Saturday Spotlight - The Visionary!

Hello Friends,

You may find it odd that I'm spotlighting one of my own titles, but hey....if I don't tell you about them, who will? LOL!

Seriously, I decided to give you a sneak peak at one of my books or stories every month!

This week, I'm sharing The Visionary with you because it is FREE! on Kindle Select Tomorrow (3/31) and Monday (April 1st).... No Fooling!

A visionary is someone who sees into the future Taylor Forrestier sees into the past but only as it pertains to her work. Hailed by her peers as “a visionary with an instinct for beauty and an eye for the unique” Taylor is undoubtedly a brilliant architect and gifted designer. But she and twin brother Trevor, share more than a successful business. The two share a childhood wrought with lies and deceit and the kind of abuse that’s disgustingly prevalent in today’s society.  Can the love of God and the awesome healing power of His grace and mercy free the twins from their past and open their hearts to the good plan and the future He has for their lives?  Find out in…The Visionary ~ Where the awesome power of God's love heals the most wounded of souls.

EXCERPT: 

The house, a mere box of a building, seemed sturdy despite its state of disrepair and years of neglect. Taylor fished in her pocket for a piece of charcoal and began to sketch the structure. When Alex spoke of changes and additions, she forced her mind off the way his voice feathered over her and added to the drawings. She flipped to a fresh page and drew the wallpaper pattern then found a spot where it had pulled away from the wall. She took a penknife out of her pocket, slid the blade under the paper and carefully cut a section and placed the piece in the book along with her sketch. A mental list of companies which specialized in the reproduction of old wallpaper and paneling patterns became notations alongside the sketch and sample.

She listened when Trevor noted aloud the quality of wood that could be restored or repaired to maintain the integrity of the original house. When he and Alex went outside she stayed in to examine walls and floors. She took notes of the hand-carved trim work, antique cook stove, and pot-bellied wood stove, but her mind continued to circle around the sound of Alex’s voice and the light in his eyes when he looked at her.

She had no idea why he affected her so and welcomed the moments alone to focus on the job at hand. Her mind traveled back a few hours to her jog around the Civic Center, and she recalled with vivid clarity the moment she had passed by the bench where he sat. Their eyes had met for only a brief moment but she’d felt the warmth of his gaze clear to her toes. No one had ever touched her heart, much less jumbled her mind, with a simple gaze or smile.

She shook her head with a sigh and picked her way carefully up the ragged stairs, then stepped into what was once a loft or attic. The house reeked of history, from cypress-covered exterior walls and interior walls of bare wood, to the hardwood floors made of oak, the boxed staircase, and the wooden shutters with crosses carved out of the center.

Taylor knew the cuts were used to slip a gun barrel through in order to protect the property and family. Though a bit of a struggle, she managed to open one window and shutter. Sunlight filtered in to chase shadows from the room.

A glimpse of splendor, a glimmer of brilliance caught her eye, like fairy dust dancing on sunlight. She turned her head with caution when a pulse at the base of her skull began to throb and familiar vibrations stole over her. She lowered herself to the floor and let the sensations envelop her. Her eyesight blurred, fingers trembled and heartbeat quickened while her mind swam with images. Visions guided her hand until she filled the remainder of the sketchbook.

The Visionary is also available in Hardcover @ Amazon or Barnes & Noble - OR you can get an autographed copy directly from me! Email for details.

Well I hope you've enjoyed this spotlight - check back next week for more Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight!

PamT

Holy Thursday

Well Good Morning Friends!

I pray ALL is well in your neck of the woods. Busy day in a busy week well in a busy life LOL!

The Wordsmith Journal Magazine is due out on April 1st so I'm working a little each day to get it together so there is not so much to do on the 31st. On top of that, we have Good Friday and my granddaughter's birthday party on Saturday and of course Easter Sunday - whew!

For those who believe and for denominations that practice, this is Holy Thursday - the night of our Lord's last supper. A time when many churches reenact the washing of feet and have veneration of the cross.

I was raised in the Catholic Church and I appreciate these gestures to identify with Jesus's actions the night HE was betrayed.

Oh how much we can learn from HIM!

I mean, think about it....would YOU wash the feet of your loved ones much less your enemy?

We may not literally "wash feet" but as Max Lucado said in his book, Just Like Jesus "relationships don't thrive because the guilty are punished but because the innocent are merciful."

To whom can you show mercy on this Holy Thursday?

Something to think about!

"Inspirational with an Edge!" (tm)

Tuesday Treasure - Miracles and Dreams by Mary Manners!

Hello and Good Morning!

Since The Wordsmith Journal Magazine is due out April 1st - the last week of the month is always crazy busy so today I invited one of my dear friends, Mary Manners to talk about her newest release, Miracles and Dreams (book 3 in her Miracles at Mills Landing series). 

So without much further ado, here's Mary.....

Mary Manners is an award-winning romance writer who lives in the beautiful foothills of East Tennessee with her husband Tim and the cherished cats they've rescued from local animal shelters...Lucky and Gus.

Mary’s debut novel, Mended Heart, was nominated Best Inspirational Romance 2010, and was finalist for the Bookseller’s Best Award and her follow-up, Tender Mercies, was awarded an outstanding 4 ½ star rating from The Romantic Times Book Reviews and was also a finalist for the Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Buried Treasures, her third novel, was named Book of the Year by The Wordsmith Journal. Light the Fire, her fourth novel, took top honors for the 2012 Inspirational Readers Choice

Award. Mary was named Author of the Year by Book and Trailer Showcase. She writes

romances of all lengths, from short stories to novels—something for everyone.

Learn more about Mary Manners at her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com and

at her author pages at http://www.pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/ and www.Amazon.com

Jack Seaton moves mountains, literally, as he develops commercial property along the West Coast. But not a day goes by that he doesn’t think of Misty Larsen and the carefree love they once shared. He thought they’d end up married, but his job—and five thousand miles—got in the way. He’s sure she’s moved on and found a new man to love...Until he unexpectedly receives a letter Misty wrote the day he left Mill’s Landing nearly six years ago. Jack is shocked to learn Misty was pregnant with his child—a child that must be in kindergarten by now.

Misty Larsen is determined to give her daughter a good life. She’s put a business-management degree to use by spearheading an online Web-design agency. Misty’s hectic schedule gives her little time to reminisce about Jack Seaton, the man who stole her heart. But when Jack storms Misty’s doorstep one thunder-filled afternoon, clutching her letter in his hand, the past bubbles up and spills over to merge their lives once again.

EXCERPT:

Soda spewed from Jack’s mouth and backwashed to his nose, setting his sinuses on fire. He coughed, sputtered, and waited for the rush of optic stars to clear. Maybe he’d read wrong. Maybe he was hallucinating—the stress was finally getting to him. Or maybe Mike was in the wings, pranking him.

Mike liked a good joke as much as the next guy…but not like this. Uh uh. Jack found the words once more.

You’re going to be a daddy...

His fingers gripped the letter like a vice. Suddenly the room sweltered, despite a nip of early-spring breeze that whispered through the open window above the sink. He struggled to breathe as he continued to scan the print.

I know this is a huge shock…something neither one of us expected. But it’s a blessing, too. I know you love me, and I love you, Jack—so much that sometimes I wake up just aching inside with the thought of you. We’ve been together our whole lives, and I’ve missed you this week. It’s made me realize what’s most important.

You asked me to marry you, and my answer is yes. I want to be your wife, Jack. I hope you still feel the same.

No matter what I said about never leaving Mill’s Landing, about not moving to California, this changes everything. It’s not just about me anymore—or you. I’m sure now that my place, and our child’s place, is with you—forever and wherever that may be.

Let’s talk this out. Please, before you leave. We have to make this right for the baby—for us.

Meet me at the Landing, beneath the willows, at six. I’ll be waiting for you.

I love you, Jack.

Misty

The room began to sway, and the letter slipped from Jack’s fingers as he grabbed the edge of the table to steady himself. Suddenly, he’d tumbled from a cliff, strapped into a construction truck. The truck spun and crashed along rocks to a bottomless crevasse. His gut clenched, and the sandwich threatened to come back up, bringing the soda with it. Jack stumbled to the sink, the room listing. Chills crawled across his skin, and sweat dampened the small of his back.

You’re going to be a daddy…

The words echoed like a tsunami through his head. Jack thought of the date on Misty’s letter. Almost seven years ago…

No, I am a daddy. Unless something happened after I left. Unless…

Miracles and Dreams is available now for only $2.99!

I certainly hope you enjoyed this Tuesday Treasure - check back for Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight!

Until later.... take care, God Bless and Remember.....What you believe in your heart & confess with your mouth you create in your life!

 

Saturday Spotlight - Patty Froese!

Good Morning Friends and welcome to another edition of Saturday Spotlight!

Today our guest is friend and fellow PBG author, Patty Froese with her newest release, Eye of the Beholder.

Tricia Hunter was an extraordinary beauty…before a horrible bus accident left her irreparably scarred. In an effort to accept the things she cannot change, she heads to her uncle’s cabin for some time alone.

Forest ranger Jesse Reynolds recognizes Tricia the minute he sees her, but nothing flickers in her eyes. That’s fine by him. The same accident that stole her good looks killed his fiance, and he simply can’t bring himself to feel sorry for Tricia like everyone else in her life seems to do.

Thrown together in the autumn woods, they are faced with the past, an uncertain future, and a struggle to find out why God allows terrible things to happen.


Excerpt:

He turned abruptly back towards the door. “Take care. Winter comes early some years. Like I said, I’ll be around.”

Tricia nodded, attempting to appear more confident than she felt.

“Oh.” Jesse placed his hand on the door knob. “Your uncle keeps an ax behind the door.”

“I have wood.” She nodded towards the pile next to the hearth. It must have been left over from whoever used the cabin the month before, along with the half bag of plastic cups sitting on the kitchen counter.
Jesse laughed out loud and shook his head. “You’ll need more than you’ve got there. The wood pile is behind the cabin, but you’ll need to chop it into smaller pieces.”

“How much do I need, exactly?” She eyed the ax uncertainly. Wood didn’t burn that quickly, did it? The idea of chopping wood sounded tedious. She turned towards Jesse with a smile, letting her eyes linger on his a little longer than necessary. The movement was one of habit, a learned behavior that used to get her what she wanted. “You wouldn’t want to give a girl a hand, would you…” She allowed her smile to sparkle in her eyes. “Jesse, was it?”

“That’s right. Jesse.” His tone was dry, and then an amused smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He rubbed one hand over his chin, the sound of his stubble against his palm rasping softly. “If I were you, I’d start chopping, Ms. Hunter.” He gave her a grin and dropped his hat back onto his head. “You’ve got time before dark.”

She sent him a tight smile and he met her gaze, his expression unreadable.

“Take care, now.” He pulled open the door and disappeared into the chilly morning.

As his footsteps clomped down the front steps, she let out a frustrated sigh. Once upon a time, a man would have stumbled over himself in his eagerness to chop wood for her.

She shut the door and leaned against it. Obviously, those days were over. A brilliant smile bought her nothing. A flirtatious laugh held the promise of something no one wanted any longer. Instead, she was left with the reminder that she had two legs and a back strong enough to chop wood. Try as she might to be a bigger person, it was annoying. She was no longer the woman she used to be, and, frankly, she didn’t have to like it.

You can purchase Eye of the Beholder directly from Pelican Book Group or Amazon!

Patty started writing seriously when she graduated from her degree in English Lit. She horrified her parents by quitting her full time job for a part time position, moving into a tiny dive of an apartment and writing like mad every spare minute. It paid off, and she produced her first published novel. Ten years later, she's married, has a child and is still pounding out novel after novel. She no longer starves.





Well Friends, hope you enjoyed this spotlight! Check back next week for more Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and of course another Saturday Spotlight!

Take care & God Bless!
PamT

Thursday Thoughts....

Good Morning Friends!

Not much going on in my mind today...getting on the road back to Louisiana after 3 weeks in Bandera. Taking the long, scenic route by way of Nacogodoches to see my son and pick up my grand-dog. We're babysitting him while TJ goes with his teams for competition!


Looking forward to visiting my family and friends and, the best part....going out dancing while at home then back up to Bandera for a while!

Oh well, that's my life in a nutshell. Hope you're having a Blessed day/week/month!

Until later take care, be Blessed and remember....when the going gets tough the tough go dancing ;-)
PamT

Tuesday Treasure - VBT Deanne Gist

Good Morning Friends,

Our Tuesday Treasure today is a book brought to you by Litfuse Publicity Group. So without further ado....here are the details!

Deeanne Gist’s E-Short Gives Readers a Peek Inside World’s Fair

Digital Short Story will be available from online retailers for 99 cents

Deeanne Gist fans won’t have to wait until the April 30 release of It Happened at the Fair to read her latest work! On March 19, readers will be able to purchase the e-short, Tempest in the White City, a 40-page short story prelude to It Happened at the Fair, for 99 cents from all online retailers. While the characters from the short story are not carried over into the full-length release, audiences will get a taste of the awe-inspiring backdrop of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair and will be anxious to spend more time exploring the exhibition.  

In true Gist form, Tempest in the White City combines her trademark humor with romance. Hunter Scott is one of the elite. A Chicago World’s Fair guard specifically chosen for his height, physique, character and ability to serve and protect. When Hunter is overcome with debilitating abdominal pain, he stumbles to an infirmary in the Fair’s Woman’s Building only to discover the doctor is female—which he is none too happy about. But even worse, she has the nerve to diagnose him—the toughest man west of anyplace east—with constipation.

The 1893 Chicago World’s Fair overflowed with the latest innovations welcomed by a throng of people from all around the globe. This setting replete with history, intrigue and wonder caught Gist’s attention and is sure to draw readers of both releases in as well. “I’m always drawn to events in our country’s past that are strangely absent from our history classes. Why the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition has been left out, I don’t know, especially since it was such a pivotal event for us,” explains Gist. “We were able to wow the world with our scientific innovations, and it gave women their first official board position recognized and approved by an Act of Congress (all before we had the right to vote). But it was technology which claimed the day as it nipped at the heels of horses, buggies and man-powered tools.”

In It Happened at the Fair, young inventor Cullen McNamara gambles everything, including the family farm, in order to make his family proud—and earn his father’s entry money to the Fair Expo back—by selling his design for an automatic sprinkler system inspired by his mother’s death in a mill fire. Struggling with hearing loss from his previous life on the farm, McNamara finds it difficult to communicate with potential buyers over the din in the Fair’s Machinery Building. In an act of desperation, he hires attractive Della Wentworth, a teacher of the deaf, to tutor him in the art of lip-reading. Much like the newly invented Ferris Wheel, Cullen is caught in a whirl between his girl back home, his dreams as an inventor and his unexpected attraction to his new tutor. Can he keep his feet on the ground or will he be carried away?

Another date that fans will want to mark on their calendars is May 22, 2013, at 8:00 PM EST. Gist will be hosting a webcast event where she will be discussing more of the story behind It Happened at the Fair and answering reader questions. During the course of the evening, a number of prizes will be given away to those participating in the discussion. More details will be available soon on the author’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/deesfriends, where the webcast will be hosted.

Readers can keep up with Deeanne Gist at her website IWantHerBook.com, as well as on Facebook (DeesFriends) andTwitter (@DeeanneGist).

Well friends, hope you've enjoyed this Tuesday Treasure. Until later take care & God Bless!
PamT

Saturday Spotlight - Kathryn Bain & Knight & Day

Good Morning and Welcome to this week's edition of Saturday Spotlight!

Today's guest is Kathryn Bain whose tagline is.... "Writing clean fiction with an Edge" with her book, Knight & Day.

Although Kathryn writes inspirational and clean fiction, she described this particular book as "secular with some off color humor." I haven't read the book but I sure like the title LOL!

We'll share the book details with you in a bit, but first a little about Kathryn.....

Kathryn J. Bain began writing more than ten years ago. Her first release "Breathless" came out January 13, 2012. Her novella “Game of Hearts” was released in March 2012 followed by her inspirational romantic suspense "Catch Your Breath".

She is the former President of Florida Sisters in Crime and Membership Director for Ancient City Romance Authors. She is currently the Public Relations Director for Ancient City Romance Authors.

To survive and pay bills, she has been a paralegal for over twenty years and works for an attorney who specializes in elder law.

She has two daughters and a dog named Gretchen. Her first grandchild is due in 2013.

Kathryn grew up in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. In 1981, she moved to Boise, but it apparently wasn't far enough south, because two years later she headed to Jacksonville, Florida and has lived in the sunshine ever since.

Find out more by visiting her WEBSITE. 

Now about that book.....

A name can mean a lot. You expect a Jasper to be the CEO of a company. Name your son Phineas, well, he might get beat up a lot. However if you chose to call your daughter Trubleh (True blay), you get what you ask for.

 Trubleh Lawrence makes a habit out of discovering dead bodies. When the police look to her as a suspect, she has no choice but to search for the killer. If that’s not bad enough she has to deal with a grandmother who has visions, a co-worker who makes the Wicked Witch of the West look like Shirley Temple, and a guy who constantly reminds her that celibacy is hard when a hot male's around.

Read the first chapter and/or purchase the book HERE!

Well friends, that wraps up another Saturday Spotlight. Stay tuned next week for more thoughts, treasures and another great author and book!

PamT

Thursday Thoughts - Practicing HIS Presence

Good Morning Friends!

I'm still reading Just Like Jesus by Max Lucado and chapter five is titled, "Being Led by an Unseen Hand... A God-Intoxicated Heart" in which Max talks about how Jesus was in constant communion with the Father. He also mentions Frank Laubach whose journal chronicled his experiment to be in "continuous inner conversation with God."

Isn't this the goal of us all?

There are other books out there that chronicle day by day communication with God.... God Calling and Jesus Calling are two I can think of right off.

But how do we, busy as we are with all of the distractions of our modern world achieve such a feat - especially if we are not members of the clergy or spouses of clergy?

How do we practice HIS presence, and if we figure that out, would God become so real to us that an hour in His presence would leave us feeling fresh and new and unencumbered?

I've wondered this and even attempted to call HIM to mind often throughout the day, to acknowledge HIM and to feel His presence.

I wish I could say my attempts had miraculous results -- they haven't.

But this is one thing I desire most - to know HIM so intimately that every thought, word and deed is a reflection of His presence in my life -- in me.

So I'll keep trying, keep pressing on to the high calling of Christ Jesus and who knows, maybe one day I'll be able to share my experience with the world!

Until later....take care, God Bless and remember.....when you expect miracles, miracles happen!
 PamT

Tuesday Treasure - Silver Spur Guest Ranch, Bandera, TX

Good Morning Friends!

Today's treasure is not a book or product, but a place.

If you've followed my blog you've heard about this place before but please indulge me and let me share with my new friends the awesomeness of God in leading me back to Bandera and to the Silver Spur Guest Ranch.

As a child I went with my grandparents to Bandera to visit with their long-time friend whom I called Aunt Ellen on her ranch. The photos I have are dated April 1966 which puts me a month shy of five years old but the impression of that place on my young heart stayed with me forever.

At four years old I never dreamed I'd grow up to be a writer. When I wrote my Tempered series it only made sense to set my western romances on a ranch in TX...so...with a vivid imagination and a little research I set them in Bandera, the "Cowboy Capital of the World." Years passed and I only visited Bandera once, when Tempered Hearts was first published back in 2000/2001. I donated a book to the library and had a book signing. Though a quick, turn around trip, my husband and I had a lovely time.  Later I added a short story spin-off, Lori's Redemption.

                                                                                        

Fast forward to 2010 and The Wild Rose Press's "Saddle up and Write" retreat held in Bandera, TX at the Silver Spur Guest Ranch! Lost and unsettled after my husbands death in 2009 I jumped at the chance to go to the place I remembered with such fondness. Not only did I attend the writer's retreat, by the grace of God and the kindness of the ranch owners, Kay & Garry Walsmith, I returned to live and work at the Silver Spur for the better part of that year! I've remained friends with the Walsmiths and the SSR staff and have returned periodically to visit and to work.

I've said often that Bandera touched my heart as a child and changed my life as an adult. I mean who wouldn't feel that way looking at this scenery and that gorgeous sunset!

If you're ever out in the area or are looking for a great place to bring your family for vacation, check out Bandera, TX and the Silver Spur Guest Ranch!

The entire Tempered series is available on Kindle & Nook!

Until later...Take Care, God Bless and Remember....Sometimes God brings you full circle...

PamT

Saturday Spotlight - Irene Brown

Hello from Bandera, TX!

Today's guest is author Irene Brown with her book, Where Danger Danced  Book 2 in the Celia Landrey Mystery Series  (Love that title!)

Celia Landrey is guiding her last walking-tour of the season in historic Pass Creek. Myriad tasks await her attention, such as planning her wedding to handsome cowboy real estate agent, Jake Flagg. Discovery of Smoke Allenby’s bones wasn’t on the agenda. But there they are, turned up in the removal project of an old underground fuel tank at Jolly Hoffman’s service station. A situation Celia, town leader, can hardly ignore.

Before he abruptly disappeared 60 years previously, half the town was in love with the charismatic drifter named Smoke Allenby. Older folks in the community knew the charming lothario back then, but when it comes out that Allenby was murdered, they’re not talking. What secrets do they hide? Are they protecting one of their own? 


There are threats against Celia for her investigation but she’s determined to separate the innocent from the guilty and halt an eruption of serious trouble. She just wishes she knew whose skin she’s trying to save.

Where Danger Danced can be purchased at the following locations....

Amazon Kindle edition

Amazon paperback

Barnes&Noble paperback 

Barnes&Noble Nook book

Irene Bennett Brown was born in Topeka, Kansas but from the age of nine, Oregon’s Willamette Valley has been home. As a child in one-room schools where she was often the only student in her class, she read, reread, and lived vicariously books like HEIDI, CADDIE WOODLAWN, and LITTLE WOMEN. These books fueled her own dream to be a writer.
 
She believes that author William Least Heat Moon is surely correct when he says “our passions at age 12 will always be with us and indicate our intended career.” 
A writer who can’t not write, her novels include a historical series Women Of Paragon Springs from Five Star Publishing and reprinted by Riveredge Books: LONG ROAD TURNING, BLUE HORIZONS, NO OTHER PLACE, and REAP THE SOUTH WIND. A love story set in Oregon’s Hells Canyon, HAVEN, a single title, was also published by Five Star.

WHERE GABLE SLEPT, the first book in her Celia Landrey  mystery series, was published by Riveredge Books in 2010. The second book in the series, WHERE DANGER DANCED, was released in December 2012. Irene’s novels are available as Kindle and Nook ebooks and in trade paper. 
When not following her favorite pursuits, writing and reading, you’ll find Irene enjoying travel and exploring historic places with her husband, Bob, a retired research chemist, and spending time with their growing and busy family. She is a Member of Western Writers of America, Authors Guild,Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. 

Find out more by visiting her website.

Well Folks, hope you've enjoyed this spotlight - stay tuned next week for more Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and another Saturday Spotlight!

Until later... Take Care, God Bless and Remember....When the going gets tough, the tough go dancing!

Pamela S Thibodeaux
"Inspirational with an Edge!" (tm)

Thursday Thoughts.....

Good Morning Friends!

Kinda hard to pin-point my thoughts this morning. I woke to a beautiful sunrise and a disappointing phone call.

I just don't understand people at all.....

How can someone who professes to be a Christian appear so sweet and supportive but turn around and stab you in the back?

Now, God forbid I appear as judge, jury and executioner - heaven knows I'm not perfect! But I strive to be honest and upfront in all of my dealings.

When I give my heart, I don't give it lightly. When I say I'm going to do something I make my best effort to follow through. Granted, life has a tendency to get in the way of our best intentions...but I try.

But to blatantly misrepresent yourself, to deliberately lie or cheat or steal.... How? Why? What's the point? And to call yourself a Christian while performing such un-Christian-like acts....

I know, I know, I've done so in the past - the devil is steadily reeling out the film of the mistakes I've made so please know this post is not to point fingers!

I understand satan uses people, good people, to try and thwart God's plan be we should be conscious and aware when he is trying to use us... As the Bible puts it... "Be sober and vigilant because the adversary roams about like a lion seeking whom he may destroy...."

God forgive us for we know not what we do....

Something to think about friends!

Until later...take care, God Bless and remember...Excellence, Integrity and above all LOVE will get you farther in life than silver and gold!

"Inspirational with an Edge!" (tm)

Tuesday Treasures - Artsonia

Good Morning Friends and what a Blessed Day it is!

Today's Tuesday Treasure is a place I discovered when my eight-year-old granddaughter's artwork was submitted for publication!

Artsonia is an online art gallery where children have a place to share their artwork with others around the world. They can also purchase items with their artwork on it - and the funds go to help support the art programs at their school!

When I questioned Bryanna's art teacher, Ms. Blanchard, she said she chooses artwork based on craftsmanship and creativity.

Yeah isn't that wonderful!?

I'd like to share Bryanna's piece "Owl with a Vowel" with you and encourage you to check it out as well as other young artists' publications.

You can bet your bottom dollar I'll be buying items with this on it because something created by your child or grandchild is certainly a treasure to behold!

Well I certainly hope you enjoy today's Tuesday's Treasure. Check back next week for another special book or product or place I treasure. And don't forget Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight!

Until later....Take care, God Bless and remember.....when you expect miracles, miracles happen!
 Pamela S Thibodeaux
"Inspirational with an Edge!" (tm)

Saturday Spotlight - Linda Duff!

Good Morning Friends and Welcome to another edition of Saturday Spotlight!

I'm off to speak at the Bayou Writers Group meeting today so if you're in Lake Charles, come join us @ 411 Pujo (Carnegie Memorial Library) from 10a - 12 noon then afterward for lunch @ Ryan's Steak House!

Today's guest is Linda Duff with her book, Sharecropping in North Louisiana.

A family’s history lives and dies according to the dedication of its storyteller. Author Lillian Laird Duff is one such historian, and with the encouragement and help of her daughter Linda Duff Niemeir, the stories of this sharecropper’s daughter will spark in readers the desire to keep their own family histories alive.

Sharecropping in North Louisiana is the true story of the hardship Lillian’s family faced during the Great Depression and World War II.  The word-pictures Lillian paints are vivid and will bring to life for readers a time when people were forced to get by with what they had.  It will also leave readers hungry for a home-cooked meal, as Lillian recalls food preparation on the farm with such richness and delight that you can almost smell the smoked pork and taste the homemade ice cream and butter.

Join Linda in listening to her mother’s stories once more.

Audio Book of This Title also Available from Tate Publishing & Enterprises. It is also available from Amazon in Ebook & Print and @ Barnes and Noble!

Linda is retired from her position with the State of Arkansas and lives in Camden, AR, with her husband, Gilbert, who is also retired.  They enjoy traveling, spending time with family and riding their Volkswagen trike to Christian Motorcycle rallies. Between them they have three children, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Lillian, a widow and former resident of Camden, AR, lives with her younger daughter in Bastrop, La. She enjoys gardening and shares her flowers and vegetables with friends and neighbors.  She has also written over 20 Christian hymns. If you are interested in this book or having the authors present a program to your group or club, you can email Linda at lniemeir@yahoo.com or find her on facebook by her name or book title.    

Hope you've enjoyed today's spotlight. Stay tuned next week for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and another Saturday Spotlight!

Until later....take care, God Bless and remember....Let love be the driving force by which you live, breath, move & act

Pamela S Thibodeaux
"Inspirational with an Edge!" (tm)