#ThursdayThoughts: Guest post by LoRee Peery

Good Morning Friends!

It is my pleasure to bring you this guest post by my friend and fellow Pelican Book Group author, LoRee Peery and while I'm introducing her, let me take a moment to wish her a very Happy & Blessed Birthday!

Do Names have Meaning?

I’m convinced names carry significance. Various cultures and history record an individual’s name as revealing who that person is, be it family, vocation, or location. There are even accounts of people going unnamed until who they are personality- or character-wise is discovered.

Have you ever looked up the meaning of your name? Mothers-to-be often check out baby name books before making selections. I have to admit I didn’t choose that route in naming my first two children, but before I decided on my youngest daughter’s name, I looked up the meanings of names on my list. God must have spoken to my heart, because I went with my first choice, which means a song.

My paternal grandmother died before I was born, and I was named for her best friend. My mom chose Loree for my name. I enjoy hearing how “pretty” it is, though not everyone knows how to say it. I was excited to discover my Latin name means victorious, based on the crown of laurel leaves placed on a victor’s head during Olympic games.

When I started school I got tired of correcting those who called me “Lori,” so I finally accepted that mispronunciation. I carried that name until around 1980, a couple years after my mother’s death. Mom didn’t name me Lori. I capitalized the R to make people consider how to say my name, and corrected anyone who pronounced it incorrectly.

One of the first writing workshops I attended had to do with naming character. As an author, I strive for my characters to reveal aspects of earthly Christian character, so I put thought into their names.

The hero of my upcoming release, Paisley’s Pattern, has always been troubled by his name. Instead of viewing Robin as “bright shining fame,” a form of excellence, he blames his mother for naming him after a bird. She did have a hippie phase and changed her surname to Paisley. He scoffed at that one too.

I had fun with transposing hero and heroine names in this story. Paisley Robbins is the heroine and their mixed-up names is the reason they became acquainted before this story begins. Paisley and Rob both grow in their spiritual lives as the story evolves. She tries to get Rob to see that his earthly name will change in heaven. At least four verses in the Bible refer to believers receiving new names in heaven.

God knows us by name, and gives us a new name. Names must matter to God. He changed a few that are recorded in the Bible. The familiar ones in Genesis are Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, Jacob to Israel. In Matthew He changed Simon to Peter.

Many places in the Bible, Christians are addressed as beloved. How about that for a precious name? I believe and look forward to receiving a new name, though my earthly name reflects that I am a victorious overcomer.

LoRee Peery

Redeeming Grace with a Sense of Place

What an interesting post! I must admit, until recently I didn't check to see what my characters' names meant. They just came to me. But in a current WIP I researched names to fit the people in the story.

LoRee Peery is a lifelong Nebraskan who thanks her mother for teaching her to read when she was four. She has devoured books ever since. She and her husband have tackled some interesting projects over the course of their married life. For one, they built the home they live in with their own hands. They used to want more acres further away from city life, but one day LoRee realized they had their “greener on the other side of the fence” already. All it took was removing the hedge made of trees and bushes. LoRee feels grounded in her sense of place and considers it humbling to be redeemed by grace. She is blessed to have five children and eleven grandchildren. One-on-one time playing cards or Scrabble provides cherished moments and memories. Find out more about LoRee by visiting her website or connecting with her on Facebook and Twitter!

Paisley's Pattern releases May 8th from Pelican Book Group but find ALL of LoRee's titles HERE!

Well Friends, I certainly hope you enjoyed today's post and that you'll join me in wishing LoRee a Happy Birthday!

Leave a comment & you just might win your choice of one of LoRee's E-books!!

Until later....take care & God Bless!

PamT

#WednesdayWordswithFriends welcomes LoRee Peery!

Good Morning!

Even though I may be hosting a guest each week, I try to say a few words about what's going on in my life at the time also. On Saturday, I mentioned I was at my son's house since TX had opened the LA borders. Well, our state is entering phase 1 of reopening but to tell you the truth, I'm not overly anxious to be around crowds just yet. I am looking forward to camping though (the State and National parks/campgrounds have been closed - which never made sense to me - they could have easily monitored them - but that's a whole other post LOL!)

ANYWAY, as our country begins to ease up on Covid19 restrictions, I pray you'll continue to be safe and take care of yourself and your loved ones!

Enough about that... Our guest today has visited often over the years but it has been a while so please give LoRee Peery a huge shout-out: WELCOME LoRee!

Often the question, “What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?” comes up during a Q and A interview.

My quirk changes with each story. Every single time, I overuse a phrase or specific word during the course of a writing project. What’s interesting is that it’s usually a different word or phrase than I’ve redundantly used before.

Writers have a list of what we call weasel words, often a form of the passive “to be.” Mine have been going to, just, instead, sure, such. In the case of Repurposed, the word was looked, which happens to be a verb.

I just sigh once I see what I’ve used over and over. In my recently finished Christmas novella, I discovered that I used “it” way too much, so I went through the story and plugged in the nouns the pronoun represented.

Uh oh. “It was” popped up in Repurposed. (Thank you, extra pair of eyes!) What was? Sigh. How passive is that?

I try to remember to pray, but often I jump right in where I left off the day before and realize later what those nuisance words are. Other eyes on my work are vital because different things jump out to different people. Still, I’ll find words in the galleys or a finished project that were overused. It’s easy to sit in my study chair and feel embarrassed. But writers need humility. We keep learning as we persevere.

BIO: Nebraska country girl LoRee Peery writes fiction that hopefully appeals to adult readers who enjoy stories written from a Christian perspective, focusing on the romance. These include novels and novellas for women and men in the Contemporary, Romance, Historical, Time Travel, and Mystery/Suspense categories. She writes of redeeming grace with a sense of place. Her Frivolities Series and the book based on her father’s unsolved homicide, Touches of Time, are available on Amazon. She is who she is by the grace of God: Christian, country girl, wife, mother, grandmother and great-, sister, friend, and author. Connect with LoRee through these links: www.loreepeery.com

https://twitter.com/LoreePeery

https://www.facebook.com/LoReePeery

Find her publications at Pelican http://tinyurl.com/kwz9enk

And Amazon https://www.amazon.com/LoRee-Peery/e/B004UAGL2W/ref

Repurposed can be found at Amazon. Check out this great blurb!

Talia Ashby is a perfectionistic data analyst who, on occasion, sees her “fat” self when she looks in the mirror. As a svelte former obese girl, she reunites with her secret teen crush, now a pastor in the church she attends.

Cooper Valiant is dazzled upon meeting a high school friend he doesn’t immediately recognize due to her drastic weight loss. Since his sister had an eating disorder, he’d often felt empathy toward Talia as classmates teased and bullied her. In his pastorate position, he asks her to help girls in the youth group come to grips with body-image.

While working with the girls, Talia's recollections of youthful hurts stir up past insecurities. She must reassess her spiritual journey, and what bothers her in the present.

Added to the mix are her reawakened emotions toward the man who once came to her rescue. Will their joint journey include a personal relationship?

THANKS LoRee for sharing with us today. We certainly wish 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 Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight. Until next time, take care and God bless.
PamT

#WednesdayWordswithFriends Welcomes LoRee Peery @LoreePeery

Good Morning!

My heart is so full this morning I might burst. I am so happy and grateful for my life and excited about the year to come. I know I'm getting ahead of myself because 2022 is a week away, but I can't help it. God is SO GOOD! He constantly amazes me. No, I can't recount a "big" miracle that happened this week or since I last shared with you here or in my newsletter. What I can say is this....

Because my Redeemer lives, I can face tomorrow.

The miracle is simply the joy of His Presence in my life - heart, mind, soul, quickening my mortal body. The miracle of every breath I take. The miracle of sunshine to warm my soul and rain to moisten the parched areas of my life. The miracle of family and friends (like YOU) and loved ones.

God is SO Good and as we celebrate His birth this weekend, let us vow to remember and celebrate Him every day, every moment of our lives.

Today's guest is not new but it has been a long while since she visited so please welcome my friend and fellow Pelican Book Group author, LoRee Peery back to our blog...Take it away LoRee!

Words Matter

Readers and writers live in a world of words. Words matter. The most important words are in the Bible, from God’s heart to our hearts and minds. Words can build up and words can tear down. Words help overcome fear by their truth. Encouraging words are precious.

Multiple words came to me from July 2020 through September 2021. I wrote just under 900 modern-day psalms. Most often, it seemed those words didn’t penetrate my brain, they just poured from pen onto paper. Since then, I have cherished and soaked them in.

Words make me think about my brain, which God made fearfully and wonderfully along with my body. Does our Creator see words written through brain matter? Such imagination is beyond me. As a child I learned about the telegraph and that Alexander Graham Bell gained a patent for the telephone in the early 1800s, enabling people to talk to one another from a distance. How can words travel through wire?

I also never “got” the essence of electricity. Words have told me there is electrical-like power in our bodies. On the job, my introduction to computers included Ram and Rom. They were mere words to me. The first computers were the size of a closet. Modern-day computer chips are small enough to wear in a wristwatch and many minuscule devices. Those scientific discoveries are mind-boggling.

Around 1990, again on the job, I was introduced to the word-wide web. Cyberspace is as far as outer, outer space to me when it comes to comprehension. But I love reading info at the click of a mouse. Recently, I could only access my country internet a handful of times in a six-week period. I relied on reading and writing for my word fix. And I admit how frustrating it was. But God worked it out and I’m up to speed now (pun intended).

Also recently, I had reason to be humbled and embarrassed over the misplacement of words. Those modern-day psalms I mentioned? They fill four journals. I decided to give the last one, Worship through Verse, as gifts to those I love. I had them printed and spiral bound. I used one of my nice winter pictures as a cover, and then wrapped up around 20 before I realized the mistakes. Every writer needs a proofreader before words go out in print. I could beat myself up, but why should I? The two typos, one omission, and another correction can be easily explained with a few words. 

Words matter. With words, I express my hope for the Lord to shine upon each and every one of you, and that you glorify Him with the words you read, speak, and write. Pam, thank you for Words with Friends.

Jeremiah 31:3

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying:

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;

I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”

Never Ending Story

The story of Jesus

Is a never-ending story

His love surrounds us

As high as highest heaven

As deep as ocean waters

From the east to the west

His story never ends

He came before me

Love that defies comprehension

Is the wonderful truth

The world is in His hands

Yet, He encompasses me

Jesus is never ending

His love is never ending.

Nebraska country girl LoRee Peery writes fiction that hopefully appeals to adult readers who enjoy stories written from a Christian perspective, focusing on the romance. These include novels and novellas for women and men in the Contemporary, Romance, Historical, Time Travel, and Mystery/Suspense categories. She writes of redeeming grace with a sense of place. Her Frivolities Series launched her releases, and the book based on her father’s unsolved homicide, Touches of Time, was a personal relief. She is who she is by the grace of God: Christian, country girl, wife, mother, grandmother and great-, sister, friend, and author. Connect with LoRee: www.loreepeery.com  and/or

https://www.facebook.com/LoReePeery   Find her publications at Pelican http://tinyurl.com/kwz9enk 

And Amazon https://www.amazon.com/LoRee-Peery/e/B004UAGL2W/ref 

LoRee's newest Christmas book is available now as part of PBG's annual Christmas Extravaganza!

Cautious observer Nicasia is at the Wilber Hotel for a wedding. She is careful when it comes to small spaces due to an attack as a teen, but intrigued by the antique phone booth, she steps inside to investigate.  

A just man with a star, Logan grew up at the end of the nineteenth century in a very religious home. But his reverend father led two lives and left Logan believing there was something wrong with him. 

Boom!  

Nicasia is bowled over and knocked to the floor by a force that comes out of nowhere. Where had the man been hiding? 

Logan is drawn to the 21st century maiden, but will he stay in the future?  

Get your copy of Christmas Phone Booth at Amazon, B&N and PBG!

Check out LoRee's previous visits HERE.

Thank you SO much LoRee for sharing your heart and words with us! 

I hope you enjoyed LoRee's post as much as I did, friends and that you'll check back weekly for Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight!

Until next time take care, God bless and remember.... A grateful heart is a magnet for miracles

PamT

#WednesdayWordswithFriends Welcomes LoRee Peery!

Good Morning Friends,

I returned home Sunday from Nacogdoches and back into my normal routine. Been steadily proofing, pruning and tweaking Kyleigh's Cowboy and I'm excited to get the final files uploaded this week. More on that later. Our guest today is no stranger to our blog, so please welcome LoRee Peery back as she shares with us some thoughts on heaven....

Heaven is My Home

Peas isn’t here—only the pod. Peas shelled out and went to God. 

–written on a tombstone in England.

Have you ever been in situations where, “I don’t belong here” came to mind? After all, one of Christ’s promises is found in John 14:2 where He tells us He left earth to prepare a mansion for us in heaven.

Rejoice! The victory over life and death on earth was won. I look forward to my heavenly dwelling place, where I’ll sing and shout in my Lord’s presence. Just imagine a city with streets of gold (see Revelation 21), and rather than sun high in the sky, light spreads from the Son of God. 

I can only imagine. There will be no more pain or sorrow in heaven. I’ll meet Old and New Testaments saints. There will be a reunion with loved ones. Possible surprises over some people I know who will be there. Heaven is where any earthly crowns we accumulate are for His glory. The image in my mind of heaven sets my focus on Jesus, rather than things of earth.

The opening lines of a hymn from childhood have run through my thoughts as I write. “I’m but a stranger here, heaven is my home.” In my Christmas novella, Christmas House, Pepper’s childhood home was a storage unit. Her family ignored holidays. As an adult, Pepper decided to decorate her first cottage home for Christmas year-round.

Imagine that. Christmas decorations in every room for twelve months. In the story, Pepper doesn’t know the real Christmas story until she’s introduced to Christians. The owner of miniature donkeys is a believer, as well as Foxx, the hero. Foxx invites Pepper to a church service where she hears the full gospel message.

Her spirit is awakened as understanding blooms. I’ve never been so bold as a novelist with the message of salvation. Before long, the real meaning of Christmas unfolds in Pepper’s heart. Her life blossoms while at the same time, Foxx is dealt a life-changing blow. But those chapters flow to the reader’s heart and reveal how Pepper and Foxx overcome. They, like us, look forward to lives in God’s hands.

My individual chapter on earth is backstory in God’s story of my life. He’s prepared for me an eternal home in heaven. God’s Word assures me that life here is but a breath. A vapor. A whisper on the wind. Heaven is my inheritance. Ephesians 1:4 assures me that God chose me before the creation of the world. Just imagine!

Change Your Mind

This land is not

My eternal home

A heart set on heaven

Is a heart set apart

My God is with me,

A spiritual connection

His Word transforms

My way of thinking

God is the only Truth―

Acceptable, good, perfect

I place my thoughts

On heavenly themes

My eternal home

Sets earth as backstory.

Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you (Psalm 73:25). I can’t conclude without the comfort found at the end of Psalm 23…and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I know my eternal home is in heaven. Do you know beyond a doubt where yours will be?

Thank you, Pam, for allowing me to visit Words with Friends. May all of you enjoy fall and the coming holidays as you, too, look forward to heavenly homes.

Nebraska country girl LoRee Peery writes fiction that hopefully appeals to adult readers who enjoy stories written from a Christian perspective, focusing on the romance. These include novels and novellas for women and men in the Contemporary, Romance, Historical, Time Travel, and Mystery/Suspense categories. She writes of redeeming grace with a sense of place. Her Frivolities Series launched her releases, and the book based on her father’s unsolved homicide, Touches of Time, was a personal relief. She is who she is by the grace of God: Christian, country girl, wife, mother, grandmother and great-, sister, friend, and author.

Connect with LoRee: www.loreepeery.com

https://www.facebook.com/LoReePeery

Find her publications at Pelican http://tinyurl.com/kwz9enk

And Amazon https://www.amazon.com/LoRee-Peery/e/B004UAGL2W/ref

Catch up on LoRee's previous visits HERE and check out LoRee's 2022 Christmas Extravaganza novella, Christmas House to be released on Oct. 14th!

Pepper Rainwater has just bought the first real home she' s ever had, and she' s decorating and celebrating Christmas with everything she has. The neighbor' s miniature donkeys and meeting Foxx interrupt her life. Can she turn from all she' d been taught and trust strangers?

A startling discovery after his father' s death forces Foxx Haven to face an unknown past. His life has been a lie. He' s distracted from work for the first time— by his heritage and his new neighbor. Can he fight his attraction to an unbeliever and discover his new life chapter at the same time?

Miniature donkeys and learning about Christ have a profound impact on Pepper. But God has a mighty work to bring her hurting soul and Foxx' s new perspective into alignment. Can hope override hurting souls and enable a happily-ever-after?

What beautiful sentiments, LoRee! Thank YOU for sharing and good luck and God's blessings with your new book!

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

#WednesdayWordswithFriends Welcomes @LoreePeery LoRee Peery!

Good Morning Friends and Welcome!

It's been a crazy, full week for me and the running won't stop until after Memorial Day, therefore I'm only going to give you a brief rundown before letting LoRee take over the blog today.

Sunday I went to my great-niece's birthday/graduation party, Monday went to my granddaughter's awards ceremony, Tuesday granddaughter's graduation ceremony. This morning I'm attending my grandson's awards ceremony. Tomorrow I'm going to the Annual Law Enforcement Memorial Service for Iowa PD to honor Terry then going to my great-niece's graduation that evening. Friday I get a day of rest. Saturday is Bayou Writer's group meeting and my granddaughter's graduation party then on Sunday or Monday I'm going to Sam Rayburn Lake for a few days, driving back on Thursday for grandson's birthday on Friday (27th) then back to the lake until Sunday (30th) after which I'll go to my daughter's house for a few days since they will be out of town. 

Yeah...I'm exhausted just thinking about it, but don't worry, Saturday Spotlight will still go on and this week's guest is Barbara Britton so even if I'm crazy busy, y'all stop by and browse.

Now, onto our guest.... Take it away LoRee....

Worship through Verse

Most of us hear the word worship and think of singing during a church service. Not particularly so. We don’t need a location to seek the Lord. Worship happens anywhere that involves spirit and truth.

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks (John 4:23 NIV).

“In spirit,” means submission of the human spirit, according to verse 24, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” In order to worship the One True God, a person must have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, God’s Son. Jesus is the only way to the Father. Once we repent and acknowledge our need for a Savior, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Thus, we are able to worship in spirit and in truth.

As His children, God is with us in the Spirit no matter what time of day or night we call on Him. By worshiping Him through reading the truth of His Word, the Bible, He works through me. I can’t write a thing that honors Him unless I admit I need His help.

No “me, me, me”

  But Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

    He’s worthy of all …

All my love

  All my energy

    All my worship.

My last visit here on a Wednesday, I talked about a journal of modern-day verse that I penned, “Worship through Verse.” I cherish the pictures of my volume on coffee tables I’ve seen where loved ones worship in their living rooms or at their kitchen tables, using those verses as a devotional to supplement worship.

In other words, we can worship anywhere and at any time, as long as we worship in the Spirit and in truth.

Psalm 95:5-6

The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

Country Worship

God’s breath on the breeze

Kisses my soul, my spirit

Dirt beneath my feet

Reminds me God made Adam

The heavenly sky above me

Is where Jesus will appear

The songs of earth and sky

Made by God’s holy breath

My soul soars in praise

What an awesome God is He

I thank God I’m a country girl

Where I’m free to sing out loud

Heart and breath on the breeze

Heart and voice free to worship.

Psalm 100:2 reads: Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

Nebraska country girl LoRee Peery writes fiction that hopefully appeals to adult readers who enjoy stories written from a Christian perspective, focusing on the romance. These include novels and novellas for women and men in the Contemporary, Romance, Historical, Time Travel, and Mystery/Suspense categories. She writes of redeeming grace with a sense of place. Her Frivolities Series launched her releases, and the book based on her father’s unsolved homicide, Touches of Time, was a personal relief. She is who she is by the grace of God: Christian, country girl, wife, mother, grandmother and great-, sister, friend, and author. Connect with LoRee: www.loreepeery.com 

https://www.facebook.com/LoReePeery 

Find her publications at Pelican Book Group http://tinyurl.com/kwz9enk 

And Amazon https://www.amazon.com/LoRee-Peery/e/B004UAGL2W/ref 

LoRee's novel, Touches of Time is based on her father's unsolved murder of April, 1975. LoRee fictionalized the story, and solved the cold case on paper. Get your copy HERE and check out LoRee's previous posts HERE.

Wow, what lovely verse you've shared with us, LoRee! We certainly thank you and wish you the best of luck and God's blessings as you continue penning words of praise and worship to our Lord!

Hope you enjoyed the post, friends. If you haven't signed up for my newsletter (which goes out tomorrow, do so because I'm doing something special for my subscribers.

Until next time take care a be blessed!

PamT

#WednesdayWordswithFriends welcomes LoRee Peery @LoreePeery with her Christmas book!

Good Morning!

Boy it's been cold and dreary these last several days here in SW Louisiana. Definitely Winter weather UGH. I am not fond of cold, wet, dreary at all but as the Bible says there is a season for every purpose under heaven so we must learn to, if not enjoy, appreciate every season.

Today's guest is not new to us. LoRee Peery has been a pretty regular guest for years so please welcome her back with her latest Christmas book, A Cup of Christmas Kindness.....

A Cup of Christmas Kindness…

We’ve heard it for months, what a year 2020 has been. I’m no exception in feeling that way, but rather than looking down on the past months, I count them as blessings. There is always good in the bad. I love the song “Turn Your eyes Upon Jesus” because it works! Rather than focus on the problem, if I focus on faith, the unexplainable peace of the Lord floods my soul.

My “rough” year was focused on my shoulder issues. A broken acromion bone and reverse joint replacement involved two surgeries and months of an immobilized right arm. That didn’t keep my left hand from learning how to write (scribble). I was downhearted because pain prevented me from zeroing in on my work of fiction. It kept stalling.

Toward the end of July during the wee hours that pain kept me awake, instead of picking up my Kindle I reached for my Bible. Old Testament promises, especially in the Psalms, comforted my hurts. Something miraculous happened along with the solace I received. I picked up pen and notebook. Nonfiction praise flowed from my heart through my fingertips onto the page.

Jeremiah 30:17 “But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,” declares the Lord.

Jehovah-rophe

You are the God Who Heals

 

Thank You for getting

Me through another day

 

I’ve been on auto pilot

Trying to make it without

 

Falling to pieces tears are close

But I haven’t given in

 

Six months I’ve lived

With a broken bone that won’t heal

 

I get done what You’d have me do

According to Your plan

 

Thank You, Lord, for getting

Me through another day.

 

Jehovah-rophe,

You are the God Who heals.

 

It was normal to think of why I was pouring out such words. I wrote a line or two about the pain or trouble that prevented sleep. Then before I knew it praise and songs filled my soul. I called them lamentations or psalms. As of this writing, I’ve penned around 250 (numbers have never been my thing).

Job 11:7-8 “Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens above—what can you do? They are deeper than the depths below—what can you know?

 

God’s Always Got It

No matter what,

God’s always got it

Physical pain?

God’s always got it

 

Mental fatigue?

God’s always got it

 

Stress over sin?

God’s always got it

 

Lost souls of children,

God’s always got it

 

The country’s unrest,

God’s always got it

 

The tasks before me,

God’s always got it

 

Whatever I face,

God’s always got it.

 

All praise and glory belong to Jesus, my King, for whatever He does through me. I wish Pam and all readers here the blessed hope and peace that can only come from why we celebrate Christmas and Easter.

Thank you So Much, LoRee! We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with your new release and a VERY Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours.

Violet Steele returns to her parents' home in small-town Nebraska to pay off school loans. But her first social activity is the celebration of life for a woman she'd dreamt would someday be her mother-in-law.

Heath Banfield is haunted by memories of Violet leaving him in their youth. He ended up with a woman who never wanted motherhood, and he's become bitter and hard when it comes to love and trust. Now he's dealing with his mother's death. In her absence, he needs an after-school caregiver for his daughter. When Violet offers to tend for the eight-year-old, he's not sure he can handle her act of kindness.

Violet is still in love with Heath, and helping him through his grief and caring for his delightful daughter is a welcome opportunity. But Heath is wary, and she'll have to muster every ounce of kindness she has.

Will Violet's deliberate holiday deeds lead to romance, or will Heath's hurt deepen his bitterness?

Author Bio: Nebraska country girl LoRee Peery writes fiction that hopefully appeals to adult readers who enjoy stories written from a Christian perspective, focusing on the romance. These include novels and novellas for women and men in the Contemporary, Romance, Historical, Time Travel, and Mystery/Suspense categories. She writes of redeeming grace with a sense of place. Her Frivolities Series and the book based on her father’s unsolved homicide, Touches of Time, are available on Amazon. She is who she is by the grace of God: Christian, country girl, wife, mother, grandmother and great-, sister, friend, and author. Connect with LoRee: www.loreepeery.com

https://twitter.com/LoreePeery

https://www.facebook.com/LoReePeery

Find her publications at Pelican http://tinyurl.com/kwz9enk

And Amazon https://www.amazon.com/LoRee-Peery/e/B004UAGL2W/ref

Get your copy of A Cup of Christmas Kindness at Amazon, B&N and Pelican Book Group.

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

Until next time stay warm and God Bless.

PamT

Saturday Spotlight - LoRee Peery

Hello Friends,


Please welcome friend and fellow White Rose author, LoRee Peery with her new dollar download, Lezlie's Lifeline.

Lezlie Diamond and Jordan Marshall meet again after a disgruntled husband accuses Lezlie of allowing his wife to die. A night security officer at the hospital, Jordan sees Lezlie home safely. Her nervousness tells him she’s holding something back. Jordan was devastated when Lezlie disappeared from his life sixteen years ago. Now she’s back and he discovers her secret: the birth of their son. How can he ever trust her again? The two loves of Lezlie’s life unite. The teen immediately forgives his mother for her secrets and wants to know his father, but dare Jordan follow their son’s example and grant Lezlie a second chance?

EXCERPT:  “Watchmen, what is left of the night?”

“Morning is coming, but also the night.”—Isaiah 21:11-12

Lezlie Diamond waved her hand in front of the automatic door sensor and rushed through. The swish gave way to a rustle of clothing, and something solid hitting the door.

“You didn’t get the doctor in time. I told you my wife was in trouble.”

Car, pedestrian, fatal. I tried.

“Sir, this is a restricted area.” Her heart thumped in her ears. She stopped all forward motion. “Let’s go back to the nurse’s station.”

“It’s your fault she died.” Mr. Hanson used heated hand gestures to accent every word.

The accusation mentally zapped Lezlie into the patient’s room, where the dreaded nightmare event happened moments earlier. The silence had screamed they were too late. Silence except for the flat-line beep. No one breathed. Then, at her “Code Blue!” command, organized chaos ensued. She’d grabbed the crash cart herself. As a team, they attempted CPR, Auto External Defib, Epinephrine, Endotracheal tubes.

Nothing saved the patient.

We can’t revive everyone. God has His say when it comes to life and death.

Back inside the public area, she leaned against the counter above the nurse’s desk. When she caught sight of a night security uniform at the end of the hall, Lezlie drew in a sigh of relief. Desk personnel must have called.

Get your copy of Lezlie's Lifeline today for only $1.00!

A lifelong Nebraskan, LoRee Peery has lived most of her life in the country, where she feels grounded in her sense of place.  She learned to read when she was four and has devoured books since. She values one-on-one time with her grandchildren and loves time spent with other writers.

LoRee clings to the word overcomer and the knowledge she has victory in Jesus. When she considers being set apart as a child of God, she is humbled. She feels closest to the Lord when she worships through singing. And one thing she’s sure of: “Jesus loves me, this I know. And He will never let me go.

Find out more about LoRee by visiting her Website or Face Book Page!

 Well friends, that wraps up this edition of Saturday Spotlight - stay tuned next week for another author with more great books!

Until later....take care & God Bless!

PamT

Saturday Spotlight - LoRee Peery

Hello Friends and a Blessed Saturday Morning to you!


I know I promised you an update on my life in a nutshell, but that was before I remembered I had a special guest today for Saturday Spotlight (thank God for calendars LOL!)


But do check back next week for a complete update of what's going on in my life & career ~ Thanks!


Now without much further ado, please welcome LoRee Peery with her book Sage & Sweetgrass.

A lifelong Nebraskan, LoRee Peery has lived most of her life in the country, where she feels grounded in her sense of place.  She learned to read when she was four and has devoured books since. She values one-on-one time with her grandchildren and loves time spent with other writers.

LoRee clings to the word overcomer and the knowledge she has victory in Jesus. When she considers being set apart as a child of God, she is humbled. She feels closest to the Lord when she worships through singing. And one thing she’s sure of: “Jesus loves me, this I know. And He will never let me go.”

Diagnosed with a chronic, debilitating illness, Lanae Petersen vows to pursue life to its fullest. When she discovers mysterious love letters hidden within an antique desk, she begins a quest to discover who the young lovers were. Little does she realize that in trying to bring closure to their lives, hers will be turned upside-down.

After the death of his wife, cowboy Sage Diamond wants to be left alone on his acreage in peace and anonymity. When Lanae approaches him with letters to a family member, she not only threatens to expose his family secrets, but also stirs something inside him that he neither expects, nor welcomes. Sage fights his attraction, determined not to fall for a woman whose health is so fragile. Can Sage trust God's guiding hand, or will his fear of losing another love crush his chance for a future with Lanae?

Excerpt:

The sky was clear and enormous where it met the horizon. The whinny of horses carried up from a pasture on the other side of the barn. The acreage represented everything she loved about being outside the city limits. Expanse, horses, a sprinkling of trees in the distance…God’s country.

When she caught sight of the cowboy, the vision was complete.

She sighed. Home. How crazy. She felt like she’d come home.

The cowboy rounded the corner of the wood-sided barn that she guessed to be sixty feet long. He loped in the loose way of a man comfortable on the back of a horse.

And she enjoyed every step as he approached.

He even tipped the brim of his hat. “Mornin’. You Lanae?”

Wow was the only thing she could think to say. But she kept it to herself.

Her mouth went dry.

His nose was bent, just off to the right of center. He had a full bottom lip, thinner upper, all accented by what she supposed was a year-round tan. Myriad facial lines gave testimony to a life lived outdoors.

She cleared her throat, mustered up some moisture for her vocal chords in order to answer, “That I am.”

“Sage Diamond.”

When he drew close enough, Lanae was dumbfounded at the impact of his eyes. They were an unbelievable piercing blue with a hint of lavender.

“Did you have any trouble finding the place?” Sage spoke in an unhurried manner.

Lanae wondered if he felt rushed about anything. She started to open the door.

“You always leave your car running?” A hint of amusement tugged at his mouth.

Oops. She turned the key. Great first impression.

He held the door.

Still caught in the lavender blue of his eyes, shadowed now from his hat, Lanae swallowed what felt like the chaff of an August hay field.

No more singles ads for me.

Sage and Sweetgrass is available from White Rose Publishing/Pelican Book Group!

#TuesdayTreasure: Guest Post by LoRee Peery and #Giveaway!

Good Morning Friends,

I pray your Easter weekend was blessed and happy. 

Today I'm pleased to share a very special Tuesday Treasure with you from my friend and fellow PBG author, LoRee Peery.

Christian romance author LoRee Peery strives to remember the Lord’s redeeming grace each day when she surveys her sense of place in Him and where He has placed her. She clings to I John 5:4 and prays her blended family and dozen grandchildren see that faith. HerFrivolities Series and other publications are available at Pelican Book Group.

Find out more about LoRee by visiting her website, Amazon author page, GoodReads page, Facebook, and Twitter

Treasured Memories of Dad

Recent Memories of my father have been tied up with what happened to end his earthly life, I took this opportunity to remember him as a person. He studied Latin, graduated at 16, attended trade school, and was in the Army during WWII. Dad could have gone and done anything he wanted to in life, but he returned home to farm.

A lover of the land, he took pride in his work. County-wide, people knew Dad for the size and symmetry of the eight-ton haystacks he put up, without using a cage frame. He figured profit and loss numbers in his head, and counted grazing cattle faster than imaginable, separating calves, cows, and those about to drop. Resourceful, he’d fix things with baling wire, spit, and curses. He rigged up scrap lumber or branches for levers, and sometimes a prayer.

He was a hard worker and a hard drinker. On the flip side, he was a gentle pussy cat with babies. He sang “Bye-o-baby-bunting, Daddy’s gone a’hunting,” while bouncing the babies on his knee. One precious photograph shows him napping with my oldest daughter, the only grandchild to know him. She’s wearing pink sleeper pajamas and the two of them wear matching rosy cheeks.

Dad used quaint expressions, such as “hollered like a stuck pig.” “Dead as a door nail” and that’s a cock ‘n bull story if I ever heard one.” For some unknown reason he called a sink “zink.” One of Dad’s favorite phrases was, “Smell that money” referring to a feedlot, or the barnyard smell.

He caught trout with his hands along the overhanging banks of Verdigre Creek, along a narrow channel where the banks hung over the water. He waited, bent over with hands just above the water surface. It worked best if the fish swam upstream. At sight of a fish, he lowered his hands into the water, lifted, and thrust the trout onto the bank.

Exhibiting little sense of style, he thought nothing of wearing a striped shirt with plaid trousers. He stood five-foot-eight, but his wiry strength made up for what height he lacked. His deep-set eyes of hazel and lop-sided grin remain fixed in my mind.

Dad experienced severe back pain. He fell countless times on the farm and survived. While trying to force a cow up a loading chute from behind, the cow decided to go backward and landed right on top of him. Another time he was riding atop a load of bales stacked on a wagon. The bale loader was behind the tractor and suspended over the rack of bales. The tractor hit a badger hole, bales flew, and Dad’s chest banged against the loader hooks, then he flew to the ground.

He had a fine baritone voice and played the harmonica. He sketched artistic shapes and characters instead of doodling. He left behind impressive drawings, created while he was in the Army, of soldiers, cartoon characters, and an unknown woman.

Personal, deep conversation was not part of my life growing up, maybe because the people I knew used their energy working hard to survive. I see love in the calligraphy he used filling in the lines of my childhood King James Bible. He may not have said it, but I know he loved me. I heard it in his voice when he mentioned me to others.

Definitely some beautiful memories to treasure, LoRee!

LoRee's latest book, Touches of Time is a fictional account of her father's murder and can be found at Amazon.

A decades-old unsolved homicide.

A grieving single mother-to-be.

A cold-case investigator.

Sarah Bishop goes through her deceased mother’s belongings and becomes immersed in the details of her grandfather’s unsolved homicide. Determined to find who was responsible, for the sake of her unborn baby, Sarah vows to seek out the answers her mother had failed to find.

Cold Case Investigator Ford Melcher is intrigued by Sarah’s dogged drive to solve the old mystery. His current case has reached a frustrating dead end, but he comes to believe it is somehow linked to Sarah’s quest. His desire to protect her from further hurt is put to the test, especially when he has secrets he’d rather not disclose.

Answers could remain elusive as to who struck Sarah’s grandfather and left him in a ditch. Will the search for those answers open doors for her to discover the life God planned? Can she accept that plan if it includes a man who wasn’t forthright with information?

LoRee is giving away an paperback copy of Touches of Time to one lucky person who visits today so be sure and leave a comment!

Hope you enjoyed today's treasure. We're finished with our Eggcerpt Exchange blog hop so be sure and check back for Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlights!

Until next time...

Take care and God Bless.

PamT