Ellen Gable's Blog, page 69

7 Quick Takes Friday – Happy Canadian Thanksgiving

Please join me and other Catholic bloggers at Conversion Diary for 7 Quick Takes Friday.

1. A World Such as Heaven Intended by Amanda Lauer

Now on Kindle! Click here to download the Kindle edition!

2. Working Mother by Erin McCole Cupp

Erin McCole Cupp has more information over here at her post.

3. Thanksgiving Weekend in Canada

This weekend we celebrate Thanksgiving up here in Canada and I’m looking forward to welcoming some of my American relatives to join in the festivities!

copyright James Hrkach

4. FQP Books Are Now Available at St. Patrick’s Gift and Bookstore!

All of my books and Full Quiver Publishing‘s books are now available at the largest and most comprehensive Catholic bookstore in the Ottawa area, St. Patrick’s Gift and Bookstore!

5. Autumn Beauty in Pakenham

copyright Josh Hrkach please do not use without permission

6. Review Shelf

Seven Saints for Seven Virtues by Jean Heimann (Look for my review this Monday as I participate in Jean’s Virtual Book Tour!)

7. Thanksgiving Cartoon

Image copyright 2013.James and Ellen Hrkach Please do not use without permission

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Feast of the Holy Rosary – Favorite Rosary Quotes

October is the month of the Holy Rosary, so I would like to share some of my favorite quotes about the rosary:

“Never will anyone who says his Rosary every day be led astray. This is a statement that I would gladly sign with my blood.” Saint Louis de Montfort

“You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary.” Our Lady to Blessed Alan de la Roche

“Give me an army saying the Rosary and I will conquer the world.” Pope Blessed Pius IX

“When the Holy Rosary is said well, it gives Jesus and Mary more glory and is more meritorious than any other prayer.” Saint Louis de Montfort

“One day, through the Rosary and the Scapular, Our Lady will save the world.” Saint Dominic

“If you say the Rosary faithfully unto death, I do assure you that, in spite of the gravity of your sins, ‘you will receive a never-fading crown of glory’ (1 St. Peter 5:4).” Saint Louis de Montfort

“You must know that when you ‘hail’ Mary, she immediately greets you! Don’t think that she is one of those rude women of whom there are so many—on the contrary, she is utterly courteous and pleasant. If you greet her, she will answer you right away and converse with you!” Saint Bernardine of Siena

“Recite your Rosary with faith, with humility, with confidence, and with perseverance.” Saint Louis de Montfort

“The Rosary is the most beautiful and the most rich in graces of all prayers; it is the prayer that touches most the Heart of the Mother of God…and if you wish peace to reign in your homes, recite the family Rosary.”

Pope Saint Pius X

“Even if you are on the brink of damnation, even if you have one foot in hell, even if you have sold your soul to the devil as sorcerers do who practice black magic, and even if you are a heretic as obstinate as a devil, sooner or later you will be converted and will amend your life and will save your soul, if—and mark well what I say—if you say the Holy Rosary devoutly every day until death for the purpose of knowing the truth and obtaining contrition and pardon for your sins.” Saint Louis de Montfort

“The Most Holy Virgin in these last times in which we live has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Rosary to such an extent that there is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or above all spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families…that cannot be solved by the Rosary. There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary.” Sister Lucia of Fatima

“How beautiful is the family that recites the Rosary every evening.” Pope John Paul II

“The Rosary is a magnificent and universal prayer for the needs of the Church, the nations and the entire world.”

by Pope John XXIII

“The holy Rosary is a powerful weapon. Use it with confidence and you’ll be amazed at the results.”

by St. Josemaria Escriva

“When lovers are together, they spend hours and hours repeating the same thing: I love you! What is missing in the people who think the Rosary monotonous, is Love.” Sr. Lucia of Fatima

Prayers of Love – the Holy Rosary

This is the month of the Holy Rosary. I’d like to repost an updated article I wrote as a guest post for another blog years ago:

“When lovers are together, they spend hours and hours repeating the same thing: I love you! What is missing in the people who think the Rosary monotonous, is Love.” Sister Lucia of Fatima

I have been a Catholic for my entire life (55 years), but it is only in the last 30 or so years that I have had a devotion to the Holy Rosary. I attended Catholic schools until high school. As a teenager, I would have identified myself as Catholic, but between television and secular influences, I didn’t totally embrace my faith until after I was married, and this was because my husband insisted that we not use contraception during our marriage.

As we dialogued back and forth in those few months before our wedding day, I still didn’t know why the Church taught that married couples shouldn’t use contraception to avoid pregnancy. In fact, I remember thinking that the Church just ought to come out of the Dark Ages and get more in line with the modern world.

In the end, I decided to trust my husband (and the Church). In the next year, we read Humanae Vitae, as well as other church documents, and I became fully convinced that the Church was indeed speaking the truth when she declared that contraception was a grave sin. Before we were married, we learned NFP and we are now a CCL NFP Teaching Couple Specialist (and have been teaching NFP for 30 years).

During that first year of our marriage, a couple of Jehovah’s Witnesses came to our door. My husband and I welcomed them and dialogued with them. Most of their questions centered on Mary: “Why do Catholics worship Mary?” “Why do you say such a monotonous repetitive prayer?” “Why is Mary so important to Catholics?” First, we gently explained to them that Catholics don’t worship Mary, we honor her. As for the other questions, I realized that I didn’t really know the answers, so I did some research.

To the question “Why is Mary so important to Catholics,” what I found out could probably fill an entire book. However, my own thumbnail answer is this: Jesus honored his mother. We, as Catholics, are called imitate Christ. He honored his mother and so we should do the same. Also, as Jesus hung on the cross, He gave his mother to the whole world when He said to John, “Behold your mother.”

Mary is indeed our mother and, as our mother, she desires us to be closer to her Son. The rosary is the ideal way for us to become closer to Him, because as we say the repetitive prayers (with love), we are meditating on His life.

I have found that saying the rosary has brought me closer to my husband and to Christ. Even after 32 years of marriage, we continue to say “I love you,” just as we continue to say the rosary together, with love.

7 Quick Takes Friday – Miscellaneous Book News!

Please join me and other Catholic bloggers at Conversion Diary for 7 Quick Takes Friday.

1. A Hero for the People: Stories of the Brazilian Backlands SALE

If you haven’t already taken advantage of this amazing sale of the 2014 CALA winner, please head on over to Amazon and pick up this book for only .99!

2. A World Such as Heaven Intended by Amanda Lauer

We are days away from the Kindle release of this Civil War Romance! Print edition will be available late this month, but the Kindle edition will be available by October 15th!

3. Stealing Jenny #1 for Third Week!

Stealing Jenny, Kindle edition has been #1 in Religious Drama for the third week in a row! It was #1 in UK in Christian Suspense for 10 days!

4. A Subtle Grace

A Subtle Grace has received more five star reviews on Amazon! The ranking is now 4.8, higher than any of my books. Thank you, readers!

5. Full Quiver Publishing

Check out our FQP website for up and coming book news!

6. Reading Shelf

The Blood Cries Out by Karl Erickson

7. Back Up Cartoon

Copyright James and Ellen Hrkach…please do NOT use without permission

Favorite Quotes from St. Thérèse of Lisieux

Today is the Feast of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. I was blessed to be able to visit Lisieux nearly 40 years ago during a high school trip to France. I didn’t know much about St. Thérèse at the time, only that our local Catholic grammar school was named for her. We visited the Cathedral in Lisieux (to the right), took a few photos, browsed the souvenir shop and left. In the years since, I have read many books about her and a few books authored by her. She was an inspiring example in her short 24 years on earth.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from her:

“Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.”

“For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.”

“Without love, deeds, even the most brilliant, count as nothing.”

“Holiness consists simply in doing God’s will, and being just what God wants us to be.”

“A word or a smile is often enough to put fresh life in a despondent soul.”

“Do you realize that Jesus is there in the tabernacle expressly for you-for you alone? He burns with the desire to come into your heart… don’t listen to the demon, laugh at him, and go without fear to receive the Jesus of peace and love…”

“When one loves, one does not calculate.”

“Go often to Holy Communion. Go very often! This is your one remedy.”

“A soul in a state of grace has nothing to fear of demons who are cowards.”

To find out more about St. Thérèse of Lisieux, “the Little Flower,” check out this website.

A Hero for the People by Arthur Powers SALE!

A Hero for the People: Stories of the Brazilian Backlands is only .99 now and for the entire month of October! This beautifully written book won the 2014 Catholic Arts and Letters Award.

Check out some of the amazing reviews of this beautifully written book of short stories:

“A stirring narrative, fictional yet historical and real, ” says Gregory Tague

Author Karen Kelly Boyce says Powers is a “Master Storyteller,” and “When you read the work of a Master it causes a spiritual reaction that keeps you wanting more. When I first received A Hero for the People by Arthur Powers, I thought I would just read it fast. Short Stories are like that, something you can read quickly with each story being like a chapter. However, this collection of stories was different. I couldn’t just rush through them. I couldn’t go from one story to another. I had to pause after each story while my very soul took in the pulse, feel, and profound knowledge that each tale imparted.”

Author Sarah Reinhard says,

“…it was so well-written that, as fiction, it seemed real. As in, “pinch me, I’m riding shotgun across Brazil” real…each story in this is crafted and fine-tuned. They leave you satisfied and yet wanting more.”

“I have never been to Brazil, but Arthur Powers’ words bring it fully to life for me. There are those of us who write, and then there are masters of prose, artists who paint with words. This book flows with beautifully constructed descriptions of the people and places of Brazil. I felt Arthur’s indignation at the inequities in Brazil and how the rich have taken advantage of the poor, displacing them from their lands and destroying families. These are well written and easy to read stories, but they will fill you with a great indignation against the greedy rich who grind the faces of the poor,” writes author E.A. O’Hara

Pick up your copy for only .99 at this link: A Hero for the People: Stories of the Brazilian Backlands

7 Quick Takes Friday – More Book News Etc.

Please join me and other Catholic bloggers at Conversion Diary for 7 Quick Takes Friday!

1. Working Mother – Short Fiction

FQP will be publishing a short story by Erin McCole Cupp, entitled “Working Mother” this December. Here is the final cover photo for the e-book!

2. Author Facebook Page

Please consider liking my Facebook page (which you can do by clicking on the link just below and to the right) or going directly to my Facebook page. Right now, I’m running a free promotion there. Comment on my Facebook page (at the free promo post) and let me know which of my five books you’d like a copy of. If you win, you will win a free print copy. (There’s only one comment at present so your chances of winning are pretty good!)

3. A World Such as Heaven Intended by Amanda Lauer

FQP’s book, A World Such as Heaven Intended, by Amanda Lauer, is set to be released on Kindle October 15th! (Print version will be available the end of October).

4. A Hero for the People by Arthur Powers (sale in October)

Check out Arthur Powers’ anthology, A Hero for the People: Stories of the Brazilian Backlands, a collection of beautifully-written short stories (and winner of the 2014 CALA award). It will be on sale for .99 the entire month of October. Here is the link.

5. Courage and the Catholic Writer

Check out my post over at the Catholic Writers Guild Blog.

6. Review Shelf

Contraception and Catholicism: What the Church Teaches and Why – Angela Franks

7. Flock Cartoon

Copyright James and Ellen Hrkach. Please do not use without permission.

Copyright 2014 Ellen Gable Hrkach

7QT – Photos, Reviews, More FQP News!

Please join me and other Catholic bloggers at Conversion Diary for 7 Quick Takes Friday.

1. Cool Train Photo

This cool photo was taken with a screeching train whizzing by me (hence the windswept hair and the look of trepidation on my face). Special thanks to Tim Baklinski of Two Trees Photography

2. Love this Photo!

I love this photo of James and me, taken from above (again, special thanks to Tim Baklinski from Two Trees Photography).

3. Four books in Top Five

All four of my novels were in the top five of Religious Drama yesterday on Kindle! (#1, #3, #4 and #5)

4. Stealing Jenny #1 in Britain

The U.K. has discovered Stealing Jenny!!

5. A World Such as Heaven Intended

Kindle edition will be available for pre-orders VERY SOON!! Check out these two wonderful reviews we’ve received for this book so far:

“Amanda Lauer brings history to life in this fast-paced, emotionally charged, splendid tale. Extremely enjoyable.”

May McGoldrick, author

“The South of 1864 springs to life in A World Such as Heaven Intended. Rich in details of language, setting and social mores, Lauer takes readers on the journey of her protagonist, Amara McKirnan, a strong woman ahead of her time who wrestles with her blended family and the horrors of the Civil War to find the peace and happiness she is convinced awaits her.”

Marni Graff, author, The Nora Tierney Mysteries

6. Review Shelf

Miracle Man – Judy Landrieu Klein

7. Fertile Time Cartoon

copyright James and Ellen Hrkach, please do not use without permission

Copyright 2014 Ellen Gable Hrkach

7 Quick Takes Friday – Free Book, Review, Prayers Etc.

Please join me and other Catholic bloggers at Conversion Diary for 7 Quick Takes Friday.

1. Stealing Jenny – FREE on Kindle

My third novel, Stealing Jenny, is free today (September 12) through Monday (September 15). It currently has over 350 reviews on Amazon and over 800 ratings on Goodreads! For your free download, click here (and if you download the book and enjoy it, I always appreciate when a reader takes time to post a review!)

2. Back Deck Blog

I was recently featured on Amy Bennett’s Back Deck Blog. Check out the post here. Thank you, Amy!

3. International Week of Prayer and Fasting for Christians in the Middle East

Check out Jean Heimann’s post on the International Week of Prayer for Christians in the Middle East.

4. CRS Video

Please read this post by Lisa Hendey and watch the heart-wrenching video, then donate if you can to the cause of helping our fellow Christian brothers and sisters over in Iraq.

5. The Lion’s Heart Review (National Catholic Register)

Special thanks to Sarah Reinhard for posting this wonderful review of The Lion’s Heart by Dena Hunt.

6. Reading/Review Shelf

Fatal Rhythm by R. B. O’Gorman

7. Tie a Knot Cartoon

Image copyright James & Ellen Hrkach…please do not use without permission

Stealing Jenny FREE on Kindle September 11-15

My third novel, Stealing Jenny, will be FREE today (September 11) through Monday (September 15) on Kindle.

After three heartbreaking miscarriages, Tom and Jenny Callahan are happily anticipating the birth of their sixth child. A neighbor, however, is secretly hatching a sinister plot which will find Jenny and her unborn baby fighting for their lives. Or…the one sentence synopsis: Mentally unstable woman kidnaps pregnant mom of five.

Reviews:

“Stealing Jenny is a gripping novel filled with engaging characters, a compelling mystery and a message which underscores the precious dignity of life. I literally couldn’t put it down and give Stealing Jenny my highest recommendation.” Lisa M. Hendey, author of “A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms”

“Ellen Gable is a masterful storyteller.Stealing Jenny is a smoothly written, chilling tale of gripping suspense. There are terrifying moments and heart-wrenching moments. Catholic faith and hope are tested. Above all, the sacredness and privilege of precious new life is made indisputably evident I never wanted it to end!” Therese Heckenkamp, author, Frozen Footprints and Past Suspicion

“Stealing Jenny will keep you on the edge of your seat and probably destroy your sleep pattern as you stay up to find out what happens. But beyond being a great suspense, it’s also an excellent example of morals in action and family life redeemed. As a fan of Ellen Gable’s work already, I’m now officially getting a t-shirt!” Sarah Reinhard, blogger, author

To download your Kindle copy for FREE, click here.