Suzanne Woods Fisher's Blog, page 11
February 25, 2019
Author Spotlight with Amanda Cabot
Enter below for a chance to win a copy of Amanda Cabot’s new book, A Tender Hope.
Winner will be announced in the next Author Spotlight feature. Congratulations to Kailey Bechtel for winning Sarah Sundin’s book, The Sky Above Us.
Please email my assistant Christen to claim your prize. Note: This post contains affiliate links meaning I will get a small commission if you click and buy from that link.
Amanda Cabot invites readers back to Cimarron Creek for the emotionally rich conclusion of the Cimarron Creek Trilogy. A Tender Hope offers a heartwarming tale of loss, betrayal, and love in the majestic Texas Hill Country.
Thea Michener is ready for a new start in life. With her husband murdered and her much-anticipated baby stillborn, there is nothing left for her in Ladreville. She accepts the position as Cimarron Creek’s midwife and has no intention of remarrying and trying for another child. So when a handsome Texas Ranger appears on her doorstep with an abandoned baby, Thea isn’t sure her heart can take it.
Ranger Jackson Guthrie comes to town on a mission to capture his brother’s killers. He is convinced that Thea’s late husband was involved in the murder—and that Thea knows more than she is admitting. But it soon becomes clear that the situation is far more complicated than he anticipated. Jackson finds more than he expected in Cimarron Creek—including a young midwife who not only warms his heart but may also hold the key to the justice he seeks.
Q&A with Amanda Cabot
I know an idea is good when I start dreaming about it. Yes, I’m someone who dreams about her characters. That’s how I know they’re real – well, real to me. And when they start doing things I hadn’t expected, I always listen. Sometimes those turn out to be the very best plot points.
To de-stress, I like to knit or do needlepoint. Do you see a pattern there? While writing occupies my brain, those activities involve repetitive actions and can be – at least for me – very relaxing.
I wish I could travel to the Greek islands. I’d love to see the Parthenon, to talk to people who live surrounded by such ancient history, to sail on that incredibly blue sea, to eat all that wonderful food, and maybe even try my hand at making baklava.
Purchase a copy of A Tender Hope
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Amanda Cabot’s dream of selling a book before her thirtieth birthday came true, and she’s now the author of more than thirty-five novels as well as eight novellas, four non-fiction books, and what she describes as enough technical articles to cure insomnia in a medium-sized city. Her inspirational romances have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists, have garnered a starred review from Publishers Weekly, and have been nominated for the ACFW Carol, the HOLT Medallion, and the Booksellers Best awards. A popular workshop presenter, Amanda takes pleasure in helping other writers achieve their dreams of publication.
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February 24, 2019
Caption This!
Sorry to be late for Friday’s photo caption contest post. A flu bug knocked me down for a week or two, and my to-do list kept growing. (Next year…getting a flu shot!)
Last week’s winning caption goes to Sheila Smith: “No thank you, I don’t want my windshield washed.”
This week’s photo is a “firefall” taken at Yosemite’s Horsetail Falls.
During late February, IF the skies are clear, and IF there is enough melting snow on the waterfall, then nature provides tourists with a special gift. For just a few minutes each evening, as the sun hits the waterfall, it creates an appearance of fire flowing over the falls. Lava-like.
Photographers from all over come to capture the February firefall. One fellow said that there’s lots of excitement as everyone sets up, then as the sunlight moves and reflects off the water, a hush covers the crowd.
Here’s my request for this beautiful, rare Yosemite firefall: what Bible verse would you caption it with?
Please leave in comments, and I’ll pick one to win a signed book.
Photo source credit: ABC10.com
February 18, 2019
Author Spotlight with Sarah Sundin
Enter below for a chance to win a copy of Sarah Sundin’s new book, The Sky Above Us.
Winner will be announced in the next Author Spotlight feature. Congratulations to Hope Moyer for winning Elizabeth Goddard’s book, Never Let Go.
Please email my assistant Christen to claim your prize. Note: This post contains affiliate links meaning I will get a small commission if you click and buy from that link.
In 2018, Sarah Sundin introduced readers to the Paxton family in
her Sunrise at Normandy series, which began with The Sea Before Us. Sundin
now returns to the shores of Normandy in The Sky Above Us, where the second
Paxton brother prepares to face the past—and the most fearsome battle of his life.
Numbed by grief and harboring shameful secrets, Lt. Adler Paxton ships to
England with the US 357th Fighter Group in 1943. Determined to become an ace
pilot, Adler battles the German Luftwaffe in treacherous dogfights in the skies over France as the Allies struggle for control of the air before the D-day invasion.
Violet Lindstrom serves in the American Red Cross, where she arranges
entertainment for the men of the 357th in the Aeroclub. Drawn to the mysterious Adler, she enlists his help with her work and urges him to reconnect with his family after a long estrangement.
Despite himself, Adler finds his defenses crumbling when it comes to Violet. But D-day draws near. And secrets can’t stay buried forever. Can a Red Cross worker help him heal the wounds that tore his brothers apart?
Sundin has been named on Booklist’s Top 10 Romance Novels and her newest book, The Sky Above Us, will continue to enchant readers as it artfully blends historical accuracy, battle scenes, and a rich romance.
Q&A with Sarah Sundin
I know an idea is good when…
I know it in my heart and my head. It takes hold in my heart. If it grows and grows and won’t let me go, then I know it’s an idea to explore. There’s a giddy, falling-in-love feeling when that happens, and it’s wonderful. Then it’s time for the brain to take over. Since I write historical fiction, I do preliminary research to make sure the story works historically. I make sure the story has all the components needed for a novel or novella. Then think like a marketer—is the idea close enough to my previous books to interest my lovely readers, but different enough to keep them coming back for more? If so, it might be a keeper.
I keep organized by…
Ooh! One of my favorite topics. I could write an entire article. Several. But I won’t. In a nutshell (or a color-coordinated set of nutshells from my favorite office supply store), I set yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily goals and track my progress so I don’t miss deadlines. I keep spreadsheets for interviews, articles, items I’ve promised to give away, etc. And I file carefully—papers, computer documents, and emails—everything gets a logical name and a set folder. And for my research and projects, lots of pretty binders and online notebooks. All of this is for a purpose—so I don’t waste precious time finding things and so I honor my commitments.
I wish I could travel to…
My husband and I are planning two dream vacations in the next few years. First to Japan to see our son in the Navy, and second a European river cruise—with my parents, sister, and brother-in-law! The European trip will be combined with research for my next three novels. I can’t wait!
Purchase a copy of The Sky Above Us
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Sarah Sundin is a bestselling and award-winning author of historical novels, including The Sky Above Us and The Sea Before Us. Her novels When Tides Turn and Through Waters Deep were named to Booklist’s “101 Best Romance Novels of the Last 10 Years.” A mother of three, Sarah lives in California, works on-call as a hospital pharmacist, and teaches Sunday school.
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February 15, 2019
Caption This!
Last week’s winner of the two owls goes to Betti Mace for her “Seriously…opera again?” Betti–email me privately with your mailing address and I’ll pop a book in the mail to you. To the rest of you…loved your captions!
Here’s a fun one to caption…
My mind goes to asking for directions…
How about you? Share in comments and you might win a copy of a signed book.
February 13, 2019
Scarcity Says…Abundance Answers: Hitting the Wall
The city of Jericho’s walls tumbling down is one of the most beloved and well known stories of the Old Testament. For centuries, though, there was no evidence of Jericho. In the 1930s, a British archeologist named John Garstang found a mound beyond the Jordan River that was the legendary city of Jericho. He unearthed extensive remains of a walled city, and discovered the walls to be incredibly well engineered. There was an outer wall and an inner wall, and in between was dirt that became a trap for invaders.
The people of Israel had to face those unconquerable walls of Jericho before they could enter into the Promised Land. They had, literally, “hit the wall.”
Are you hitting a wall? In your marriage, in your job, in your ministry, in a relationship? You feel like you just want to throw in the towel and quit. You’re not seeing the results that you thought you’d be seeing by now. You don’t want to go one step further.
We all hit walls. It can be a wall of illness, of discouragement, of an ongoing challenge. We’re going to face walls in our life that are not of our choosing, but we do have a choice in how we’re going to face that wall.
God gave the Israelites an almost ridiculous order: to march around the city of Jericho carrying the Ark of the Covenant for seven days. Ridiculous! Their responsibility was to obey. The outcome was God’s responsibility. That odd order was all about trusting God.
Imagine if the Israelites had given up. Stopped marching around the city on Day 6. After all, not a single brick had moved, no mud had crumbled. Nothing.
And then came day 7.
Sometimes we see nothing until that breakthrough moment.
Excavation of the site in the 1950s by archeologist Kathleen Kenyon discovered that a cataclysmic event in Jericho had caused the inner walls to collapse outward and hit the outer walls, creating a ramp for the invading army. That was how the city of Jericho fell. But did it fall to the Israelites or other invaders? The date of the city’s fall remained in question for decades.
Fast forward another sixty years. In the 1990s, a New York Times article (Believers Score in Battle over the Battle of Jericho) reported new evidence that confirmed the timing of the Biblical account.
Whatever wall you might be facing…don’t stop on Day 6. The Israelites would’ve missed the Promised Land. Trust that God’s timing is perfect even when it seems like nothing is happening.
Scarcity Says…Give up! Quit. After all, you’re not seeing any progress.
Abundance Answers… “So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith” (Galatians 6:9-10, msg).
February 11, 2019
Author Spotlight with Elizabeth Goddard
Enter below for a chance to win a copy of Elizabeth Goddard’s new book, Never Let Go.
Winner will be announced in the next Author Spotlight feature. Congratulations to Susan Fletcher for winning Suzanne Woods Fisher’s book, Mending Fences.
Please email my assistant Christen to claim your prize. Note: This post contains affiliate links meaning I will get a small commission if you click and buy from that link.
With over thirty books published, Elizabeth Goddard has learned what it takes to write a fast-paced, emotional, and suspenseful page-turner. She ramps up the action and adventure once again in a brand-new book, Never Let Go, which is the first book in the Uncommon Justice series.
When forensic genealogist Willow Anderson stumbles into the middle of a decades-old abduction case, things are about to heat up. The case may be cold, but someone is determined to silence her forever to keep her from discovering the truth.
Austin McKade, Willow’s ex-flame and a former FBI agent, offers to help protect the woman he never should have let get away even if it means facing the past he’s spent much of his life trying to forget. And even if it puts Willow’s tender heart at risk.
In Never Let Go, Goddard keeps the stakes high, the romantic tension sparking, and the outcome uncertain until the very end.
Q&A with Elizabeth Goddard
I know an idea is good when… it immediately catches my attention.
The best day in my life (so far!) was when… I got engaged to the man of my dreams!
To de-stress, I like to… sit and listen to worship music and soak in His presence.
I stay in touch with the world through…social media. What else?
I want to see…Scotland and Italy.
I keep organized by… Um. . .who said I keep organized?
Purchase a copy of Never Let Go
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a Rafflecopter giveaway
Elizabeth Goddard is the bestselling author of more than thirty books, including the Carol Award-winning The Camera Never Lies. Her Mountain Cove series books have been finalists in the Daphne du Maurier Awards and the Carol Awards. Goddard is a seventh-generation Texan and can be found online at www.elizabethgoddard.com.
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February 8, 2019
Caption This!
Last week’s photo had lots of entries…hard to choose just one!
Carla Toppass won with “Water is always wetter on the other side.” Carla, send me an email and I’ll pop a book in the mail!
Here’s this week’s photo: 
Caption away! And check back next week to find out if your wit and wisdom won you a signed book!
February 6, 2019
Scarcity Says…Abundance Answers: The Mind Feasts on what it Focuses on
The mind feasts on what it focuses on.
Our minds are like computers, filled with old files that can’t seem to get purged…or stay purged. Memories bubble up, unbidden, from past mistakes and shortcomings, disappointments and failures. It’s far too easy to soak in those discouraging recollections. To cling to old ways.
And that’s just where the Enemy wants you to stay. Stuck in a looming sense of failure. One of the Devil’s goals is to call attention to our unworthiness. The very name of Satan is a Hebrew word for The Accuser. (Job 1:6)
It’s not that our past doesn’t need reflection, or require attention to settle some accounts, but the focus stays on self. Judging, evaluating, examining, pitying. Eyes on self.
The remedy is simple: When an old memory comes to the surface and your first inclination is defeat, flip it around and respond with gratitude. God is continually at work in you, a process called “sanctification.” Thank Him for how much you’ve grown and matured since that old memory occurred. Hold it up to the light. If there’s an account to settle, a relationship to heal, forgiveness to be sought, ask God for guidance and act. Don’t sit there, marinating in past failures. Don’t cling to the old ways.
Scarcity Says… The evidence continues to mount: you’re unworthy.
Abundance Answers… “Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? There it is!” (Isaiah 43:18-19, msg).
February 4, 2019
Author Spotlight with Suzanne Woods Fisher
Enter below for a chance to win a copy of Suzanne Woods Fisher’s new book, Mending Fences.
Winner will be announced in the next Author Spotlight feature. Congratulations to Deanne Patterson for winning Jaime Jo Wright’s book, The Curse of Misty Wayfair.
Please email my assistant Christen to claim your prize. Note: This post contains affiliate links meaning I will get a small commission if you click and buy from that link.
Every saint has a past. Every sinner has a future.
Luke Schrock is a new and improved man after a stint in rehab, though everyone in Stoney Ridge only remembers the old Luke. They might have forgiven him, but nobody trusts him.
Amos and Fern Lapp allow Luke to live at Windmill Farm under two conditions. First, Luke must make a sincere apology to each person he’s hurt–a four-page, single-spaced list. Second, he must ask each victim of mischief to describe the damage he caused.
Simple, Luke thinks. Offering apologies is easy. But discovering the lasting effects his careless actions have caused . . . that isn’t so simple. It’s gut-wrenching.
And his list keeps growing. Izzy Miller, beautiful and frustratingly aloof, also boards at Windmill Farm. Luke’s clumsy efforts to befriend Izzy only insult and annoy her. Eager to impress, Luke sets out to prove himself to her by locating her mother. When he does, her identity sends shock waves through Stoney Ridge.
Bestselling and award-winning author Suzanne Woods Fisher returns to her beloved Stoney Ridge for this brand-new series featuring some of her readers’ favorite characters.
Q&A with Suzanne Woods Fisher
I know an idea is good when…
…you get that same satisfied feeling of fitting the last piece of a jigsaw puzzle into place, and voila! The picture comes together.
The best day of my life (so far!) was when…
…oh, so many great days! Getting married, having babies, becoming a grandmother. That’s the family side of things. Then, there’s the work side of life: getting my first contract, making my first bestseller list, receiving some awards. I am just so…grateful.
To de-stress, I like to…
…play tennis. I feel like I’m ten years old again.
I stay in touch with the world through…
…listening to updates of the news throughout the day. Unless there’s a big story, I usually just listen to the updates. Too much news is…depressing.
I want to see…
…the Northern Lights. Someday!
I keep organized by…
…well, frankly, I wish I were more organized! But when it works, it’s because I’ve created a place for things.
I wish I could travel to…
…wherever I could see the Northern Lights.
Three guests at my dream dinner party would be…
…Mary Coffin Starbuck, Peter Foulger, and his grandson, Benjamin Franklin. I wouldn’t say a word! I would just listen to them, so happy to be in their company.
Purchase a copy of Mending Fences here.
Suzanne Woods Fisher is a bestselling author of Amish fiction and non-fiction. Her interest in the Amish began with her grandfather, who was raised Plain in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. She travels back east a couple of times each year for research. For fun, too.
Suzanne has a great admiration for the Plain people and believes they provide wonderful examples to the world. She has an underlying belief in her books–you don’t have to “go Amish” to incorporate many of their principles into your life: simplicity, living with less, appreciating nature, forgiving others more readily, trusting in God.
When Suzanne isn’t writing, playing tennis, or bragging to her friends about her grandbabies (so cute!), she is raising puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. To her way of thinking, you just can’t take life too seriously when a puppy is tearing through your house with someone’s underwear in its mouth.
Keep up on Suzanne’s latest news by receiving her e-newsletter, as well as connecting on Facebook, Twitter, and her blog!
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February 1, 2019
Photo Caption Contest: Caption This!
Imagine how you’d feel if this elephant dipped his trunk in your backyard pool! Startled, to say the least.
So…how would you caption this photo? Leave your best suggestion in a comment and I’ll pick a winner to receive a copy of Mending Fences (releasing on Feb. 5th!). Check back next Friday to see if your witty words have been chosen.
Photo credit: Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa
