. I take pleasure in our antiques and other cool collectibles, (at least I think they’re cool!) and I enjoy sifting through old letters from family and friends, or looking at drawings and cards lovingly handcrafted by my children. If something is especially precious, I take a picture and then store it somewhere online, but I try not to hang on too tightly to ‘things’.

In recent years, we have been close to more than one threat from forest fires. I’ve asked myself, “What would I take if we had to evacuate?” I came up with only one item: a painting done by my mother that hangs in our home. It was painted one winter from the view out the living room window. I was not yet born at the time, but my eldest brother was a baby, or so I’m told. My mother did a lot of paintings over the years and each one of her children have several, but for some reason this one has special significance in our family. We used a photo of it on the funeral brochure when she passed away.

Perhaps it is so special because it reminds us of what a free spirited and creative person she was. She had an unorthodox way of responding to the world that our family has lovingly coined the ‘Doreen Method’. This means, if you don’t know how to do something, try anyway. If you don’t have a recipe or a pattern, make one up. (Or just make it up even if you do have a recipe or a pattern!) If something breaks or wears out, turn it into a piece of art. I was raised in an atmosphere where every day was an opportunity to practice creativity. Mom suffered many hardships, but her response was always one of joyful submission to God’s will. That’s why I love the painting. It reminds me to live every day using the ‘Doreen Method’.

The Bible says we shouldn’t store up treasures on earth where moth and rust (and fire) can destroy. I try to take this to heart, but ‘the painting’ is the one thing I wish I could hang in my house in heaven. Maybe my mom is up there now, painting another one for just that purpose.


Your mother sounds like a wonderful woman, Tracy and her paintings are definitely something to treasure! Thanks for sharing!

Tracy Krauss is a multi-published and award winning author of contemporary Christian romance with a twist of suspense and a touch of humor. Also an artist and playwright, she currently lives in beautiful BC, Canada where she continues to pursue all of her creative interests.  http://tracykrauss.com “Fiction on the edge – without crossing the line”

Tracy's newest book, Three Strand Cord, is available at Amazon.

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

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Janet Lynn & Slick Deal!

Good Morning!

I hope you enjoyed my vacation memories this week. I'll share more soon. We're leaving Maine today, will spend the night in MA and tomorrow on to NY where I'll get to visit with a long-time friend whom I haven't seen in 7 years! Anyway, enough about me....

Today's guest is no stranger to our blog. Janet has shared Treasures and Thoughts and been in our Spotlight on a pretty regular basis but today we get a sneak peek into her and co-writing husband's newest release, Slick Deal!

Take it away Janet....

On the eve of the New Year, 1956, oil tycoon, Oliver Wright dies suspiciously at a swanky Hollywood New Years Eve party. Some think it was suicide.

His death is soon followed by threats against the rest of his family.
Private Investigator Skylar Drake and his partner Casey Dolan are hired by an L.A. gangster to protect the family and solve Oliver’s mysterious death.

Clues lead them to Avalon, on Santa Catalina Island, a Hollywood movie star playground.

A high profile scandal, mysterious women, treason and more deaths complicate matters, putting Drake and his partner in danger.
Twenty-three miles may not seem far away but false identity and corruption on this island could squash their efforts to answer the question—How in the world can a dead man commit suicide?

Excerpt: Almost midnight. I was working security for the New Year’s Eve bash at the posh Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel with my partner Casey Dolan. The rented tuxedos we were wearing made us look like we belonged with the rich crowd down on the ballroom floor, but we were working. This was one of the most exclusive parties in the city. I’d been here before and I’ve never known any other hotel with the kind of history this place had. Our job tonight was to keep an eye out for trouble...and I suppose this was a much better way to greet the new year than sitting at home in front of the television with a bottle of whiskey. As a matter of principle, I didn’t take security work. But Dolan thought D&D Investigations would benefit from this job by keeping the lights on and paying our secretary. He was right.

I scanned the crowd and checked my watch—a minute before midnight. The noise level in the room escalated with anticipation. I spotted Dolan at his post under an archway on the other side of the room and smiled. He nodded. From my spot on the catwalk above the ballroom floor I watched as they counted down the last seconds—five, four, three, two…  Just as the clock on stage struck midnight, the room exploded with shouts, horns, balloons, and a snowstorm of confetti. The band played “Auld Lang Syne” while a banner unfurled above the bandstand that proclaimed: HAPPY NEW YEAR 1956.

It seemed as though everyone in the world was dancing, hugging, and kissing. My mind disappeared into the past. I remembered my late wife, Claire, and how we celebrated every New Year together. Even when she was big with our daughter, Ellie, Claire was stunning. I pulled out my wallet and gazed at her photo. I miss you honey, so very much.

A man’s voice boomed over the P.A., “Is there a doctor in the house?” My dream with Claire evaporated. I looked down at the stage where a man had grabbed the microphone from the band leader’s hands and shouted, “We need help in the main lobby.”

I motioned for Dolan to stay put while I ducked behind the heavy drapes and crossed the hall to the lobby mezzanine. Fourteen steps would take me down to the lobby floor. I think I only used five. My hand automatically went to my holster, just in case.  Pushing through the crowd, I found a portly man on his back in a pool of blood on the terracotta-tiled floor. A tuxedo-clad man loosened the tie of the victim but I knew he was gone. I'd seen that vacant look in his eyes a hundred times back when I worked LAPD homicide.

Somewhere in the crowd I heard “Make way please, we're nurses.” A couple of women in evening gowns appeared. I held the curious crowd back while the women knelt on the bloody floor and checked for a pulse. One shook her head and placed a lacy handkerchief over the dead man's face.

Published authors Will Zeilinger and Janet Lynn write individually until they got together and created the Skylar Drake Mystery Series. These hard-boiled tales are based in old Hollywood of 1955. Janet has published seven mystery novels and Will has three plus a couple of short stories.

Their world travels have sparked several ideas for murder and crime stories. This creative couple is married and live in Southern California.

Links for Janet:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/janet.lynn.5477

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/home?trk=nav_responsive_tab_home

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JanetLynn4

Blog: http://janetelizabethlynnauthor.blogspot.com/

e-mail: janet_lynn51@yahoo.com

website: www.janetlynnauthor.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Contact info for Will:

Twitter:  @Will_Zeilinger

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/wzeilinger

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/william-zeilinger/15/48/9a7/

website: http://www.willzeilingerauthor.com

blog: http://www.booksbywilzeilinger.blogspot.com

Slick Deal can be purchased at Amazon.

Hope you enjoyed today's post and will check back weekly for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight!

Until next time, take care and God Bless.
PamT

#ThursdayThoughts ... Sharing some East Coast Vacation Memories with You!

Good Morning from Maine!

If you've read my blog over the last couple of weeks, you'll note that I've been wishing you a "Good Morning" from different locations. That's because on May 31st we set out on a shorter than last year's vacation, this time along the East Coast.

We started out in South Carolina and while there visited the Mepkin Abby. The entire estate is beautiful but I really loved these wood carvings done with trees that had fallen during a hurricane years ago....

   

We left SC on the 7th and drove to Delaware. While there, we took a side trip down to Boonsboro, MD where I was blessed to visit the Inn and Bookstore that are featured in Nora Roberts' Inn Boonsboro Trilogy! 

Upon leaving Delaware on the 10th we went on to Boston and had a blast visiting the USS Constitution aka: Old Ironsides and Cheers!

We are now in Maine to visit Acadia National Park so I'll be sharing more with you later.

Hope you enjoyed today's 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

#TuesdayTreasures Guest post by Robert Jones

Good Morning from Littleton, Mass (right outside of Boston)!

Last month I introduced you to a brand new author, Robert Jones as he shared some thoughts with us.

Today, Robert shares something he treasures.....

I grew up in Las Vegas during a time the city marketed itself as a family destination. That time has now passed; some illusions are harder to pull off than others.

Most of our parents worked at night and most worked variable shifts. This meant that mothers and fathers crossed paths only briefly each day and that younger children were often cared for by older siblings. In retrospect, I'm surprised at how we persevered. While I certainly had friends regularly getting into trouble, I treasure most of the memories I have of this time. I remember taking care of my friends and I remember them taking care of me. We made our own families.

Las Vegas was and is about money. Christmas gifts were often cash, even for children. The gift I remember most fondly came from a friend who turned this money into something special. He took us shopping and bought us what we had wanted for Christmas. Afterwards, he took us to the movies. I still recall sitting next to him that day, smiling broadly, so thankful for my friend.

Oh wow, Robert definitely precious memories to treasure! Thanks for sharing.

 Robert Jones, like most parents, is a developing storyteller. He reads to his daughters nightly (and whenever they ask) and draws on analogies to explain complex ideas. He has also learned to improvise silly characters in even sillier situations to wrest his children from otherwise inconsolable moods. His stories are becoming books because of the insistence of his children that his characters be brought to life. While he wishes he could spend his days engaged in such important endeavors, he supports his family by working as a general manager for an eCommerce company.

Robert's first book, Happiness: A Lesson with Lulu, is available through Healthy Life Press, amazon.com, and wholesale to booksellers at Ingramcontent.com/retailers.

Watch the Book Trailer HERE!

This sounds like a wonderful book for children and grandchildren so I hope you'll support this young father and new author by grabbing a copy and I hope you'll join me each week for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time, take care and God Bless!
PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Susan Coryell and A Murder of Principle

Good Morning from Delaware!

Our East Coast vacation is going really well. I'll be sharing photos and memories later but today please welcome Susan Coryell back to our blog. Over the last couple of months she's shared thoughts and treasures with us but today we're getting a sneak peek into her latest novel, A Murder of Principle.

A new principal takes Harding High by storm, wreaking havoc with every executive order and every decision, tearing apart the stellar school tenet by tenet.

Teachers, other administrators, students, parents and the community at large increasingly react to the tremors shaking Harding High as Principal Wendy Storme churns a destructive path through their traditions, values and protocol. Everyone associated with Harding has a valid motive for murder.


Determined to save her school and friends, English department chair, Rose Lane, and her rookie sidekick, intern Penny Bright, vow to move the hurricane-force Storme out of Harding High for good…except somebody beats them to it with the decisiveness of murder.

Excerpt:

With a blast of nerves, Rose pushed open the door and moved inside the large, windowless room. Settling her eyes on the principal’s desk, she noticed that the woman’s position was oddly out of the ordinary; her limbs stretched unnaturally and her neck twisted away to the side. The desk itself was covered in a flurry of papers and every drawer had been pulled and left open. A mug of spilled coffee puddled down one side of the desk. Written on the mug was the word Boss.

Rose fought panic as she moved in and surveyed the surreal scene before her. Principal Wendy Storme had not moved. The face on the twisted neck was frozen in an ugly grimace of terror—with mouth and eyes wider than normal. Her swollen jaws and neck had darkened to a macabre blue. A thin stream of drool crept down Wendy’s chin and her eyes stared unseeing at the wall beyond. Without notice, Wendy’s body flopped to the floor with a flaccid thud, virtually at Rose’s feet.

Principal Wendy Storme was dead.

A Murder of Principle can be found at Amazon for Kindle and in Print.

A career educator, Susan Coryell has taught students from 7th grade through college-level. She earned a BA degree in English from Carson-Newman College and a Masters from George Mason University. She is listed in several different volumes of Who’s Who in Education and Who’s Who in Teaching.  Coryell belongs to Author’s Guild, Virginia Writers, and Lake Writers. She loves to talk with budding writers at schools, writers’ conferences and workshops. Her young adult anti-bully novel EAGLEBAIT is in its third edition for print and e-book, updated with cyber-bullying. EAGLEBAIT won the NY Public Library's "Books for the Teen Age," and the International Reading Association's "Young Adult Choice."

A RED, RED ROSE, first in a cozy mystery/Southern Gothic series, was nominated for a literary award with the Library of Virginia. BENEATH THE STONES, the sequel, was released in April of 2015. NOBODY KNOWS, the final novel in the Overhome Trilogy was published October, 2016. All three volumes of the Trilogy were published by The Wild Rose Press (NY).

The author has long been interested in concerns about culture and society in the South, where hard-felt, long-held feelings battle with modern ideas.  The ghosts slipped in, to her surprise. Also published by TWRP, A MURDER OF PRINCIPLE released March 12, 2018.

All novels are available at Amazon, B&N and all on-line bookstores.

When not writing, Ms. Coryell enjoys boating, kayaking, golf and yoga. She and her husband, Ned, love to travel, especially when any of their seven grandchildren are involved.

Find out more by visiting Susan's Website and Blog, Facebook Page, Amazon Page and connecting with her on Twitter @SCoryellAuthor.

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

Until next time, take care and God bless.
PamT

#ThursdayThoughts with Carolyn Rae

Good Morning!

As you well know, it is always a pleasure to bring to your attention a new-to-me author. I met Carolyn Rae in Oklahoma @ the OKRWA workshop with Donald Maass so please give her a great big welcome!

HELPING OUT

While I can’t fight hunger in third world countries, I can help feed the hungry near home. I volunteer each month to help the Tarrant County Mobile Food Pantry, when it brings food to the parking lot of my church. People who live in Hurst, Euless, or Bedford, Texas, can sign up to get fresh food. The offerings include potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, onions, tomatoes, cantaloupes, bread, cheese, some type of meat, and even candy.

Those who come can fill up boxes in shopping carts with food, and volunteers help people load the boxes into their cars.

Even though I keep my brain busy with writing novels, I also volunteer to tutor school children once a week. Some are also learning English as a second language. Tutoring helps me keep my math, history, sociology, and geology skills current. I even helped a seventh grader with questions about credit and debit cards. It amazes me that they teach kids subjects in lower grades that used to be kept until later in their schooling. Perhaps kids are smarter than we give them credit for.

Although I write novels to entertain readers, I find volunteering helps me feel like I am making the world a better place.

Carolyn Rae (a/k/a Carolyn Rae Williamson) Her passion is writing romantic suspense and delving into the minds of stalkers, bombers, and terrorists that threaten the course of true love. Her profile and travel articles have appeared in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Dallas Morning News, Positive Parenting, AAA World, Hawaii and Alaska, and Romance Writer’s Report.

Along with her novels, she wrote the text of There IS Life After Lettuce (Eakin Press), a cookbook for heart patients and diabetics, and has a master’s degree in home economics.  She has worked as a teacher in a federal prison, done research for a mincemeat company, and worked as a paralegal for several attorneys.

Find our more by visiting Carolyn's website and Facebook page.

Carolyn normally writes hot, steamy romance, however her book, Holiday with a Prince a sweet romance, is available at Amazon.

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

Until next time, take care and God Bless.
PamT

#TuesdayTreasures Guest post by Tyndale author Courtney Walsh

Good Morning!

It is always a pleasure to introduce to you a new-to-me and my blog author and today is no exception.

Courtney Walsh is a novelist, artist, theatre director, and playwright. Just Let Go will be her eighth inspirational romance novel. Her debut, A Sweethaven Summer, hit the New York Times and USA Today e-book bestseller lists and was a Carol Award finalist in the debut author category. 

A creative at heart, Courtney has also written two craft books and several full-length musicals. She lives in Illinois with her husband and three children. Visit her online at www.courtneywalshwrites.com or http://courtneywalshwrites.com/blog


Welcome, Courtney! We're looking forward to hearing about something you treasure so take it away....

For the Love of Words

For as long as I can remember I’ve been a lover of words. More than that, I’ve been a collector of words. The day after I saw Dead Poets Society in the eighth grade, I ran out and bought a composition notebook and filled it with quotes from the movie. That notebook became the holder of every quote I ran across that sparked a reaction in me. And I still have it (and several others like it) today: 

Hidden in the pages of these notebooks are my most precious thoughts along with the thoughts and quotes of other people, and leafing through them brings much-needed perspective.  

Years later, my love affair with words continued. I spent many years working in the scrapbooking industry, creating pages to preserve our family’s memories. Scrapbooking was a fun creative outlet, and I loved taking photos and playing with paper . . . but it was the stories I could tell on those pages that kept me glued to that hobby for so long.

I always maintained that the photo, without the words, lost something. And I still believe that. It was the words that brought the pictures to life. And these days, though I’m not scrapbooking anymore, it’s still words that bring life to my life.

I suppose it’s not very original for an author to say she’s chosen to fill her home and her life with words and quotes and verses. After all, most days, I can’t keep up with the phrases that float through my mind. I’ll be sitting in the Starbucks drive-thru and a description of the man in front of me will race through my head. I’ll think, I could use that in a book, and scramble to find a pen to jot it down before the phrase disappears.

I think somehow, instinctively, I’ve always known there is power in our words. I’ve always thought I wanted to surround myself with things that filled me up, that filled my family up. I believe that what we meditate on determines our whole outlook on life, so it makes sense that we should fill our homes with these treasured reminders.

Sometimes I’m drawn to sayings or song lyrics, and other times, just one simple word. Like home. 

Really, that one word says so much.

 

So I fill my house (and my life) with words. They show my personality, which is sometimes a little messy: 

                                                         But still quite detailed

They remind me of what’s important: 

And send me (and my kids) off every morning with a proper focus:

One of my favorite writing quotes is “Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart,” and I suppose that’s what words are for me—the breathings of my heart.

And this haphazard collection is one of my favorite treasures.

What a wonderful reminder, Courtney, of the power and treasure of words. Thanks for sharing!

Now tell us about your latest novel, Just Let Go....

For Quinn Collins, buying the flower shop in downtown Harbor Pointe fulfills a childhood dream, but also gives her the chance to stick it to her mom, who owned the store before skipping town twenty years ago and never looking back. Completing much-needed renovations, however, while also competing for a prestigious flower competition with her mother as the head judge, soon has Quinn in over her head. Not that she’d ever ask for help.

Luckily, she may not need to. Quinn’s father and his meddling friends find the perfect solution in notorious Olympic skier Grady Benson, who had only planned on passing through the old-fashioned lakeside town. But when a heated confrontation leads to property damage, helping Quinn as a community-service sentence seems like the quickest way out—and the best way to avoid more negative press.

Quinn finds Grady reckless and entitled; he thinks she’s uptight and too regimented. Yet as the two begin to hammer and saw, Quinn sees glimpses of the vulnerability behind the bravado, and Grady learns from her passion and determination, qualities he seems to have lost along the way. But when a well-intentioned omission has devastating consequences, Grady finds himself cast out of town—and Quinn’s life—possibly forever. Forced to face the hurt holding her back, Quinn must finally let go or risk missing out on the adventure of a lifetime.

Includes discussion questions and can be found at Tyndale!

Thanks again, Courtney. Wishing you the best of luck and God's blessings with your new book!

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

Until next time, take care and God bless.
PamT