Lyn Cote's Blog, page 92
September 5, 2011
Debut Author Mary Moore & Brave and Faithful Women
My guest today is debut Author Mary Moore. I love hosting an author with her first book. It's an exciting occasion. Mary is going to give away a book to someone who leave a comment. So here's Mary's story of bravery:
"In my story, Lady Nicole has a disability that she bears with grace and faith. She goes to tremendous efforts to make everyone else feel comfortable, and never takes any credit for it; she knows it is God's plan for her life. When she believes she has hurt Lord Devlin and he doesn't believe her . . . well, you'll have to see for yourselves.
But I have had two very special women in my life, both strong and brave, that made it easy to write about Nicole's graciousness. The first is my maternal grandmother. Her father died when she was very young, but she was blessed with a step-family that she always considered her own. When she married, she had three children and worked, in high profile jobs in Washington, DC for high profile men.
She lost her first child, her youngest, when he was only thirteen years old, from Polio. My grandfather had some heart problems and was disabled young. He died at the age of 54 and my grandmother continued working in the professional realm of politics and administration until the age of 75. Her second child, my mother, died from cancer at the age of 54 and her son, my uncle died of cancer at age 62. She was loving, (and loved) strong and very brave through it all until she passed away at age 87. She bore each trial, I'm sure each one heavier than the one before, with her love of family and her faith in God.
As you have gathered, the second brave and faithful woman in my life was my mother. She did not work while we grew up, but counted caring for her family and her home as the most important job she could hold. She was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 1984 and she was amazing! She let each of know she had lived a full life and was complete with the love she received from us. She wanted to be sure my dad could take care of himself, so she took the last 2 months of her life teaching him how to do laundry and balance the checkbook and each daily task he would need to know how to do without her. There was no fear; her faith taught her where she would be going, and I miss her gentle and quiet spirit every day of my life.
And I have had to face my own battle with cancer . . . never coming close to facing it with the graciousness those two women who I loved so much did. But I have them in my heart, and I had them as examples when I wanted to write about Lady Nicole as a brave woman facing tremendous hurdles; with nothing less than her devout faith, her bravery and her love for all others she comes into contact with.
I hope you'll be able to feel that in Nicole, and someday, I hope you'll be able to see it in me. God bless you all!"–Mary
Blurb:
For a few moments on a moonlit balcony, Nicole Beaumont was just a beautiful woman catching the eye of the handsome Lord Devlin-but she knew the illusion couldn't last. If the enigmatic aristocrat knew her secret, he'd realize that her disability left her unfit for love. So who could blame her for hiding the truth a little longer?
Devlin had never met a woman like Nicole. Her unique combination of innocence and wisdom left him utterly intrigued. Yet what was she hiding? For a man who did not trust easily, discovering her secret was devastating. Overcoming their pasts and forging a future would take faith, forgiveness and trust. And second chances could lead to new beginnings…
For more about Mary:
Regency, A Byword for Elegance and Romance
September 4, 2011
August 31, 2011
Author Margaret Daley & Her "Ruth" Heroine
Author Margaret Daley is my guest today. I featured another of her fine books on Monday and today she is going to share a bit more in depth about her heroine of her first book in her "American Tapestries" series. Margaret is the kind of author who makes me feel inadequate. She's written over 60-count them-60 books! And now she's the president of
August 29, 2011
August 28, 2011
Book Monday-Author Margaret Daley & Hidden in the Everglades
I haven't been doing BOOK MONDAYS this year because of course, I've been posting a scene from La Belle Christiane every Monday– January through the end of July and then my blogging slowed down a bit–summer you know. 
But today I am beginning the custom again with Author Margaret Daley's latest Love Inspired Suspense. Here's the scoop!
Hidden in the Everglades
Miniseries: Guardians, Inc.
Bodyguarding is Kyra Morgan's business—but this was supposed to be a vacation! Still, she can't refuse the request from childhood friend and neighbor Michael Hunt. Michael's sister Amy ran away after witnessing a murder. Michael needs Kyra's help to find her and keep her safe. Yet as Kyra and Michael follow the trail along the Florida coast, their search grows more dangerous by the day. Terrorists are at work, and the stakes are perilously high. It will take everything they have—including trust they're both reluctant to give—to escape the Everglades alive…
August 24, 2011
Author Penny Zeller & A Giveaway of Hailee!
My guest today is Author Penny Zeller who has a new book to share and a ministry. Plus she's going to give a copy to someone who leaves a comment in answer to a question. Here's Penny:
"Orphan Hailee Annigan had to steal food to keep her two younger brothers fed. It wasn't an easy life, but she had to be strong for her brothers.
Each day after her search for food, Hailee would return home and teach her brothers, not from textbooks, but from memories of what she had learned when her life had afforded her the luxury of being a student.
At night, Hailee told her brothers the story of Moses in the Bible, even when she herself felt as though God had abandoned her.
When her thievery landed her in a home for delinquent youngsters and separated her from her brothers, Hailee couldn't give up – she had to continue to be brave and strong, no matter what other unwelcome curveballs life threw her.
Hailee Annigan is a fictional heroine in my novel, which takes place in 1893.
But Hailee isn't so different from the millions of children living in orphanages or foster care systems in today's world. She's not so different than today's children – in the U.S. and beyond – who are driven to extreme measures just to survive.
One day, Hailee encountered a woman brave enough to reach out to her and introduce her to the One who could change her life forever. Ella Fanshaw was a strong woman in every sense of the word – her faith, her character, and her compassion. And so, it is just like Ella that strong women today step forward to work with troubled children, take in a foster child, or adopt a child and give them a forever home.
Orphan Hailee Annigan was a ragamuffin on the Cincinnati streets, stealing food to keep her two younger brothers fed. Her thievery landed her in a home for delinquent youngsters, where her life was changed. Now, nineteen-year-old Hailee excitedly heads to Montana to be a teacher, yet she's plagued by her shameful past and the fear of never seeing her brothers again.
Based on his upbringing in high-society Boston, no one would have guessed that Nate Adams would attend seminary and become a pastor in rugged Montana. Yet, Nate's parents refuse to put aside their own plans for his future and accept his calling.
When their paths converge, an immediate attraction draws Hailee and Nate together, even as the pressures and demands of others pull them apart. Can the unlikely pair come to terms with their pasts and face the future together?"–Penny
Bio:
Penny Zeller is the author of several books and numerous magazine articles. She is an active volunteer in her community and devotes her time to assisting and nurturing women and children into a closer relationship with Christ. Hailee is the final book in the Montana Skies series, which began with McKenzie and Kaydie. When she's not writing, Penny enjoys spending time with her family and camping, hiking, canoeing, and playing volleyball.
Penny on the web:
August 22, 2011
August 17, 2011
August 15, 2011
August 10, 2011
Lyn Reviews Author Kathryn Stockett's The Help
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Help reminds us how much life changed after Martin Luther King's March on Washington in 1963. Though pockets of racism still fester in America, our society has shifted away from being officially divided by color. I think it's important that books such as The Help that remind us this wasn't always the case be read. A few time when I've portrayed racism in my historical novels, editors have tried to cut these scenes out, one actually suggesting that to portray racism was endorsing it. What? If we don't study the past, we deny the truth. It's like the leader of Iran saying that the Holocaust didn't take place. It's a lie.
Anyway, I found myself tense as I read this intense book. I loved the characters. I felt sorry for Miss Hilly who didn't realize she was building her own prison. A woman who wants to CONTROL everyone around her, creates her own hell. I've seen the sick desire to control all destroy people in my life. God should be in control; that's the way to joy and peace.
This book is a must read especially for those who didn't live through the 1960′s.
