H.B. Moore's Blog, page 4

Deborah the Judge of Israel

Amazon link here
On the day of this book's release, I've been thinking a lot about Deborah and what her life might have been like. Yes, I spent several months researching and writing about her era, and her possible life journey in 2018 before submitting the manuscript to my publisher Covenant Communications, but a personal reflection is always different.

When researching and writing about a historical figure in history, there are many factors to consider. One of them being what would this person's life been like? In Deborah's case, she was a remarkable person, and woman, for her era. Her title: Fourth Judge of Israel, illuminates that fact alone. It also makes me wonder. Did Deborah read? Did she write? Was she informally educated? It would have been a rare thing in her era because education of women wasn't considered necessary.

How did she achieve such a status as judge over the Israelites? Remember at the time, they were under Canaanite rule, so being a judge figure, or a governor of sorts, would have had many restrictions due to the ruling body of the land.

But Deborah was used to restrictions, being a woman, and practicing her faith.

We know her husband's name, Lapidoth, and I also wonder what sort of man was he. Also, unusual for the era, he would have supported his wife's commission and calling. And yes, I believe it was from the Lord. Deborah was a prophetess, and she spent her days while she was a judge handing down advice and judgments and possibly enacting the laws of the land. All with the support of her husband, and if they had children, her children as well.

Details in the scriptures are a bit hazy on many facts. But one significant one remains. Barak had been told by the Lord what he needed to do to deliver the Israelites from the Canaanites. He didn't follow through, and the reasons are unknown, although I present a few plausible ideas in my story. So, what happens then? The Lord shares the same revelation with Deborah.

This in and of itself is remarkable, and Barak knows it too. He wants to follow the Lord, he wants to deliver his people from decades of oppression, but something stops him. Fear? Motivation? Lack of faith? He tells Deborah if she will accompany him, then he will step up.

Many times in my life I have been Barak. Fewer times I have been Deborah. As a Barak, I know what I must do, and I might even know how to do it. But I don't.

What about you? Have you been on the Deborah side before? Or the Barak side before?

It's something to think about.

September 2019 Releases

As the publishing world sometimes operates, I have three new releases in September.

First up, is Deborah--Prophetess of God, coming September 1:

➡️Amazon
➡️Barnes & Noble
➡️Seagull Book
➡️Deseret Book
Next is a historical western romance collection based on true events, called Mercer's Belles. Coming September 17. Get your copy on Amazon here!

And finally, I've been working on a series with Kimberley Montpetit, called The Women of Ambrose Estate. Mostly Dangerous by Kimberley Montpetit is available now on Amazon: Mostly Perfect by Heather B. Moore releases September 26 on Amazon:

Belltown Six Pack: Baseball Romance Novels

Once upon a time, in July 2018, I was hanging out in Denver with two amazing authors: Rebecca Connolly and Sophia Summers. We decided to write a sports romance series together. Fast forward to TODAY, and book 3 is now out: Charming the Shortstop.

I love this series, I love baseball, and I love the Belltown Six Pack characters. I hope you'll love it too!

Join our Swoony Sports Romances page on Facebook for updates and fun stuff.

Series page on Amazon here. 

Publishing Updates: January 2019

Hi everyone,

I don't posts to my blog a ton, but you can join my Fans of H.B. Moore page on Facebook for frequent updates.

Updates this month include the new release of Until We Kissed, a Pine Valley romance.



My latest regency romance can be found in A Yuletide Regency:



I'm also co-writing a series with Rebecca Connolly and Sophia Summers: The Belltown Six Pack series. Swoony sports romances. The first book, Hitching the Pitcher , comes out Feb 5. We have all 3 of our names on the cover because the world building was collaborative. The books I wrote are Charming the Shortstop and Kissing on Third.






My Biblical novel on Deborah the Judge was recently accepted by Covenant, and will be out Fall 2019.





The Falling Series (contemporary romance) is now available as a book bundle: Four books in one! This will also be coming to Audible very soon, narrated by the talented Xe Sands.



In other news, my Biblical novel Ruth will also be coming to Audible soon. Narrated by the wonderful Nancy Peterson, and her husband Alan Peterson. They are the same duo who narrated Eve: In the Beginning .






Upcoming releases include Let's Begin Again, a Pine Valley novel. Coming Jan. 29. Now on pre-order.



Cover reveal for the next Timeless Romance Anthology: Kissing a Billionaire:

Blog Tour: Anna the Prophetess

I'm excited to announce the blog tour schedule for Anna the Prophetess. Be sure to check out the giveaway as well (by clicking on any of the blog sites below). Thank you for all the reviews!



*August 13th: http://ldswritermom.blogspot.com/  https://www.rockinbookreviews.com/  http://mybookaday.com/  *August 14th:  https://ldsandlovinit.blogspot.com/  http://lisaisabookworm.blogspot.com/ http://www.iamareader.com/ http://whynotbecauseisaidso.blogspot.com/ http://katiescleanbookcollection.blogspot.com/  *August 15th:http://empowermoms.net/,http://lifeiswhatitscalled.blogspot.com/ https://rachellechristensen.com/  *August 16th: http://heidi-reads.blogspot.com/ https://www.singinglibrarianbooks.com/  *August 17th: http://minreadsandreviews.blogspot.com/  http://booksaresanity.blogspot.com/

Cover reveal: Finding Us (Pine Valley #5)

I'm excited to announce the cover reveal for the next book in the Pine Valley series:

FINDING US

Release date: September 6, 2018


Felicity Miner is not normally an anxious person, and she’s been on her own since high school. But after a shoplifter steals from her bookshop, she calls the cops. When Officer Leo Russo shows up, Felicity has to tell herself that just because the romance novel she’s been reading has a hero police officer doesn’t mean she needs to project her imagination onto the real man. Yes, Officer Russo is unexpectedly generous, and he helps make Felicity’s home more secure when her worries won’t settle down. But the more Felicity is around Officer Russo, the more she imagines a future between them. Is he merely doing his duty, protecting and serving the citizens of Pine Valley, or is there potential for something more?


 More books in the Pine Valley series:

Word counts of a full time writer

Frequently, people ask how many books I have published. I've counted before, but I don't technically keep track. I now have more novellas than novels written, and interestingly enough, I never thought I'd write shorter books, novellas, or short-stories. Now that I've written so many 15,000 word novellas (Timeless Romance Anthologies), or 25,000 word novellas (Timeless Regency Collections), 30,000 words novellas (Lady of Breken Manor, Mistress Grim), sometimes writing my longer novels (90,000-100,000 words) feels like writing two books ;-)

This year I've been focusing on the Pine Valley romance series, and those novels are on the shorter end of novel word count. Each one is between 50,000-55,000 words. This word count length enables me to write and publish them at a quicker rate . . . also because they are contemporary so the extra research I do with historical manuscripts isn't required.

I have many author friends who write more than I do, but I do keep track of my word count religiously. It's the way I track progress and meet my writing goals (which vary with each book).

I've cut and pasted some of my word count lists for various manuscripts in the Pine Valley series so that you can get an idea of the daily writing effort of a first draft. This of course doesn't include all of the later stages of revision work and editing. For those of you who have done the NANOWRIMO program with the goal of writing 50,000 words each November, that's pretty much what it feels like to be a full time writer. You are doing a NANOWRIMO every month of the year.

Finding Us: A Pine Valley Novel (coming sometime in September 2018)
WORD COUNT
6/5 3,000
6/6 4,500
6/7 6,500
6/11 7,600
6/12 8,000
6/13 11,200
6/14 13,700
6/16 15,000
6/18 15,500
6/19 16,600
6/20 20,000
6/22 20,500
6/23 23,000
6/25 26,100
6/26 28,400
6/27 30,500
6/28 31,500
6/29 36,100
6/30 37,200
7/2 38,200
7/3 41,200
7/4 44,200
7/5 46,300
7/6 49,700
7/7 53,100
7/9 55,300

Waiting for You: A Pine Valley Novel (released June 2018)
Can't find this word count list ;-)

Say You Love Me: A Pine Valley Novel (released April 2018)
WORD COUNT
1/25 3,200
1/26 4,400
1/27 8,000
1/29 11,700
1/30 15,800
1/31 18,200
2/1 21,200
2/2 23,400
2/3 25,100
2/5 28,100
2/6 31,100
2/7 33,400
2/8 36,400
2/9 38,800
2/10 42,000
2/12 45,100
2/13 50,000


Where I Belong: A Pine Valley Novel (released March 2018)
WORD COUNT
12/29 5,200
12/30 11,300
1/1 15,000
1/2 16,400
1/3 19,500
1/4 22,500
1/5 25,600
1/6 28,100
1/8 31,600
1/9 37,000
1/10 43,000
1/11 49,500
1/12 51,500
 

Worth the Risk: A Pine Valley Novel (released Feb 2018)
WORD COUNT
11/25: 1,500
11/27: 4,600
11/28 8,200
11/29 12,400
11/30 15,400
12/1 17,500
12/2 18,600
12/3 19,200
12/4 22,500
12/5 25,600
12/6 27,700
12/7 30,700
12/8 34,100
12/9 35,800
12/11 38,100
12/12 41,200
12/13 43,000
12/14 46,000
12/15 51,700
 

   

Cover reveal: Anna the Prophetess

I'm excited to reveal the cover for my upcoming Biblical novel: Anna the Prophetess.

Coming August 2018 from Covenant Communications. Below, I also have the introduction to the book so that details some of the things that we know about this remarkable woman.





Introduction
            The prophetess Anna lived during a remarkable era—that of the Messiah’s birth and early years. Her name is the New Testament form of Hannah, and she is the only woman called a prophetess in the Gospels. Anna’s family history descended from the tribe of Asher, in which she was the daughter of Phanuel. Unfortunately, Anna became a widow after a seven-year marriage, and there is no mention of whether she had children. She was, therefore, a woman whose life took a painful, unexpected turn. But as we will learn, Anna continued in her devotion to the Lord and determined to serve Him all the remainder of her days. She is a testament to modern women that it’s possible to live a life of joy even when struck with a severe trial. She carried an eternal perspective in her heart, and it’s no small matter that she is heralded as a prophetess—one who draws close to the Lord and gains His utmost trust. Interestingly enough, she never remarried but instead spent her remaining widowhood serving in the temple—a service time estimated at over sixty years. It’s an impressive record of service in the public eye. Not many women are able to perform such an act away from home and for the public. And like many other women, she prioritized her time so she could be there, likely maintaining a residence near the holy place.             At the temple on Jesus’s presentation day, we meet Anna as a woman “of a great age,” of fourscore and four years (age eighty-four; Luke 2:37). With the forty days of Mary’s required purification after giving birth at an end, she and Joseph brought Jesus into Jerusalem. In Leviticus 12:2–5, we learn that for a male child, the woman was unclean for seven days and the days of purification lasted thirty-three days; for a female child, the woman was unclean fourteen days, and purification lasted sixty-six days. Mary and Joseph were to present their newborn son to the Lord God at the temple, according to the law of Moses. Part of the presentation at the temple was offering a sacrifice of two turtledoves or two young pigeons in order to complete Mary’s purification (see Luke 2:24). Simeon was the first to meet Mary and Joseph; he had been promised that he would not die before seeing the Messiah. He greeted the parents and took Jesus into his arms and prophesied about the salvation that had come to earth.             While Mary and Joseph “[marveled] at those things which were spoken” by Simeon (Luke v. 33), Anna entered the scene. Like Simeon, the Spirit led her to the Messiah and unmistakably informed her that this infant was the Redeemer. Upon meeting the Messiah, Anna not only became a witness of the Messiah, but she also gave “thanks likewise unto the Lord, and [spoke] of him to all them that [looked] for redemption in Jerusalem” (v. 38). This notation leads us to believe that after Jesus and His parents fled to Egypt, Anna spoke reverentially about His birth and His presence on earth for as long as she lived. Her testimony may have been great before, as evidenced in her role as prophetess, but now it was magnified as she served as a sure witness to the Messiah’s existence.             In this way, Anna’s lifelong devotion to the Lord was no longer based on faith, but like the brother of Jared, she “had faith no longer, for [she] knew, nothing doubting” (Ether 3:19, emphasis added). What a wonderful gift! It is important for us to remember what preceded Anna’s sure knowledge and what she embraced for at least sixty years of her life—it is something we cannot see or hear but only feel: faith.             Anna’s devotion and role as a prophetess is further secured when we learn that she was the second woman in the Bible noted as fasting on a day other than the Day of Atonement (Esther was the first; see Esther 4:16). Fasting wasn’t normally encouraged for women during ancient times, yet it seems that for Anna it was part of her spiritual regimen wherein she “served God with fastings and prayers night and day” (Luke 2:37). It was part of her journey toward becoming like her divine Father in Heaven, and it was this sort of devotion that led to the opportunity of meeting the infant Jesus and becoming a physical and spiritual witness to His mission on earth.             Anna’s fasting was likely no easy task, especially at her age, but she recognized the importance of it in bringing her close to the Spirit, and as she continued to fast, her faith was strengthened. We do not know if Anna recognized other signs of Jesus’s birth that had been prophesied and taught for generations. There is no clear indication that anyone in the Old World knew of a prophecy in advance of the Savior’s birth that a new star in the heavens would be a sign of His birth, but for this novel’s purposes, sighting a new star is part of Anna’s faith.             At the age of eighty-four, Anna became a true witness, and certainly, her unquestionable testimony has blessed many lives. Her devotion to the Lord and her people, as well as the spirit of inspiration she cultivated in order to become one of the Lord’s spokeswomen, marked her long life as a touching example of a divinely led woman. Like some of us, her life didn’t turn out how she planned, yet she found ways to fill her life and devote it to the Lord. She moved forward with purpose and created a fulfilling life, giving us a wonderful example. (Parts of the introduction were taken from the original publication of: The Divinity of Women: Inspirations and Insights from Women of the Scriptures by Heather B. Moore and S. Kent Brown, Covenant Communications, 2014.)

COVER REVEAL: Wedding Wagers

Coming in August! I'm excited to be a part of this collection with authors Donna Hatch & Michele Paige Holmes.

Pre-order on Amazon.

COVER REVEAL: Road to Gretna Green

I'm excited to announce my upcoming novella in the Road to Gretna Green collection with Lucinda Brant and Julie Daines.

Coming May 15, 2018. You can pre-order on Amazon.

Here's the cover!