Robin E. Mason's Blog: Robin's Book Shelf, page 112

BLOGWORDS – Thursday 4 April 2019 – CHAT THURSDAY – AUTHOR INTERVIEW – KAREN JURGENS – GIVEAWAY WINNER

BLOGWORDS – Thursday 4 April 2019 – CHAT THURSDAY – AUTHOR INTERVIEW – KAREN JURGENS – GIVEAWAY WINNER
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CHAT THURSDAY – AUTHOR INTERVIEW – KAREN JURGENS – GIVEAWAY WINNER

“Finding God’s encouragement along life’s road.”

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“As a single mom for over twenty years, my goal is to encourage women on both sides of the marriage fence.”

 

 

WINNER! WINNER!

 

Congratulations to

MELISSA HENDERSON

and

LORI SMANSKI

Karen will be in touch with you to send your gift!

Thanks to everyone who entered!

 

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Living in Texas for more than 30 years has been an adventure, but Karen still proudly claims her Cincinnati roots. She spent her career as a high school English and French teacher and will always be a lifelong learner. She loves everything French, especially creating gourmet cuisine for birthdays and holidays, and you will likely find French culture and language in whatever she writes.

She began a new ministry, Touched by Him, where she blogs monthly. Her passion is to share answers from God’s Word about life’s trials and to incorporate those answers into her fiction stories, especially written for women seeking God’s best in marriage.

Her greatest accomplishment has been raising two lovely daughters who are now grown and living out their own adventures. Along with her mother who is now 95, the four of them enjoy fun times together shopping, dining out, and traveling.

 

https://karenjurgens.com/

https://karenjurgens.com/heartwings-devotional/

https://karenjurgens.com/blogtalk-radio/

https://twitter.com/KarenJurgens200

https://www.instagram.com/karen_jurgens/

www.linkedin.com/in/karen-harrison-52aa4071

https://www.amazon.com/Karen-Jurgens/e/B016CXTOOG/

 

 

“The best lesson I have learned from life, which can often be unfair, is how to get through the hard times with joy. Enjoying our lives and being grateful for the life we have been dealt is the name of the game–not envying others or regretting the past.”

 

 

GIVEAWAY

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Karen is offering one copy each of A Perfect Fit and Heart”wings” Devotional, print or e-book, winner’s choice.

(Paperback copy to a US address, only.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

#Blogwords, Chat Thursday, Author Interview, Karen Jurgens, Giveaway Winner, #WINNER

BLOGWORDS – Thursday 4 April 2019 – CHAT THURSDAY SEEKERVILLE BLOG BLITZ– AUTHOR INTERVIEW and GIVEAWAY – MARY CONNEALY

BLOGWORDS – Thursday 4 April 2019 – CHAT THURSDAY SEEKERVILLE BLOG BLITZ– AUTHOR INTERVIEW and GIVEAWAY – MARY CONNEALY
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CHAT THURSDAY – AUTHOR INTERVIEW and GIVEAWAY – MARY CONNEALY

“Don’t be afraid to strive and sweat and pray and fail and strive and pray some more for the desires of your heart. Because my books and this site are proof that dreams can come true. That with God all things are possible.”

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“ So the real moral to [that] story (and who am I to rewrite Aesop? Because it’s HIS moral) is STEADY wins the race.”

 

I am pleased to welcome Mary Connealy to my little nest.

 

FAST FAVES

Cake or Cookies –  Cookies (yeah, like I’m picky!)

Call or Text – I’m old school, definitely call

Eggs or Pancakes – I’m on a low carb diet. I would KILL for a pancake, but the correct answer here is eggs (darn it!)

Facebook or Twitter – Facebook, I’m doing my Spring Parade of Calves right now! (rem: I love your Spring Parade of Calves!!)

Paperback or Kindle – Paperback, no contest. I need to get with the modern world!

Yoga Pants or Jeans – oh, so totally yoga pants!

 

rem:  Hullo Mary, and welcome! Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?

MARY:  I’m a born and raised Nebraska woman! I grew up about ten miles from where I live now. My husband is my high school sweetheart.

rem:  OY! I moved so much, I can only imagine what that must be like!  #weebitjealous… Tell us three random things about yourself no one knows.

MARY:  Wow, I’m such an open book. Umm…

I am from a family of eight brothers and sisters. What can I say…it was the baby boom.
I was so painfully shy as a child I’m sure, now days, they’d put me on medicine.
I taught GED for about ten years after my kids were mostly grown. I can help you so much if you need to multiply fractions!

rem:  I was shy, too, once upon a time! And crippling, overwhelmingly insecure. What is your favourite quotation and why?

MARY:  This is so hard. I go immediately to Bible verses but I have so many of those I love. I’m going to say, “If God is with me, whom shall I fear.” I don’t think that’s even a correct quote from the Bible, there’s more to it than that. But that’s in my head whenever I do something really scary…like give a speech!

rem:  And a grand quote-slash-verse it is, too. Captures so many verses, and the essence of who God is—or rather, who we are in Him. I’ll offer Romans 8:28, “In all things, He works for the good of those who love Him…”  What’s the most random thing in your bag or on your desk?

MARY:  Well, it’s probably random to you, but I have an eyepatch, you know, like a PIRATE, on my bedside table. Ever since I had a retinal detachment follow closely by cataract surgery on my left eye, I can’t read in bed at night using both eyes. Sitting in a chair is okay, but lying down it’s just all wrong…glasses or not. So I use an eye patch. Like a big dork. Arrggg!

rem:  Arrggg, indeed, Matey!! What’s your all-time favorite movie? Favorite TV show?

MARY:  Movie is easy because forever my favorite has been, “While You Were Sleeping.” I consider every moment of that movie just perfect. I’ve watched it a dozen times. It’s when Romantic Comedy was really something great.

TV show? Well, I loved Remington Steele back in the day. (rem: I remember that show!)  What’s that? The eighties? I really don’t watch much TV. If it’s on, I usually have my computer open or a book open. Not much holds my interest.

rem:  Love that movie—one of my fav’s as well. If you could go back in time, what era would you choose and why?

MARY:  Oh, I probably wouldn’t go back. I’m not real interested in a time without air conditioning.

rem:  Right!! Do you have a favorite Bible verse? And why is it a favorite?

MARY:  I went with a Bible verse for the quotation, but I’ll add another. Isaiah 40:31 And he will raise you up on wings like eagles. You will run and not get weary. You will walk and not faint. I just typed that so probably not a perfect quote, but it’s a verse that reminds me of my dad when he was dying of cancer. I said that verse as a prayer for him a thousand times hoping God would heal him. And then, when Dad died, it took me a while, but finally I realized God had done exactly as I asked. Because Dad was so sick and he was a man of strong faith. When he left behind the earthly suffering, God did, indeed lift him up on wings like eagles and carried him to a place where he can run and not get weary. Walk and not faint.

rem:  So sorry for your loss. Precious, though, how Father God wrapped you in His Word.  If you could spend an evening with a fictional character, who would it be and why?

MARY:  These are HARD Questions!!!! (rem: MUWAHAHAH!!!)  I’ll go with the first thought. Sherlock Holmes. I like how his mind works. Of course, that’s Arthur Conan Doyle. He had to be really smart to write such a smart character, so probably better to spend time with Doyle!

 

rem:  Smart answer! Pick the brain of another author!  What do you think is significant about Christian fiction?  How has being a novelist impacted your relationship with Christ?

MARY:  There’s a line in one of my books that says, “The parson came to live in Mosqueros, Texas as an answer to a prayer Sophie wouldn’t begin praying for five years.”

I feel like I fit that because I began writing for a line of fiction I wouldn’t discover until I’d been writing for a long time. But I refused to write things against my faith. I wanted to write romance and back in the early 90s, romance was starting to have increasingly graphic sex scenes between unmarried characters and also more profanity and just a nice list of things I couldn’t see myself writing. So, I wasn’t getting published and I kept working and writing and pitching books and getting rejected for my sweet little secular romances and all of a sudden I discover Christian fiction. It was like I’d been writing for the Christian publishing world for years without knowing it existed.

rem:  Good on you, Mary, for sticking to your (ahem) guns and writing what Father placed in you and not what the market expected. He has surely rewarded you.  When reading, what makes or breaks a story for you? Your fiction pet peeve?

MARY:  I always say, “If they’re sassing each other and running for their lives while they’re falling in love, then I’m happy.” That’s what I want to read and that’s what I write.

Pet Peeve? I suppose reading books with graphic sex scenes between characters who barely know each other. (I read widely in all genres…well, MOST genres) Then they have sex and it’s all like SHAZAM!!! We’re in love. That’s just such a terrible lesson for everyone. That the sex comes first. Terrible lesson.

rem:  Yay for you reading wide, and yes to the need so many authors feel to have such graphic scenes! What would you do if you weren’t writing?

MARY:  Honestly…I’d be writing. I just love it. That’s a bad answer but it’s the truth. I guess, second choice…holding grandbabies!!! I’ve got some little dolls, let me tell you!!!

rem:  Ain’t nothing like holding granbabies!! Only mine ain’t so little anymore! (9 & 13) What are you reading right now?

MARY:  I just got, in the mail, White City by Grace Hitchcock. I have only read the first chapter but it’s about a serial killer at the Chicago World’s Fair. Have you heard of the book Devil in the White City? This is set at the same place. I can’t wait to get back into it.

rem:  Oohhh!!! I keep seeing that one—must needs make room for it in my review queue! What do you munch on while you write?

MARY:  Did you read the part where I’m on a low carb diet? Munching is a big no-no. Currently my ‘munch of choice’ is pecans. Fairly low carb. But I long for Doritoes!!!

 

rem:  I did, and I offer my sincerest condolences. Must needs, I will make the, uh, sacrifice and eat extra carbs for you… (see what a friend I am?) You were one of the original founding members of Seekerville in 2004. Tell us about the early days. Who first thought up the name?

MARY:  First we were all finalists in a contest together. The contest started an email loop to pass on info about the contest. We had so much fun talking that when the contest was over we didn’t want to stop. So we created a yahoo group and gathered a few other contest divas we’d been running into on the unpublished contest circuit. The word Seekers…it was a combo word about seeking publication and seeking God. Our goal was to pray each other into publication and one by one we got contracts. I think the very first email was sent by Audra Harders and she might have been who created the Yahoo Group. It’s called Seek and Ye Shall Find, and we nicknamed ourselves Seekers. We didn’t start the blog for at least a year after we started talking.

rem:  I love this industry so much for that exact reason!! With but a very few rare exceptions, every other author, and blogger, I’ve connected with has become a friend. (one who can commiserate the struggles of said industry!)  What was your first Seekerville post?

MARY:  That is lost. We updated our blog and I can’t find those old posts anymore. I was probably either whining about something or giving unsolicited advice that later proved to be useless. That’s what my posts usually amount to.

rem:  I have a hard time believing that! Have you tried the recipes on the Yankee Belle Café? What was your favorite?

MARY:  I have actually been on Yankee Belle Café. I’d be on more but I can’t remember to photograph when I’m cooking! (rem: hard remember to do when the food is so enticing… )

My favorite recipe is barbeque chicken recipe fast and delicious.

A crockpot recipe…so fast to prepare but slow to cook.

One bag of frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts

One bottle of your favorite barbeque sauce

One chopped onion

One can of drained pineapple chunks

Throw it together and cook for oh…four hours or so, however long you need to.

Shred the breasts with two forks and serve.

 

rem:  Ummm… I might need to borrow this for my recipe feature some time.  #winkwink Tell us a little about your writing journey.

MARY:  This is long. Um…struggling to give you a short version. I just love sitting around making stuff up. I had twenty finished books on my computer when I got my first contract. That is probably obsessive compulsive disorder but my husband let me get away with it.

rem:  Stories are always in a writer’s brain!! To infinite and beyond…  What is your Writing Routine? Where do you write: In a cave, a coffeehouse, or a cozy nook?

MARY:  I write sitting in a recliner in my living room. I write 1000 words a day. Many of them late at night because I’m an insomniac. I’m very low maintenance. No special tea, no particular music needs to play. No scented candle burning. I can get interrupted by a phone call, then jump right back into the book.

rem:  Hey! We be writing sisters! Sorta… What do you enjoy most about being a writer?

MARY:  I love everything about being a writer. I love that blank screen waiting for the first word. I love action. I love revisions. I love holding a new book in my hands.

rem:  Okay, we truly are writing sisters! What was the hardest thing about publishing? The easiest?

MARY:  It took forever. I wrote for ten years before I got my first book published. There is no easy part. In fact, if it isn’t getting harder all the time…you’re probably doing it wrong.

rem:  The struggle is real!!!  #somanyplatestojuggle  What are your top 3 recommendations for a new writer? What 3 things would recommend not doing?

MARY:  First of all, do what works for you. I’ll give advice but don’t take it if it doesn’t work. The longer I write, the more authors I know, the more ways I find that work for someone.

Here’s my advice…feel free to ignore it.

Write every day. Before I was published I wrote 300 words a day. (it’s 1000 now) I called it a Fast 300. It’s just over one page. I often wrote more but I rarely wrote less.
Writing the first sentence each day is the hardest. Chances are you quit the day before for some reason. Maybe a phone call. Maybe it was supper time. But often you quit because you’re done with a scene and you’re not sure where to go next. That’s why setting a short but strict word count works because if you can just write that first sentence, you can often write much, much more. And the word count makes you get your backside in a chair, get the computer fired up and the word document open.
Don’t let anyone critique your book until the first draft is done. Other people, very well meaning people, can give you advice that leads you astray from the story YOU want to tell. In fact, their advice might be really great and before you know it, you’re off your own track. Finish the book, then let someone critique it.

 

rem:  Such wisdom there, Mary. You were a stay-at-home mom and a teacher before you were published. Your first contract came on the heels of a let-down. Tell us about that night.

MARY:  Well, Barbour Publishing used to have this wonderful tradition of giving a contract to one unpublished author at the ACFW Conference. I had a book in with them, they’d had me edit it and work on it, so I knew I was a contender and then the moment came………and they called someone else’s name. So I’m sitting there clapping, thinking, “Hey, I’ve been rejected before. I’m used to it.”

And then for the first time ever, I think before or since, they said, “And tonight we’re giving two contracts to first time authors.” And they called my name. (rem: LOVE this story!)

I still get chills when I think of it. I went up there, Tracie Peterson was the presenter, 300 people clapping and people running out of the seats to hug me as I went up. It remains one of the greatest, most wonderful moments of my life.

rem:  You are married to your “own romantic cowboy hero.” Do you draw from him for inspiration in your stories?

MARY:  All the time

rem:  Perfect! Do you think of the entire story before you start writing?

MARY:  I have to propose a three book series so I don’t just think of the entire story, I think of three entire stories and try to figure out a book length arc and a series length arc. But, within that, I mainly am a seat-of-the-pants writer. So I am daydreaming the beginning of the first book and I’m thinking of the characters I want and how to group three people together. Friends, brothers, sisters, neighbors…and I know I want happily ever after. In between, one zillion details, I’m making up as I go along.

rem:  OY!! That’s scary to an Indie pantzer such as like myself. LOL What is your current project?

MARY:  I just had a book release called The Unexpected Champion and I just turned in the final edits on book one of a new series called Brides of Hope Mountain. Book #1 is called Aiming for Love.

rem:  Tell us about why you wrote this book.

MARY:  Let’s talk about The Unexpected Champion. I always wanted to set a book around Lake Tahoe. I love the beauty of it and the remoteness. So I’ve got my setting, now I need to figure out a story. And what drew me was the idea of pathfinders. (rem: ooohhh, aaahhh… )

Men who lived in those rugged mountains, found a trail through them, and loved it and survived it. So I began my journey into the wilderness and finally, with Book #3 of the High Sierra Sweethearts series, The Unexpected Champion, came out of the wild, and got my characters fairly safe and happy. (I say ‘fairly’ because come on, there is deep snow and dangerous mountains, packs of wolves and outlaws. And that’s just every day stuff.)

rem:  What is YOUR favorite part about the book or why do you love this book? Why should we read it?

MARY:  The fun of The Unexpected Champion was trying to set it in Virginia City and also inserting a Pinkerton agent into the book. I really liked doing that. It was a little different for me and I like trying something new.

rem:  That does sound fun—I love the unexpected. Please give us the first page of the book.

 

MARY:  The Unexpected Champion

Book #3-High Sierra Sweethearts Series

June 1868

Nevada Territory

 

Chapter One

Dismal, Nevada—Never had a town been named so right.

Penny Scott had been here once before. The land office here was where she and her brother Cam had registered their homesteads last fall.

Dismal had a lawman, but he didn’t pay much mind to the law, which was fair since Dismal didn’t pay much.

Penny, along with her brother-in-law Trace Riley and this stranger, John McCall had come to town to turn in a dead body.

Trace Riley was anxious to get back to his wife.

Penny and John agreed to stay since Trace hadn’t really seen anything. He just knew the lawman in Dismal a little, and when a group rides into town with a man draped over a saddle, a man with three gunshot wounds and a whole passel of teeth marks from a wolf—bringing along a man the sheriff knew and trusted was a mighty good idea.

Now that the howdys were out of the way, and Sheriff Walters didn’t seem to be planning to lock them up, Trace could go on home.

Trace offered to ride the body over to the undertaker. Sheriff Walters told Penny and Scott he had a man half-shaved in his barber chair and he needed them to wait just a few minutes while he finished.

That showed a marked lack of concern on Walters’s part, which Penny took as a good sign. The only possible surprise might be a wanted posted with a hefty reward. Surely a polecat like Raddo Landauer was wanted for something.

Beyond money though, Raddo was dead. Nobody cared. Unless being mighty relieved counted as caring.

Penny decided it didn’t count.

Trace went off with the body.

The sheriff went back to his strop and razor.

Penny looked at John McCall. “Let’s go find a quiet place to talk.”

McCall arched a brow but came along quietly, as if the empty dirt street of Dismal wasn’t quiet enough.

Dismal had two strips of businesses that faced each other like a couple of gunfighters at high noon. A dirt Main Street wide enough for two buckboards to pass. Probably fifteen buildings in all, one ramshackle store after another, bare wood, hand painted signs if the owner was ambitious…and plenty weren’t. Half of them stood empty. Some had space between them, others sharing a wall.

There were a few houses scattered here and there, too, in this wide plain, set slap in the middle of mountains and woods, rocks and a long old stretch of wilderness.

There was wealth to be had a day’s ride from here. In cattle, in timber cut from the dense forests, even in tourist because of the beauty of nearby Lake Tahoe. Add in the heavily traveled California trail that went along the north side of Lake Tahoe and there was money to be made.

There was also the Comstock Lode that’d turned hard working miners into millionaires.

Yep, there was wealth to be had, but somehow Dismal managed to avoid it. Apparently, ambitious folks rode a day away and didn’t come back.

Now, Penny needed to get somewhere so she could yell in private. It was easy to find a quiet spot. The whole town was a quiet spot. Of course, it wouldn’t be quiet once she got there.

“I want to know exactly who you are, mister.” Penny walked fast away from the sheriff’s office. Just as well put some space between her and the law. In case this came to fists.

She didn’t want the sheriff mad at her…in the event she was within a few minutes of committing a crime.

McCall struck her as the type to not punch a woman, so who knew how tough she might be able to get?

He kept up with no trouble. He was a long-legged galoot. Good enough looking, but she spent most of her life surrounded by men, so few of them impressed her much—especially when it came to looks. She’s learned long ago a pretty face didn’t make up for a foul character. And how could this child stealing varmint be anything but?

“Where’d you get the blamed fool notion you’ve got any right to my nephew?” Penny had to admit they’d been busy, but why had no one demanded some answers?

She heard thundering hooves and turned to watch Trace gallop off at top speed on his fleet footed black stallion. He’d gotten shut of their prisoner, what was left of him after he’d been chawed on by a wolf, then shot to death three times.

That left her alone with this low-down coyote.

Penny decided they’d come far enough. Past all but two empty store fronts at the far edge of rough and ready Dismal, Nevada. She stopped between the last buildings, and turned to face him, arms crossed.

“We’re going to clear this up right now. You will never take my nephew.”

“You nephew is the grandson of the people who hired me. They have a solid claim on that little boy.”

“I know the Chiltons. I lived with Abe and Delia for two years, since before Ronnie was born. The Chiltons—”

A gun cocked with an ugly metallic click in the darkened alley between the stores. A second gun jacked a bullet into the barrel. A third. Penny whirled to face three masked gunmen.

The one in the center said, “Not a word out of either of you.”

Penny gasped and stumbled back a step right into McCall. He slid an arm around her and pulled her back, got one shoulder in front of her.

“Freeze.” The middle outlaw extended his gun. “I only need one of you alive.”

McCall stopped. Penny felt him tense with frustration that he hadn’t put himself fully between her and those guns.

“We don’t have much money,” McCall said. “Take it all, we won’t—”

“Shut up!” The gunman cut McCall off. The man was wearing a heavy coat, thin leather gloves. His face was masked with a red bandana, a hat pulled low over eyes that glowed black.

“I have questions and, if I get the answers I want, no harm will come to you. Don’t fight me. I’ll shoot one of you dead and wound the other. One is all I need to get my answers and you’ll talk better if you’re bleedin’, so just shut up.”

They stood, frozen, waiting. Penny hoped for an opening to run or draw her gun and attack. She always carried her pistol. In the bag she wore slung over her neck and under her arm, dangling below her right hand. But it was her left side that McCall shielded. No possible chance to get her gun drawn in time to shoot three cold-eyed men.

“Ask your questions. We’ll tell you whatever you want to know, just don’t harm the woman.” McCall the hero. He was lucky she was too cautious to move or she’d’ve swatted him.

His voice was smooth as water over a stone, too. Calm and cool. Like he’d had so many guns aimed at him he didn’t take much notice anymore.

The cool was fake though. She felt his coiled muscles, knew he was looking for an opening. And, like her, he was well aware these men weren’t about to give them one.

“Walk toward the alley. Side by side, slow. Get outta the street.”

Swallowing hard, no ideas sprang to her mind to save her and McCall, so when he stepped forward, she stayed with him.

The alley swallowed them up. The men, now much closer, wore different color bandanas, different hats and coats, but they were three of a kind.

When they were out of the line of sight of anyone on the street, the man said, “Turn around and put your hands behind your backs.”

McCall turned first and his eyes met hers, his jaw rigid. He glanced at the boardwalk just a step away from the alley entrance. He wanted her to make a run for it. He’d block her, there could be no doubt these outlaws would shoot.

McCall was offering to die for her.

The big gallant idiot.

She stepped aside and took another pace forward out of blocking distance. She wasn’t about to save herself at the cost of his life.

McCall glared, but there was more to it. His brow furrowed. Worry, even maybe grief. He didn’t expect this to end well. And judging by the steady hand on those guns and the short, clear demands, she knew they were dealing with a salty bunch.

Penny suspected he had the right of it, but even if she’d done it, dove away, run, in this mostly deserted town with no witnesses at hand, these men would’ve grabbed her and dragged her back. Done their worst.

She wasn’t going to let McCall die for nothing.

Turning, she put her hands behind her as they’d ordered. A man stepped up. Her hands were wrenched hard. The outlaw enjoyed causing pain. Her stomach twisted with fear of what might come.

rem:  What is one take-away from your book(s) that you hope readers identify with?

MARY:  Respect. Penny and John learned to respect each other. They are very different but they both realized how strong and decent and capable the other was…in their own way…respecting each other made it so love could grow.

rem:  OY! Such a good lesson, too. Anything you’d like to add?

MARY:  Mary Connealy writes romantic comedy with cowboys always with a strong suspense thread. She is a two time Carol Award winner, and a Rita, Christy and Inspirational Reader’s Choice finalist. She is the bestselling author of over 60 books and novellas.

Her most recent book series are: Garrison’s Law, High Sierra Sweethearts, Cimarron Legacy, Wild at Heart, Trouble in Texas, and Kincaid Bride for Bethany House Publishing. She’s also written four other series for Barbour Publishing and many novellas.

Mary has nearly a million books in print.

rem:  Thank you so much for chatting with us at my little nest today!

 

http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com

http://petticoatsandpistols.com

http://mconnealy.blogspot.com

http://www.maryconnealy.com

http://www.maryconnealy.com/newsletter.html

https://www.facebook.com/maryconnealy

http://twitter.com/maryconnealy

https://www.amazon.com/Mary-Connealy/e/B001JP2VBG

 

Mary’s newest book, The Unexpected Champion, released on 5 March.

City dweller John McCall never expected to be out in the High Sierras of 1868 on a wild-goose chase to find the Chiltons’ supposedly lost grandson. But now that he’s out here, things have gotten even more complicated, mostly due to wildcat Penny Scott. She’s not like any woman he’s ever met–comfortable in the woods, with a horse, and with a gun.

When Penny and John are taken against their will by a shadowy figure looking for evidence they don’t have, both realize they’ve stumbled into something dangerous and complicated. With their friends and family desperately searching for them, Penny and John must make a daring escape.

When they emerge back into the real world, they are confronted with a kidnapper who just won’t stop. They must bring a powerful, ruthless man to justice, even as this city man and country woman fight a very inconvenient attraction to each other.

 

“ Authors always have to learn new things to write a book. We study the setting, the grass and trees, the native animals, career skills, clothing styles, we have to set our story in a time and place and to do that we need to learn new things.”

 

GIVEAWAY

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Mary is offering a signed copy of The Unexpected Champion.

Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Sorry, U.S. addresses only.

Giveaway will begin at midnight on Thursday 4 April and end at 11:59 on Thursday 11 April. Giveaway is subject to the policies found on Robin’s Nest.

RAFFLECOPTER

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b485f64b12/?

 

 

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#Blogwords, Chat Thursday, Author Interview – Seekerville Blog Blitz, Mary Connealy, Giveaway

BLOGWORDS – Wednesday 3 April 2019 – WREEL-to-WREEL WEDNESDAY – WIZARD OF OZ

BLOGWORDS – Wednesday 3 April 2019 – WREEL-to-WREEL WEDNESDAY – WIZARD OF OZ
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WREEL-to-WREEL WEDNESDAY – WIZARD OF OZ
                                                                             

 

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BLURB

When a tornado rips through Kansas, Dorothy and her dog, Toto, are whisked away in their house to the magical land of Oz. They follow the Yellow Brick Road toward the Emerald City to meet the Wizard, and en route they meet a Scarecrow that needs a brain, a Tin Man missing a heart, and a Cowardly Lion who wants courage. The wizard asks the group to bring him the broom of the Wicked Witch of the West to earn his help.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_Ne5g5F-WY

 

STARRING

Judy Garland

Ray Bolger

Jack Haley

Bert Lahr

Margaret Hamilton

Frank Morgan

Billie Burke

 

RELEASE DATE

25 August 1939

 

SCREENPLAY

Noel Langley

Florence Ryerson

Edgar Allan Woolf

 

BASED ON

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

 

PRODUCTION COMPANY

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

 

DIRECTED BY

Victor Fleming

 

PRODUCED BY

Mervyn LeRoy

 

MUSIC BY

Herbert Stothart

 

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Harold Rosson

 

EDITED BY

Blanche Sewell

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmqRx3ypWwU

 

ROBIN’S FEATHERS

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What movie(s) would you like to see featured?

 

 

#Blogwords, Wreel-to-Wreel Wednesday, Featured Movie, Wizard of Oz, Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, Margaret Hamilton, Frank Morgan, Billie Burke, Follow the Yellow Brick Road

 

BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 2 April 2019 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – THE BAGGAGE HANDLER by DAVID RAWLINGS

BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 2 April 2019 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – THE BAGGAGE HANDLER by DAVID RAWLINGS
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TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – THE BAGGAGE HANDLER by DAVID RAWLINGS

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 Welcome to the Blog Tour for The Baggage Handler by David Rawlings with JustRead Publicity Tours!

                                                                             

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Title: The Baggage Handler

Author: David Rawlings

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Genre: Magical Realism / Christian Allegory Fiction

Release Date: March 5, 2019

 

THE BLURB:

In a similar vein to The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews or Dinner with a Perfect Stranger by David Gregory, The Baggage Handler is a contemporary story that explores one question: What baggage are you carrying?

 

A hothead businessman coming to the city for a showdown meeting to save his job.

A mother of three hoping to survive the days at her sister’s house before her niece’s wedding.

And a young artist pursuing his father’s dream so he can keep his own alive.

When David, Gillian, and Michael each take the wrong suitcase from baggage claim, the airline directs them to retrieve their bags at a mysterious facility in a deserted part of the city. There they meet the enigmatic Baggage Handler, who shows them there is more in their baggage than what they have packed, and carrying it with them is slowing them down in ways they can’t imagine. And they must deal with it before they can leave.

In this modern-day parable about the burdens that weigh us down, David Rawlings issues an inspiring invitation to lighten the load.

LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Christian Book | iTunes

 

MY REVIEW:

AH-mazing story! Profound truths!

Not since Looking Glass Lies by Varina Denman (2017) has a book touched me so deeply. No, this book probed into me. Made me look at myself and examine my soul. Forced me to see things—baggage—I thought were long gone…

Mr. Rawlings takes his characters—and the reader—on a deep heart journey.

The prose of this story is artistic, the impact deep and profound. Each of the three main characters, David, Gillian, and Michael, met the Baggage Handler in a seeming logistical mix-up.

Mr. Rawlings has each of the three unpack the contents of their baggage and examine it. In true parable form, as the characters see what they’ve been toting around, so, too, does the reader.

This reviewer identified readily with Gillian, recognizing some of the baggage she owned. My heart squeezed as she struggled against the weight of it, resisting, even, the desire to release her grip on it.

Michael, too, carried baggage familiar to this reviewer. Not so much David; David’s baggage made me sad. (no spoilers)

A remarkable book, a story wonderfully crafted, three lives intersected and three stories woven into one.

 

I had the pleasure of interviewing David a couple of years ago.

 

https://robinsnest212.wordpress.com/2017/07/24/blogwords-24-july-2017-new-week-new-face-guest-post-david-rawlings/

 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.

 

ROBIN’S FEATHERS:

ALL | THE | FEATHERS!

 

THE AUTHOR:

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David Rawlings is an Australian author, and a sports-mad father of three who loves humor and a clever turn of phrase. Over a 25-year career he has put words on the page to put food on the table, developing from sports journalism and copywriting to corporate communication. Now in fiction, he entices readers to look deeper into life with stories that combine the everyday with a sense of the speculative, addressing the fundamental questions we all face.

I had the pleasure of interviewing David a couple of years ago.

 

CONNECT WITH THE AUTHOR: website | facebook | instagram

 

 

 

 

TOUR GIVEAWAY

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We’re collecting all the Baggage Passport Stamps to get rid of! Collect them all and enter the giveaway below. Each stop will have a unique stamp. Just enter the word(s) you’ll find on each stamp for more chances to win!

(1) winner will win:

a hardcover copy of The Baggage Handler,
a book tote from the publisher, Thomas Nelson
and a $15 Amazon Gift Card!

Be sure to check out each stop on this tour for more chances to win. Giveaway begins at midnight April 1, 2019 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on April 8, 2019. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. Due to shipping cost, only US mailing addresses valid. For our giveaway rules and policy, click HERE.

The stamp you’re collecting from this stop is:

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

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#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day, #TRD, Book Review, The Baggage Handler, David Rawlings

BLOGWORDS – Monday 1 April 2019 – NEW WEEK NEW FACE – GUEST POST – KRISTENA MEARS

BLOGWORDS – Monday 1 April 2019 – NEW WEEK NEW FACE – GUEST POST – KRISTENA MEARS
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NEW WEEK NEW FACE – GUEST POST – KRISTENA MEARS

 

 

I’M AN EDITOR… APRIL FOOLS

     One of the most discouraging moments in a writer’s life is opening an email and finding a rejection letter. After all, our work is our baby. What mother wants to see their child rejected? We work hard for weeks, months and sometimes even years on our brainchild. It’s flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone. Every mother knows their child is the most beautiful in the world. Sure, other people can have cute kids also, but none are like ours. Then the time comes for our child to participate in a talent contest. There are other children that also signed up, but ours is undoubtedly the best. Even so, even though we know our amazing child is going to take home that blue ribbon, we work with them and polish them up. We wash them and style their hair. We buy them a new outfit and put just a dab of stage make-up on; not too much, mind you… we don’t want to be one of those mothers! Most importantly, we find out what the judges are looking for and “help” our child to exhibit just that.

 

This is the same way we feel about our work, don’t we? We know our work is the best. If only the rest of the world were as smart as we are and could see what we see; then they would know too. But just like that mother, we need to do our part in showcasing our work in the best possible light. Granted, every genera is different, and every publisher is looking for something distinct, that’s what makes our craft so unique and so much fun. But there is one universal trait that all are looking for. They want it edited. Did you know that over half the submissions are rejected due to editing errors and authors not following the procedure of the agent or publisher? Who wants to be that author?

 

I don’t think it’s a coincidence I was asked to write about editing on April Fool’s Day. Those of you who know me can attest my spelling and language skills can be atrocious. I want to assure all writers, it’s possible to learn basic editing. I should know. I’ve had to work hard to overcome challenges involving learning disabilities. Here are a few tips and tricks I’ve picked up over the years; my “dummy hint to editing.”

 

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I want to hit on the three top tools I use when I edit my work:

 

Spelling and Grammar

This is often the first thing we think about when someone says editing. It’s the foundation. If the spelling and grammar aren’t correct, few will continue reading to find our jewels. Our inability to correct our work shouldn’t prevent us from doing a good job editing, however. Two of my personal favorites are Microsoft Word and Grammarly.

 

I write in Microsoft Word. I have mine set, so it shows me the spelling and grammar errors as I write. I then copy what I wrote and transfer it to “new letter” in my email. This works in conjunction with the Grammarly I’ve installed. I use the free version from grammarly.com. I highly recommend getting this app, even if you’re not challenged in this area as I am. Between the two programs, you’ll find you can correct 99.9% of all spelling and grammar errors. These both will pick up on homonyms, although I believe Grammarly does a better job with this. I must warn you that neither of these is perfect. I find I need to correct both at times, especially if I’m writing dialogue. Even with the care I take in correcting my work, I find it helpful to send it to a real editor before I ship it off to a publisher or agent. Even the best of us can use a second inspection before releasing it into the world of competition. I highly recommend my amazing editor Deborah Whiteman at debsedit.com. She’s quick, efficient and reasonable.

 

Microsoft Word Read Aloud

I’ve found the Read Aloud function on Microsoft word invaluable. When I read my work, I know what it should be. I have dyslexia. I’ve had to work hard to overcome this and I’ve trained my mind to correct what it sees. This, however, can work to my disadvantage when trying to spellcheck my work. I don’t see the mistake. I only see what I think or want it to be. I can often correct it using Word or Grammarly, but this won’t help if the word is spelled correctly but I’ve used the wrong word.

 

For example, while writing this article, I replaced the word work, for the word word in the above paragraph. I didn’t catch it and it wasn’t caught by Word spelling check. But as I used the Read Aloud function, my mistake was glaring.

 

Read Aloud also helps in finding redundant words or phrases. While the voice is mechanical and doesn’t use inflections, it still gives a sense of what is being relayed and what needs to be changed. Hearing is often better than seeing when it comes to our own work.

 

Cutting and Polishing

The final stage is cutting and polishing. We don’t want our finished product to be good enough; we want it to be perfect. We want it to be a shining example of excellence. But how do we take it from ordinary to extraordinary? Have you ever been in the midst of reading and come across a sentence so exquisite you stop reading just to savor it? This is what we want to achieve. But how?

 

Our first step is to cut and tighten. Look through your work for words like:

Just, Only, Very, Some… to name a few.

 

I’m not one to say never use these words, but if they can be avoided… avoid them. These words are a sign of lazy writing.

 

If a word is cut, it may need to be replaced. The word you replace it with can take the sentence from average to excellent. I use a thesaurus to find those words. If you were peeking over my shoulder while I worked, you would rarely see me writing without having a tab open to thesaurus.com. Yes, this takes work, but this is how you make your work exquisite. Let’s look at an example.

 

It was a very dark night and only the stars shown above.

 

Now… Cut and Polish.

 

Sparkling jewels flickered above, penetrating the pervading darkness.

 

An ordinary sentence becomes extraordinary.

Now you try. Post your extraordinary sentence below.

 

 

Kristena Mears is an award-winning author, freelance writer, blogger, and speaker. Her book Under Penalty of Death is anticipated to debut late this year. She lives in the Cincinnati Ohio area with her husband of 36 years.

 

 

 

 

 

#Blogwords, New Week New Face, #NWNF, Guest Post, Kristena Mears

BLOGWORDS – Sunday 31 March 2019 – FRONT PORCH FELLOWSHIP – IF IT BE THY WILL and EXPECTATIONS

BLOGWORDS – Sunday 31 March 2019 – FRONT PORCH FELLOWSHIP – IF IT BE THY WILL and EXPECTATIONS
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FRONT PORCH FELLOWSHIP – IF IT BE THY WILL and EXPECTATIONS

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen it. That prayer that says, “If it be His will.”

 

Please pray for me. I need thus and such.

 

To which I get the response, “I will pray thus and such for you, that if it is I accordance with God’s will, He will answer you…”

 

“For all the good intention of, “If it be Thy will, Lord,” I cringe at that. His Word tells us His will.”

https://robinsnest212.wordpress.com/2017/07/16/blogwords-sunday-16-july-2017-front-porch-fellowship-just-get-me-home/

 

Of course we are to pray in accordance with Father’s will. To ask what we will, and it will done unto us. Does this mean we waltz into the throne room of heaven and lay our demands at His feet?

 

Goodness, no! God is not a genie in a bottle, and our wish is not His command.

 

Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours. Mark 11:24

 

It does mean to know His will for us, and ask accordingly. And He does desire for us good things, not just necessary things, but things that bring us joy in life.

 

Saw this post on Facebook the other day.

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Wait! Father God cares about an old couch? What?

 

Yes. Yes He surely does. When we are grounded in Him, when we make Him the priority in our lives, when He is our passion and treasure, and the desires of our heart line up with His will and His Word, then it is His good pleasure to make a way for us to have them. Whether it’s an antique couch, or healing from disease, it is absolutely His will, and the desire of His heart.

 

How do I know this? His Word tells us so.

 

Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.  Psalm 37:4

 

Notice the second half of that verse: He will give you the desires of your heart. Several years ago, Father showed me something about this verse—when we delight in Him, when we seek His face and His Truth, when His Word is living and breathing in our hearts, then the desires of our heart are the very desires He placed in us to begin with.

 

Matthew 6:33 says it this way:

 

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

 

It’s contrary to our human nature—of course it is. It’s our spiritual nature, the part of us He referred to when He said, “Let us make man in our own image.” Genesis 1:26

 

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

 

With that comes authority and responsibility. But that’s another post for another time.

 

So what about the times our prayers go unanswered?

 

Wrong question.

Our prayers are never unanswered. But we might not like the answer we get when we pray.

 

Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”

Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.  Matthew 19: 16, 21-22

 

Jesus answered the man; he just didn’t like what Jesus said. As to giving all our earthly wealth away, that’s also another topic for another time, but for now, suffice to say, Father can and will—and does—bless us in our obedience.

 

To wit, Solomon.

 

God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask! What shall I give you?”

And Solomon said to God: “You have shown great mercy to David my father, and have made me king in his place… Now give me wisdom and knowledge…”  II Chronicles 1:7-9

 

He could have asked God for riches, or favor, or a beautiful wife—any number of things. But Solomon asked for wisdom—He sought the Father’s heart.

 

Then God said to Solomon: “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life—but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king— wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.”  verses 11 & 12

 

Seek Ye First, Extreme Edition. Or perhaps, First Edition.

 

So back to making requests before God. Back to tacking “If it be Thy will” at the end. Sounds so humble, so noble. (It’s not, it’s a cop out.)

 

We’re not called to be humble and noble. Neither do we approach the throne in arrogance, but knowing and standing on His Word, His promise to us, we can approach the Throne of God boldly and in confidence:

 

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  Hebrews 4:16

 

And it all circles back to relationship with Him. CINO’s (Christians in Name Only) no more have the privilege of private audience with Him than I have with Queen Elizabeth.

 

The thing about His Word, though, is that it is living and breathing, and when we read it, meditate on it, it connects us to Him. He inhabits our hearts in the most intimate relationship there is.

 

And from that relationship comes confidence. Confidence in Who He is, in His Word, and His promises to us. And prayers that have power to change the world.

 

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#Blogwords, Front Porch Fellowship, #FPF, Sunday Devotion, If It Be Thy Will and Expectations, Mark 11:24, Psalm 37:4, Matthew 6:33, Genesis 1:26, Matthew 19:16, 21-22, II Chronicles 1:7-9, 11-12, Hebrews 4:16, Ephesians 18:23
 

BLOGWORDS – 30 March 2019 – NEWSLETTER – a little birdie told me

BLOGWORDS – 30 March 2019 – NEWSLETTER – a little birdie told me
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30 March 2019
Edition X

 

Roll Call

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HALLLOOO!!! Tell me who you are and where you’re at!

 

The Bird House Book Club

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What I am / have been reading!

The End Begins by Sara Davison

Kelly’s Search for Family by Bertha Schwartz

The Scroll by Miriam Feinberg Vamosh

My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge by Pepper Basham

The Secret of Willow Inn by Pat Nichols

Ladies of Intrigue by Michelle Griep

Edisto Stranger by C. Hope Clark

Between Stairs and Stardust by Pepper Basham

Beauty in Flight by Robin Patchen

Beauty in Hiding by Robin Patchen

Beauty in Battle by Robin Patchen

Mist O’er the Voyageur by Naomi Musch

The Curse of Misty Wayfair by Jaime Jo Wright

Dying on Edisto by C. Hope Clark

 

What are you reading?

 

Friends of Authors Society

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Who knows the best way to show your love for your favorite authors? (I’m one, right? Your favorite?) Besides the obvious of buying and reading my books, leaving a review on Amazon tickles their calculations and formulas and moves my books up in their ranks, which in turn means more peeps see my books, which means more peeps are likely to buy them.

There are other things you can do, as well. Suggest my books to your library or book club. Tell your friends, buy gift copies to give to your friends. Heck, tell ME how much you love ‘em!

 

Robin’s Readers Flock

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I appreciate every one who has read or will read my books, and this group is for you!

“This group, as with my blog and (languishing and sadly neglected) website—and my writing—are all about community and family. It is a place to gather to chat and discuss my books, but also to become better acquainted and to encourage and pray for one another.”

If you’re interested, gimme a holla! I’d love to have you as part of my Flock!

 

Robin’s Nest, Stories by Design

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I have been diligent this year to revive the blog. The second half of 2018—after publishing two novels and my knee surgery in June—depleted me, and I’ve had a hard time making a come-back. So the blog is looking pretty good, with all daily features restored…

 

FourSquare, the Series

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… while the new series is gasping for air like a fish out of water. The characters—all of them, for all four books—are milling around in my head like circus performers before the big show! I’ve been working on details, at least, things I’ve learned through the process of writing seven novels. For instance, I have maps of the main town where the series takes place, the college campus where four of them met, the road to and layout of the retreat in the mountains. In an exercise that may or may not be ‘slightly’ excessive, I know all the key players and their birthdays and anniversaries—and all their family members… You know, in case Main Character’s best friend’s sister has a fight with her husband, or Other Main Character’s cousin celebrates a new job, or Other Main Character’s sister in law has a baby… ‘Cause you never know when that will show up in the story! Right?

 

FourSquare, the Covers

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I have the covers for all four books laid out; it’s how I do this series cover thing. I’ve purchased the images of the models, and am working on the background images. And blurbs.

 

One for the Price of Two – The Blurb

* subject to change

Twin sisters Elizabeth and Meredith Elliott are so identical their own parents can’t even tell them apart. And the pranks abound. Their identities are so entwined, wrapped up in each other, it becomes near impossible even for them to tell where one ends and the other begins.

Even as their distinct personalities emerged, they mimicked one another, living parallel lives, mirroring each other.

It’s all fun and games till Bethy’s reticence holds her back from love. And Mere’s flamboyant personality nearly casts her in the midst of more trouble than she bargains for.

 

 Also in the works

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Yes, I’ve got my next series in mind, The Steppe House. A literary tribute to Frank Lloyd Wright, the Steppe House is fashioned after Mr. Wright’s Falling Water House. Built into the side of a mountain, each of seven (I think) levels is home to a different family, each with their own story. It’s set in the 1940’s, a la Dame Agatha Christie, along the lines of Ten Little Indians (And Then There Were None,) and there is a character named Francis Llewellyn Wiggins; beyond that, I don’t know much about it at all.

 

AND

A Christmas novella, The Key on the Christmas Tree.

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* not the final cover

I started this story a while back as part of a series, The Key, and have a short story, The Key in the Mailbox, included in an anthology by my friend, Mary Blowers, Blood Moon, that can be found on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Moon-Anthologies-Heart-2/dp/1511811897/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

 

All in the Family

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I turned sixty this year. Six-oh. Six decades. As The Steve Miller Band says, “Time keeps on slippin’, slippin’, slippin’…” That’s about how I feel. Time is slipping away and there’s so much I want to do. Guess that’s called a bucket list.

 

Not a bucket list item, but a pressing need is a car. Being on Disability, it’s not in the budget to make loan payments, so I have a GoFundMe Campaign set up. Please pop over and take a look, and help if you can.

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https://www.gofundme.com/robin-still-needs-a-car

 

A robin with clipped wings is a sad thing indeed.

 

 

Manchild #2, Russell, will be riding in the Ride for a Cure again this summer. The link for anyone who would care to donate (or share) is:

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http://act.alz.org/site/TR/ActiveEvents/SC-SouthCarolina?fr_id=11954&pg=entry

 

 

 

 

 

Manifesto and Author Tag

The manifesto short version is,

“Stories for Christians to see or remember the ugly effects of the lies of the enemy, and for unbelievers to see the beauty of the Truth of the Word of God.”

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And my author tag:

“the battle for identity, one story at a time.”

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Chatcha’ll next time.

Got questions? Email me at robinemason212@gmail.com.

Here endeth Edition X of

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Thank you for subscribing!

 

 

http://robinemason.com

https://robinsnest212.wordpress.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Author.Robin.E.Mason/

http://www.amazon.com/Robin-E.-Mason/e/B00MR5IQ9S

https://twitter.com/amythyst212

http://www.pinterest.com/amythyst212/

https://www.instagram.com/robinemason212/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-e-mason-a323b142/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7808042.Robin_E_Mason

 

 

 

“the battle for identity, one story at a time”

 

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A Little Birdie Told Me, #newsletter, Roll Call, Bird House Book Club, Friends of Authors Society, Robin’s Readers Flock, FourSquare, the Series, One for the Price of Two, The Steppe House, The Key on the Christmas Tree, All in the Family, Manifesto and Author Tag

 

BLOGWORDS – Saturday 30 March 2019 – WHAT’S COOKIN’ IN YOUR KITCHEN – RANDOM RECIPES – BLACK FOREST FUDGE CAKE

BLOGWORDS – Saturday 30 March 2019 – WHAT’S COOKIN’ IN YOUR KITCHEN – RANDOM RECIPES – BLACK FOREST FUDGE CAKE
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WHAT’S COOKIN’ IN YOUR KITCHEN – RANDOM RECIPES – BLACK FOREST FUDGE CAKE

 

I like to cook. And I like to invent my own recipes. And I like to try other people’s recipes. And now I’m going to share them with you.

 

 

BLACK FOREST FUDGE CAKE

            * adapted from a recipe by DiAnn Mills

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INGREDIENTS

2 cans              cherry pie filling

2 cups              chocolate chips

1 cup               chopped pecans – toasted

1 package        Devil’s Food cake mix

1 package        instant dark chocolate pudding mix (3.9 oz)

1 ½ sticks        butter, melted

 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°

 

Stir the dry cake mix and pudding mix together.

Grease a 9×13 baking dish.

Layer the following:

Cherry pie filling

1 cup chocolate chips

½ cup pecans, toasted

Cake and pudding mixes

Remaining chocolate chips and pecans

Drizzle the melted butter over all

 

Bake for 50 minutes.

 

SERVING OPTION

Top with whipped cream and maraschino cherries.

 

 

 

If you’ve a recipe you’d like to share leave a comment below or email me at robinemason212@gmail.com

 

NOTE: All recipes must be original or used with permission.

 

#Blogwords, What’s Cookin’ in Your Kitchen, Black Forest Fudge Cake, #RandomRecipes, #AuthorsEat #AuthorsCook

BLOGWORDS – Friday 29 March 2019 – FIRST LINE FRIDAY – PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by JANE AUSTEN

BLOGWORDS – Friday 29 March 2019 – FIRST LINE FRIDAY – PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by JANE AUSTEN
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FIRST LINE FRIDAY – PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by JANE AUSTEN

 

Welcome to First Line Fridays, hosted by Hoarding Books!!!

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Tell us your first line in the comments & then head over to Hoarding Books to see who else is participating!

 

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THE BLURB:    

Pride and Prejudice is a novel of manners by Jane Austen, first published in 1813. The story follows the main character, Elizabeth Bennet, as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education, and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of the British Regency. Elizabeth is the second of five daughters of a country gentleman living near the fictional town of Meryton in Hertfordshire, near London… Set in England in the early 19th century, Pride and Prejudice tells the story of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet’s five unmarried daughters after the rich and eligible Mr. Bingley and his status-conscious friend, Mr. Darcy, have moved into their neighbourhood. While Bingley takes an immediate liking to the eldest Bennet daughter, Jane, Darcy has difficulty adapting to local society and repeatedly clashes with the second-eldest Bennet daughter, Elizabeth.

 

THE AUTHOR:    

Jane Austen was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen’s plots often explore the dependence of women on marriage in the pursuit of favourable social standing and economic security.

THE FIRST LINE :   

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

 

MY THOUGHTS:    

I will ever be enamored of this story solely owing to Colin Firth in the role of William Darcy. Not really, the story speaks for itself, and is not only a classic but is a favorite of mine.

 

 

#Blogwords, First Line Friday, #FLF, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

BLOGWORDS – Thursday 28 March 2019 – CHAT THURSDAY – AUTHOR INTERVIEW – MARIA HENRIKSEN – GIVEAWAY WINNER

BLOGWORDS – Thursday 28 March 2019 – CHAT THURSDAY – AUTHOR INTERVIEW – MARIA HENRIKSEN – GIVEAWAY WINNER
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CHAT THURSDAY – AUTHOR INTERVIEW – MARIA HENRIKSEN – GIVEAWAY WINNER

“I have my eye on the prize- the publication of my very first novel! I’m excited! I’m scared! I’m emotional!”

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“This is huge for me and I need all the support I can get. So, thank you for reading this. Thank you for your continued support whether it’s a quick simple prayer that I don’t lose my mind or a Facebook note stating, “You got this!” or even a Facebook thumbs up on my posts. I need the encouragement. I didn’t know how excruciating and cut throat this business can be.”

 

 

WINNER! WINNER!

 

Congratulations to

JEANNA MASSMAN

Maria will be in touch with you to send your gift!

Thanks to everyone who entered!

 

 

 

 

https://www.mariathenriksen.com/

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https://twitter.com/MariatHenriksen

https://www.instagram.com/maria_t_henriksen/

 

GIVEAWAY

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Maria is giving a $10 Amazon gift card.

 

 

#Blogwords, Chat Thursday, Author Interview, Maria Henriksen, Giveaway Winner, #WINNER