Lyn Cote's Blog, page 67
June 18, 2013
Mystery Author Eunice Loecher & Her New Adventure!
I’m thrilled today to introduce my very good friend Mystery Author Eunice Loecher (pronounced Low-sher). She lives in my area and is one of my faithful writing partners. (I think the photo above gives you some idea of why I like Eunice.)
A few weeks ago, she launched her first cozy mystery series: THE ARBOR VALE series, set in the northwoods where we both live. Here is my interview with Eunice:
Share one fun or interesting fact about your life or books.
There are so many to chose from. At age seven I got my head caught in a turnstile in the grocery store. It still hurts. I leave it to your imagination as to how that happened. Then there was the day I walked on water when it rained down poisonous snakes from the tree I was fishing under. Or when I was late for work because a tarantula was in front of me on the sidewalk.
Was there a time in your life when you think God challenged you to become stronger?
Seventeen years ago, my dad and my husband were both diagnosed the same week with different forms of cancer. I became the family caregiver. My lowest point came when I had been up all night with my dad and toward morning he had a seizure. Mom was seriously ill and in bed with the shingles and couldn’t help. My husband tried to help but the chemotherapy had made him so sick, he was in the bathroom vomiting. At that moment my daughter arrived with my six week old grandson. She was returning to work that morning after her maternity leave. I was her only option for child care. I stood in the livingroom holding that prescious baby and crying out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Yes, God challenged me to become stronger. I took care of my dad and then my husband until he passed seven months later. I helped raise two grandchildren and cared for mom until she passed two years ago at the age of 99. God did not forsake me but has led me all the way.
Why do you write?
Because I enjoy putting words on paper and expressing the stories and ideas running around inside my head. I’m really enjoying the stories my current characters, Zita and Zinnia, have to share as they get embroiled in all sorts of murder and mayhem.
To purchase, click here. A Widow’s Might (Arbor Vale Mystery)
BLURB FOR THE FIRST ARBOR VALE MYSTERY
Fred didn’t show for the fiesta lunch special on Wednesday at the Arbor Vale Café. Why not? He’d called to say he had something to tell her. So Zita Stillman drops by his house to hear him out. Fred had been such a good friend to her late husband. But Fred lies, lifeless, by the wood pile.
So begins Zita’s first murder investigation with her lifelong sidekick Zinnia Blossom Winwood and the distraction of the good-looking Max Knight, successful condo builder. Attacked by a clown, run off the road, and warned off by the police, Zita will not let Fred’s murderer get off scot free. But another mystery, the facts surrounding Zita’s parentage and birth also may come to light.
A Widow’s Might is the first of the (Arbor Vale Mystery) Series. Followed by Woman at the Well, (Book Two-now also available), written and coming soon, The Subtle Serpent, (Book Three), The Root of All Evil, (Book Four), and Sin Lieth at the Door, (Book Five).
BIO
Eunice Loecher enjoys living in a small Wisconsin northwoods town, south of Lake Superior. This setting inspired her Arbor Vale mystery series, featuring the two “Z’s” Zita Stillman, amateur sleuth, and her sidekick the flamboyant Zinnia Blossom Winwood.
Writing for over twenty years, Eunice was a finalist in the prestigious Wisconsin Regional Writers Award, The Jade Ring 2003. Eunice also had stories included in three editions of the “God Allows U-Turns” series, the Christian version of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Then Eunice switched from non-fiction to fiction and began by writing two romantic suspense novels. She now writes cozy mystery as her true calling.
Eunice is offering to give away several copies of her EBOOK The Widow’s Might. Please leave a comment to enter the drawing. Here’s the
QUESTIONS: Is there any venture or activity that you have been putting off till you have time? What is it and what’s stopping you from trying it or beginning the adventure?
June 16, 2013
Author Belle Calhoune & Her Anger at God
My guest today is new Love Inspired Author Belle Calhoune. She shares a dark period in her life. She is offering a book giveaway so be sure to leave a comment. Here’s Belle:
“One of the most difficult life passages
involves letting go of a loved one. It doesn’t matter whether we’re adults with our own children or teenagers struggling through adolescence. The loss of a parent feels as if we’ve been run over by a mack truck. It is a painful and devastating experience.
When my mother received a crushing diagnosis
of terminal cancer she was a vital, energetic woman with no health problems. Married to my father for almost forty years, mother of five children and a dedicated physician, my mother was a force of nature. There wasn’t anything she couldn’t do. Yet in one fell swoop she had to face the fact that her life was slipping away from her. While I was busy sobbing my eyes out, my mother calmly listed all the things she was grateful for in her life. My father. Her children. A wonderful home. Her dream career. And friends. It was in this moment that I realized exactly who my mother was—a strong, spiritual woman grateful for her blessings, even in her darkest hour.
During the next nine months my family rallied around her. We cared for her, loved her, watched movies with her, rang in the New Year and made each other laugh. One of the most beautiful things I witnessed was the love and devotion of my father, who stood by her side and served as her caregiver each and every day. And one of the most poignant things my mother was able to experience before she passed was my father dedicating himself to God in a church ceremony.
Yet I struggled with the loss of my mother and my anger at God.
How could a woman as giving as my mother be taken from us so swiftly, so randomly? And why had He allowed it? I didn’t attend church, stopped writing and allowed anger into my heart. In the end, it was my five year old daughter who showed me that God was all around me, supporting me, loving me and nurturing me. How could I be angry when He’d given me so many blessing in my life? After all, He’d given me my wonderful mother and everything else I cherished.
To purchase, click here. Reunited with the Sheriff (Love Inspired)
Belle’s New Book
As authors, we inject a little bit of our own experiences into our works. My heroine, Cassidy Blake, returns to her hometown of West Falls, Texas in order to take care of her cancer stricken mother. Because she loves her mother dearly, Cassidy is willing to endure coming face to face with her past in order to support the woman she loves during a health crisis.”–Belle
Stop by and visit Belle at:
June 11, 2013
A Suggestion of a Gift for Father’s Day Or Win a Copy for Dad! BILLY GRAHAM & ME
PAPERBACK EDITION
I’m sure you’ve all heard of, or seen or read THE CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL books. This one centers around a man I highly respect, Reverend Billy Graham. This book titled, BILLY GRAHAM & ME, is a collection of 101 personal recollections of people who have known him well. Some people who wrote reminiscences are Former Prime Minister Tony Blair, Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, Wynonna Judd, President Barak Obama, Kevin Sorbo, and Ravi Zacharius and many more.
I’ve always had high regard for Billy Graham because he has never let his family down. No sordid affairs or tawdry scandals. And I always loved to hear him preach. To me, he was a man who spoke to each person as if it were only the two of them–even though thousands were present.
I have one HARDBACK copy to send to one commenter. Or I will send it to your father or whomever you honor on Father’s Day.
HARDBACK
AUDIO BOOK
KINDLE EDITION
Question: What do you think of Billy Graham? What do you remember about him?–Lyn
PS-I listed all the various editions so if you don’t win, you can order one in the form you want in time for Sunday!
Send to Kindle
June 9, 2013
Love Inspired Author Allie Pleiter Talks About a Mother’s Choice
My guest today is Love Inspired Author Allie Pleiter who is a fun lady and avid knitter and of course–a Mom! She has something important to say about a mother’s choice. Here’s Allie:
“One of the great discoveries of motherhood
is the unfurling of your own daughter’s strength. As parents, we spend so much energy on “extra-curricular” activities, academics, college choices–all the details we believe will turn them into well-rounded and high-achieving adults.
A Choice
Then, as children are most wont to do, they turn around and head in a direction we didn’t choose. They craft their own life on their own terms of success, and we are left with a choice: discover and appreciate who they are, or sulk about the part of them that isn’t what we would have chosen.
I’m visiting my daughter this weekend in Charleston SC,
and I’m discovering her own strength. She’s done college on her terms–with all the ups and downs that implies–and carved out a life for herself that is uniquely her own. Do I like all of it? Not exactly. Am I pleased that I’ve raised up a woman strong enough to think for herself, act on her own behalf, be independent, and find her own skills, talents, and priorities? Absolutely. Her life goes on her path because she is strong. She’s met the challenges of her own life head-on, warts and all, and done pretty well for herself. I don’t alwlays agree with her, but I am continually proud of her.
The Fireman’s Homecoming Blurb
To purchase, click here. The Fireman’s Homecoming (Love Inspired)
Melba Wingate is a daughter learning her own strength. Now she faces one of the toughest challenges for any child–caring for an ailing parent. Melba must carve her way through a tangle of family secrets to discover what’s truly important to her and why it is worth fighting to keep. She starts out her story thinking she isn’t strong enough to face what’s ahead of her–and haven’t we all been there? The great truth is that God is always ready to show us how strong we can be when we trust His guidance and keep ourselves open to His lessons.
What about you? What in life is revealing your strengths or the strengths of those around you?–Allie
June 4, 2013
June 2, 2013
May 28, 2013
May 26, 2013
Author Christina Berry & Her Super Mom
My guest today is author Christina Berry who is going to tell us about her Super Mom.Christina is going to give away two copies of her newest book. Here’s Christina:
The Unexpected–Africa
“Sherrie Ashcraft, my mother married an engineer. That meant marrying into a stable career with lots of financial security. Little did she know he would soon be called by God to enter the ministry. That meant lots of change and being supported on tithes. She followed him gracefully—at least that’s what I like to think, as I wasn’t around yet!—because she loved him and wanted to serve the Lord at his side. They had two kids and then Dad heard a new calling—the drum beat of Africa. Off our family went to Nigeria for 3.5 years.
Not until I had children of my own did I comprehend how strong my mother had to be, taking her young kiddos into a dangerous land, learning to make her way among the beggars and flies to buy strange foods, cooking everything from scratch and washing dishes by hand, leaving her own parents to follow her husband when letters took months to make it across the ocean …
The After Effect-Depression
I’ve seen her strength throughout my life, from faithfully submitting herself to my father (revealing that true submission shows strength, not weakness) to nursing her mother-in-law through Alzheimer’s into a peaceful death.
My mother struggled greatly with depression after our return from Africa. Instead of letting that experience defeat her, she let it define her for the better. These days, she is the women’s ministry director at her church. Her compassion and encouragement for the women is so deep precisely because of what experienced. She’s lived transparently as my marriage fell apart, my brother was falsely convicted and imprisoned, and her dreams of writing sat on the shelf.
To Purchase, click here. On the Threshold
Mother and Daughter Write Together
Thankfully, we just released our first co-written novel. What’s it about? Oh, a mother and a daughter and the mother’s journey through depression, among other things. 
Mom, I love how you take the hard things in life and make them blessings!”–Christina
Book Blurb for ON THE THRESHOLD:
Suzanne-a mother with a long-held secret. Tony-a police officer with something to prove. Beth-a daughter with a storybook future. When all they love is lost, what’s worth living for?
May 21, 2013
Author Christine Johnson & Motherly Sacrifice
My guest today is Love Inspired author Christine Johnson. She will chat about the sacrifices our mothers make. She is also offering a book giveaway so be sure to leave a comment to be entered into the drawing. Here’s Christine:
“The big sacrifices are stunning: a mother donates a kidney to her child; another gives her meager rations to her children; yet another gives her life to protect her child in a tornado. No one can miss those heart-tugging stories, but mothers also make
countless unheralded sacrifices every day.
I was blessed with a stay-at-home mom. Money was always tight when I was growing up, and we didn’t have the newest and shiniest of everything, but I always knew my mom would be there. Granted, when I was misbehaving, I wished she wasn’t always there, but for every scrape and hurt I sought solace in my mother’s arms.
All in-laws all the time!
One sacrifice she made might not seem like such a big deal these days, but it was a little less common then. My mother grew up in a big city. When she married my dad, she moved to a tiny town where she knew no one. Many women in the Bible had to do the same. Rebecca, Ruth, and Sarah come to mind. What courage and trust it took to leave everything behind. Like Rebecca and Ruth, my mom left her family to join her husband’s family. All in-laws all the time! My mom must have been relieved that her mother-in-law was a kind, Christian woman who understood that her son and new daughter-in-law needed space.
To purchase, click here. The Marriage Barter (Love Inspired Historical)
In The Marriage Barter,
Charlotte Miller moved to the tiny frontier town of Evans Grove only to lose both her family and her husband. The child she wanted so desperately had just become a reality after she and her husband took in a little girl off the orphan train. But the rules don’t allow a widow to take in an orphan. Charlotte must give up her new daughter unless she can remarry in three short days. Charlotte sacrifices her dreams of a loving marriage in order to keep her daughter. Did any of the courageous women in your family make sacrifices for their children? Let’s share.
I will be giving away a copy of The Marriage Barter to one fortunate commenter!”–Christine
May 19, 2013
Author Miralee Ferrell & The Harm a Mother Can Do
My guest today is historical author Miralee Ferrell who shares the stress that can occur between mothers and daughters. I found it thought-provoking. Again Miralee is offering a giveaway so be sure to leave a comment. Here’s Miralee:
“Even the strongest of women can break under the right, or should I say, the wrong kind of pressure. I’m a certified counselor with The American Association of Christian Counselors, and it’s something I’ve seen far too often with women who’ve visited my office. So many times I end up praying with women about old emotional wounds, and a large percentage of those wounds deal with family issues—often times stemming from a mother.
My editor for Blowing on Dandelions, Ramona Tucker, expressed it this way after she read my book: “When I was the head of Today’s Christian Woman Magazine, this subject of stress between a daughter and her mother was one of the HUGE relational issues that caused women pain across the years…I was struck by the power and transformation this story can and will have in women’s lives—healing of the generations. And tears flowed…that a writer like you would have the heart, the passion, and would listen to the Lord to address this difficult subject for the world to read in a form (fiction) that they will accept. Healing will happen. I am convinced.”
With God, all things are possible. He can take the worst of situations, the most hopeless, and turn them around, even if that only happens within your own heart. God is able to transform lives and heal hurts, whether ones that occurred a decade or more ago…or ones that are still happening now.
To purchase, click here. Blowing on Dandelions: A Novel (Love Blossoms in Oregon Series)
While Blowing on Dandelions has a strong romance thread, it also tackles a subject not often shown in fiction—the hurt inflicted on Katherine by her mother, even when Mama believes she’s being helpful or instructive. In the 1800’s, even grown children respected their parents and didn’t answer back, no matter how harsh a parent’s treatment might be. Katherine is no exception, and she works hard to keep her temper intact while teaching her daughters how to relate to their grandmother in the proper way. She has no expectation that her relationship with her mother will ever change, and she is faced with daily challenges, but her quiet strength shines throughout the story.
I’ve been blessed over the years to be part of God’s healing, transformational power in women’s lives—both through counseling and prayer—and now, God willing, through the words He directs me to write. And my prayer will always be that He’ll direct my books to the women who will benefit most from them—whether for healing or simply entertainment. He has a purpose and a plan for each of us, and I’m proud to play a part in whatever He might choose.”–Miralee
You can find Miralee at:
