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DISCLAIMER:

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

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

#WednesdayWordswithFriends welcomes Karen Malley @KarenLMalley !

Good Morning,

Well, the house is gone and I am two steps closer to finalizing my mom and dad's estate. 

Bittersweet relief. 

Please give today's guest, Karen Malley a huge, warm, W-E-L-C-O-M-E!!!

Thank you for having me back again, Pam!

A few years ago, I was talking with a coworker who I knew to be an avid reader. When I mentioned writing my first book, he told me “you should write a series.” At the time, I didn’t think much of it, but when I came to the end of Following the Sparrows, I knew he was right. I had so much fun writing about the characters and the town of Pine Springs, I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. There were other characters with stories to tell, so I took his advice and a series was born.

            Since that conversation, I have now written three books in the series, along with a free prequel. This month, book two, A Second Chance for Grace, releases. I’ve enjoyed exploring the secondary characters who first showed their faces in the first book.

            Here’s a little bit about it: 

A new life coming into the world disrupts Susan's quiet life ...


Susan Montgomery is used to a quiet, peaceful life managing her apartment building, where the hardest problem is her grouchy neighbor's leaky faucet. She soon finds herself dealing with a pregnant teenage niece, a mysterious briefcase left behind by a tenant, and two very different men vying for her heart.


A near-death experience gives Mac a new outlook on life ...


Christopher "Mac" MacAllister is trying to figure out how to "do the Christian thing." As a new convert, he's drawn to Susan's love for life and for God. She's nothing like the women he used to date; but can Mac compete with the guy who's come out of nowhere and knows all the right things to say?

It may be obvious from the title, but the book is all about second chances. We serve a God who specializes in second chances. Moses murdered an Egyptian and ran away to the wilderness, and when God came to recruit him, he asked God to send someone else, yet God used him to lead his people out of slavery. David committed adultery and had the woman’s husband murdered to cover up the resulting pregnancy, but God made him a mighty king of Israel. Peter spent three years of his life swearing his allegiance to Jesus, but in His time of need denied knowing the Lord. Jesus restored him and used him to draw thousand of Jewish people to Christ. Paul persecuted Christians and dragged them off to prison, but God changed his heart and he became the greatest missionary of all time. God used each of these men mightily by lifting them out of their sins. They became heroes of the faith. He can do the same for us if we open our hearts to His leading.

Personally, I’m encouraged God chose to record the mistakes made by the heroes of the faith because it means he can use even me. Maybe not to lead people out of slavery, be a king, or start dozens of churches, but I’m hopeful He uses my words to encourage others.

If you’re interested in reading about second chances, love, friendship, betrayal, and mystery, give A Second Chance for Grace a try!

Karen lives in Southeastern Pennsylvania with her husband and two sons. She works full time as a scientist, but enjoys writing in her spare time whenever she can find some! When not writing (with her left hand), she enjoys baking, volunteering at her church, camping, hiking, playing board games, and reading. She loves reading faith-based stories, because we can all use a happy ending.

Find out more about Karen by visiting her Website and connecting with her on Twitter, FaceBook, GoodReads and BookBub.

Get your copy of A Second Chance for Grace at Amazon and where other great Christian fiction is sold.

Thank you so much, Karen for visiting with us today. A Second Chance for Grace sounds like a wonderful read and we certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with it and all of your writings!

Hope you enjoyed today's post as much as I did, Friends and that you'll stop by weekly for another edition of Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time, take care and God bless.

PamT

Saturday, April 24, 2021

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Colleen L Donnelly & Letters and Lies!

Good Morning!

Today's guest is brand new to our blog so please welcome Colleen L Donnelly with her novel, Letters and Lies! Take it away Colleen.....

Louise Archer boards a westbound train in St. Louis to find the Kansas homesteader who wooed and proposed to her by correspondence, then jilted her by telegram – Don't come, I can't marry you. Giving a false name to hide her humiliation, her lie backfires when a marshal interferes and offers her his seat.

Marshal Everett McCloud intends to verify the woman coming to marry his homesteading friend is suitable. At the St. Louis train station, his plan detours when he offers his seat to a captivating woman whose name thankfully isn't Louise Archer.

Everett's plans thwart hers, until he begins to resemble the man she came west to find, and she the woman meant to marry his friend.

EXCERPT: 

“He wrote and changed your plans? Why didn’t you tell me? You know I love hearing his letters.”

Everyone loved hearing his letters. Or at least they’d pretended to. I glanced at my friends, especially the one who’d first suggested I correspond with her husband’s homesteading friend in Kansas who was ready to look for a wife. She dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief while she flicked the fingers of her other hand in a weak wave. I dredged my soul in search of a smile. The man she’d introduced me to truly had penned everything I’d ever wanted in a husband, months of letters which convinced Mama Jim was my open door. Letters I’d foolishly carted from family to friend to blather every word like a desperate spinster. Drat.

“He didn’t send his change of plans in a letter, Mama. He sent them in a telegram.” Don’t come, I can’t marry you. The only words I never shared.  

“Well I imagine your Jim has a surprise for you and didn’t have time to send a letter before you left for Crooked Creek. How thoughtful to wire you instead.” 

Thoughtful…I felt poisoned and Mama would too if she ever found out Jim had shut my open door. Which she wouldn’t, since as soon as I got out there and found him, I’d wedge it back open again. 


Born and raised in the Midwest, Colleen studied and worked in science, using that career to travel and explore other parts of the country. An avid fan of literature, both reading and writing, she loves tales involving moral dilemmas and the choices people come up against. A lover of the outdoors as well as a comfy living room, Colleen is always searching inside and out for the next good story.

Connect with Colleen by visiting here Website, on Facebook, GoodReads and BookBub

Get your copy of Letters and Lies at the following locations:

Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/3aXuMCl 

Oh my goodness, Colleen, my heart broke for Louise but I admire her tenacity in traveling to Kansas to find Everett and find out what's going on! I hope they find their HEA!

Hope you enjoyed the spotlight friends and that you'll check back weekly for another edition of Saturday Spotlight and Wednesday Words with Friends.

Until next time,take care and God Bless.

PamT



Wednesday, April 21, 2021

#WednesdayWordswithFriends welcomes ME with a #CoverReveal

Good Morning Friends,

If you are signed up to receive my newsletter some of this information will be redundant for you but, thanks for visiting anyway.

A lot has happened since my last post. We've completed our Lenten season and I must say I've rediscovered my first love ~ Jesus ~ and my life is full of surprises and growth! God and His promises are becoming more and more real to me every day.

I went to my son's house in Nacogdoches, TX to help take care of his animals while he took his SFA dance and cheer teems to competition in Florida. I came home with about 2K words on my current WIP and he came home with 2 First and 3 Second place national championships!

I have a contract on my mom and dad's home. We're supposed to close at the end of this month then I'll be able to put all that behind me and move forward. It's never easy to go through your parent's things and get rid of their home, but life goes on and we have to let go of something to receive new from God.

Tempered Truth has been out for a month and I've already had one avid reader review the book and ask for a sequel LOL! That idea is definitely on the back burner but will come to pass sometime in the not-too-distant future. Meanwhile....

I've put my WF novels together into a collection titled: Love's Overcoming Power. Here is the blurb....

Temptation, Abuse, Grief and Doubt are plagues common to women all over the world. In John, 16 Jesus said…. In the world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.

In this Women's Fiction collection comprised of three full-length novels and one novella, Pamela S Thibodeaux shares stories that exemplify the power of God's love to overcome whatever situations life throws at you. 

Includes: The Visionary, Circles of Fate, My Heart Weeps and Keri's Christmas Wish.

This will be available in Ebook only (much like the Tempered series bundle) sometime this Summer, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on the cover.


Please leave a comment and/or suggestion about the cover for Love's Overcoming Power - I'm not too sure about the text color and appreciate your opinion, help and insight. Once this book is up, Kyleigh's Cowboy is next, hopefully sometime later this year.

If you're a regular visitor here, you'll notice the Western Fiction Romance Bookish Event by NN Light's Book Heaven in the sidebar. If you LOVE Western Romances, check out the books featured and enter to win an Amazon gift card!

Well, Friends, not much else to talk about today. I hope you enjoyed the post and will return weekly for Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time, take care and God bless.
PamT



Saturday, April 17, 2021

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Alina K Field @AlinaKField and Storm & Shelter!

Good Morning,

I'm about tired of the rain, let me tell you! It has rained every day this week and the weather app changed from sunshine through Thursday to cloudy - UGH. My Newsletter went out Thursday. If you haven't signed up for it, please consider doing so. Tempered Truth is a month old now. If you've read the book, please consider leaving a review - THANKS!

Today's guest has visited before, so please welcome Alina K Field with her latest release, Storm & Shelter. Take it away Alina....

The year 2020 was awful in many ways, but there were some bright spots. For me, one of those was being invited by the Bluestocking Belles, a group of historical romance authors, to be one of the guest authors in their 2021 story collection. It was a unique experience, and a great deal of fun, interweaving our stories and characters into the collection's setting. All of the stories take place in the fictional Suffolk town of Fenwick on Sea during a "storm of the century". It is the first week of April 1815, and Napoleon Bonaparte has just escaped from Elba.

When this opportunity arose, I was in the middle of writing Fated Hearts, my Regency-set retelling of the Macbeth story. Since Fated Hearts was set in London in March 1815, in the middle of the Corn Riots, and in the week that ended with the arrival of news of Bonaparte's escape, the Storm & Shelter project gave me the perfect opportunity for a secondary character's romance.

Blurb for Storm & Shelter:

When a storm blows off the North Sea and slams into the village of Fenwick on Sea, the villagers prepare for the inevitable: shipwreck, flood, land slips, and stranded travelers. The Queen’s Barque Inn quickly fills with the injured, the devious, and the lonely—lords, ladies, and simple folk; spies, pirates, and smugglers all trapped together. Intrigue crackles through the village, and passion lights up the hotel.

One storm, eight authors, eight heartwarming novellas.

Blurb for The Comtesse of Midnight:

A Scottish Earl on a quest for the elusive Comtesse de Fontenay rescues a French lady smuggler from the surf during a devastating storm, and takes shelter with her. As the stormy night drags on, he suspects his companion knows the woman he’s seeking, the one who holds the secret to his identity.

Marielle Plessiers may dress like a boy and go out with the local free traders, but she’s really the Comtesse de Fontenay. She trades in spirits, not secrets, but the information she holds will change Malcolm Comyn’s life forever.

Excerpt:

The Scotsman, however, was dead on his feet. She could almost feel sorry for him. He was far from home, and had been traveling for several days. His neckcloth was limp, his cuffs soiled, his coat wrinkled. His boots, well and carefully crafted, if not by Hoby then by some equally fashionable bootmaker in Edinburgh, had not been properly polished in the last few days.

He’d shaved though, probably very early that morning, because a delicious dark stubble had sprouted along his strong jaws.

Did he have a razor in his interesting valise? She wouldn’t molest him, unless he thought to do the same to her. If it came to that, and she prayed that it wouldn’t, she would use her own blade and not some unfamiliar shaving instrument.

“Is this one of your imports?” he asked, swirling the amber liquid. “It’s very good.”

His words stirred her out of her imaginings about handsome young men, and she realized she must manage the conversation else she’d slip into sleep, or perhaps something more inconvenient, without thinking.

The Comte had always succumbed to sleep when they’d conversed, no matter the topic. She must soothe this fine-looking and very fatigued man the same way.

Outside, the thunderstorm had moved on, and the rain pounded in a comforting downpour. With the warm fire, and the heavy blankets, and the sleeping dog, it was quite cozy.

But what to talk about? Most certainly not the free trade. It would be far too diverting to put him to sleep, and besides she had no idea what he would do with the knowledge.

The countryside? She might slip and drop a hint about her home at Bloodmoor Hill.

She thought back to her time on the fringes of a London society that she’d found unbearably dull.

The weather.

“I am glad you are enjoying the brandy,” she said. “But I daresay you are not liking this weather. It is quite the worst storm in many seasons, people are saying. Normally at this time of year the sea has quietened.” A lie, of course, but how would he know?

He sipped his drink, eyeing her over the glass.

Oh. Given that it might remind him of her activities that evening and spark questions, the sea was an inappropriate topic, whether or not one was fudging a weather report. “Winters, however are generally mild.”

He yawned, and she went on, discussing the number of rainstorms in March and going back to February, and then January, and making up the story as she went along, until his eyes drooped and the empty glass fell into his lap and lodged itself next to his fall.

Warmth uncurled in her. His trousers were tight in the usual fashion for gentlemen, outlining masculine endowments that sparked her interest far too much. Retrieving the fallen tumbler was out of the question.

She set down her own glass and fought the urge to join him in slumber.



Storm & Shelter also includes novellas by Jude Knight, Carolyn Warfield, Sherry Ewing, Rue Allyn, Cerise DeLand, Mary Lancaster, and Grace Burrowes. 


Award winning and USA Today bestselling author Alina K. Field earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and German literature, but prefers the much happier world of romance fiction. Though her roots are in the Midwestern U.S., after six very, very, very cold years in Chicago, she moved to Southern California, where she shares a midcentury home with her husband and a spunky, blond rescued terrier. She is the author of several Regency romances, including the 2014 Book Buyer’s Best winner, Rosalyn’s Ring. Though hard at work on her next series of romantic adventures, she loves to hear from readers!

Website: https://alinakfield.com/ 

Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Alina-K.-Field/e/B00DZHWOKY

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alinakfield 

MeWe: https://mewe.com/i/alinakfield

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlinaKField

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/alina-k-field

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alinak.field/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7173518.Alina_K_Field

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/alinakf/

Newsletter signup: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z6q6e3

Great spotlight don't'cha think? I certainly enjoyed it. Thank You, Alina for sharing with us today. We wish you and the other authors involved in this anthology the best of luck and God's blessings.

Until next time, Friends, take care and God bless.

PamT

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

#WednesdayWordwithFriends welcomes Diana Rubino @DianaLRubino

Good Morning!

I am home. Returned from my son's house Monday afternoon and let me tell you, it's nice to go but it's always good to be home. I'm sure many of you understand and relate. No matter how much I love to travel and enjoy staying at my son's house and helping him out, I love being home too. I went to his house to help take care of his animals while he was in FL for national dance & cheer competitions. He came home with 3 1st place championships and 3 2nd place and I got a couple thousand words added to my current WIP. Great week!

Anyway, today's guest has visited before so please welcome Diana Rubino back as she shares some words with us on A Necessary End.....

Hello, readers. One hundred fifty-six years ago today, President Lincoln was shot in Ford’s Theater, in the back of the head by a deranged coward, John Wilkes Booth. I’ve been a Lincoln buff since childhood, and in 2006, I decided to combine my love of Lincoln and the paranormal. I began researching A NECESSARY END, my paranormal twist on Booth's insane plot to assassinate President Lincoln. It contains no fictional characters.  

Abraham Lincoln has fascinated me since I was eight years old. I don’t know what got me started, but it might’ve been a book which I still have titled The Life of Abraham Lincoln, Volume 1, written in 1895. When I was in 3rd grade, in the mid-60s (which shows how long I’ve been a Lincoln nut), my teacher asked us to bring a book to school from home, for a show & tell. My mother suggested I bring this Lincoln book, which even in 1966 was in bad shape—yellowed, stiffened strips of Scotch tape barely held the covers to the spine. With the wisdom of an 8-year-old that sadly, all of us outgrow, I demurred, saying, “This old book? She’ll think we’re poor!” My mother corrected me: “No, she’ll think we’re rich. Books like this are rare.” Then she proceeded to tape it up some more. Those 47-year-old Scotch tape fragments adhere to the book’s spine and pages to this day. My teacher, Miss Cohen, was duly impressed. I treasure that book to this day, and it’s one of many on my “Lincoln shelf” which holds books about our murdered president, his wife Mary, his assassin John Wilkes Booth and his family, the “Mad Booths of Maryland” and the conspirators who faced the gallows or years of hard labor because Booth, their charismatic leader, sucked these poor impressionable souls into his insane plot. 

After writing 8 historicals set in England and New York City, I wanted to indulge my passion for Lincoln-lore. I began researching in depth about Lincoln’s life, his presidency, his role in the Civil War, and Booth’s plans to first kidnap him, and then to assassinate him. A NECESSARY END combined two genres I’m passionate about—history and paranormal. I joined The Surratt Society, based in Maryland, and attended their conferences and tours. Through the Surratt Society I met several Lincoln/Booth/Civil War experts. One lady I’ll never forget meeting is Marjorie “Peg” Page, who claimed to be John Wilkes Booth’s great granddaughter. My trips to Lincoln's home and tomb in Springfield, Illinois, Gettysburg, Ford’s Theater, and the house he died in, Petersen House, brought me close to Mr. Lincoln’s spirit. My travels also acquainted me with Booth’s brother Edwin, the most famous actor of his time, and his unconventional family.  A recording of Edwin’s voice reciting Shakespeare on one of Edison’s wax cylinders still exists at  http://www.britannica.com/shakespeare/browse?browseId=248018 

Tragically, we’ll never hear Abraham Lincoln’s voice. But his spirit lives on. In my book, which is fiction--but we all know that novels are fictionalized truths--I gave Booth what was coming to him. He got his justice in real life, but in A NECESSARY END, he also got the paranormal twist he deserves.

And I enjoyed sticking it to him!

I paralleled the Shakespeare play Julius Caesar in this story because in the play, Caesar was known as a tyrant to the Senators, who feared losing their power, as Booth feared losing the Confederacy. Booth always considered Lincoln the tyrant, hence his proclamation ‘sic simper tyrannis’ (be it ever to tyrants) when he jumped to the stage after shooting Lincoln.

Caesar’s Senators, Brutus and Cassius among them, conspired to stab Caesar to death on an appointed day. Booth recruited a group of like-minded disciples to aid him in his insane plot, at first to kidnap Lincoln, then to kill him.

By day, Booth was a Confederate spy and courier, taking dangerous missions so that his beloved South could fight the North in the war that tore the nation in two. But in this story, an even darker secret plagues him–he believes he’s the reincarnation of Brutus, the man who slew the tyrant Caesar, and Booth’s destiny in this life is to murder the tyrant who’s ravaged the South—Abraham Lincoln. In obeying the spirit of Brutus, Booth devises a plot to assassinate the tyrant. 

I wrote it as a paranormal instead of a straight historical novel because spirituality was extremely popular in 1865 and all throughout Victorian times. Mary Lincoln was a staunch spiritualist. So stricken with grief after the deaths of her boys Willie and Eddie, she hired mediums such as Nettie Maynard to visit the White House and hold séances in attempts to contact her boys from beyond the grave. 

The extent of séances, table-tapping, Ouija boards, Tarot cards, and otherworldly activities in this era fit perfectly with the story I wanted to tell. We could never enter Booth’s head, but his insane behavior begs the question: was he truly haunted by a spirit who drove him to his heinous act that changed history forever?

Or was he simply insane? 

Excerpt:

“And I am Brutus, Marcus Brutus, I; Brutus, my country's friend; know me for Brutus!" Booth declared to the proud reflections in his three facing mirrors.

The center mirror clouded over. Puzzled, he leaned into it to peer closer. His reflection faded as if the mirror were clear glass, and another human form took shape, becoming sharper as the mist faded. He was astonished to be looking into the face of a man whose eyes bored into his, pinning him with an unnerving stare. Booth took a step back, glancing to the left, then to the right, but his own reflections were moving right along with him. He focused once more on the stranger in the center, the Roman nose giving the weathered features distinction. He’d seen this face before, but where? 

The head nodded and the hint of a pleased smile curled the thin lips. Without so much as a word, the figure faded into the mirror’s eternal depths, and Booth was once again looking at his own astonished face.

“Damn you! Who are you?” He pounded the mirror and it wavered, his image jerking back and forth with the moving glass.

Exasperated, he turned away.

“I’ll find out who you are if I die doing it.” He twirled around to face the mirror, seeing only his three perplexed reflections.

Visit my Website
Stop in at my Blog
Visit my Facebook Author Page
Follow me on Twitter

Purchase A NECESSARY END
http://mybook.to/Necessary

What an interesting premise for a book, Diana! We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with it.

Hope you enjoyed the post friends, and that you'll check back weekly for more Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time take care and God bless.

PamT

Saturday, April 10, 2021

#SaturdaySpotlight is on @BarbaraMBritton & Until June

Good Morning!

I'm still in Nacogdoches, TX with my grandson house sitting and taking care of son's dogs and ducks. He's had a wonderful young man come by daily to see about the duck pens and feed those outside, while I've been feeding the babies housed in his garage. Don't worry it's well ventilated. Anyway, two author friends of mine came for a few days (one M-W and the other T-F) and we did some writing. Which I'm happy with and hoping to maintain my momentum after I return home. I know, it's all a matter of prioritizing my writing again and not let any or every little thing get in the way of it.

Anyway, today's guest has visited before so please welcome Barbara Britton back with another peek into her book, Until June. Barbara is giving away a copy so please leave a comment along with your Email address to be included in the drawing.

Take it away, Barb.....

Many years ago, I was working on a Historical novel with a seventeen-year-old protagonist. A publishing insider quizzed me over lunch and said, “Why are you writing that? Historicals with young adults do not sell.” Well, a decade later, the manuscript did sell. The story is “Until June” and Josephine Nimetz and Geoff Chambers shed some light on the challenges veterans face after coming home from war.

The moral of the story is never delete old stories. They may have a life of their own someday.

Thanks for having me back on the blog, Pam.

Book blurb:

When seventeen-year-old seamstress, Josephine Nimetz, agrees to take care of a WWI amputee in a remote Alaskan lodge to escape the influenza of 1918, there’s enough friction to melt the Mendenhall Glacier. Her position is only until June, and it pays well enough to overlook the hardship of managing a rustic home and a shell-shocked veteran, Geoff Chambers.

Geoff makes it clear that he isn’t too fond of the “runt” sent to take care of his needs, nor of her painful mistakes. Dealing with a depressed and addicted amputee, pushes Josephine to the brink of leaving, if not for the money her salary brings.

But Josephine is a perfectionist, determined to get Geoff back on his feet—figuratively. Though, sending a rich, handsome veteran back into society may cost Josephine the man she has grown to love.

Excerpt:

“When’s our story due?” Geoff asked.

“Our? You mean my story.” She gripped the wooden bedpost. “And I didn’t say I was writing one. I’d be more than three weeks behind since Tubby was late with the mail.”

He tapped his fingers on the arm of his wheelchair. “You didn’t answer my question. When’s it due?”

How could she flee from his inquisition with his wheelchair blocking her escape? His chair was like a dislodged boulder on a narrow logging lane.

“The editors have to receive the story by January first. If I did enter, I probably wouldn’t win. I’m not a writer.” She placed the magazine on the nightstand. “Besides, my job is to take care of you.”

He threw his hands in the air. “I’m taken care of, see?” He lowered his hands from his head to where his legs ended. “I’m the picture of health until you get to my stubby legs.”

She held fast to her decision. “I’m not entering.”

“Open that magazine.” He pointed to the Companion. “Show me the illustration of the first story. That bachelor fellow.”

She flipped to the first serial. The black and white picture showed a man and woman standing together in a garden.

“What’s the man wearing?” he asked.

“A suit.”

“Is he taller than the woman?”

“Yes.”

“Handsome?” Geoff’s eyebrows peaked.

She didn’t answer.

Geoff waved his hand. “Flip to the next drawing.”

She fanned the pages to where the next story began.

He strained his neck to get a glimpse of the people. “What’s that man wearing?”

You just saw him. “A tuxedo.”

“Is he taller than the—”

“Yes.” She turned to the next illustration. What was his obsession with magazine models? “Aha! Here’s a man in work pants and a simple cotton shirt, pining next to the bed of a sick woman. We don’t know if he’s tall.” She showed Geoff the picture.

“That man’s legs are huge. Never missed a meal. I’ll bet he’s strong, yet sympathetic.”

“What does this have to do with my story?” She closed the magazine.

“I can’t be those men.”


Barbara M. Britton lives in Southeast Wisconsin and loves the snow—when it accumulates under three inches. She is published in Biblical Fiction and enjoys bringing little-known Bible characters to light in her stories. Barb ventures into Christian Historical Fiction with “Until June.” Barb is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Romance Writers of America, and Wisconsin Romance Writers of America. Barb has a nutrition degree from Baylor University but loves to dip healthy strawberries in chocolate. Find out more about Barb’s books at http://www.barbarambritton.com/books.html

 

Follow Barb on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads or BookBub

Get your copy of Until June at Amazon

I hope you enjoyed today's post friends and that you'll check back weekly for Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time take care and God Bless.

PamT

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

#WednesdayWordswithFriends welcomes Chris Fabry & A Piece of the Moon

Good Morning from Nacogdoches, TX!

Yep, I'm here house/dog/duck sitting while my son is in FL with his dance and cheer teams for National competition. It's been an eventful couple of days. Two of my friends came to do some writing and my grandson is here also while on Spring Break from school. I've picked up a WIP that I started writing last year during a writer's retreat here in Nac. Hopefully you'll have another book by year's end. We'll see, but enough about me!

Our guest today has shared Treasures and Words with us before so please welcome Mr. Fabry back with some information on his latest book, A Piece of the Moon....

1. Is there anything in our culture today that inspired this story and its themes?
The original catalyst was the story of Forrest Fenn, who hid a fortune somewhere in the Rocky Mountains and gave clues to its whereabouts in a poem. He said the reason he did that was to make people go out and enjoy nature. I took that idea and wondered what would happen if a quirky, rich fellow hid a fortune with the desire to encourage people to read the Bible. That prospect engaged me as a fiction writer.

2. This story takes place in Emmaus, West Virginia. What inspired this setting for your novel?
I find my writing becomes more vivid when I set it in my home state of West Virginia, and I chose the fictional town of Emmaus since it has such rich, biblical meaning. The real treasure in West Virginia is its people, who often are caricatured and marginalized as “simpletons.” But the people I write about are complex people with lots of hurt and pain and struggle as well as grit and determination. I love writing about this area and the people who are part of me, even though I live a “fur piece” from there now.

3. In this story, the main characters come together in search of a treasure. Without giving too much away, can you give us a sense of what they are searching for?
Treasure is the right word. The man who hid it, Gideon Quidley, has never revealed exactly what is inside the treasure chest (which is a replica of the Ark of the Covenant). But conjecture runs wild up and down hollers. What would people do with a million dollars or more? How would that change their lives?

4. What key lessons or themes permeate this story?
One of the biggest themes is the “second chance.” The little radio station in town, Country 16, is populated with people who have been given another chance by the manager, Waite Evers. Waite is a kindly soul who has his own hurts and struggles, so he knows the value of a second chance. There’s also a theme of forgiveness and the power of that act in your own life as well as the lives of others. Of course, there’s a love story in town and I follow that trail with a person who doesn’t believe she’s worthy of love.

5. Who is your favorite character in this story and why?
Her name is Pidge Bledsoe. Pidge is her nickname because years earlier she adopted a wounded pigeon that hit a guy wire at the radio station and she brought the bird into the office at the junkyard where she works and lives. Pidge has had so many obstacles in life and little hope of finding lasting love. Because of her good heart, she’s also taken responsibility for her nephew. I love Pidge’s outlook on life and how it changes throughout the story.

6. What character was the most fun to write?
Gideon Quidley was the most fun because he’s a brilliant guy. He grew up in the hills and made his way to help in the space program. When he came to faith, he went whole hog. So I wed the brilliance of his mind with the faith of a child and I think readers will enjoy the outcome.

7. What character was the most challenging to write?
Antagonists/villains are always most difficult for me because it’s easy to paint an opposing force as only evil and not well-rounded. In this story, the character who opposes the treasure hunt is someone who believes he’s really the hero and is doing everyone a favor.

8. Did the story unfold in any way that surprised you?
Every story I write catches me off guard. With A Piece of the Moon, I began writing about Gideon and his desire to do something good and I knew the people at Country 16 would play a pivotal role in the unfolding. I didn’t know the depth of the backstories of those people, so as it came to me, I realized some of the complexities of the lives they led and the hurts they had experienced. Rick Bragg said the best stories are about people in trouble. And I was surprised by all the trouble these people had encountered. I’m hoping readers will see some of their own troubles represented in the story.

9. Could you relate to this story? How so?
I was surprised at how much I wrote about my own heart. One theme I didn’t mention is that struggle is a sign of life, not failure. So the struggle in this little town and at the little radio station is what propels people into real life. And I’ve seen that at work in my own heart through the years. I equate things going “smoothly” and “well” as success. But most of the really good things that have happened have come through a wilderness journey at some point. So I think anyone who reads it will find the same concept at work in their own lives.

10. How do you hope this story will resonate with your readers?
First, I hope it will draw you in and make you laugh at the faults and foibles in Emmaus. I also hope it grabs you so deep in the heart that you will shed a tear at some of the real struggles you encounter. But mostly I think the takeaway I received is that faith is allowing God to be who he is and letting him work in our lives at his own pace rather than making him conform to my idea of how he should act. Real faith in God hangs on to him in the flood instead of taking us out of the deep water. And then we’ll see that we weren’t really hanging on as tightly as he was hanging on to us.

Chris Fabry is an award-winning author and radio personality who hosts the daily program Chris Fabry Live on Moody Radio. A graduate of the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism at Marshall University and a native of West Virginia, Chris and his wife, Andrea, now live in Arizona and are the parents of nine children

MY REVIEW.....

A Piece of the Moon grabbed me from the beginning and didn't turn loose until the conundrum of Gideon Quidley's hidden treasure was resolved. Endearing characters, interesting plotline, mystery and intrigue blend together in a story that is sure to satisfy the most eclectic reader. I give Mr. Fabry 4 stars for this wonderful and entertaining read.

Hope you enjoyed today's post, friends and that you'll check back each week for Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time, take care and God bless.
PamT

Saturday, April 3, 2021

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Linda Rondeau & Who Put the Vinegar in the Salt

Good Morning and Happy Easter!

Over 2000 years ago today, the world lay in wait. Fear and confusion were the dominant emotions but God had a plan and a surprise that would be revealed tomorrow. No matter what you're experiencing, friend, hang in there for with every crucifixion, there has to be a resurrection.

Our guest today has visited before, although it's been a while so please welcome Linda back with her new book, Who Put the Vinegar in the Salt. Take it away, Linda!

THE STORY BEHIND WHO PUT THE VINEGAR IN THE SALT

I write fiction. At least primarily. The first fiction book I wrote was, I Prayed for Patience, God Gave Me Children. After many versions, I republished the book to include a short study guide after chapter to be used by groups or individuals in discussion.

Meanwhile, back in the jungle … the jungle of my mind … a new nonfiction book began to take place. As I observed both my own personal struggles and those within the church “to do” Christianity, I began a four year study to try to understand why Christ has called us salt. He has not called us to be like the world. Rather, God’s desire is for us to be entirely different. Not by our own power, but through the working of the Holy Spirit. 

Through the course of my four-year study, I began to see a common thread. God does the work, he chisels us into the image he has planned from the beginning. However, our clinging to the old ways of thinking, our search for the latest psychological quick fix to our situations, deter us from the process God has begun in us and desires to complete.

The book is divided into 13 chapters, the traditional church “quarterly” concept and includes portions for individual or group study. I do plan to do a series of short videos to accompany the book and hit on the key aspects of each chapter.

Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to share my vision.

BLURB: The world offers much beneficial self-help advice. Shouldn’t the Christian seek to be the best possible version of themselves? Aren’t we supposed to be good people?

Why not look to the world to solve life’s problems?

Because God has called us to be salt.

While there is much good to be found, like vinegar, the world’s best advice falls short of God’s recipe to live a victorious Christian life.

In a down-home, friendly manner, the author provides analogies, inspirational stories, anecdotes, a wealth of Scripture, and optional study guides for both individuals and groups, inviting the believer to discover God’s desires for his salt. 

EXCERPT: 

Part I: Called to Be Salt

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses

its flavor,

how shall it be seasoned?

It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out

and trampled underfoot by men.

—Matthew 5:13

 

Chapter One—Called to Be New

While cooking one day, I accidentally dropped the saltshaker into a bowl of vinegar. The salt within the shaker was ruined, and I had to throw it out. The vinegar also so contaminated the container, I finally gave up and threw it out as well.

Someone told me I could have sterilized the saltshaker to remove the contaminants. Perhaps. But the truth remained the salt within was unusable. The image of the ruined salt stayed with me for some time as I considered why Jesus calls his followers salt and how precious we are in his sight. I was pricked with the realization of how a minute portion of vinegar had spoiled a good thing.

When Jesus spoke of “salt” in the Sermon on the Mount, he addressed the throngs who followed him—Gentiles as well as Jews—and his intimate circle of disciples. How strange to be called salt. I can see those along the hillside scratching their heads. “Did we hear Jesus

correctly?”

“What’s salt got to do with anything?”

 “Who is Jesus calling the salt of the earth?”

Unlike our common table salt of today, salt in New Testament times, though abundant, was a precious commodity. Roman soldiers were paid with salt, from which we derive our word for salary.

Many theologians have likened Christians to table salt and its properties, a seasoning to induce thirst, add flavor, and preserve. There is a problem with only liking this reference to today’s version of table salt. Many scholars believe the symbolism is far deeper.

Many Bible scholars believe the Sermon on the Mount was directed at those who recognized Christ as the Messiah and believed he was sent by God. Though some theological aspects of his divinity would yet be revealed, many already understood he’d come to show them the way to an intimate knowledge of God.

His words, preserved for us by New Testament writers, may have been intended to show those who sought after God, both present and future, the key to living victoriously in a sinful world—a world that not only rejected our Lord but would reject us because we

are one with him.

We Are New

When we accept Christ’s substitutionary work on the cross, personalize it, confess our helplessness to obtain salvation through our own efforts, we begin to realize our sinful nature. God accepts us, fills us, and begins a work in us. We who were once vinegar are transformed into salt. We are no longer the person we once were, and we are being transformed into what God intended for us to be from the beginning of time.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation

has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

(2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV).

Our newness is God created. This newness is not something he refashions like an old garment redesigned or handed down. What he creates is entirely different than what we were before. When we become new in Christ, we become reconciled to God’s purpose and plan for our lives. Too often, we envision this plan as action. In truth, God’s plan is for us to be one in knowledge and understanding of our right relationship with him—how this newness will develop and define our lives. Then why do we want to keep being like the person we once were—a person who no longer exists. If we are new, then why do we cling to the old? Perhaps God’s intention is for the believer to become the image of Christ—our true identity and calling.

 Let’s examine the Amplified text for the above verse:

Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in,

joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new

creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit];

the old things [the previous moral and spiritual

condition] have passed away. Behold, new things

have come [because spiritual awakening brings a

new life].

 

By the author of I Prayed for Patience, God Gave Me Children. 

A veteran social worker, Linda Wood Rondeau’s varied church experience and professional career affords a unique perspective into the Christian life. When not writing or speaking, she enjoys the occasional round of golf, visiting museums, and taking walks with her best friend in life, her husband of over forty years. The couple resides in Hagerstown, Maryland where both are active in their local church. Readers may learn more about the author, read her blog, contact her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WeWe, Linkedin, and Goodreads, or sign up for her newsletter by visiting www.lindarondeau.com

Get your copy of Who Put the Vinegar in the Salt at Amazon.


Sounds like a lovely book, Linda. We wish you the best of luck and God's blessings.

Hope you enjoyed today's post friends and that you'll check back weekly for another edition of Saturday Spotlight and Wednesday Words with Friends and I pray your Easter celebration and Resurrection Sunday is BLESSED!

Until next time take care and God bless.
PamT