Brenda S. Anderson's Blog, page 36
February 4, 2015
Strong Enough – Pieces of Granite Playlist
Most of the popular Christian fiction I read has a strong heroine. That’s no surprise as who doesn’t love a strong woman? Can you think of a better role model for our young women of today?
Yet oftentimes that personal strength comes at the expense of depending upon God. So, in Pieces of Granite I wanted to turn the strong-woman idea upside down. In my heroine, Debbie Verhoeven, you have a woman who’s very independent and self-sufficient. People rely on her, and she always comes through. Her temperament’s always on an even keel, and she can handle most any situation with grace.
The problem is, that’s only what the people around her perceive, when on the inside, she’s cracking. She can’t do it. Yet, in the beginning of the novel, Debbie even spouts the phrase “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle.”
I don’t buy that. I think God constantly gives us more than we can handle on our own. If He doesn’t, what reason will we have to turn to Him? If He doesn’t load us down with more than we can haul ourselves, will we ever let Him help carry our load?
In these self-sufficient, “I can do it on my own” times, I doubt it.
Matthew West eloquently addresses this issue in his song “Strong Enough” as he asks God to be strong for us.
No, we’re not strong enough, but God is.
“I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:13
Another Pieces of Granite Giveaway
If you’re on Goodreads, I’m currently giving away (2) autographed copies of Pieces of Granite! Follow the link below to enter:
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Pieces of Granite
by Brenda S. Anderson
Giveaway ends March 02, 2015.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
February 3, 2015
PIECES OF GRANITE Trailer
And I’d be very appreciative if you’d share it with others!February 2, 2015
Novel Anticipation, February 2015
My list is short this month, but it’s a quality list including (2) of my favorite veteran authors and (2) rising stars. What’s on your February to-read list?
WHERE RIVERS PART
Texas Gold Series #2
by Kellie Coates Gilbert
Revell
Following in her estranged father’s footsteps, Dr. Juliet Ryan has devoted her scientific acumen to corporate America, providing safe drinking water for millions–and affording her plenty of perks along the way. Then, without warning, a fast-moving disaster sweeps Juliet into a whirlpool of corporate scandal and puts lives at risk. As she scrambles to find answers, Juliet must face her deepest wounds and join forces with her father to expose a far-reaching conspiracy. Underneath it all, she struggles to forgive those who betrayed her trust–not least of all her own father.
HEAVEN HELP HEIDI
Family of the Heart Series #2
by Sally John
Harvest House Publishers
Welcome to the Casa de Vida—eleven quaint bungalows located three blocks from the Pacific Ocean in tiny Seaside Village, California. Owner Liv McAlister never advertises vacancies beyond a small hand-lettered sign out front, preferring to trust that God will send the right tenant at just the right time. And He always does.
Heidi Hathaway’s life has been turned upside down. After an accident leaves her injured, unable to work, and incapable of negotiating the stairs in her multilevel oceanfront condo, she leases her home and moves into a cozy little cottage in the charming garden complex where her friend Piper lives. There she finds so much more than a place to rest and recover.
UNCHARTED REDEMPTION
Uncharted Series #2
By Keely Brooke Keith
Edenbrooke Press
Levi Colburn, resentful of his father, haunted by his mother’s tragic death, and pained by his love for the unattainable Mandy Foster, breaks from the Land’s tradition and begins to build a life of his own. When rebels tear through the village of Good Springs, Levi vows to deliver justice and restore the woman he loves. As tradition stands in the way of redemption and threats from the outside world begin to appear, Levi must learn his greatest battles cannot be fought with his fists. Romantic, suspenseful, and filled with adventure, Uncharted Redemption weaves dramatic new layers into life in the Land.
COVERING HOME
by Heidi McCahan
Snug Corner Cove Press
On assignment in Japan, television personality turned sportscaster Britt Bowen is determined to land an interview with the most reclusive pitcher in baseball and prove she can succeed in a demanding profession. A relationship with a self-absorbed professional athlete is the last thing Britt needs.
Shunning all media attention, former All-Star pitcher Caleb Scott is focused on rebuilding his career in Japan, far from his past and the horrible tragedy that nearly ruined him. Then he meets Britt, who is everything he vowed to avoid.
But it doesn’t take long before Caleb is battling his attraction toward Britt. While she works to uncover his secrets, she can’t deny she’s drawn to his wounded soul. At a crossroads, Caleb must decide if he can break free from his past mistakes and give love another chance. And Britt must choose between advancing her career … or falling in love.
January 30, 2015
All Glory to God?
It’s easy to give Glory to God during our rare mountaintop moments, but what about the valley moments which are far more commonplace?
Today I’m addressing this over at Inkspirational Messages, and I’d love it if you’d stop by!
http://inkspirationalmessages.com/mountaintop-moments/
January 28, 2015
What It Means To Be Loved – Pieces of Granite Playlist
Early on in Pieces of Granite, Debbie and Jerry receive the news that their unborn baby has Down syndrome. “What It Means To Be Loved” by Mark Schultz offers hope for those tough times and helps you realize how very precious and perfect every life is.
Pieces of Granite available at:
January 26, 2015
Sometimes Miracles Hide – Pieces of Granite Playlist
My latest release, Pieces of Granite, is about a couple who learns that the child they’re expecting has Down syndrome and that diagnosis causes a rift in their marriage.
It’s obviously not an easy diagnosis for anyone to take, and a majority of parents who learn their pre-born child has Down will abort the child. (Note: The statistic “90% of pre-born babies diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted” has been bandied around, but a formal study has not been done. In this blog post on Human Life Review, Matthew Hennessy provides an in-depth analysis of this claim.)
But regardless of what the statistics say or don’t say, if it were 1%, that would be 1% too many, for every child is a miracle. Every. One!
Bruce Carroll sings about this in his 1991 single, Sometimes Miracles Hide, a beautiful anthem for all those receiving a difficult diagnosis.
Pieces of Granite now available at:
Pieces of Granite Book Review
While Pieces of Granite has been racking up 5-star ratings on Amazon, I’ve only discovered a handful of blog reviews, and today I found the awesome review linked below. Thank you so much, Kym McNabney at Writing From the Soul, for your very gracious review! It’s very encouraging and made my day!
http://kymmcnabney.blogspot.com/2015/01/a-piece-of-art.html
January 21, 2015
Heart-Stopping Numbers
I don’t like to make waves. Typical for a Minnesotan, I suppose. I’m also a very poor debater, so I don’t speak out a lot on push-button issues, though I do have an opinion. But today’s a day I can’t keep quiet. Forty-two years after the passing of Roe v. Wade, and my heart still breaks.
As I said, I don’t debate, and I won’t get into an argument, rather I’ll throw out a few numbers taken from the Planned Parenthood Annual Report for 2013-2014. Their figures, not mine.
3 – 3% of the services performed by Planned Parenthood in the 2013-2014 fiscal year were abortions. 3% is a nice small number, right? (see Page 17 of the Annual Report)
Well, here’s a second number …
327,653 – the total number of abortions performed by Planned Parenthood clinics during the 2013 – 2014 fiscal year. (Page 18) This number is up by 487 from 2012 – 2013 fiscal year.
As I have done in two previous years [(A Not So Tiny Number) and (Just Another Statistic)], I’ll break that number down for you.
3% means that Planned Parenthood alone performed …
27,304.42 abortions per month
6,301.02 abortions per week
897.68 per day
37.40 per hour
0.62 per minute
Or
1 abortion every 96.25 seconds.
That’s one precious life–one beating heart deliberately stopped every 96.25 seconds.
My heart’s breaking. What about yours?
January 19, 2015
Novel Anticipation – January 2015, Part 2
Today’s list is my usual hodge-podge of books. Two are written by poetic wordsmiths (Christa Parrish and Lisa Samson), another is the third novel in a romantic suspense series (Southern Crimes) I’m hooked on, and the final books are written by new-to-me authors. It’s exciting to have such a diverse to-read pile to dig into!
What’s on your to-read list this month?
HIDDEN AGENDA
(Southern Crimes #3)
by Lisa Harris
Revell
Michael Hunt is alive–and on the run. Presumed dead by friends and family, the undercover assignment he’s been working for the past eight months has just been blown. With a hit out on his life and corruption inside the Atlanta police department, Michael finds himself hunted by both the cartel and the law. His only hope is the daughter of the man who wants him dead.
STILL LIFE
by Christa Parrish
Thomas Nelson
A tragic plane crash. One woman who lost her husband. Another who gave up her seat for him. Adah spent her first twenty-five years with her family as part of a fringe religious sect. Her only contact with the outside world was through customers at their farm store. Then she met Julian, a photojournalist who’d come to document their lifestyle. They eloped mere days later and Adah was thrust into a completely new life as a wife, city-dweller, and an individual allowed to make her own decisions. But she has no idea who she is.
On her twenty-sixth birthday, Julian plans to fly home from an assignment to give her her first-ever birthday present. He’s thrilled when Katherine Cramer gives up her seat so he can make the flight. But the plane crashes and everyone on board is killed, including Julian.
THE DANDELION FIELD
by Kathryn Springer
Zondervan
Nothing has ever come easy for single mom Genevieve Lightly. Over the years, she’s managed to pay the bills waitressing, and she is deeply devoted to her daughter, Raine. Gin has been satisfied moving from city to city, never putting down roots or making commitments. But when engine trouble temporarily strands them in the small town of Banister Falls, Wisconsin, Gin promises her daughter they will stay put until Raine graduates from high school in the spring.
Dan Moretti couldn’t imagine a life without Evie, but she married his best friend. After Max died while fighting a huge blaze, Dan has looked out for Evie and her son, Cody. Evie has always made it clear she thinks of him only as a friend, but Dan has secretly held out hope that her feelings would change. When a small town scandal erupts, Dan is caught in the middle and his loyalty put to the test when he realizes his feelings are the ones that are changing. He’s falling for a beautiful, unconventional waitress named Gin.
As Cody and Raine move closer to making decisions that will affect the rest of their lives, Dan makes a decision, too. But can he convince a woman who doesn’t believe in happy endings to take a chance on a new beginning . . . with him?
A THING OF BEAUTY
by Lisa Samson
Thomas Nelson
Former child star Fiona Hume left the biz a decade ago, after she left rehab. She retreated to Baltimore and bought an old mansion downtown with dreams of restoring it into a masterpiece-maybe creating an artist’s studio for herself. And living an artist’s life. That was the plan.Ten years later, Fiona’s huge house is filled with junk purchased at thrift stores, yard sales, or picked up from the side of the road. Each piece was destined for a project, but all she’s got so far is a piece of twine with some antique buttons threaded down its length. Her money has almost run out. She will soon lose her house and will be forced back into acting.
THE BOY WHO LOVED RAIN
by Gerard Kelly
Lion Fiction
Londoners admire Pastor David Dryden for emphasizing the importance of the Christian family. But all is not well in his own household. He and his wife have been ignoring their son Colom’s erratic behavior. When a school friend commits suicide, they find a commitment to die in Colom’s room. Can David restore his broken family?
