Janet Sketchley's Blog: Tenacity, page 70

Interview: Romantic Suspense Author Beth Ziarnik

Beth Ziarnik is a writer and speaker, celebrating the release of her first novel, a romantic suspense called Her Deadly Inheritance.

Janet: Welcome, Beth, and thanks for taking time to join us. Congratulations on your debut novel! So many firsts – contract, cover, holding the first copy in your hands… and more. We’ll have the cover art and full description at the end of this interview, but for now, what’s the story about?

Beth: Thank you, Janet, for inviting me. I’m so pleased to be here, and...

Praying Scripture

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13, NLT*

I love eavesdropping on Paul’s heart-felt prayers for the congregations he’s writing to. Sure, parts of his letters aredirect to the point of sounding harsh (although always with a motive of love), but in his prayers we see how deeply he cares.

We can borrow these prayers for those we lo...

Review: Legacy, by Mary Hosmar

Legacy, by Mary Hosmar (2014)

What 15-year-old boy wants to tag along with his mother, visiting relatives in the Netherlands over Christmas, when he’d been planning a ski adventure with his buddies?

Not Jake Thompson. But it’s a condition of his late great-uncle’s will. So Jake, his attitude, and his mother fly from Canada to meet the strangers who are their extended family.

Bit by bit, they discover family history – and secrets – that neither of them had known, wrapped up in the fallout from...

Picks from 2015

Goodreads tells me I’ve read 90books in 2015. And that’s not counting Bible reading. Hereare the books (and music) that I’ve most enjoyed this year. Some were produced in 2015, some previously. Pop a note into the comments with your own favourites?

My top picks from 2015:

Christian living:PracticingHis Presence, by Brother Lawrence and Frank C. Laubach

Dieselpunk novel:Storming, by K.M. Weiland.

Fantasy series: The Staff & the Sword, by Patrick W. Carr.My reviews: A Cast of Stones, The Hero’s...

Light Inextinguishable

The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.
John 1:4-5, NLT*

A footnote in my Bible says the last line can also be translated as “and the darkness has not understood it.”

This darkness is a spiritual, or perhaps moral, darkness. Not a physical lack of light. If it has the capacity to understand, it’s a malevolent darkness (because it tries to extinguish the light).

We k...

Guest Post: 12 Ways to Make the Write Resolution

12 Ways to Make the Write Resolution by Steph Beth Nickel

The New Year is rapidly approaching and many of us will soon be setting our goals (aka resolutions) for 2016. Where is writing on your list?

If it’s close to the top, here are a dozen writing and writing-related goals you may want to include and tips on how to do so:

Be on the lookout for inspiration.

Some people record ideas, snippets of conversation, random words and phrases, etc. in a notebook or on their electronic device. Make...

Celebrating Christmas

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Here’s a song you may not have heard: A Day of Glory, from Austin Stone Worship‘s album of the same name. (One of my favourite Christmas albums)

God Came to Us

Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Philippians 2:7-8, NLTPhilippians 2:7-8, NLT*

When disaster strikes a nation or community, the leaders make a point of visiting the area. To assess the situation first-hand, but also to encourage the survivors, who need every bit of hope they can possibly receive.

What d...

Interview: Kathy Ide: Fiction Lover’s Devotionals

Story — true and fiction — has great power to touch hearts. That’s why I was intrigued by the premise of Kathy Ide’s Fiction Lovers Devotionals.Kathy Ide is a writer, editor, mentor and teacher, and shejoins us today to talk about the second volume in the series.

Janet: Tell us about your newest book.

Kathy: 21 Days of Christmas: Stories that Celebrate God’s Greatest Gift is the second in a series of Fiction Lover’s Devotionals, published by BroadStreet Publishing. It’s a collection of short...

Without Proof: Christmas Prologue

Whether or not you’ve read my new romantic suspense,Without Proof, here’s a short peek into Amy’s world that first Christmas after the plane crash:

One of Amy’s spun glass Christmas angels twisted on its golden thread, sparkling in the tree lights. Of the original six, five remained, treasured links to her childhood.

Michael and his great-aunt had invited her to add a few ornaments to the bushy spruce he’d brought home this afternoon. Another thoughtful gesture in a string of kindnesses they’...