Lyn Cote's Blog, page 61

SOMETHING NEW! Book Blogger Judy Lynn of Judy’s Jumbles Blog

Every year I try to continue the focus on Strong Women & their Brave Stories on this blog. But each year I also try to come up with something a bit different so that this blog doesn’t become stale. This year I decided to interview other bloggers, especially those who focus on books. So this month I’m featuring Judy Lynn who has become an online friend. Here’s her interview and I hope you’ll visit her blog because it offers so much! (PS-Read to the bottom to see about the giveaway AND PARTY!!)

1-Who are your favorite authors?

With over 100 author book lists on my blog of the books I’ve read, I just cannot choose one.

What kind of book is the one you look for most often in bookstores and online?

I read every genre in the romances. If I’ve read a more serious, real life issues type book, I prefer the next one to be lighter. Perhaps a paranormal, something that takes me away from the real world.

What prompted you to start a book blogging site?

In July of 2011, I discovered NetGalley. To review books for them you needed a blog. I also enjoy reading series books and found it disappointing to read a book and realize there was a previous one. To help others avoid this, I made my blog into an author book list. I do my best to have the books in order so if any are connected, the reader won’t miss out. Right now I have a celebration party going on at Facebook as my blog hits 100,000 page views in the two and half years it has existed.

I’m not sure how good this is, but at 2 1/2 years old my blog is about to hit 100,000 page views. I have been having a party on Facebook and it looks as if the party will continue to go into February. Many of the authors on my blog have answered interview questions and offered giveaways. I feel so blessed by the outpouring I have received from them to help celebrate.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I never read much until November of 2008. After watching a movie that left me hanging, I found there were books out for the rest of the series. I read them and enjoyed the books more than the movie. From there I turned into a reading machine. I could put away 2-3 Heartsong books a day or 2 Love Inspired books. From that I learned that errors would jump out and punch me in the nose. The way my mind works I read as a movie, errors would screech the movie to a halt. I now own Judicious Revisions LLC,  a proofreading business for Indie authors.

I also like to email each author after reading their book. It’s amazing what a simple email can do to make their day…no matter how famous they may seem. I try to encourage others to do the same and to leave a reviews.

What book did you enjoy most in the past year?

This book is from a previous year and I have read it several times. Loving Eliza by Ruth Ann Nordin. The main hero is a mute and is treated like he is mentally disabled because of it. John is just one of those characters that grabs your heart and does not let go. It is also a free book.

Thanks for doing the interview, Judy. So glad you became a reading machine! I hope all of you will click her blog below and see what a great site she has. The lists of books in series are especially helpful. Also drop by her Facebook page and join in the celebration. Many authors including me are offering giveaways! Thanks, Judy, for all you do to connect authors and readers!–Lyn

ALSO DON’T MISS JUDY’S FB PARTY  celebrating 100,000 page views. Here’s the link:

Lyn Reviews International Author Beate Boeker’s Mischief in Italy

I promised that I would return to reviewing romances again and here is my first for 2014.

Mischief in Italy by Beate Boeker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What fun!

Mischief in Italy is a romantic romp at its best. A father who has not reentered life after losing his beloved wife. And a son who is living fast and heedless. The father begins to chide the son about his lifestyle and his son turns the tables on him. And it all takes place on a beautiful lake in sunny Italy. Misunderstandings and secrets abound and a romance that is light–a refreshing escape. Beautiful scenery, lively interesting characters and a happy ending after the explosion when the truth comes out!

So does that sound like something you’d like to read? Have you read any good romances lately? Please share. There may be a prize drawing!–Lyn

For more about Beate’s books, drop by her

Lyn’s New Short Story Collection–Now Available in Ebook!

Last week I quietly published another ebook, a collection of four short stories. Here’s the scoop:

Light, Sweet, Short–

Two Seasons, Summer and Winter–Four Romances

“Watermelon Cowboy”–After disappointment, Sarah learns how to find the real thing~

“Diamond in the Rough”–Ellie discovers neither nerds nor handsome men should be judged on looks alone~

“Good Neighbors”–After loss, Kate changes her point of view on loving again~

“Make Believe”–Taking a chance, Amy finds a special gift or two on Christmas Day~

Now an excerpt from the first short story

WATERMELON COWBOY

“Hi, are you a cowboy?” Danny asked.

Sarah stood behind her freckled, about-to-enter-kindergarten son. Affectionately she finger-combed his red curls. On the way home from her new job and Danny’s new daycare, they’d stopped at the roadside produce stand.

“Well…” The tall, good-looking man in denim eased out of his lawn chair, then stood up by the weather-beaten stand. “Do you think a watermelon needs roping?”

“But you got on a cowboy hat.” Danny pointed to the battered straw hat shaped like a Stetson the man wore.

“No, this is my melon hat. Always wear it when I work the melon patch and this stand.”

“Oh.” Danny’s voice showed his disappointment.

Sarah sighed inwardly. She knew all about the kind of disappointment that comes when appearances were deceiving. Her five-year marriage to Danny’s father had been an unfolding story of disillusionment. The only things genuine she’d gotten out of the marriage were debt and Danny.

“What can I get for you, ma’am?” the Watermelon Cowboy asked.

As Sarah read aloud her grandmother’s shopping list, perspiration trickled down her back from the late summer heat. How did the cowboy look so cool?

He slapped open a paper bag. “Why don’t you pick out the ears of corn you want?”

“Right.” She’d lived so long on generic macaroni and cheese she’d forgotten what it was like to pick out fresh produce. She walked to the table heaped with sweet corn. A sign over it said, “Fresh picked today.” Promises, promises, she said to herself.

She stripped down a piece of green husk from a plump ear of corn. Performing the test for freshness she’d learned years ago during summer visits at her grandmother’s, she pressed her thumbnail into one pearl-sized, pale yellow kernel. Creamy corn juice spurted out. “Fresh,” she murmured in approval.

“That’s what the sign says.” The cowboy grinned.

Assessing him, she dropped it in the bag he held.

“Can I do that?” Danny asked.

“Sure can.” The man swung Danny up to sit on the edge of the table and showed him how to test the corn. “You’re Sarah Jane, Martha McDowell’s family, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am.” Sarah sighed. Small town gossip. She’d been afraid people here might talk behind her back. She watched her son test each ear and drop it into the bag.

The man leaned against the table and gave her a slow smile. “I’m Tate, Jessie Quint’s grandson.”

********

To purchase, click here.

Two Seasons of Romance

Now for my QUESTION: Should I publish it in print?–Lyn

 

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Author Donita K Paul & Her Mother & Realm Walkers

My first guest in this new year is author Donita K Paul who writes Christian fantasy. I am a fan! Here’s Donita:

Two Weeks Before Pearl Harbor

“My mother was an incredibly strong woman. Two weeks before Pearl Harbor, she gave birth to my older brother Stephen. Steve was a “blue baby” born with multiple heart defects and not likely to live. For 18 years my mother’s life revolved around keeping her special boy alive. She told me of a night when she paced the floor. The doctors said that crying could kill this fragile baby. Mom was praying as she walked and suddenly felt the assurance of the Holy Spirit that she was not facing this battle alone. My father helped by taking care of the other children in a crisis, but Mom dealt with Steve’s emergencies. Years later, I was in a Bible study with my mother and she was asked to choose the hymn we’d sing. She chose “Sweet Hour of Prayer.” Her choice reminded me of her strength and where her fortitude came from.

To purchase, click here. One Realm Beyond (Realm Walkers)

In One Realm Beyond, my latest fantasy coming out January 28th,

Cantor and Bixby are training to be realm walkers. In this world, realm walkers are like the knights of old; they pursue nobility in their character and justice for all they encounter.

Cantor has been raised by two former realm walkers and has lived simply in the mountains. His strength is physical and practical.

Bixby is a tiny princess, on the one hand, pampered, and on the other, rigorously trained to perfect all her talents. Her strength is in knowledge and intuition.

Both characters learn to walk closer to the source of true power and to access wisdom through contact with this creator of all.

Our God is portrayed

as Primen (pronounced with prime numbers in mind). He is first in importance, best, earliest.

As Bixby walks toward the destiny Primen has planned, she becomes aware of the talents that keep her close to her creator and how some talents could drag her off the blessed road she travels. A correct attitude is essential in the fulfillment of her calling.

The story is filled with adventure, peril, and fun (a shape-shifting dragon and his sister with the personality of Ava Gabor). But the story also deals with choices, something readers can come to terms with in their own lives.”–Donita

Website:

Award-Winning Author Gail Martin & Finding Her Own Strength

My guest today is my last guest for 2013, author Gail Martin, a dear friend and great writer. Here’s Gail:

“I’d never thought of myself as a strong woman until I faced the unthinkable—divorce. As a Christian woman, divorce is an action no one wants to face, especially when you know what the Bible says and that it is scorned by many faiths.

The Cause

My former husband’s unfaithfulness was the cause of our divorce. We tried for two years to keep the marriage together, but it failed, and I received divorce papers from my husband. My world collapsed. I had never run a house alone. I’d never worried about car repairs or dealing with house repairs that a home owner must handle. I lay alone at night, tears rolling down my face while asking the Lord to give me a sign that I would survive, that life would get better, that my world hadn’t crumbled.

I didn’t receive a sign,

but I received an answer. Life moved on. I resolved repairs in my home by getting estimates, hiring people to do repairs and to rebuild the porch. I learned how to do some small repairs myself. I dealt with car repairs by asking men from work what did it mean when my car went thump, bang, bump. They smiled, took my keys, started my car, and told me what they thought. I went to the repair shop saying. “I think my belt is slipping.” I had no idea if it was, but the repairman thought I knew something about cars and I never got duped into replacing something not needed.

I not only survived,

I gained confidence, grew stronger and realized that was the sign I’d needed all along. I could do anything with confidence, planning and forethought. And besides that, the Lord led me on a stranger journey to a divorced singles church country dancing event where I met the sweetest man who valued his children, family and faith as much as I did.  We celebrated our twenty-eighth wedding anniversary last August.

To purchase, click here. The Firefighter’s New Family (Love Inspired)

When I wrote my newest novel from Love Inspired, The Firefighter’s New Family, in stores in mid-December, I wanted to create a strong female character. Ashley is a young widow with Joey, a three year old toddler. The boy never met his daddy who was killed in Afghanistan shortly after Joey was born. Ashley dealt with her husband’s death by being strong for her son and praying to be the best single parent she can be. But when Ashley is rescued from beneath a fallen tree by a firefighter who sees the accident when he arrives home from a night of fighting tornado-force winds, Ashley faces a new challenge. They become friend, but she fears opening the door to the love of this wonderful man because of his career. How can she face another marriage with a man whose life is in danger daily? Can she learn to be strong again in her faith and trust?”–Gail

If you’d like to learn more about her new release, drop by:

Author Michelle Stimpson & One of the Coolest Things

My guest today is author Michelle Stimpson and she is going to share one of the coolest things! here’s Michelle:

1930-40′s

“One of the coolest things about spending time with my grandmother is when she starts reminiscing about things she experienced in the 1930s and 40s. My grandmother wasn’t exactly a rebel, but she did buck the system for her day. When her parents wanted her to stay home and get married, she made the decision to attend secretarial school several hundred miles away. She had to come back home because of he war, which was when she fell in love with my grandpa.

Again, she followed her heart

and married a man who wasn’t my great-grandpa’s cup of tea. My grandparents were married more than fifty years before my grandfather passed away. In retrospect, my grandma will be the first to say she didn’t make all the right decisions. She wishes she had finished school before giving birth to the first of eight children. She also wishes she had taken better care of herself earlier in life. Nonetheless, she gave her life to the Lord in 1943. He has been the lover of her soul since then and has been faithful to teach her and redeemed her mistakes. As a result, her lineage is blessed.

To purchase, click here. A Shoulda Woulda Christmas

Likewise, Chaka, the main character in my Christmas novella

entitled “A Shoulda Woulda Christmas” hasn’t always made the best choices. She wonders what would have happened if she’d married her high school love, what would have happened if she had finished college, etc. And through a little Christmas daze, she gets the opportunity to discover the same God who has covered my grandma, and now me, for all these years.”–Michelle

Michelle, you’ve been blessed to have a grandmother you could talk to and hear family history. I wasn’t so lucky. One grandmother died when I was in first grade and the other lived all her life far far away. I did enjoy a great relationship with my husband’s grandmother who was an immigrant from Slovenia arriving at Ellis Island in 1914. A very good year to leave middle Europe! QUESTION: Have you had a family member or friend who has shared their life experiences with you? Which did you the most good or which do you cherish most?–Lyn

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The Debate Continues at our Place–Fresh or Artificial?

Here is my only book cover with a Christmas tree!

Do you think the tree on this cover is real or artificial? Well, since the book is set in 1868, I suppose it was real. We always had a fresh tree that my husband cut himself UNTIL our children were school age and we began to drive to Florida each Christmas to spend the holiday with family. That caused us to buy an artificial tree. It was a great one and looked so real. And lasted around fifteen years before we wore it out.

And we moved too and needed one of those new slimline trees to fit in our great room (that is not that big). But this tree is falling apart after only 7 years. We put it up Saturday and it shed more needles than any “live” tree we ever had.

So! I told my dh that we need to do a fresh tree next year. He is not completely convinced-so we’ll see!

My dh and I in front of the slimline tree before it started to “lose it.”–Lyn

To purchase, Her Patchwork Family, click here. Her Patchwork Family (The Gabriel Sisters)

Which do you have–fresh or artificial?
And why?–Lyn

PS-WINNERS!

Nancy Mehl’s  winner is

Sonja Nishimoto

Jessica Keller’s is

Valri Western

Linda Goodnight’s is

chris granville

Leslie J Sherrod’s is Dana Spille

Thanks for posting comments!

 

 

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Author Leslie J Sherrod & Her Amazing Mother

My guest today author Leslie J Sherrod tells a story of an amazing woman, her mother. Leslie is also offering a book for a drawing here. Please leave a comment to enter the drawing. Here’s Leslie:

“I was eleven years old

when my father was diagnosed with sarcoidosis. Prior to his diagnosis, severe fatigue and drastic coughing spells had left him weak, bedridden. The doctors tossed around words like pneumonia, tuberculosis, even lung cancer, until tests exposed the true culprit attacking his lungs: the systemic inflammatory disease of sarcoidosis.

Some people with sarcoidosis improve spontaneously, but a small number have a continuing, life-altering relationship with it. My father is in that number.  Over twenty-five years have passed since that initial diagnosis, and the decades have been filled with constant medical appointments, invasive tests, countless hospitalizations, and additional disabling chronic conditions that now have him confined to a wheelchair and the hospital bed set up in his living room.

And in the midst of all of this is my mother.

A quiet woman with busy hands, my mother has been a constant caretaker. When that diagnosis first entered our family in the late 1980s, my mother was working as a nurse on the night shift. With an ill husband and two daughters to raise in Baltimore City, she continued working while caring for him, nurturing my sister and I, and also tending to her father who had Alzheimer’s, and her mother who had a stroke.

I do not know when my mother slept,

and now that I am an adult with a family of my own, I do not know how she balanced it all. Resources were always limited. Sometimes the electricity was off and the food and clothes we had were donated. But she managed. And to this day, now unable to work but still required to serve, I haven’t heard her complain. She shares silly jokes and plays goofy games with her grandchildren, and few would know the trauma, the trials she’s endured, is enduring.

Her faith in Christ a foundation,

my mother’s compassion and care for others extends beyond her previous nursing duties and ongoing family obligations. She looks for ways to help others, even strangers, while facing her own challenges. I remember as a teen, a young woman with sad eyes, alone and pregnant, happened to sit next to us at church. My mother asked for her name, took down her address, and a few days later we drove to the young woman’s house with bags full of baby supplies. There are many such stories that reveal my mom’s faith and character in action.

To purchase, click here. Without Faith: Book Two of the Sienna St. James Series

My current series’ protagonist, Sienna St. James,

a social worker like me, is a woman who faces private pain while working for the public good. Her marriage is in disrepair and the mysteries on her caseload keep her hands full. However, the lessons Sienna learns about faith and hope, sacrifice and joy, are ones I’ve witnessed firsthand through the life and continuing legacies of my mother.

You can learn more about me and my novels Like Sheep Gone Astray, Secret Place, Losing Hope, Without Faith, and the upcoming Sacrifices of Joy on my website,

Author Nancy Mehl & Running Toward the Roar

My guest today is author Nancy Mehl who writes Mennonite romance and mysteries–a good combo! Nancy is offering a copy of her book so be sure to leave a comment to enter the drawing.  Here’s Nancy:

A Common Mistake

“In my newest book, Unforeseeable, the third book in my “Road to Kingdom” series, my main character, Callie Hoffman, realizes that rather than dealing with her hurtful past, she’s locked her pain behind an emotional door. Now as a young woman, that choice is causing her problems and may even cost her the man she loves. I created Callie this way because I felt this is a common mistake many people make. It seems to be even more prevalent in women.

Why would women be affected more than men? Women are usually the primary caregiver, whether the care is being given to children or to elderly parents. When we don’t have time to “deal with our mess” we sometimes put it off until “later.” Unfortunately, sometimes later never comes and the “mess” just becomes “messier.”

The Wrong Thing to Do

I’ve dealt with this same problem myself and have learned several things from my mistakes. As one Christian teacher says, “Feelings buried alive never die.” What that means is that ignoring pain doesn’t make it go away. It just burrows down inside, causing us to react to it in ways we don’t understand. We may take it out on others or allow it to paint a picture in our minds of ourselves that is destructive and harmful. I’ve watched different women react to childhood trauma in different ways. One path leads to freedom and the other one can stop life in its tracks. The choice comes to this: Will you seek healing and deliverance from God? Will you allow Him to open old wounds so they can be cleansed and healed? Or will you become a victim, never fully experiencing the joy that God has for you?

To purchase, click here. Unforeseeable (Road to Kingdom Book #3)

Through the urging of a friend, Callie finally begins to face the truth. Realizing that many of the choices she’s made came from wrong motivations, she decides to confront the past and start searching for the life God has for her. It may sound easy, but it isn’t. Many times we’ve allowed others to shape our destiny out of fear or insecurity. Breaking those chains can be difficult.

I pray over every book I write, and my prayer for Unforeseeable is that it will not only provide an entertaining story, but it will also touch readers who may identify with Callie.

No Teeth

I heard a story once about lions. Sometimes the pack will send out the oldest lion to face their prey. This elderly lion can’t run and has lost most of his teeth. But when the old lion roars, their quarry turns and runs, not knowing he could easily escape the lion in front of him. Unfortunately, the young, strong lions are hiding in the trees, and the hapless victim runs straight into their trap. The lesson is this: If we run toward the roar, we will find that our enemy has no teeth. But when we turn and run away, we will be defeated. Real bravery isn’t always facing down a lion. Many times, it’s simply facing ourselves.”–Nancy