Deborah Vogts's Blog, page 29

Great Lakes Music Tour

Last month, we traveled north to the Great Lakes on a music tour (and family vacation) with our daughters, the Vogts Sisters.
They performed five times on our twelve-day outing, including three festivals, a coffee shop, and a performance at a really cool historic theater. Learn more about their performances on tour HERE.
We learned about shipwrecks, toured lighthouses and watched an iron ore ship come through the Soo Locks in Sault Ste Marie.
We hunted for stones along the shores of Lake Superior, Lake Huron, and Lake Michigan.
We saw some beautiful waterfalls at Tahquamenon Falls.
We traveled through hundreds of miles of Iowa cornfields, and crossed over the Mighty Mississippi,as well as the Straits of Mackinac on the Mackinac Bridge.
We ate at a really cool Polish Restaurant at Legs Inn in Cross Village, MI. We also ate Wisconsin cheese curds that squeaked, pasties from Muldoons in Munising, MI and some creamy Mackinac Fudge.
On our way home, we visited the birthplace of John Wayne--one of our favorite actors of all time.
We traveled with my parents and stayed in their amazing RV. The temperatures were wonderful, ranging from the mid-50's to the mid-70's--while those back home in Kansas had to live through triple-digit degree days. It's good to be home, but it's fun to look back on all we did.Where have your travels taken you this summer?

Book Preview ~ Sons of Blackbird Mountain

Sons of Blackbird Mountain, by Joanne Bischof

After the tragic death of her husband, Aven Norgaard is beckoned to give up her life in Norway to become a housekeeper in the rugged hills of nineteenth-century Appalachia. Upon arrival, she finds herself in the home of her late husband's cousins-three brothers who make a living by brewing hard cider on their three-hundred-acre farm. Yet even as a stranger in a foreign land, Aven has hope to build a new life in this tight-knit family.
But her unassuming beauty disrupts the bond between the brothers. The youngest two both desire her hand, and Aven is caught in the middle, unsure where-and whether-to offer her affection. While Haakon is bold and passionate, it is Thor who casts the greatest spell upon her. Though Deaf, mute, and dependent on hard drink to cope with his silent pain, Thor possesses a sobering strength.
As autumn ushers in the apple harvest, the rift between Thor and Haakon deepens and Aven faces a choice that risks hearts. Will two brothers' longing for her quiet spirit tear apart a family? Can she find a tender belonging in this remote, rugged, and unfamiliar world? Buy the book HERE.

Joanne Bischof is an ACFW Carol Award and ECPA Christy Award-winning author. She writes deeply layered fiction that tugs at the heartstrings. She was honored to receive the San Diego Christian Writers Guild Novel of the Year Award in 2014 and in 2015 was named Author of the Year by the Mount Hermon conference. Joanne’s 2016 novel, The Lady and the Lionheart, received an extraordinary 5 Star TOP PICK! from RT Book Reviews, among other critical acclaim. She lives in the mountains of Southern California with her three children. Visit her online at JoanneBischof.com

This Week's Recipes

Here are this week's new additions at Country at Heart Recipes.Join the Vogts Sisters on Saturday when they perform at Knuckleheads Gospel Lounge.Learn more HERE.
Italian Herb Cheese Ring
Hush Puppies
Cookbook Preview - The New Camp Cookbook

The Vogts Sisters Upcoming Performances

The Vogts Sisters have two performances this week.Join us if you can! Linn County Fair ~ Knuckleheads Gospel Lounge

Book Preview ~ River to Redemption

River to Redemption, by Ann H. Gabhart

Orphaned in the cholera epidemic of 1833, Adria Starr was cared for by a slave named Louis, a man who stayed in Springfield, Kentucky, when anyone with means had fled. A man who passed up the opportunity to escape his bondage and instead tended to the sick and buried the dead. A man who, twelve years later, is being sold by his owners despite his heroic actions. Now nineteen, Adria has never forgotten what Louis did for her. She's determined to find a way to buy Louis's freedom. But in 1840s Kentucky, she'll face an uphill battle.

Based partly on a true story, Ann H. Gabhart's latest historical novel is a tour de force. The vividly rendered town of Springfield and its citizens immerse readers in a story of courage, betrayal, and honor that will stick with them long after they turn the last page. Buy the book HERE.

Ann H. Gabhart is the bestselling and award-winning author of several Shaker novels--The Outsider, The Believer, The Seeker, TheBlessed, The Gifted, and The Innocent--as well as These Healing Hills, Angel Sister, Small Town Girl, Love Comes Home, Words Spoken True, and The Heart of Hollyhill series. She is also the author of the popular Hidden Springs Mysteries series as A. H. Gabhart. She has been a finalist for the ECPA Book of the Year and the Carol Awards, and has won two Selah Awards for Love Comes Home. Ann and her husband enjoy country life on a farm a mile from where she was born in rural Kentucky. Learn more at www.annhgabhart.com.

This Week's Recipes

Here are this week's new additions at Country at Heart Recipes.The Vogts Sisters will perform tomorrow at the Big Spring Bluegrass and BBQ Festival in Neosho, Missouri. See more HERE.
Frozen Peanut Butter Pie
Sourdough Pretzells

Featured Author, Mary Bell Foster, shares her recipe for Do Nothing Cake

Book Preview ~ Caught by Surprise

Caught by Surprise, by Jen Turano

Miss Temperance Flowerdew is on her way to work when a stranger suddenly grabs her off the street and sends her on a Chicago-bound train before she can figure out what happened.

When Mr. Gilbert Cavendish is called upon to rescue a missing woman, he follows the trail to Chicago only to discover that the woman is his good friend Temperance. Before they can discover who was behind the abduction, they're seen alone together by a New York society matron, putting their reputations at risk.

Gilbert is willing to propose marriage--except Temperance will have none of it. She's finally stepped out of the shadow of her relations and won't give up her independence. But when it becomes clear the misunderstanding in Chicago has escalated into a threat on her life and followed her to New York, accepting Gilbert's help in solving the mystery may lead to more than she ever could have dreamed. Buy the book HERE. Jen Turano is the USA Today bestselling author of ten books and lives in a suburb of Denver, Colorado. Visit her website at www.jenturano.com.

This Week's Recipes

Here are this week's new additions at Country at Heart Recipes.The Vogts Sisters return to Kansas this week with a opening performance with the Green Guitar Folk Series in Lenexa, KS. See more HERE.
Bruschetta with Cheese
Sheet Pan Chicken with Potatoes and Asparagus
Featured Author, Jennifer Slattery, shares her recipe for Gluten Free Turmeric Beef

Book Preview ~ The Lady of Tarpon Springs

The Lady of Tarpon Springs, by Judith Miller

Much to the dismay of her Greek family, Zanna Krykos makes a living as a lawyer in Tarpon Springs, Florida. When her friend Lucy needs legal advice about the business she inherited upon her father's passing, she ends up asking Zanna to run the business instead so she can focus on her medical career.

Nico Kalos is a Greek diver who has worked on sponging boats in the Aegean Sea since the age of 14, giving him a vast knowledge of the trade. When he hears of an opportunity to lead a group of spongers to the United States, he seizes it. But his excitement is quickly quelled when he arrives only to discover that a young woman with no experience in the business will be in charge of the new crews. 

But as Zanna and Nico face even more complications than they could have imagined, they must learn to work together or risk everything they've worked so hard for. Buy the book HERE. 


Judith Miller is an award-winning author whose avid research and love for history are reflected in her bestselling novels. Judy makes her home in Topeka, Kansas. Learn more at www.judithmccoymiller.com.

This Week's Recipes

Here are this week's new additions at Country at Heart Recipes.The Vogts Sisters continue their Great Lakes Music Tour this weekend with stops in Hancock and at the Hiawatha Music Festival in Marquette, Michigan. See HERE for more details.
Antipasto Salad
Strawberry Cake
Cookbook Preview: What Can I Bring? by Elizabeth Heiskell