Sherry Kyle's Blog, page 3
September 3, 2015
Featured Book: As Waters Gone By
And the winner of Two Roads Home by Deborah Raney is:
Virginia Carr
Congratulations, Virginia!
And now for our featured book . . .
Are the walls around her heart more daunting than the other barriers separating her from the man she married?
Emmalyn Ross never thought a person could feel this alone. Sustaining a marriage with a man who’s not by her side is no easy task, especially since her husband currently resides behind impenetrable prison walls.
Now, on a self-imposed exile to Madeline Island—one of the Apostle Islands of Lake Superior—Emmalyn starts rehabbing an old hunting cottage they’d purchased when life made sense. Restoring it may put a roof over her heard, but a home needs more than a roof and walls, just as a marriage needs more than vows and a license. With only a handful of months before her husband is released, Emmalyn must figure out if and how they can ever be a couple again. And his silence isn’t helping.
An Interview with author Cynthia Ruchti:
Finish this sentence. Inspirational fiction is . . . truth in story form. I’m convinced that the best fiction is a reflection of truth lived out through the characters of an engaging story.
Tell us how you got the idea for As Waters Gone By: I’m watching someone I care about walk through the soul-stretching challenge of life with an incarcerated husband. Unlike the heartbreaking statistics, this couple is learning how to GROW their marriage despite the distance and the circumstances. How inspiring! Even though their story is rooted in a different inciting incident than Emmalyn and Max’s story in As Waters Gone By, their courage works its way onto the page, their forgiveness, and their pain as well.
Wow, what an inspiring couple—and book! What’s one of your favorite scenes in As Waters Gone By? The end scene…which I dare not talk about! There are others. I was forced to stop writing and absorb what was happening on the page when I wrote certain other scenes, including the Thanksgiving dinner scene, the first time Emmalyn walks into the empty second bedroom in the cottage… Ooh! My emotions got a work-out writing this book!
Are you anything like Emmalyn Ross, your main character? I’m like Emmalyn in sometimes overanalyzing life. But I aspire to be more like the secondary character, Boozie Unfortunate. She oozes grace. She loves the unlovely with compassion and ease. She lives her faith simply and elegantly. And she is unbounded by societal norms!
Yes, Boozie is quite the character! If you could cast her in a movie, whom would you choose? Imagine Boozie represented by a combo of Goldie Hawn and Mother Teresa in their younger years.
What do you want readers to take away from this novel? Boozie gave Emmalyn a chalkboard with the words “Hope lives here.” Later in the story, it hung in Emmalyn’s cottage with an additional message added: “Hope lives here. Even here.” I believe the undercurrent of the novel is encapsulated in those phrases. No matter what we go through, we can’t unravel if we’re hemmed in hope.
Do you have another book in the works? Tell us about it. In April of 2016, I have another Abingdon novel releasing—Song of Silence. It’s the story of a music teacher who loses her job, her career, her passion when the music and art programs are eliminated in their school system. It’s also the story of how her healing—and ours—can be found in the spaces between the notes of our lives, in the song of silence.
I have a hardcover Christmas novella releasing this fall—An Endless Christmas (Worthy Inspired). Set in beautiful Stillwater, Minnesota, it’s the story of Christmas week at the Binder family cottage and the challenges Katie Vale faces when she’s forced to face the differences between her family experiences and the Binder’s unconditional love.
Why do you write the kind of books you do? I write the kind of books I do—contemporary fiction that treats tough subjects tenderly—because those are the books that touch my own heart. And I believe I’m not alone. We want to read real stories in their true light, but with an enduring, unshakable hope.
For fun, what do you snack on while you write? It used to be potato chips. And although that’s scientifically proven as the perfect brainstorming food, it wasn’t kind to my hips, heart, or double chin. So I’ve switched to…drumroll…green tea. I know. Glamorous, isn’t it?
Cynthia is offering a copy of As Waters Gone By (US only) to one of you. Please answer the question below in the comment box along with your e-mail address so that I can contact you if you’re the winner. The winner will be announced next Thursday, September 10th, so you have a week to enter. Tell your friends!
Cynthia asks:
Readers, Emmalyn retreated to Madeline Island on Lake Superior while she licked her wounds and worked to renovate both the shack of a cottage and the tatters of her marriage. What location would call to you if you were in Emmalyn’s situation, or if you were given a month away from normal responsibilities and provided a quiet mini-sabbatical?
Sherry says: Great question! If I had a mini-sabbatical, I’d choose Lake Tahoe. My family has vacationed there many times over the years, and I find it to be a very calming place. Readers, please join us!
About the author:
After three decades writing and producing a 15-minute daily radio broadcast, author and speaker Cynthia Ruchti now tells stories hemmed in hope through novels, novellas, devotions, nonfiction, and speaking events for women and writers. She serves as professional relations liaison for American Christian Fiction Writers. Cynthia and her husband live in the heart of Wisconsin, not far from their three children and five grandchildren.
Social media links:
Purchase links:
August 27, 2015
Featured Book: Two Roads Home
And the winner of Summer’s List by Anita Higman is:
Maryann
Congratulations, Maryann!
And now for our featured book . . .
Nagging setbacks continue to challenge Grant and Audrey Whitman’s initiation into the world of inn keeping, but larger challenges brew when an occasional flirtation leads to big trouble for the Whitman’s son-in-law, Jesse.
Jesse Pennington’s friendly, outgoing personality has always served him well, especially in a career that has earned him and his wife Corinne a very comfortable lifestyle. But Corinne and Jesse are both restless–and for similar reasons, if only they could share those with each other. Instead, too many business trips and trumped up charges of harassment from a disgruntled co-worker threaten their marriage and possibly put their three precious daughters at risk. With their life in disarray, God is tugging at their hearts to pursue other dreams. Can Corinne and Jesse pick up the pieces of what was once a beautiful life before it crumbles beneath them?
An Interview with author Deborah Raney:
Finish this sentence. Inspirational fiction is . . . fiction that inspires readers to examine their own lives in light of the situations the novel’s characters are experiencing, and to come away feeling encouraged, enlightened, or even empowered in their real lives.
Tell us how you got the idea for Two Roads Home.
The idea for the whole series came when I was yakking with my friend Courtney Walsh at a conference. Throughout our evening, I’d told several family stories, and at one point she said, “Deb, you have so many fun family stories, you ought to write a book about a big extended family like yours! Or a series!” That got my wheels turning, and from there, I’ve just had to create a family for each of the five Whitman offspring. It’s been a blast!
What ’s one of your favorite scenes in Two Roads Home?
There’s a scene where things get very crazy at the bed and breakfast late one night…one of those situations where eventually, as things go from bad to worse, all you can do is laugh. I laughed when I wrote it because I could so see something like that happening in my own family—especially if we were trying to run a B&B!
Are you anything like Corinne, your main character? If you could cast him/her in a movie, whom would you choose?
The truth is, I’m a little bit like all of my characters. 
I really do try to write some characters who are very different from me, but since I must put myself in my characters’ shoes to write their scenes, eventually, they all have a little bit of me in them.
I think I’m most like Corinne, in that I was a stay-at-home mom, with all the wonderful and conflicting, and difficult, and glorious things that entails.
I could easily see Maggie Gyllenhaal in the role of Corinne. I love her ability to be girl-next-door casual one minute, then very glamorous the next.
Describe Jesse Pennington. What actor would you hire to play him?
Kyle Chandler! I’ve had this guy in my head as my hero in several books. Sorry… He’s just so winsome! Drop-dead handsome, yet down-to-earth at the same time. And exactly how I pictured Jesse:
What do you want readers to take away from this book/novel?
That dreams and purpose in life are so much more important than money and security! It’s a lesson I’ve had to learn in my own life in recent years—the hard way…as I tend to learn every important lesson. 
But I’m so very glad I learned it before it was too late and I would have been full of regrets.
Do you have another book in the works? Tell us about it.
There are three more books in the Chicory Inn Novels series after this one. Five in all. Book 3, Another Way Home, releases in October and the new two in 2016, early 2017. But I just turned in Close to Home (Book 4) so only one left to write for me! I’m really going to miss this family once I write “the end” on that last book!
What was your favorite book as a child? Why?
I attended a two-room country schoolhouse, one of the last in Kansas. We had an incredible, but small, library and I’m sure I read every book on the shelves. But one I returned to over and over again was called The Village That Slept. It was the story of two young teens who survive a plane crash in Europe and care for a tiny infant survivor as they try to make their way out of the mountains to civilization. When my childhood school closed down, I lost track of that book, and spent three decades searching for it—except I couldn’t remember the title or the author! Makes it difficult to find a book if you don’t know those two details. Long story short, I’d almost given up when I came across a reference to the book while I was researching a novel. (Turns out it was a translation from the French, and I’d been searching for a story set in the Alps, when actually the crash happened in the Pyrenées mountains.) The book was long out of print, but I was able to locate a used copy online. The dealer was asking $60 for it, but he cut his price in half, and then a dear writing friend sent me a $30 certificate to that site, so I got it free! When the book came in the mail some time later, it was like welcoming an old friend home!
If you could describe the perfect date with your spouse, where would you go?
This might sound funny, but since we moved to Wichita two years ago, Ken and I haven become huge fans of garage sales! We’ve always loved art museums and antique shops, but now we’ve added Goodwill and garage sale excursions to our repertoire! There’s just something about the thrill of the hunt! And then bragging about the huge bargains we bagged! We have a standing date every Thursday morning for donuts, coffee, and a couple hours of garage sale-ing.
Deborah is offering a copy of Two Roads Home (US only) to one of you. Please answer the question below in the comment box along with your e-mail address so that I can contact you if you’re the winner. The winner will be announced next Thursday, September 3rd, so you have a week to enter. Tell your friends!
Whether you’ve ever read a Deborah Raney novel or not, which one of her book covers makes you want to read the book the most? (Double click to enlarge)
About the author:
Deborah Raney’s thirty books have garnered multiple industry awards, including the RITA, the Carol, the HOLT Medallion, National Readers’ Choice Award, and Silver Angel from Excellence in Media, and have three times been Christy Award finalists. Her first novel, A Vow to Cherish, which shed light on the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease and inspired the highly acclaimed World Wide Pictures film of the same title, continues to be a tool for Alzheimer’s families and caregivers. Deborah is on faculty for several national writers’ conferences, and serves on the executive board of the 2,700-member American Christian Fiction Writers organization. She and her husband, Ken Raney, recently traded small-town life in Kansas—the setting of many of Deb’s novels—for life in the (relatively) big city of Wichita. They have four children and five precious grandchildren (plus two on the way!) who all live much too far away. Visit Deb at www.deborahraney.com.
Purchase Links:
Connect with Deborah through these links:
https://www.facebook.com/deborah.raney
https://twitter.com/authordebraney
http://www.pinterest.com/deborahraney/
August 20, 2015
Featured Book: Summer’s List
And the winner of Through Waters Deep by Sarah Sundin and and the vintage apron is:
Beth
Congratulations, Beth!
And now for our featured book . . . Summer’s List
Life and love keep going awry for Summer Snow, until her grandmother sends her on an unexpected adventure with one Martin Langtree—a kind and quirky young man from Summer’s past. With Laney the Chihuahua along for the ride, a childhood friendship is rekindled, a romance is sparked, and mysteries are solved in one magical Texas summer. Will Summer strike out on love again, or will things finally go her way?
An Interview with author Anita Higman
Finish this sentence. Inspirational fiction is . . . full of hope!
Tell us how you got the idea for Summer’s List.
I grew up on fairytales. My mother used to read them to me when I was little. I’ve been told that my stories read like modern fairytales, and I’m thinking this is probably true for Summer’s List too. One reviewer wrote that the book reminder her a little of The Princess Bride. The tone not only has a fairytale feel, but there are also fairytale elements such as two wicked stepbrothers, a noble quest, a grandmother who is a little like a fairy godmother, and of course, a happily-ever-after!
That’s true! It does read like a modern fairytale. What’s one of your favorite scenes in Summer’s List?
I love it when Summer Snow finds her long lost friend.
Are you anything like Summer Snow, your main character?
Let’s put it this way—I’d like to be more like my heroine since she is so guileless.
If you could cast her in a movie, whom would you choose?
Donna Reed from It’s a Wonderful Life.
Describe Martin Langtree.
Martin Langtree is nerdy and a bit socially awkward, but he’s also compassionate and generous to a fault.
What actor would you hire to play him?
Jimmy Stewart
What do you want readers to take away from this novel?
To be entertained, challenged, and inspired
Do you have another book in the works? Tell us about it.
Yes, I do. It’s a novel for middle grade girls, and I’m writing it with my daughter, Hillary. It’s been the most fun I’ve ever had writing.
I love middle grade books and write them too! How many hours a week do you write? Do you have a regular routine?
My workhours vary from day to day. My general routine is that I work on answering emails first and then I start to write. Of course, all of this happens after my cup of coffee or some strong black tea!
What was your favorite book as a child?
Cinderella
Why?
Doesn’t every little girl grow up loving that story? It has a great heroine, a plot loaded with drama, and plenty of romance.
And the new movie is amazing. For fun, what do you snack on while you write?
Nuts and dried fruit, and I drink lots of tea. Mostly green, white, and black teas.
Thank you for visiting with us today!
Anita is offering a copy of Summer’s List (US only) to one of you. Please answer this question in the comment box along with your e-mail address so that I can contact you if you’re the winner. The winner will be announced next Thursday, August 27th, so you have a week to enter. Tell your friends!
Anita’s question: What is your favorite fairytale?
About the author:
Best-selling and award-winning author, Anita Higman, has been writing for thirty years and has forty books published. She’s been a Barnes & Noble “Author of the Month” for Houston and has a BA in the combined fields of speech communication, psychology, and art.
Anita and her husband are building a storybook home in the woods and plan to move there by the end of the year. A few of Anita’s favorite things are good movies, fairytales, traveling, gardening, exotic teas, and brunch with her gal friends.
Please check out Anita’s latest novel, Summer’s List, through Moody Publishers. Feel free to drop by her website at www.anitahigman.com or connect with her on her Facebook Reader Page at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAnitaHigman. She would love to hear from you!
August 13, 2015
Featured Book Through Waters Deep
And the winner of Beyond the Ashes by Karen Barnett is:
Loraine N.
Congratulations, Loraine!
And now for our featured book . . .
From the back cover:
It is 1941 and America teeters on the brink of war. Handsome and outgoing naval officer Ensign Jim Avery escorts British convoys across the North Atlantic in a brand-new destroyer, the USS Atwood. On shore, Jim encounters Mary Stirling, a childhood friend who is now an astute and beautiful Boston Navy Yard secretary.
When evidence of sabotage on the Atwood is discovered, Jim and Mary must work together to uncover the culprit. A bewildering maze of suspects emerges, and Mary is dismayed to find that even someone close to her is under suspicion. With the increasing pressure, Jim and Mary find that many new challenges—and dangers—await them.
An interview with author Sarah Sundin:
Finish this sentence. Inspirational fiction is . . .
Light and hope and insight. The world is dark and dreary and often horrific, but God offers so much more. When a novel shows a character in dark or dreary or horrific circumstances and shows the character tackling fears and sins, growing in faith, and overcoming—the reader grows in the hope that they can do likewise.
Tell us how you got the idea for Through Waters Deep.
While researching World War II, I was struck by what happened in the United States from 1939-41, when Europe had been embroiled in war but the US remained neutral. I was surprised that American warships escorted British convoys across the Atlantic, and that German U-boats sank one US destroyer and damaged another, killing over 100 American sailors…before Pearl Harbor! Also, while the United States was truly united during the war, in the years of neutrality, bitter arguments raged between isolationists and interventionists. Rumors of sabotage and espionage ran rampant. I decided to tell the story of a US naval officer on convoy duty in 1941, and an unassuming secretary at the Boston Navy Yard who becomes convinced that a saboteur is at work.
What’s one of your favorite scenes in Through Waters Deep?
The romantic ending scene is my favorite, but I don’t want to share spoilers! But another scene I like is when Jim and Mary put on disguises to attend an isolationist rally on Boston Common. I loved seeing the daring part of Mary’s quiet personality sparkle and watching Jim’s perception of her begin to shift. Plus it was fun to show some of the division in America and a hint of the danger facing Mary.
Are you anything like Mary Stirling, your main character? If you could cast him/her in a movie, whom would you choose?
Of all the heroes and heroines in my novels, Mary is the most like me at the core—we’re both “INFJs” on the Myers-Briggs scale—quiet and analytical, but sensitive and dreamy. However, I don’t share Mary’s deep aversion to attention (it only makes me slightly uneasy), nor do I share her eagerness to solve a mystery.
Describe Jim Avery. What actor would you hire to play him?
I’m going to cheat for both characters. The cover photographer did an excellent job at hiring models for the book cover! Jim and Mary are almost exactly as I picture them in my mind. This is even more true if you see the amazing video the photographer made of the cover shoot. The model for Jim has a nice big grin like the hero, and the model for Mary has lovely light blue eyes like the heroine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDzJKYFc_6s
What do you want readers to take away from this book/novel?
To be willing to hoist their sails! Mary is afraid to hoist her sails for fear of drawing attention to herself and failing. Jim is afraid to hoist his sails for fear of hurting people through bold action. They both learn, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
Do you have another book in the works? Tell us about it.
Anchor in the Storm releases next summer, the second book in the Waves of Freedom series. For plucky Lillian Avery, America’s entry into World War II means a chance to prove herself as a pharmacist in Boston. She loves the wartime challenges of her new job but spurns the attention of society boy Ens. Archer Vandenberg, even if Arch is her brother’s best friend. As Arch’s destroyer battles U-boats along the East Coast in the darkest days of the war, Lillian uncovers a black market drug ring. Arch’s efforts to aid Lillian’s investigation and to win her trust fling them both into danger—from torpedoes, drug lords, and opened hearts.
What was your favorite book as a child? Why?
I devoured the Little House books. Over and over. My sister and I acted them out, arguing over who played Laura and who played Mary. We tied our rain bonnets in a way that vaguely resembled sunbonnets and wore our calico flannel nightgowns. Our beds served as covered wagons, although our mother cruelly refused to buy us canopy beds, which would have been so much better! We had a lot of fun.
For fun, what do you snack on while you write?
Gum. I have a lot of nervous energy when I write, and I developed a horrible habit of foraging in the pantry in the late afternoon. The last couple of years I’ve substituted gum (I’m especially fond of Mentos spearmint). That takes care of the nervous need to chew, and I can’t put anything else in my mouth. I’m slowly losing the extra pounds.
Sarah is offering a copy of Through Waters Deep AND a fun apron made by Marci Seither (US only) to one of you. Please answer this question in the comment box along with your e-mail address so that I can contact you if you’re the winner. The winner will be announced next Thursday, August 20th, so you have a week to enter. Tell your friends!
Sarah asks: What was your favorite childhood book?
Author bio
Sarah Sundin is the author of seven historical novels, including Through Waters Deep (Revell, August 2015). Her novella “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” in Where Treetops Glisten is a finalist for the 2015 Carol Award, and her novel On Distant Shores was a double finalist for the 2014 Golden Scroll Awards. A mother of three, Sarah lives in California, works on-call as a hospital pharmacist, and teaches Sunday school. http://www.sarahsundin.com.
Purchase link(s)
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/through-waters-deep-sarah-sundin/1120581756?ean=9780800723422
ChristianBook.com: http://www.christianbook.com/1-through-waters-deep/sarah-sundin/9780800723422/pd/723426?event=ESRCN
Social media links
Website: http://www.sarahsundin.com
Blog: http://www.sarahsundin.com/blog
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SarahSundinAuthor
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sarahsundin
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/sarahsundin
August 6, 2015
Featured Book: Beyond the Ashes
Where better to rebuild and face one’s fears than in 1906 San Francisco, a city rising from the ashes? Ruby Marshall, a young widow, is certain she’ll discover new purpose assisting her brother Robert with his cancer research, but she doesn’t anticipate finding new love.
Dr. Gerald Larkspur dreams of filling his empty home with family, but he’d always hoped it would be a wife and children. In the aftermath of the great earthquake, the rooms are overflowing with extended family and friends left homeless by the disaster. When Robert’s widowed sister arrives, the close quarters seem close indeed.
Ruby and Gerald’s fledgling romance is put at risk when Gerald develops symptoms of the very disease they’re striving to cure. Together they must ask—is it worth a second chance at love when time might be short?
An Interview with author Karen Barnett:
Finish this sentence. Inspirational fiction is . . .
Story-telling that shines God’s light into the darkest places of our lives.
Tell us how you got the idea for Beyond the Ashes.
I was inspired to write Beyond the Ashes back when I was researching the first book of the Golden Gate Chronicles, Out of the Ruins. I’d stumbled over some interesting anecdotes about doctors experimenting with X-ray radiation as a means of cancer treatment. Since they weren’t yet aware of the dangers of X-rays, they often tested the machinery on themselves. Many of them came down with the very disease they were seeking to cure. This idea seemed both tragic and strangely heroic in my mind. I immediately started thinking about what would happen if a character were faced with this dilemma. Most of my stories ideas start from that little phrase, “What if?”
What’s one of your favorite scenes in Beyond the Ashes?
Ruby is terrified of automobiles because her first husband was killed when a passing car spooked the horse he was riding. Her phobia leads to several humorous moments in the story, including one in which Gerald is trying to teach her how to drive. Since the book deals with some heavy themes, these lighter scenes helped soften the impact. I think those are my favorite scenes!
Are you anything like Ruby Marshall, your main character? If you could cast him/her in a movie, whom would you choose?
Other than in looks (she’s a gorgeous red-head and I’m, well . . . not) I’m very similar to Ruby. She’s riddled with fears, but she’s determined not to let them rule her life. Rather than give in, she’ll force herself to face them head-on. I often push myself in the same way. I’m afraid of public speaking, but I make myself say yes every time someone asks me to speak (almost). Since I’m afraid of heights, I’ll walk to the edge of the cliff and force myself to look over. I guess that’s how a self-professed control freak deals with anxieties. I’m not quite ready to go skydiving yet, though.
I based Ruby’s appearance on a young friend from church who has wonderfully curly red hair and blue eyes. I’ve yet to find an actress that exactly matches, but Rachelle Lefevre probably comes the closest.
Describe Dr. Gerald Larkspur. What actor would you hire to play him?
Gerald is a deeply empathetic doctor who has made it a habit to place other’s needs before his own. He supports his medical partner’s desire to continue in cancer research, even though he personally finds it discouraging. He’s devoted to his extended family, taking all of them in to his home after the great earthquake, but he’d also dearly love to have a wife and child of his own.
Who would play him? I always pictured Dan Stevens of Downton Abbey fame in the part. I’m sure he could manage an American accent, right?
What do you want readers to take away from this book/novel?
I hope readers come away realizing that God has a plan for each of our lives, and it’s so much better than what we would imagine or choose for ourselves. When life gets crazy and feels out-of-control, we can cling to His promises and know that He’s still holding us in the palm of His hand.
Do you have another book in the works? Tell us about it.
The third novel of the Golden Gate Chronicles releases in May of 2016. I’m so excited about this book! I’ve always wanted to write a story that focuses completely on God’s extravagant grace, and that became the main theme of Through the Shadows. In 1908, San Francisco was riddled with corruption—from the broken pillars of City Hall all the way to the Chinatown brothels. It was fun to take two characters and thrust them right into the heart of these problems.
In a desperate attempt to hide her own sins, Elizabeth King throws herself into a life of service working with Chinese girls rescued from prostitution and slavery. Will attorney Charles McKinley be able to show her that not everything in San Francisco is as dark as it seems?
Why do you write the kind of books you do?
I know there are many truths in Scripture, but it sometimes takes a good story for those truths to sink into my heart. I believe that’s why Jesus used parables. When I show a character wrestling with problem and they find hope in God’s word, I hope my readers can find meaning for themselves, as well.
Any fun hobbies?
I like to design and decorate crazy birthday cakes for my kids. It started when they were babies, and each year I’d get a little more daring with my attempts. I took a decorating class about five years ago and that really helped me improve. I ask the kids for a theme, and I try to find some way to make it a reality. I’ve done horses, trains, mermaids, cats, race cars, ballet slippers, A Doctor Who Tardis (with working light—I was quite proud of that), Pokemon balls, high heeled shoes, a Nintendo DS, Marvel characters—all sorts of things. It’s been a lot of fun over the years.
Karen is offering a copy of Beyond the Ashes (US only) to one of you. Please answer this question in the comment box along with your e-mail address so that I can contact you if you’re the winner.
Karen’s Question:
I told you about my crazy hobby. So, what’s yours?
Author bio
Karen Barnett, author of Beyond the Ashes, Out of the Ruins, and Mistaken, lives in Oregon with her husband, two kids, and three mischievous dachshunds. When she’s not writing, Karen enjoys photography, hiking, and dragging her family through dusty history museums. Oregon Christian Writers (OCW) honored her with the Writer of Promise Award in 2013 and a Cascade Award for her debut novel, Mistaken, in 2014.
Purchase link(s)
On B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beyond-the-ashes-karen-barnett/1120999650?ean=9781426781414
Cokesbury: https://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=1278166&rank=1&txtSearchQuery=Karen%20barnett
Social media links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenBarnettAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KarenMBarnett
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/karenbarnett/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/karenbarnettauthor/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/KarenBarnett
July 31, 2015
Summer Reading
The best part of summer is taking time out of our busy schedules and reading some awesome books! Over the next couple of months, I’m going to interview the authors or share a review because I think you’ll enjoy my summer reading list too.
Here’s a sneak peek at the list:
Beyond the Ashes by Karen Barnett
Summer’s List by Anita Higman
Through Water’s Deep by Sarah Sundin
Two Roads Home by Deborah Raney
As Waters Gone By by Cynthia Ruchti
Stepping Heavenward by Mrs. E Prentiss
Great Horse Stories for Girls by Rebecca Ondov
Have you read any of these books? What’s on your nightstand?
February 19, 2015
5 Benefits of Sharing a Meal with your Family
What is your favorite time of the day?
For me, it’s dinnertime. I enjoy gathering my family around the table to enjoy a good meal. We chat, eat, laugh, and many times have important discussions about life.
There are many benefits of sharing a meal with your family, but these five stick out in my mind:
A time to reconnect. We live such busy lives. Taking the time to share a meal lowers stress and bonds the family together.
Healthier eating. Let’s face it, a well-thought out meal is good for the health. Studies show kids eat more fruits and vegies when they eat at home.
Overall health. Studies show sharing a meal with our kids results in less obesity, leads to less behavior issues, and helps kids achieve higher grades in school.
Sense of community. Cooking, setting the table, and cleaning up are all things kids can participate in to help the family work together.
A time to share God’s Word. Reading the Bible or having a family devotion after a meal teaches kids that God is the center of your lives and builds faith.
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayers.”
Acts 2:42
Table Re-do
Dining room table Before
Our dining table received a makeover this past weekend. The top of the table had tons of wear, and I wanted the table to match the chairs. So I dove into the world of chalk paint and purchased Annie Sloan Graphite and Dark Wax.
Usually you don’t have to sand the furniture before painting using Annie Sloan’s products, but the woman who sold me the dark wax suggested I sand the top of the table and only use the dark wax on the top to give it a rich, mahogany color.
Noah, my seventeen-year-old son, sanding the table
Next, I painted the base Graphite, an almost-but-not-quite-black. More like a matted dark gray. By the next morning, I noticed the table needed a second coat for that more solid-instead-of-rustic look I was going for.
After that dried completely, I put on a coat of dark wax over the graphite to darken it even more.
The following day, I added one more coat of dark wax to the table’s surface since it will get a lot of wear and tear from my big family.
Here’s the final look. The wax will take 30 days to cure, but we can enjoy the table as long as we use placemats and coasters.
Dining room table After
How often do you eat a meal with your family?
January 22, 2015
Featured Book: Brentwood’s Ward
From the back cover:
It takes a criminal to catch one, and Nicholas Brentwood is just the man for the job. Reformed in more ways than one, the rough-around-the-edges Brentwood is a member of the Bow Street Runners, London’s early nineteenth-century fledgling police force. There’s none better than Brenwood at catching the felons who ravage the city’s streets, and there’s nothing he loves more than seeing justice served.
Beautiful and beguiling, Miss Emily Payne is not the sort of miscreant Brentwood usually hunts down. When he is assigned as her bodyguard, he vows to protect her from her father’s enemies, who will stop at nothing to carry out their mission fueled by greed and revenge.
All her life, Emily has longed for love, but it remains beyond her grasp. This season she’s determined to find a husband, which is quite the undertaking with a hound-dog guardian like Brentwood watching her every step. If he would just give her some measure of freedom, she is sure she could win the heart of society’s most eligible bachelor.
Emily’s headstrong persistence challenges Nicholas in ways he doesn’t expect, but of one thing he’s certain—of all the cunning criminals he’s dealt with in the past, this time he’s met his match.
An interview with author Michelle Griep:
Finish this sentence. Inspirational fiction is . . .
A fantastic way to experience Biblical truths in a format that sticks with you long past the closing of a book.
What’s your favorite scene in Brentwood’s Ward?
Call me a romantic, but I love the part where Emily descends the stairs, dressed and ready to attend a ball, and faces Nicholas, who for the first time is clean-cut and impeccably attired. The electrical charge in the air is positively zingy.
Are you anything like Emily Payne, your main character? If you could cast her in a movie, whom would you choose?
Dare I admit this out loud? Yeah. It’s no secret. I love shopping! Though I don’t adore hats as much as Emily. I’m a shoe girl.
Rosamund Pike was the inspiration for Emily’s looks. Check her out on my Brentwood’s Ward Pinterest Page.
Describe Nicholas Brentwood. What actor would you hire to play him?
His blue-eyed gaze looks past any pretense, zeroing in on any secrets you might have. He doesn’t give two thoughts to his appearance, yet his dress coat and trousers ride the lines of his body as if crafted by an aristocrat’s tailor. His hair is dark and unruly, matching his sometimes changing moods. He’s not a safe man, but he is a very loyal one, moving heaven and earth for those he loves.
Gerard Butler was my inspiration for Nicholas Brentwood.
What do you want your readers to take away from this novel?
That no matter what, God is in control. Nothing surprises Him. There is nothing we can do or not do to make him love us any more—or less.
Do you have another novel in the works? Tell us about it.
I can’t get enough of these Bow Street Runners! Nicholas has a fellow officer, Alexander Morton, who’s begging for a story of his own. That’s what I’m working . . . Moore’s Maiden:
Honorable ALEXANDER MOORE goes undercover as a rogue gentleman to expose a traitorous plot against the king—and a master he is with his disguise, for JOHANNA LANGLEY believes him to be quite the cad. But when Johanna is swept up in the intrigue, Alex must choose between his mission and the woman he’s come to love.
For fun, what do you like to snack on while you write?
Chocolate and java, separate or together, either way is a win win.
About the author:
Michelle’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. She is the author of BRENTWOOD’S WARD, A HEART DECEIVED, UNDERCURRENT and GALLIMORE. If you’d like to keep up with her escapades, find her at www.michellegriep.com or www.writerofftheleash.blogspot.com or stalk her on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.
You can learn more about Michelle and her books at:
Thank you, Michelle, for stopping by.
Michelle is offering a copy of Brentwood’s Ward to one of you. Please answer this question in the comment box along with your e-mail address so that I can contact you if you’re the winner. You have until 1/29/14 to enter.
Michelle asks:
Who is your favorite British Author?
January 15, 2015
Thrilled to Announce
As an author I enjoy writing in multiple genres, including novels for women and books for middle grade girls. Seeing that my last published book was a novel, I think it’s time for some middle grade fiction, don’t you?
Time to celebrate!
I’m thrilled to announce I signed a contract for Love, Lexi: Life in the Middle with Tyndale House Publishers to release in 2016. Here’s a short blurb…
ALEXIS DAWN COOPER (aka Lexi) hates the way she looks, wants to hang out in the quad with the popular kids, and wishes Justin Powell, the boy she’s had a crush on since first grade, would like her as more than a friend. The sight of blood and spiders are among Lexi’s biggest fears and being the invisible middle child is no fun either! But her biggest problem is the PD (principal’s daughter), one naturally beautiful girl named BIANCA TAYLOR who has chosen Lexi as her target this year. Through journal entries Lexi will discover what it means to seek God first above everything else.
I wish you could see me doing the happy dance! This book is close to my heart because I’m a middle child and have experienced some of the things I’m putting Lexi through.
Want to know a secret? I pray each day before I write. I need God to help me put the words on the page. Will you pray for me too?
Thank you, my wonderful readers! I can’t wait to share this book with you.
January 8, 2015
Aunt Clara’s Mini Peach Cobbler
Aunt Clara is a mentor to Anna, the heroine in my recently released historical romance, Watercolor Dreams. Anna is better suited to paint watercolor paintings, but everyone knows the key to a man’s heart is through his stomach. 
Throughout the book Aunt Clara teaches Anna more than her way around a kitchen. Read Watercolor Dreams to find out!
This dessert recipe inspired by Aunt Clara is easy and delicious, and the perfect size to keep portions under control—unless you eat more than one.
You will need:
½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
dash of salt
¾ cup milk
1 can diced peaches
dash of brown sugar
dash of cinnamon
What you do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put 1 teaspoon of melted butter into each muffin tin.
Stir together the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and milk.
Put 2 tablespoons of batter into each muffin tin.
Add 1 tablespoon of diced peaches to the top of the batter.
Sprinkle each one with brown sugar and cinnamon.
Bake for 12 minutes.
Let them cool a bit. Use a butter knife to loosen the edges before taking out of the pan.
Enjoy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Idea: Have your tween girl make mini peach cobblers for a tea party with friends!
Other recipes from Aunt Clara:
What special recipes have you passed down to a family member or a friend?
