Toni Nelson's Blog: Press On..., page 4

WEARY TRAVELERS

How about another giveaway?  Post a comment or follow my blog and you could be the next winner of my book, A Beggars Purse.  The winner's name will be selected randomly from a brown paper bag on February 28.

Excerpt 
from 
Chapter 3...

My new friend sat on our backdoor steps staring at the baseball field for a long time. I guess he didn't have anything else to say, so I just sat beside him staring at the baseball field too. Then he stretched out his long legs like a spider, stood up, and tapped on the secret window in our back door. My grandma came to the door, opened it, and took the dinner plate from the hobo. He thanked her for the food and said it was the best food he had ever eaten. My grandma gave him a quick nod of her head, as if to say thank you, and then she told me that it was time to come into the house. I told my friend goodbye and walked into the house with my grandma right behind me. She closed the back door and...

A TIME TO MELT HEARTS

Today, I am excited to introduce to you, Amanda Stephan, author of the best selling Christian romance novel, The Price of Trust. 
Amanda is a homeschooling mom and also loves crafts and sewing.  I have asked Amanda to answer a series of questions and at the end of the interview, you will have the opportunity to not only purchase her book, but simply by posting a comment, you will have the opportunity to win a copy of her newest release,



1.  What is the one thing you would like people to know about you?One thing I'd like people to know about me is, I love to laugh and joke around, and I like meeting new people.  Comments and emails are addicting, and I'm a happy-ending-only person.  If it's sad, I'm not interested!
2.  How would you describe your book, The Price of Trust to readers?I'd describe my book as a contemporary Christian romance novel, with just a dash of mystery on the side that deals with issues people have to deal with today~abuse and stalking.
3.  What has been your biggest obstacle in life?My biggest obstacle in life would have to be the ability to trust.  It's an everyday battle for me, but we're getting there.  Praise God, he doesn't give up!
4.  What are you currently reading?  The Brotherhood by Jerry B. Jenkins.
5.  How can readers contact you or purchase your book?I hope Amanda doesn't mind if I interject here for a moment but if you click on the title of my post, A TIME TO MELT HEARTS, you will discover the link goes directly to Amanda's website, thepriceoftrust.com.Amanda's Blog - http://thisnthatnthose.blogspot.com/And Twitter - http://twitter.com/amandastephan
Thank you again Toni, for having me on here today!  I certainly appreciate your generosity!
Post a comment and you could be the next winner of The Price of Trust for your special Valentine!

SEASONING WITH SALT AND PEPPER

Excerpt from Chapter 2...

My first encounter with the men my grandma called the hobos was from a branch on a lone pine tree that loomed over our garage like a giant octopus stretching in all directions.  I wasn't allowed to climb the pine tree, as it had sticky sap oozing from every branch.  My grandma would yell at me whenever I attempted to climb the tree.
"Tonia Kay, I better not catch you up in that pine tree."
But my grandpa finally gave in to my persistence and nailed an old piece of pinewood between two branches as my perch.  I would sit on my perch with the sparrows and blackbirds and listen to them sing.  What I really enjoyed, though, was waiting for the afternoon freight train.  The railroad tracks were so close to the pine tree that the ground beneath it would start to rumble and shake before I could even catch a glimpse of the train.  Then I would sit very still and wait for the whistle.  Once I heard the train whistle, I knew that at any second the clanking of the steel wheels would roll by on those skinny rails, squeaking and hissing, and then I would see...

CURIOUSLY SPIRITUAL VAMPIRE TALES

Today, I am excited to introduce to you, author, Ellen C. Maze. 





Ellen and I actually met on facebook! She is the author of Amazon Bestseller Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider , its sequel Rabbit Legacy , a collection of related short stories entitled Loose Rabbits of the Rabbit Trilogy, and her newest Christian vampire novel, The Judging . As per her website bio, Ellen calls herself a recovering vampire/horror fanatic and thusly, uses her experience in that subculture to bring the Light into a dark genre. "Addicting and delicious," her bio states, "Ellen's brand of story-telling is rife with deep character study and honest emotion."


 I have asked Ellen to answer a series of questions and at the end of the interview, you will have the opportunity to not only purchase her books, but simply by posting a comment, you will have the opportunity to win a copy of her soon to be released book...




1.  What is the one thing you would like people to know about you?That I am a certified nut, a class clown who's always smiling and trying to get others to smile too. While my books take a probing and sometimes uncomfortable peek at the darker side of man, ultimately, I write to encourage the reader. Bad is bad (and I am good at writing bad), but good is always present and it will prove to be stronger in the end.
2.  How would you describe your book, Feckless to readers? Feckless is an opportunity for me to share my short fiction with my established readers, and perhaps reach an anthology market that hasn't discovered the Rabbit. I had the idea after reading a horror anthology one day, and I thought, why not compile my flash fiction AND ask my favorite indie-authors to submit a story or two as well? So, I approached six of my favorites, they all submitted a tale or two, and now we have a pile of Feckless tales (Feckless: Tales Of Supernatural, Paranormal, And Downright Presumptuous Ilk). The title is fun, the attitude of some of the stories is humorous, but interspersed is some horror and heavy vampire stuff that my readers will enjoy immensely.
3.  What has been your biggest obstacle in life?Shortage of capital. I wish I could do million-dollar advertising for my book because I know people would love it, but like the rest of humanity, I am limited by the amount of green I can invest in my brand. I spend every cent I can on promotion and publicity, and depend on God to spread the word beyond that. What else can a girl do?
4.  What are you currently reading?I am usually reading three or four titles at a time, and only one of those for my entertainment. Since you asked, let me share! I am reading Bill Shatner's STAR TREK MOVIE MEMORIES for myself. Though not an early Trekkie, I loved the movies and I love-love-love behind-the-scenes movie info. Then, I'm reading an upcoming vampire novel sent to me by a publisher. He asked if I'd read the manuscript and give them a blurb for the cover. I get to do this off and on, and it is flattering. I'm also reading my own book, RABBIT LEGACY, because folks keep emailing me to tell me what they like about it and it makes me want to be reminded. And I am also reading a groovy sci/fi novella, PORTAL HUNTERS: DARK HOUR by friend, David Furr.
5.  How can readers contact you or purchase your book?  All of my books are sold on the publisher's website, my own websites, and Amazon, as well as some other large retailers. They are also all in print, eBook, nook, and Kindle to cover all of the bases. The very best way to find all the places my books are sold is by visiting http://www.ellencmaze.com/, where I compiled all the books, their synopses, and booksellers' links all in one place. I hope I made it easy enough! Feckless is slated to be released by TreasureLine Publishing February 14, 2011, so y'all stay tuned! Until then, I invite everyone to hop on down the rabbit trail and read Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider. I challenge you to see if you can take what I am dishing out!

I can't wait to see what happens next...

Jehovah Shalom… It even sounds peaceful doesn't it?But what do we do when our life is in turmoil and we have no peace?
In John 16:33, Jesus is talking to his disciples and he clearly states, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart! I have overcome the world."We read this scripture, yet when our world turns upside down what do we do?We run to our friends, we bury ourselves in our job…we can even bury ourselves in good works.  Some of us even turn back to our old habits…God's voice promises us peace in Psalm 29:11.The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.
Thirty-three years ago, I was "born again," that is what we called it back then.  We were also referred to as "Jesus Freaks."   While reading a book, titled "The Satan Seller", by Mike Warnke, I prayed and asked God to forgive me for my sins and received the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the same time!  Mike was a high priest in a Satanic Occult and received Christ in a mop closet while serving in the Army.  I was fortunate to meet Mike and hear him speak numerous times.  He would wave his bible around a lot and never hold back on telling the audience that the word of God was the place to find peace.  He would also tell a fabricated story of perfect peace and I'm going to share it with you in my own words…
When life is going great it's easy to pray those King James prayers:
"Oh, Dear eth Lord eth thank eth you eth for today eth.  Bless eth me eth and my family eth… but what happens when it isn't a King James prayer day?   You wake up and realize it's a workday, the alarm didn't go off and you have thirty minutes to get ready for work?
I decide to pray on my way to work because I sure don't have time now.  I start the car only to discover my husband forgot to fill up the gas tank after his baseball game last night.  In my mind or maybe I say it out loud, "If he loved me and really cared for me, he would have filled up the gas tank."  I stop for gas and of course some of the gas splashes on my clothes so now I smell like a gas station.  I zoom off to work and as I'm pulling into the parking lot… guess what?  A flat tire…  I walk calmly into the office building even though inwardly I am in complete turmoil to find my boss sitting at his desk, reading the newspaper, sipping his morning coffee and giving me that "look" over the newspaper.  I say, "good morning" and head for my 5x5 refrigerator of an office for the day.  Lunchtime arrives and I have no money for lunch because I used it for gasoline.  And of course the 10 cups of coffee I have been drinking throughout the day are not helping my mood…   At the end of the day, I still have to find someone to change my tire and the only person available is the Hispanic landscaper, so I use my 4 years of broken- Spanish skills to ask him to change my tire.  He agrees as long as I am willing to give him a ride home in the opposite direction of where I am headed.  Upon arriving at home, I throw my purse and keys on the entry table, my knees hit the floor and I skid all the way down the hall and scream out, "God where are you?" He answers, "Not me eth, you eth." 
This story is not fabricated…
On April 6, my husband joined the ranks of the unemployed and two days later my mom died.  My world turned upside down.  I ran to God.  The scripture that kept coming to my mind was, Philippians 4:7.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Did I feel this way?  No.  What I prayed to God went something like this:
There is no one to blame.  There is no job, God.  There is no certainty.  And I don't know what you have in mind.I was alone with God, holy in his determined, unpredictable will.  That was it, a place of both alarming aloneness and tender communion.  I was really frightened.  I cried a lot, worried a lot, questioned a lot, felt lost, and beyond all of that, God began to touch me deeply. 
I started being honest, dreadfully honest.  I didn't like the idea of my husband being unemployed.  I was angry with God that he would ask me to even consider trusting him in this manner of daily living.  I had questions for which I didn't think God had the answers, or if he did, he wasn't willing to share them with me.  And when I asked those questions, a surprising thing happened: what was meant as confrontation became release.  Far from resenting my questions, God welcomed them.  He bore the pain in the questions just as Christ bore the cross.  In expressing what was really going on inside me – the anger, hurt, the loss – he comprehended my pain and translated my helplessness into certain strength.  I don't know how.  I don't know much about such grace.
God and I.  And in the dropping of I, just God.  That was it, no answers, and no specifics.  Just of letting go of it, all of it.  In the release of control, I found humbling power.  In the chaos, I found sustaining peace.  God gave no answers, just His presence.  He is my Jehovah Shalom.


  

AND THE WINNERS ARE...

Congratulations to the 719 people who entered the goodreads giveaway from December 1 – December 15.  I truly wish I could mail each and every one of you a copy of my book.  However, as stated in the contest, there can only be 5 winners who are selected by the goodreads team. And without further ado the winners are:
Eva L. - Middletown, DEChristy D. – Syracuse, UTTara A. – Lubbock, TXKathy W. – Winchester, CAAimee A. – Beavercreek, OH
After reviewing all the winner's names, I realized they are all women.  Perhaps in the New Year, I will offer another giveaway for guys only!
A BEGGARS PURSE - 
First Chapter – IT'S ME, THE KIDFirst Sentence – Our house was shaped like a cube of butter and was even the same creamy, yellow color.Last Chapter – GO AHEAD, CALL IT COINCIDENCELast Sentence – Surely, you didn't think I would give away the ending?  

Merry Christmas! Gifts for you... thank you for your support this year!

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Goodreads Book Giveaway








A Beggars Purse


by Toni Nelson

Giveaway ends December 15, 2010.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

LET MY HEART BREAK

In all my encounters with the homeless, I have never gone searching for a homeless person, they just find me.  Coincidence?  I don't think so...
Last week I met a homeless man named Kevin.  I asked him if he would like some food and his reply was, "No, my feet are freezing."  He was wearing a pair of Vans tennis shoes with no socks.  The tennis shoes had definitely seen better days.  It just so happens I started a sock drive for the homeless a little less than a month ago.  I told Kevin not to go anywhere and that I would bring him some socks.  As I ran back to my truck, I wondered how many times Kevin had been told, "I will be right back."  Upon my return, Kevin was standing right where I had left him and as I handed him the package of new socks, his reply was, "Nothing makes a man feel brand new like a clean pair of socks."  Sometimes, I have to grit my teeth so I don't cry...

I prayed, "Lord, teach me how to keep my heart from breaking
When I see people starving in ghettos godforsaken.
And help me not to grieve when on some far-off ground
Our army scores a victory and bombs their cities down."
Christ wept, "But you forget their pains and grief I bear
I feel the hurt of millions
I'm crushed with earth's despair.
My heart is always breaking
I still must mount my cross
Because so few disciples feel heartbreak for the lost."
I cried in shame, "Dear Lord, no longer in mere token
Will I claim to be a Christian until my heart be broken."

And what pity He felt for the crowds that came, because their problems were so great and they didn't know what to do or where to go for help.  They were like sheep without a shepherd.  "The harvest is so great, and the workers are so few,"  He told His disciples.  "So pray to the one in charge of the harvesting, and ask Him to recruit more workers for His harvest fields."  Matthew 9:36-38

RADICAL RECOVERY

Today, I have the privilege of interviewing, Pastor Jerry Pineda.  Pastor Jerry and I actually met on Twitter!  He is the Director of The Solid Rock Road Christian Recovery Program, located in Southern, Oregon.  His wife Jamee Rae and certified counselor, Sherry Colby, authored the book, Follow the Solid Rock Road, Pathway to Radical Recovery.  I have asked Pastor Jerry to answer a series of questions and at the end of the interview, you will have the opportunity to purchase the recovery book or contact him for additional services.
1. What is the one thing you think people would like to know about you?
 I spent decades in addiction and was on the verge of divorce when I was completely delivered by God (or an angel). He came in the middle of the night and challenged me to get sober, get back to my wife and to turn my life over to Him. I fought against this for about four hours, but finally gave in. As soon as I said, "Okay, I'll do it," I fell asleep. When I woke up in the morning, the world looked brighter and I felt hopeful. It was like I had entered the land of the living. Most importantly, I had no desire to drink or do drugs, and have been clean and sober ever since. I reconciled with my wife, got saved and am now a pastor leading a recovery ministry.
        2.  How would you describe the book, Follow The Solid Rock Road to readers?  
Follow The Solid Rock Road: Pathway to Radical Recovery takes readers on an experiential journey where they learn to fight and win the battle for their own souls. Promoting 10 Bible-based principles for clean and sober living, this book is filled with spiritual truths and solid Christian theology. It takes people from the Yellow Brick Road that leads to smoke and mirrors, and onto the Solid Rock Road (the foundations of Jesus) where real freedom from addictions is found. The authors – Jamee Rae Pineda and Sherry Colby – offer hope, personal stories and practical help to addicts. They have also provided an outstanding recovery resource for pastors and recovery ministry leaders.
3.   What has been your biggest obstacle in life?
Without a doubt, drugs and alcohol. 
        4.   What are you currently reading?
 I just started reading a book sent to me by a Twitter friend, Christopher B. Wolf. It's titled, Giving Faith a Second Chance. (Of course, I read the Bible nearly every day.)
        5.   How can readers contact you or purchase your book? 
Readers can contact me directly at 541-778-8680 (PST).  People can also visit The Solid Rock Road website at www.TheSolidRockRoad.com, or our blog at www.thesolidrockroad.blogspot.com.
We're also on Twitter at www.twitter.com/solidrockroad or www.twitter.com/thesolidrockrd, as well as on Facebook.Click on the title of this blog post above, RADICAL RECOVERY and the link will take you directly to The Solid Rock Road website.  

YES or NO?

Have you ever wondered about the thought process a person goes through when responding to an event on a social media site?  Recently, I was invited to an event on facebook and the options to choose from were YES, NO and MAYBE.  I started thinking about the word MAYBE and its meaning.  Webster's Dictionary defines it as another word for PERHAPS.
Searching through the Rolodex of my mind, I used the word MAYBE quite frequently as a teenager to respond to an invite in hopes that a better offer might come along…  Don't deny it, you have done it too.
Having raised two boys who were always asking questions, which required a YES or NO response, they quickly learned what their father's responses truly meant.  If he responded with MAYBE, it really meant, "No, don't even think about it because no way in heaven is it going to happen."  If he said, "I will think about it," it pretty much guaranteed that it would transpire into a YES.
I remember a shopping trip with my grandson, Ben, when he was three years of age.  He was sitting in the seat of a grocery cart and as I pushed him down an isle, he tugged on the sleeve of my blouse to get my attention and asked me, "Grandma, can I have chocolate?"  I responded with, "in a minute, Ben, grandma has to finish her shopping."  More than a minute passed and again, Ben tugged at the sleeve of my blouse and asked, "grandma, can I have chocolate?"  My response was, "grandma needs to finish her shopping, Ben."  As I turned the shopping cart to go down yet another isle, Ben placed both of his hands on my forearms, starred point blank at my face and said, "grandma, YES or NO?"  I have laughed over this story many times but the simple fact was, Ben just wanted a YES or NO answer.
I was just thinking, when we are waiting on an answer to prayer, God will in His time answer with a YES or NO. I don't know about you but I'm sure glad He never uses the word MAYBE.