Wednesday, March 22, 2017

21 Days of Grace compiled by Kathy Ide






Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Book




Book: 21 Days of Grace  

Author: Compiled by Kathy Ide
  
Genre: Devotional  

Release Date: March 24, 2015

Love fiction? Looking for a devotional? Check out 21 DAYS OF GRACE, book one in the Fiction Lover’s Devotional series (published by BroadStreet Publishing Group). Fictional stories followed by brief life applications written by best-selling Christian novelists and debut authors, including Angela Hunt, Cindy Woodsmall, and Deborah Raney. Great for individual or group study.

My Review


21 Days of Grace was a new and delightful experience for me. When I heard it was a devotional, I had expectations, but these authors blew that out of the water. I have never seen fiction so closely tied to themes of the Bible to encourage in our Christian walk. Each one was a fictional story with a fully Biblical purpose for the day. Each story was completely unique and offered me new encouragement or a new challenge in my Christian walk. It was very thought provoking and stirred my soul for sure. To see all these authors with different backgrounds and different styles come together to piece this devotional together was a masterpiece indeed. You will not be disappointed I can assure you. No matter what type of Christian fiction you prefer, there is something to be enjoyed and learned from in this book. Each story is excellently written and while short, very impactful. Each one includes Bible references for foundation and application for that in the real world. I have to admit I was skeptical when hearing that fiction was going to be put into a devotional, but I ended up being highly blessed by reading. Anyone that picks up this book can and will enjoy it.

I received this book for free and all opinions are my own.




About the Author



 Kathy Ide is the author of Proofreading Secrets of Best-Selling Authors and the editor/compiler of the Fiction Lover’s Devotional series. She’s a full-time freelance editor and writing mentor, working with Christian authors of all genres at all levels. She teaches at writers’ conferences across the country and is the director of the SoCal Christian Writers’ Conference and the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. She’s a co-owner of the Christian Editor Network LLC and founder of the four divisions that comprise the CEN: Christian Editor Connection, The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network, PENCON, and The PEN Institute. To find out more about Kathy, visit www.KathyIde.com
 

Guest Post from Kathy Ide

I’ve always loved Christian fiction, and I’ve seen the power of fiction to touch hearts and change lives, both firsthand and hearing about the experiences of others. But you know, in my quiet times with the Lord, reading a chapter from a novel just doesn’t seem quite appropriate. So a devotional with short fiction stories seemed like a great solution. And you can take these purse-sized devotionals wherever you go, to read when you have a few minutes of down time. It’s a great way to get “inspiration on the go.” And they make fantastic gifts for friends and loved ones.

Blog Stops

March 23: A Reader’s Brain
March 24: ASC Book Reviews
March 24: autism mom
March 26: The Power of Words
March 27: Lighthouse Academy
March 28: A Greater Yes
March 29: Southern Chelle
March 30: Pause for Tales
March 30: The Scribbler
March 31: Carpe Diem
April 1: Splashesofjoy
April 2: Karen Sue Hadley
April 3: Lane Hill House
April 5: God is Love

Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Kathy is giving away:

1st – 4th place winners: A set of all four devotionals in the series. 
5th & 6th place winners: An autographed copy of 21 Days of Grace with a novel written by one of the contributing authors!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! 
https://promosimple.com/ps/b2cd






Thursday, March 16, 2017

Murder for the Time Being by Joanie Bruce


 
Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Book



Book: Murder for the Time Being  

Author: Joanie Bruce

Genre: Christian Suspense/Romance

Release Date: November 29, 2016

“You’ll pay for this. I’ll get you both.”

Computer expert Lexi Wynn is frightened. Someone is after her, but she doesn’t know why. Is it because of her past or because she was thrust into a deadly bank robbery and might identify the ones responsible? Escaping a failed kidnapping attempt and not sure who to trust, she hopes her specialized skills with computers might flush out the name of the killer. When a tall, dark, and handsome stranger rams into her truck with the hearse he’s driving and puts his life in danger to save hers, can she ignore the attraction she feels for him to concentrate on the killers? Or is God the only one who can save her now?

Drew Sheffield is irritated when a cute lady stops abruptly in front of him and he plows into the back of her pickup. After their initial confrontation, flashbacks of honeysuckle and sassy green eyes linger in his thoughts. When Lexi is threatened, he steps in to help the feisty young woman, in spite of agonizing over a past relationship.

Can Lexi and Drew forget the tragedies of the past and embrace the feelings between them or will ghostly memories snub out the promise of a future together?


My Review

 Lexi and Drew each have a past that is a mystery. What's uncertain is what's happening in the present, and if there's any hope for a future for them. How will their pasts intertwine to seal their futures? Heart pounding, nail biting, thrilling . . . all words to describe and emotions to experience while reading Murder for the Time Being. Ms Bruce seamlessly combines a suspenseful thriller in with an inspirational outlook on the situation tied together with a sweet budding romance. Intertwining trust in the Lord in these life-threatening episodes brings about a wonderful encouragement to the reader. How one piece of each puzzle is slowly unveiled keeps you reading and hoping for the best. The sweet romance intertwined within the story just makes you feel good. The characters were so clear in my mind, and the action going on was so clearly described, I felt like I was truly a part of the story line. You will be catching your breath with each turn of the page while having warm fuzzy moments in between. Wonderfully complex characters, an intriguing and mysterious plot, action teeming with life-threatening circumstances, and a beautiful testimony of the Lord in our character's lives all come together to create a work of art. Bravo, Ms. Bruce!

I received this book for free and all opinions given are my own.


About the Author




Joanie has a strong passion for reading, and her love for books with nail-biting suspense, inspires her to write contemporary suspense books. Thankful that God has given her the ability to write from her home in the country, she strives to use that opportunity to honor Him in all of her writing. Joanie and her husband, Ben, live in a country home near Madison, Georgia, right in the middle of a pasture full of beef cows. There they raised and homeschooled their three children. She enjoys cooking, taking long walks, painting oil portraits, and caring for their home in the country.
 

Guest Post from Joanie Bruce

Have you ever been devastated by a certain event in your life, and later it turned out to the best thing that ever happened to you? That’s what happened to Lexi Wyn in this book, “Murder for the Time Being.” Something unthinkable happened to her family, but in the end, it changes Lexi’s life forever and introduces her to the love of her life.

In this story, both Lexi and Drew have things in their past that discourage them from seeking a lasting relationship. However, God has a plan for them both, and through His Divine engineering, they are thrown together in circumstances that nurture a growing appreciation and affection for each other.

This book was fun to write because I anchored the story in my sweet little town of Madison, Georgia. I wasn’t raised in Madison, but I’ve called it home for much longer than any other place I’ve ever lived. While growing up in the big city of Memphis, Tennessee, I had definite plans for my future. All I ever wanted was to “marry a country boy and live in the country.” The Lord heard the desires of my heart and gave me what I wanted … a country boy, born and raised here in Morgan County on a dairy farm.

After we married, I adopted Madison as my home, and I love it so much that I wanted to feature some of the fun spots in Madison as the backdrops for the scenes in my books. I hope when you read through the pages of my book, you will get an idea of what a sweet little town Madison is and enjoy reading about Lexi and Drew and how they let God guide them in discovering that murder CAN be “for the Time Being.”

Blog Stops

March 15: autism mom
March 16: A Reader’s Brain
March 17: A Greater Yes
March 18: Radiant Light
March 20: Karen Sue Hadley
March 24: Pause for Tales
March 24: 2014 and Beyond!
March 26: Carpe Diem

Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Joanie is giving away a Kindle Fire!! Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/b291

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Life after E.L.E. by JC Morrows


 
Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Book


 
Book: Life After E.L.E.  

Author: JC Marrows  

Genre: Young Adult Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian  

Release Date: November 29, 2016
Extinction Level Event: An event where all species on the planet can become extinct.

If you manage to survive . . . What then?

When a rogue moon was discovered on a collision course with the Earth, we thought we had a solid plan.

To survive. . . to rebuild. . . to go on.

30 Years later… those who managed to survive, emerged from the caves to find a frozen world.

A world where rule number one in the compound is to be inside the gates before sunset. . . or die.

Eve watched the gates close – with her father on the outside – so that should be the easiest thing in the world for her to remember.

But life is not always simple.

Life does not always go as planned.

Now Eve is in a race against time, discovery, and danger around every corner – to find a truth that has been hidden. . . for years.

A truth Eve’s father died to protect her from.

My Review

Dark, daring, heart pounding, and emotional moments intertwined. Life after E.L.E introduces us to a Hunger Games like setting. At least that's what first came to my mind. Eve is trying to survive in a constrained environment shrouded in mystery and fear. She knows she has to fit in somewhere for survival- but at what cost? The chancellor rules with an iron fist, but for what reason? You will find yourself fearful for our characters, as well as sad but hopeful at moments. Though the premise of this book is dark, it draws you in bit by bit to uncover truths and push forward for a hopeful future, and not just mere survival. The setting was very clear in my mind, and the plot kept me turning the page. The characters came to life amidst their interaction together, and the emotions they conveyed really gripped me. Eve's loss of her father is a pivotal point in this book and perpetuates the mystery that he died to uncover. How will Eve follow in the footsteps of her father to not only survive, but uncover a life-threatening mystery?

I received this book for free and all opinions are my own. 




About the Author


 
JC Morrows – author of the Bestselling Young Adult Dystopian series: Order of the MoonStone and the NEW Frozen Earth series (Post-Apocalyptic with a Dystopian edge) – spends her days writing, arguing with her evil computer, juggling two kids, and wishing someone would invent a coffee IV.

A storyteller in the truest sense of the word, JC has been telling stories in one form or another her entire life and once her mother convinced her to write them down, she simply couldn’t stop.

And… as a true believer, she gives God all of the glory for her talent and ability!

“And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.” Habakkuk 2:2

Guest Post from JC Marrows

Life After E.L.E. is one of those stories that I never saw coming. A lot of people might even say it was never meant to be. . .  

But GOD had other plans!  

It was one of those spur-of-the-moment ideas… the kind that usually doesn’t amount to much for me. Over the last twenty years I have started hundreds – yes, you read that right – of stories on the spur-of-the-moment. Until 2011, none of them amounted to anything more than a few chapters. In 2013, I was working on an entirely different series – the first I’d had any measure of true success with – when my mother challenged me to participate in NaNoWriMo [National Novel Writing Month – where you write 50,000 words in 30 days].  

I sat down on November 1st with absolutely nothing on the page and only a vague idea of what I wanted to write about. And, to be perfectly honest, I didn’t expect much. I did not expect to reach the goal and I certainly never expected that the book would be published three years later (albeit after quite a bit of editing and rewriting)  

What’s more is that there is more to this story.  

Last November, one of the stops on Marissa Meyer’s Heartless tour was Nashville, and of course my daughter and I had to go see her… and buy her new book! While there, I gave Marissa an early copy of Life After E.L.E. after thanking her for being such an inspiration to me.  

Not only did she seem genuinely excited – she made a point to have me autograph it! (cue absolute and utter shock – followed by inner Happy Dancing)!  

Why so excited you ask? Well… there are some authors who think you’re not a ”real” author when you write your story during NaNoWriMo and knowing Marissa’s story was about the only thing that kept me going that year. You can’t get much more REAL than New York Times Bestseller – which Marissa hit with her very first book. She was a tremendous inspiration to me then – and continues to be now. I am truly blessed to have met her!  

And I count myself truly blessed that the right people enjoy the story enough that it has been published. I look forward to sharing part two with readers at the end of this year. And then I have another story to get out there!
 

Blog Stops

March 8: Reading Is My SuperPower (Author interview)
March 8: Mary Hake
March 9: Just Jo’Anne
March 11: Bigreadersite
March 12: The Power of Words




Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, JC Morrows is giving away a themed basket including the book and swag and some specially chosen surprises!! Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/b0fd