Brenda S. Anderson's Blog, page 23

My Favorite Things with Rose Ross Zediker + Giveaway!

I’m honored to have special guest, Rose Ross Zediker, visit the blog today! I met Rose via the Inkspirational Messages blog, which we both contribute to, and I’m thrilled to have a front row seat to Rose’s prolific writing career.

This month Rose released a story as part of a Barbour compilation with eight other authors, and I’m excited to give her a shout-out.

So, here’s Rose and her Favorite Things …

Thank you, Brenda, for inviting me to be a guest on your blog today. I’m very excited to be here. Although I do work a day job, I stop by periodically to respond to any comments. So don’t hesitate to leave a comment or ask a question. By leaving a comment you’ll be entered in my book giveaway. Today, I’m giving away one copy of The Lassoed by  Marriage novella collection! My release, Railroaded into Love, is part of this inspirational novella collection. Here is the back cover copy:

Montana 1895-Molly is tainted by having an outlaw brother on the run and seems the least likely bride for a pastor of a chapel railroad car. Forced together by duty to family and faith, can they build a life and mission together?

Since I may be a new author to you, I thought I’d share some of my favorite things. Feel free to ask me any questions about them or chose one topic and leave a comment telling me what some of your favorite things are or even better what types of themes you enjoying reading!

My Favorite Things

(Now, I have Julie Andrew’s singing in my head. How about you?!?)

Type of Book – Cozy mystery. I love trying to figure out ‘who done it’.

Book – My all-time favorite book is The Bad Seed. I think it’s my favorite because it’s the first book I read with a plot twist at the end. A plot twist that definitely did not see coming!

Author – Right now I’d say my favorite author is E. J. Copperman (Jeffrey Cohen).

Movie – Hands down, Cat Ballou!

Entrée – This is a tough one. I’m going to go with Lemon Chicken Piccata at Spezia.

Dessert – Lemon meringue pie

Chocolate – York Peppermint Patties

Restaurant – Spezia

Beverage – Good coffee. I’ll admit it. I’m a coffee snob!

Season – Winter-no seasonal allergens!

Animal – Horse

Type of Music – County and old Rock ‘N Roll

Song – O Holy Night

Musician – Donny Osmond

Bible Verse – Psalm 39

Color – Pink

Item to Collect – I’m not really into collecting, but I have been trying to find old Jewel Brite Christmas ornaments for a vintage Christmas tree. So let’s go with that!

Hobby – sewing. It’s my relaxation!

Flower – Lilac (bet you thought I’d say rose!)

Holiday – Christmas

Vacation Location – Hmmm…this is a toughie. We seldom go to the same place twice. I do like southern California and New York City.

About Rose ~

Multi-published author and RITA finalist, Rose Ross Zediker, writes contemporary and historical inspirational romances and has over one hundred publishing credits in the Christian magazine genre for children and adults. Her titles have appeared on ECPA bestseller lists and been finalists for the RITA, National Reader’s Choice, Booksellers Best and Book Buyers Best award contests. Rose is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America.

Get in Touch with Rose ~

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Purchase Rose’s books at ~

Amazon | B&N | CBD

Or ask your favorite bookstore to order it for you!

Book Giveaway

Rose has graciously offered to give away one paperback copy of The Lassoed by Marriage Romance Collection. To enter, in the comments below you may ask Rose a question, or tell what some of your Favorite Things are, or mention what type of themes you enjoy reading or all of the above!
This contest ends Sunday, January 31, 2016 at 11:59 pm CST. I will post the winner on Monday, February 1, 2016. Winner will be chosen via Random.org.

EVERY Life is Sacred

I run these figures annually around the anniversary of Roe V. Wade as a reminder that we have a long way to go before fetal life is considered human life, that Every Life is sacred.

2015 was a tough year for Planned Parenthood (PP) with those damning undercover videos released throughout the year. For the first time ever, many people were seeing the fetus (which is Latin for offspring) as a child and were no longer able to dehumanize it. Now I know they (PP) claim that the videos were edited to make their actions seem worse, and no doubt they were. Regardless, many viewers eyes were opened, and they could no longer deny the truth.

PP still brags that their business is about so much more than abortion, that abortion is only three percent of the services they provide (services which are available in abundance from other organizations), which is true (according to the Planned Parenthood 2014-2015 Annual Report (http://issuu.com/actionfund/docs/2014-2015_annual_report_final_20mb). But as I’ve demonstrated in previous years, that “measly” three percent amounts to a horrific number of precious lives deliberately destroyed.

Here’s this year’s breakdown:

3% of PPs services are abortions (p. 29 of Annual Report)

That 3% equals 323,999 abortions in PP’s 2013 – 2014 fiscal year. PP will brag that the number is down from the previous year (327,653 in 2013 – 2014) but 323.999 is still a horrific number. Three percent doesn’t seem so tiny anymore, does it? And, remember, PP isn’t the only organization that performs abortions.

Let’s break that three percent down even more:

3% means that PP alone performed …

26,999.92 abortions per month

6,230.75 abortions per week

887.67 per day

36.99 per hour

0.616 per minute

Or

1 abortion every 97.33 seconds

One sacred life killed every 97.33 seconds. If that doesn’t break your heart, I don’t know what will.

I leave you with this new release from Matthew West, “Untold.” Also check out Matthew West’s website: I Am Untold and help spread the word that Every Life is Sacred!

Matthew West – UNTOLD from Matthew West on Vimeo.

Previous Years’ Posts:

Heart-Stopping Numbers (2015)
A Not-So-Tiny Number (2014)
Just Another Statistic (2013)

More than a Number

Miss You, Mom!

This past week, Heaven flung open its gates, and Jesus opened wide his arms, as trumpeters heralded in a new soul. No, I’m not speaking of those three actors/musicians who’ve recently made the headlines and whose names have been plastered all over Facebook in recent days. I know nothing of their faith to make a judgment.

But I have no doubt about my mom, Annette Bryant. Mom is now living pain-free, all her memories have returned, and she’s singing her rich alto in Heaven’s choir. I will miss her, but I’m soooo very happy for her.

Mom didn’t preach her faith, rather she lived it out loud for the world to see and hear.

And they did!

In her last months spent in the care center, Mom was rarely alone. Usually when I visited, she was surrounded by a half dozen additional people. She not only had her large family visiting her, but also church members, neighbors, relatives, friends.

In spite of temperatures that stayed well below zero during the visitation on Sunday and funeral on Monday, both events were greatly attended. There was little floor space to move at the visitation, and at the funeral, not a single pew was empty.

There wasn’t a kinder, gentler soul on earth than my mom, and I often wished I had inherited her temperament. But she did pass on her love of music. For 50+ years she sang in her church choir, and right up to her last days on Earth, she sang the alto harmonies to oft-sung hymns and Christmas carols. She deeply loved all her children, children-in-laws, and numerous grandchildren, plus one great grandchild. And she and Dad demonstrated what true love really was. Just a day before Jesus welcomed her home, Mom’s final words to Dad (her husband of 57+ years!) were “I love you.”

I am so blessed to have been placed in this family. We’re not perfect–far from it–but we did learn how to love, and that’s a tribute to my mom. Over the past several days, there’s been a lot of tears, but also a lot of laughter, including some egg-throwing and table-walking (no alcohol involved!) by a beloved aunt. I’m certain Mom was laughing right along with us.

So no, Annette Bryant’s passing didn’t make the big city newspapers, and her name and face weren’t plastered all over Facebook — not on earth anyway. I have no doubt that in Heaven’s newspaper, Mom’s arrival was a headline, and the media pages were filled with rejoicing!

I’ll leave you with a poem for my mom written by my very talented son, Bryan Anderson, who’s a far better wordsmith than I am:

See you again, grandma.

Untitled

By Bryan M. Anderson

When love is lost to the void,

We’re told false truths to ease

Into a life without them with us.

“They’re in a better place now.”

“They’re no longer in pain.”

But what about the rest of us?

We’re now in a worse place!

The pain has grown exponentially!

We try to see the point of those

Making an attempt to comfort,

But it gets blurred by the tears

That fall from our grieving eyes.

When part of our lives is forever lost,

How can we feel anything but emptiness

Where they just were moments ago?

How can it be all okay again?

Do you really expect us to just move on

With our lives like they never even existed?

Let me have my memories at least of the good times.

Let me look back in fondness at who I remember.

Don’t quote logic to my face right now.

Or I’ll shove your pathos back into your face.

It’s not what I need or want right now.

I just want them back.

The reason I left this poem untitled is the fact that this emotion cannot be quantified and given an individual label. It just is. I wish it wasn’t.

A Song for Mom ~ “No More Night” by David Phelps

Obituary for Annette Bryant

2016 Novel Anticipation

As the publishing climate continues to change, my list of must-read books continues to shrink. 2016 will not bring us the latest Laura Frantz, as her publisher is moving her to spring releases. My good friend Lorna Seilstad doesn’t have a book coming out this year either (insert sad face). I’m sure Charles Martin will have a 2016 release, but I have no info on it yet, same goes for Steven James.

That said, there are a handful novels I’m looking forward to reading, most by authors who’ve established themselves as excellent storytellers.

What books are you looking forward to reading in 2016?

THE FEATHERED BONE

by Julie Cantrell

Thomas Nelson

On a field trip to the Big Easy, Ellie and her friend receive a feather bone from a fortune teller. Shortly after Ellie’s friend Sarah disappears without a trace after going into a restroom, Ellie lets the guilt sink her into a deep depression. Amanda’s family begins to fall apart. Does Amanda lose faith when Ellie does the unthinkable? What happens when hurricane Katrina hits? Do they ever find Sarah?

HER ONE AND ONLY

Porter Family Series

by Becky Wade

Bethany House

When NFL tight end Gray Fowler is threatened by a stalker, his team hires a professional bodyguard to watch him. But when Gray’s “protection” turns out to be a woman half his size, he’s indignant. Will Dru—a former marine and expert markswoman—prove to be up to the job? And meanwhile, who’s guarding Gray’s heart?

WHERE SHE BELONGS

Misty Willow Series

by Johnnie Alexander

Revell

This is a new-to-me author, her first contemporary release.

Shelby Kincaid leaves the busy city with her children to pursue her dream of buying her grandfather’s property the Misty Willow. The property was bought by the Sullivan family years back and willed the AJ Sullivan. The home needs alot of work. It was easy for AJ to let go of the house, but not so easy to let go of Shelby.

WHAT MATTERS MOST

A Texas Gold Novel #4

by Kellie Coates Gilbert

Revell

Leta Breckenridge is forced to drop out of college to care for her dementia-ridden mother. After learning a severely delinquent account may force her mother into a less desirable facility, Leta steps out of her comfort zone and lands a high-paying job at an Austin public relations firm. But her dream job turns into a nightmare when she learns the firm is a front for a political opposition machine–and that the research she’s been collecting will be used against her new love interest, Nathan Emerson.

Nathan is a rising political star being pressured to run a bid to unseat the current governor of Texas. He’s already in a relationship with a woman much better suited to be a politician’s wife, but he’s never met anyone like Leta. Could this feisty, challenging woman hold the key to his heart?

SILENCE IN THE DARK

Logan Point Series #4

by Patricia Bradley

Revell

Two years ago, Bailey Adams broke off her engagement to Danny Maxwell and fled Logan Point for the mission field in Chihuahua, Mexico. Now she’s about to return home to the States, but there’s just one problem. After Bailey meets with the uncle of one of the mission children in the city, she barely escapes a sudden danger. Now she’s on the run–she just doesn’t know from whom. To make matters worse, people who help her along the way find themselves in danger too–including Danny. Who is after her? Will they ever let up? And in the midst of the chaos, can Bailey keep herself from falling in love with her rescuer all over again?

BURNING PROOF

by Janice Cantore

Cold Case Justice Series #2

Tyndale

Detective Abby Hart begins to waiver in her career choice as a police officer when an arrest goes wrong after months of investigating a merciless murder of a young girl. She is haunted by her parent’s death. Luke Murphy uncovers a clue about Abby’s parents. Should he tell her?

THE PROMISE OF JESSE WOODS

by Chris Fabry

Tyndale

No description listed yet, but I’ve loved all Chris Fabry’s previous works.

In addition, friends Stacy Monson, Chawna Schroeder, Joseph Courtemanche, Rose Ross Zediker, Shannon Taylor Vannatter, and Julie Klassen have books coming out this year–I’ll give each of them their own post when the time comes. And I’m certain I’ll discover more books as the year goes on.

Favorite Novels of 2015

I only read 72 books in 2015. I know, to many of you that sounds like a lot, but I used to read over 100 books, easily. Much of the blame for the low number lies with life taking precedence over reading time, but some blame also belongs to the decreasing number of books I’m interested in reading. It seems fewer and fewer Christian fiction reads have *meat* to them.

That said, a number of books still merited Favorite status from me, novels I would highly recommend to others. The oddity is that I have not one but two cyborg books on my list! I never could have predicted that!

My favorites are listed below in no particular order. In addition, I was unable to get to a couple of books I’m certain would have made this list–because those authors’ books always do!–so I’m giving them the benefit of a doubt and mentioning them as well.

THE MISTRESS OF TALL ACRE

by Laura Frantz

Revell

The American Revolution is finally over and Sophie Menzies is starved for good news. When her closest neighbor, General Seamus Ogilvy finally comes home to Tall Acre, she hopes it is a sign of better days to come. But the general is now a widower with a small daughter in desperate need of a mother. Nearly destitute, Sophie agrees to marry Seamus and become the mistress of Tall Acre in what seems a safe and sensible arrangement. But when a woman from the general’s past returns without warning, the ties that bind this fledgling family together will be strained to the point of breaking. When all is said and done, who will be the rightful mistress of Tall Acre?

CENTRALIA

(Jed Patrick series)

by Mike Dellosso

Tyndale House Publishers

Peter Ryan wakes up on a typical morning only to find his house empty, his wife and daughter nowhere to be found. His world is shattered after a phone call to a friend confirms the impossible: his wife and daughter died in a car accident he does not remember. Haunted by faint memories and flashes of details, Peter becomes convinced that something isn’t right and begins to question reality. When he discovers a note in his daughter’s handwriting, strange memories begin to surface that cause him to second-guess nearly everything he once believed. Suddenly armed men show up at Peter’s home, turning the mysterious puzzle of his past into a dangerous game of cat and mouse. On the run and unsure whom to trust, Peter has to discover what’s real and what isn’t . . . before he loses everything.

SHATTERED IMAGE

(Get Shattered Image for ebook, only 99¢ right now! Click >here< to purchase)

(Chain of Lakes book 1)

by Stacy Monson

Kiera Simmons’ career as a high-profile fashion model ends abruptly when a failed relationship nearly lands her in jail. Now she forges a quiet life helping teens understand their eternal value in a world saturated with the distorted messages of society.

Peter Theisen is on the fast track to everything the celebrity life promises with every step of his meteoric rise in the music world orchestrated by his ambitious manager.

Their sweet, unexpected romance is threatened by her past and his future, a life-changing diagnosis, and financial devastation. As they struggle to find their way back to each other, and to the One who matters most, the allure of wealth and fame may jeopardize everything.

THE BONES WILL SPEAK

(Gwen Marcey #2)

by Carrie Stuart Parks

Thomas Nelson

When Gwen Marcey’s dog comes home with a human skull and then leads her to a cabin in the woods near her Montana home, she realizes there’s a serial killer in her community. And when she finds a tortured young girl clinging to life on the cabin floor, she knows this killer is a lunatic.

Yet what unsettles Gwen most is that the victim looks uncannily like her daughter.

The search for the torturer leads back in time to a neo-Nazi bombing in Washington state—a bombing with only one connection to Montana: Gwen. The group has a race-not-grace model of salvation . . . and they’ve marked Gwen as a race traitor.

When it becomes clear that the killer has a score to settle, Gwen finds herself in a battle against time. She will have to use all of her forensic skills to find the killer before he can carry out his threat to destroy her—and the only family she has left.

A REASON TO STAY

(Texas Gold #3)

Kellie Coates Gilbert

Revell

As the host of her own television news show, Faith Marin works to expose the truth for her viewers. But in her personal life, she’s anchored her world with firm boundaries in order to hide a family history she’d like to forget. Her pro bass fisherman husband Geary’s life is an open book, and unfortunately his busybody family doesn’t know the meaning of boundaries. Deception and crippling differences soon derail their tender relationship, leading Faith to believe her only option is to end the marriage. But while Faith considers whether divorce is the only answer to their issues, tragedy strikes and her heartrending decision is interrupted. With her life in the balance, Faith finds that the one she has been shutting out may be the very one she cannot bear to lose.

Kellie Coates Gilbert takes readers on an emotional roller coaster as she weaves themes of unexpected trial, self-discovery, and forgiveness in this profoundly honest portrait of the tensions that can break a marriage–and the ultimate healing power of love.

WATER FROM MY HEART

by Charles Martin

Center Street

Charlie Finn had to grow up fast, living alone by age sixteen. Highly intelligent, he earned a life-changing scholarship to Harvard, where he learned how to survive and thrive on the outskirts of privileged society. That skill served him well in the cutthroat business world, as it does in more lucrative but dangerous ventures he now operates off the coast of Miami. Charlie tries to separate relationships from work. But when his choices produce devastating consequences, he sets out to right wrongs, traveling to Central America where he will meet those who have paid for his actions, including a woman and her young daughter. Will their fated encounter present Charlie with a way to seek the redemption he thought was impossible–and free his heart to love one woman as he never knew he could?

VENDETTA

(The Nikki Boyd Files #1)

by Lisa Harris

Revell

No one needs to push Nikki Boyd to excel on the Tennessee Missing Person Task Force. The case of her own missing sister, still unsolved after ten years, is the driving force in her work. When a Polaroid photo of a missing girl shows up at a crime scene, Nikki quickly recognizes similarities to the past. The closer she gets to the abductor, the more she feels that this case is getting personal, and that she is not the hunter at all–but actually the one being hunted.

With this explosive first book in the new Nikki Boyd Files, Lisa Harris takes readers on a fast-paced pursuit of justice that will have them holding their breath until the heart-stopping finish.

The Lunar Chronicles Series

by Marissa Meyer

No, this isn’t Christian fiction, but it’s definitely clean YA fiction written very well. I never imagined I’d get hooked on a YA fairy-tale sci-fi series, but I did.

Back cover description from CINDER, book #1:

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Had no time to read these yet, but I’m certain they’d be favorites! Their books always make my Favorites list.

EVERY CROOKED PATH

(The Bowers Files)

by Steven James

Signet

A mysterious suicide and a series of abductions draw Patrick into a web of intrigue involving an international conspiracy where no one is who they appear to be and the stakes have never been higher.

Soon, Patrick discovers that the secret to stopping the Piper’s current crime spree lies in unlocking answers from an eight-year-old cold case—and the only way to do that is by entering the terrifying world of the conspirators himself.

Dark, probing, and chilling, Every Crooked Path takes an unflinching look at the world of today’s cybercrimes and delves into a parent’s worst nightmare as it launches a new chapter of Patrick Bowers thrillers.

THE HIVE

by John W. Otte

A pregnant cyborg and a teenage boy fight against intergalactic governments to protect the unborn in this novel from a Christy Award-nominated author.

Why is Zain pregnant? She belongs to the Hive, a collective of cyborgs who choose to live apart from the rest of human society. At times, the Hive rent out some of their females to produce tailor-made children for paying couples. But Zain is an engineer, not a breeder. When she finds herself separated from the Hive, she decides to find the person who she thinks ordered the baby. Surely they’ll help her find her way home.

Matthew “Scorn” Nelson has spent the better part of his teenage years cracking computer systems, causing mischief and havoc wherever he can. But the night of his greatest triumph turned into a painful memory, one he wants to erase. But that night was also his first step on a road to faith. When Zain arrives on his doorstep, Scorn is horrified. What’s he supposed to do with a pregnant teenage cyborg?

Unfortunately, he’ll have to answer that question on the run. Zain’s people want to reclaim her and terminate her pregnancy. And both the Ministrix and the Praesidium, two intergalactic governments in a constant state of cold war, want Zain’s baby for their own reasons. Will their enemies run them down? Or will Zain find a new Hive for both her and her child?

What were your favorite books from 2015?

12 Giveaways Winner of Chain of Mercy

The winner of an autographed copy of Chain of Mercy is Joanne K!

Thank you to everyone who visited this blog during the 12 Giveaways of Christmas! I’m so excited to have met dozens of new readers.

Hope you all had a very joyous Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them,

Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Luke 2: 1-14

Book Giveaway Day 12 – Marianne Sciucco & Tara Ellis

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

And the Final Day of 12 Days of Giveaways!

Marianne Sciucco: http://mariannesciucco.blogspot.com/

Tara Ellis: http://taraellisauthor.blogspot.com/p/12-giveaways-of-christmas.html

Book Giveaway Day 11 – Frances Hoelsema & Angela Carling

Frances Hoelsema: https://franceshoelsema.wordpress.com/

Angela Carling ~ Winner’s Choice: choose one from her four YA books: http://angelacarling.blogspot.com/