Monday, April 21, 2025

Meow Meow Milks the Cow by Allen Brokken/Illustrated by Reace Erbe

About the Book

Book: Meow Meow Milks the Cow: A Towers of Light Read to Me

Author: Allen Brokken, Illustrated by Reace Erbe

Genre: Christian Fable

Release date: March 15, 2025

When disaster strikes the family farm, Lauren gets a big job. She has to milk their cow, Clarabelle, all by herself! Her only help might come from her new feline friend Meow Meow, but how can such a little kitten help with such a big job?

This read-aloud will help you share the timeless truth from the Bible that God can use the least of us to solve big problems.

Click here to get your copy!

I received a complimentary copy of this book,

And all opinions given are my own and not

An endorsement of all author’s opinions.

Author Interview

● What was the most challenging part of writing your book?

The most challenging part of writing Meow Meow Milks the Cow was time. When I first hired my virtual assistant, Heather Freeman, she suggested that I write picture books. While I thought it was a fun idea there’s a huge differencebetween writing novels and picture books. Plus, I was working on book 4 in a series of 6 and didn’t see how I would ever get around to writing a picture book. But with a lot of help from a great team 2 years later I had a book.

● What was the most enjoyable part of writing your book?

It was amazing to see how everything worked out to make this book a reality. There was a scene that I really liked in my first book, Light of Mine that my editor made me cut because it didn’t flow well from a storytelling perspective. It basically pulled all of the intensity from the story, so she insisted that I pull it. But it always bugged me. One day I was talking to a picture book author, Pam Halter, and she said she could help me adapt that scene to a picture book format all I needed was an illustrator.

Well, my soon-to-be daughter-in-law had just drawn a nice set of characters depicting the children in the Towers of Light series and I thought, WOW that style would be perfect for a picture book. So, I had my story and my illustrator!

● Are any of your characters based off of yourself or those close to you?

The main characters are based on, and named after, my three children. There are even characters that show up in the books who were friends of my children in real life. In fact, Meow Meow himself is even named after Lauren’s real favorite stuffed animal.

● Was your writing process spontaneous as it came to you or very planned and organized? Why?

The writing process for this story was very planned out since it came from a scene that I had already written. When I’m starting from scratch, I start with a high-level idea or concept I want to get across. Once I get that down, I create what I call a flight plan or a series of major events I’d like to happen. Then I stitch it all together.

● What is your next big goal as an author?

Right now I have two other books launching in the next few weeks, The DadaBase+ (my best jokes from social media) and Logan vs. the Hateful Strawberries. After that I’m working on the next picture book in this series, Daddy Duck saves Cluck!

About the Author

Allen Brokken is a teacher at heart, a husband and father most of all. He’s a joyful writer by the abundant grace of God. He began writing the Towers of Light series for his own children to help him illustrate the deep truths of the Bible in an engaging and age appropriate way. He’s dedicated 15 years of his life to volunteer roles in children’s ministry and youth development. Now that his own children are off to college he’s telling stories and sharing clean humor on social media and through his blog.

More from Allen

Sometimes, a story just HAS to be told. When I first wrote the book that became Light of Mine, book 1 of the Towers of Light series, there was a scene in which the main character, Lauren, and her newly found kitten are trying to milk the cow. It was a sweet moment in a chaotic story, and I had fun writing it as an homage to my kitten squeaker, who made trying to work around home very challenging at times. However, my editor was pretty clear that as cute as the story was, Meow Meow’s interlude with the milk cow Clarabelle just didn’t fit the story’s action. So, unfortunately, that scene found its way to the cutting room floor.

After a few years, I started having mothers of children who loved the Towers of Light Series ask the same question over and over….”But what about my littles?” Do you have a story for me to read to my younger children? After thinking about it, I realized Meow Meow’s adventure might be a perfect read-aloud. So I reached out to a fellow Realm Maker, Pam Halter, who has a really fun series of books with Willougby the Dragon, to see if she could help me turn my 2500-word novel scene into an 800-word picture book…and she did a fantastic job! So now we have Meow Meow Milks the Cow.

Another fun fact is that the character Ethan in this book is all grown up now and engaged to be married to Reace Erbe, and this is her first illustrated work in print. So we all hope you enjoy this Tower of Light read to me.

Blog Stops

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, April 9

For the Love of Literature, April 10 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, April 10

By the Book, April 11

For Him and My Family, April 12

Tell Tale Book Reviews, April 13 (Author Interview)

Vicky Sluiter, April 14

Hannahbandanarama, April 15

Blossoms and Blessings, April 16 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 17

Locks, Hooks and Books, April 18

Labor Not in Vain , April 19

Texas Book-aholic, April 20

Pause for Tales, April 21

A Reader’s Brain, April 22 (Author Interview)

Artistic Nobody, April 22

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Allen is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54199

Sunday, April 13, 2025

The Rancher’s Unexpected Bride by Lauralyn Keller

About the Book

Book: The Rancher’s Unexpected Bride

Author: Lauralyn Keller

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: March 25, 2025

In the rugged Montana Territory, a Boston socialite’s bid for freedom collides with a rancher’s quest for a family.

According to Boston’s elite society, Ella Mountbatten has it all: status, prestige, and a bright future. What they don’t know is that her life as a socialite has become a gilded cage of abuse and oppression under the control of her cruel fiancé and domineering parents. Desperate to escape, Ella flees Boston and seeks refuge in the small town of Harmony Springs, Montana Territory, where her former friend now resides as the sheriff. But with her family determined to drag her back to Boston, Ella’s hard-won freedom—and her very life—hang precariously in the balance.

Rancher, Cody Brooks, is ill-equipped to be the guardian of three orphaned children. But that’s the situation he’s in after the death of his best friend. Now, what he needs is a wife to help provide love and stability to his makeshift family. So when a runaway heiress arrives in need of protection, it seems a marriage of convenience may be the answer to both their prayers.

But with danger closing in from Boston and the challenges of building a new life together, Cody and Ella must confront their deepest fears and desires. Can their marriage of convenience blossom into true love, or will the shadows of Ella’s past tear apart the fragile hope they’ve found in Harmony Springs?

Click here to get your copy!

I received a complimentary copy of this book, and all opinions given are my own and not an endorsement of all author’s opinions.

Author Interview

How do you weave Biblical truths into your writing?

I am very much a “show your faith through actions” kind of person, and that extends to the characters in my stories.While they do generally speak of their faith, the fact that they live a virtuous lifestyle shows their commitment to Christ, or if they aren’t living virtuously, their eventual change demonstrates the interior shift. I write historical fiction, so it feels easy to integrate that into my stories. My hope is that readers see these characters living out the Gospel in what they say and do—or what they don’t say or don’t do.

● Was your writing process spontaneous as it came to you or very planned and organized? Why?

It’s a spontaneous process. I cannot plan. Ever. I’ve tried multiple times, and it never ends well. The little planning I do manage to get in is inevitably scrapped because my characters decide they want something else (yes, they talk to me—something that was a shock when I first started writing).

Let me give you a story to demonstrate. When I wrote my first book, A Future Not Their Own, chapters flowed easily. I didn’t really plan, except for picking a couple tropes and creating a villain that would be revealed near the end of the book. That’s it. The rest of the story came in waves—I wrote nearly a chapter a day, finishing the 50-chapter book in about two months. When I got to the end, the villain informed me that he wasn’t a bad guy. I started arguing with his character—out loud—because he’d been created specifically to be the villain. But he was adamant about the fact that he was actually good. And he won. I had to rework the entire villain storyline, but in the end, it was better because of who the new baddie was.

That, combined with a few other experiences over the years, have taught me that planning is not for me. I’m a total pantser, and I’m fine with that.

● Do you have a favorite time of day you are most productive in your writing?

Mornings are most productive for me when it comes to writing. Unfortunately, I’m rarely able to write at that time during the week because of my teaching job. While I love teaching, it’s hard to be productive when writing in the late afternoons or early evenings. Weekends are usually best for me when it comes to getting in quality writing time, because timing is more flexible and I can have those early hours to work on my stories.

● Why did you pick this genre for your book?

History was one of my favorite subjects in school, along with language arts. I find the past fascinating, with so many stories waiting to be told. Combine that with my lifelong love of romance novels, and historical fiction felt like the perfect niche to write in. I have so many ideas for stories in different time periods. I’ve already written a post-WWII series and have an idea for a WWI story. Regency England is another period I’d like to explore, as is medieval times. I’m especially excited about a biblical “encounters with Jesus” series that’s bouncing around in my head—that one may come to fruition sooner than later.

● He ow many books do you personally own?

Quite a few! I own 390 ebooks, mainly historical and contemporary romance, and most of them were downloaded during free or reduced price giveaways. For physical books, I have about 140. Those are a mix of theology, history, and apologetics, along with fiction authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Francine Rivers, and Sarah M. Eden.

About the Author

Lauralyn Keller loves to combine history and romance in stories that touch the heart. She lives in beautiful Colorado and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking, hiking, and reading.

More from Lauralyn

Stories have a funny way of percolating in my mind. I’ll be driving or doing dishes or some other mundane activity, and all of a sudden, an idea pops into my head. What my mind does with it then determines the course of a story.

Here’s a peek at my thought process for The Rancher’s Unexpected Bride.

Marriage of convenience stories are fun—maybe I could write one. Oooh, and I love Montana. It should take place there. Historical, of course, since stepping back in time is also fun. Hmmm….who should the characters be? Maybe a socialite….or an heiress….where would someone like that be from? Philly? New York? Ooh, I know—Boston! Yeah, Boston. Let’s see, her name can be Ella, though that doesn’t sound terribly high society. Maybe Ariella, but she prefers being called Ella. And she wants to leave town because she feels that society life is suffocating her. Hmmm, that doesn’t quite seem like a strong enough reason. Oh! She comes from a stuffy family….with harsh parents….and an abusive fiance. That’s why she runs away. I can iron out the details later. Okay, so Ella runs from Boston to Montana. Now, who’s her love interest? A farmer might work, but why would they agree to a marriage of convenience? I suppose Ella could be a mail-order bride….hmmm, no, that might not work. She needs to leave in a hurry (the why to be determined later). Maybe the guy (let’s call him Cody—that’s a good name) is a widower raising young kids and needs a wife to help. Or….no, he took in the kids after their parents died. That’ll create an immediate need for a wife. Perfect! Actually, I think he should be a rancher instead.

And just like that, a story is born. Sometimes it comes to me in moments, other times in weeks. This story developed over a couple of years. I wrote one draft, decided it was too fluffy, and ended up giving it a complete rewrite. I’m very happy with how Ella and Cody’s story turned out. It’s a sweet, love-comes-softly romance, and I hope you enjoy it.