Brenda S. Anderson's Blog, page 46

Quick Friday Update

Blog Appearances …

Jo Huddleston had some fun new questions for me on her blog this week, plus a book giveaway of Chain of Mercy.  http://www.johuddleston.com/2014/06/book-drawing.html
And it’s my day to post at Inkspirational Messages. We’ve been talking about prairie living, and Little House, and the early 20th century, so I wrote about one of my favorite historical sites in the Twin Cities: the Mill City area.

 http://inkspirationalmessages.com/a-visit-to-mill-city/.

And we’re having a giveaway too–Rose Ross Zediker’s THE WIDOW’S SUITOR, but today (Friday, Jun 6, 2014) is the last day to enter, so hurry on over!

It Happened in a Blink

Yesterday our youngest had his last day of high school. Forever. He graduates on Sunday, then in the fall, he heads off to college.

I look back over his 18+ years and wonder where did the time go? What happened to that roly-poly baby, that twinkling-eyed toddler?

He’s now a young man whom I look up to, both literally and figuratively.

And, it’s true, it happened in a blink.

The time did fly by, and as a family, we tried to capture each moment, to take vacations together, tour our state, catch baseball games, movies. And our kids have grown up liking us, even now! Best of all, they’ve all grown in their faith.

For those of you just beginning this journey with your children, don’t take your time together for granted, because when you blink, that precious time will have passed.

BLINK

by Revive

Novel Anticipation, June 2014

A WOMAN OF FORTUNE

(Texas Gold #1)

by Kellie Coates Gilbert

(Revell)

Texas socialite Claire Massey is living the dream–designer clothes, luxury cars, stunning homes. But everything comes crashing down when her charming cattle broker husband is arrested for fraud. Suddenly she finds herself facing attorneys, a media frenzy, and a trail of broken hearts. Betrayed and humiliated, Claire must face incredible odds to save her family–and discover a life worth living.

BLIND TRUST

(Port Aster Secrets #2)

by Sandra Orchard

(Revell)

Kate Adams had no idea she was carrying counterfeit money, and she can’t believe that it came from her sweet neighbor. Or that it lands her in the middle of another one of Detective Tom Parker’s investigations. Determined to prove her neighbor’s innocence, Kate stumbles into a pit of intrigue that is far deeper than a two-bit counterfeit operation–and strikes too close to home for comfort. As family secrets come to light, her world–and her budding romance with Tom–begin to crumble. To Kate, it’s clear that she won’t be safe until she uncovers all of Port Aster’s secrets. But is it too late for her and Tom?

ALL RIGHT HERE

(The Darlings #1)

by Carre Armstrong Gardner

(Tyndale House)

Ivy Darling can’t have children—and her husband’s resentment is forcing them apart. Then the couple becomes accidental foster parents to three abandoned neighbor kids. When Nick refuses to accept them as his own, Ivy questions staying in her emotionally barren marriage. Will Nick have a change of heart before it’s too late?

SKY ZONE

(The Crittendon Files #3)

by Creston Mapes

(David C. Cook)

When Jack Crittendon can’t find work as a reporter, he takes a part-time gig at an arena. Working a rally for a presidential candidate should be a mindless night on the job. But when Homeland Security picks up intelligence about a potential terrorist attack, will Jack be able to save thousands of innocent lives?

And the Winner of Trevelyan is …

*** Susan P! ***

Congratulations, Susan! I know you’ll enjoy Naomi Musch‘s story!

Winner selected using Random.org

 

Find Your Wings – A Graduation Prayer

Graduation season is in full bloom in our household. Our daughter has just graduated college, and our son–our youngest–will graduate high school in a little over a week.

While this season brings many lasts, it also gives birth to exciting firsts. And as our children young adults move on to new ventures, it’s best to send them on backed with prayer. For those of us short on words as our children spread their wings, here’s a song by Mark Harris that prays those poignant words for us. (Warning: you might want to have a tissue or two handy)

FIND YOUR WINGS

by Mark Harris

Chatting with Naomi Musch

I’m excited to welcome Naomi Musch to my blog! Naomi is one of those gifted authors who excels in writing across genres. She has previously published historical and women’s fiction, and her latest release Trevelyan is considered Young Adult / New Adult (fantasy). I can’t wait to read it!

Naomi  has graciously offered to give away an ebook copy of Trevelyan. To enter, see rules below.

And now, here’s Naomi!

Thank you, Naomi, for taking time for this interview! So glad to have you visit! Can you tell my readers a little about yourself?

I’ve always been a writer, and since guidance meant a lot to me when I was a young adult, I love mentoring young writers and have done that through online tutorials, teaching homeschool writing classes & writing round tables, and this summer taking on a college writing intern. I write in a variety of genres, with my main love being the American historical genre.

Trevelyan – A Tale of Beauty & the Beast is my first foray into the young adult/new adult (fantasy) sphere with a retelling of my very favorite fairytale. It’s so exciting to have closure on this book I first penned years ago and read aloud to my own kids during our homeschooling hours. They’re all grown up now, but I still enjoy remaining involved in the homeschooling community of which our family has been a part for many years.

Congratulations on your new release, Trevelyan! How exciting! (And I LOVE that cover! Beautiful! And eye-catching!) What inspired this novel?

Thank you! I love the cover too. Carol Fiorillo, one of the Desert Breeze cover artists did it. I appreciate her attention to detail and color.

Long before Disney produced it’s now classic, animated version of Beauty and the Beast, I fell in love with the fairytale. For most of my younger life I collected various children’s versions of the book, but I was never 100% satisfied that the story was complete. I always believed there should be more. When I learned that the original French version written in the 1600s was over 400 pages long and contained a saga of warring fairies, my imagination inflamed. I knew I had to write a version to fill in those gaps of the unknown, if only for myself and my children. Thus Trevelyan was born. I wrote the first draft more than 20 years ago, before the Disney movie came out, and it contains scenes you’ve not heard of before — scenes involving those warring faeries, a wizard, elves, swashbuckling heroes, Belle’s five siblings, and more.

That sounds fascinating! What are you working on right now?

My iron is in several fires. Besides endeavoring to spread the word about Trevelyan, I’m slowly working on the first draft of a post-WWII romance called The Love Coward. I also have a completed early American, Great Lakes historical called Mist O’er the Voyageur that I haven’t tried to place with a publisher yet. On the back burner, I’m doing an entire rewrite of my first, now out of print novel called The Casket Girl which I would like to re-release independently – complete with new scenes and a few other changes.

Which authors do you enjoy reading? Have any influenced your writing?

I love getting into big historicals and sagas with a strong romantic thread usually centered around an epic time period like a great war or other historical incident. A few of the authors I enjoy right now include Sarah Sundin, T.L. Higley, Susan Warren, April Gardner, Tommie Lyn, Laura Frantz, Julie Klassen… (there are so many more!) In the same way, there are a lot of authors who have influenced my writing and still do. Bodie Thoene, Angela Hunt, and Francine Rivers are three modern authors who’ve been a huge influence, as well as other writers over the years who work in various genres — Allen Eckert’s creative, non-fiction historicals, Tolkien’s fantasy, Godwin Parker’s retelling of Robin Hood in Sherwood, and Bette M. Ross’s historical, inspirational fiction, to name a few.

What’s on your reading list right now?

I just finished Anna Schmidt’s WWII novel All God’s Children which was quite good, and I’m just beginning Ruth Axtell’s In Your Eyes – another historical romance. After that I think I’ll be reading some of the books on this year’s Grace Awards winners and finalists list.

When you’re not writing, what do you enjoy doing?

I spend a lot of time with my grandson whom I babysit a couple days a week and with his two school-aged sisters whenever I can. I have a new grand-daughter only three weeks old, and we’re expecting three more babies this summer, so… I’m very excited! I also really love being outside. We don’t raise much on our farm these days, just a few chickens, but I love to dig around in the dirt and wander around the property a lot.

Wow! All those grandbabies already and more coming? Seriously, you don’t look old enough to have one grandchild!

And now, the most important question: milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, or no chocolate?

Ah… the big question! I can’t eat a lot of chocolate because it gives me headaches. Can you believe that? Now and then it’s great, but because of that reaction, I’m not a big craver of chocolate. However, white chocolate doesn’t cause a problem, so I love a tall, white chocolate caramel mocha. Yum!

About Naomi~

Naomi writes from the pristine north woods of Wisconsin, where she and husband Jeff live as epically as God allows on a ramshackle farm where they spend quality time with their children and grandchildren. Amidst it, she writes novels about imperfect people who are finding hope and faith to overcome their struggles.

In non-fiction venues, Naomi spent five years as a staff writer for the EPA award-winning Midwestern Christian newspaper, Living Stones News, telling true-life stories of changed lives. She has also written dozens of magazine and internet articles for the purpose of encouraging homeschooling families and young writers.

She invites readers to say hello and find out more about her books, passions, and other writing venues at http://www.naomimusch.com or to look her up on Facebook (Naomi Musch – Author) and Twitter (NMusch).

About Trevelyan~

Swashbuckling heroes and elven princes journey to rescue Belle from captivity. For the Beast of Trevelyan and Evensong’s faeries, time for redemption is running out.

Five men and two elven princes have embarked upon a quest: to save a sister from the wasteland of the Great Winter where she is held in the clutches of a Monster Lord who all believe brought desecration and ruin to the once glorious kingdom of Trevelyan. It is a land where hideous creatures and madness prey upon the careless, a land where faerie magic has taken an evil turn. For fifty years, no man or ally of men has been safe beyond the Cranreuch Plain.

Until Belle’s choice leads them all to discover the truth.

Now rescuing her might come at a cost no one expects — and from an evil no one but a princely beast and the faeries of Evensong ever anticipated.

Where to Purchase Trevelyan~

Desert Breeze Publishing
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

More books by Naomi~

PAINT ME ALTHENA - contemporary women’s fiction about a runaway wife’s search for identity, and discovering faith and rekindled love.

EMPIRE IN PINE Series - a generational family saga of lumberjack adventure and romance in 1800s Wisconsin.

THE GREEN VEIL (Book one)
THE RED FURY (Book Two)
THE BLACK ROSE (Book Three)

HEART NOT TAKEN – a contemporary novella of buried indiscretion, forgiveness, and new love.

Where to reach Naomi~

Website: http://www.naomimusch.com
Facebook: Naomi Musch – Author
Twitter: @NMusch

>>>Book Giveaway<<<

Naomi has graciously offered to give away one ebook copy of Trevelyan. To enter, in the comments below, please tell us what your favorite fairy tale is.

This contest ends Sunday, June 1, 2014 at 11:59 pm CST. I will post the winner on Monday, June 2, 2014. Winner will be chosen via Random.org.

 

Blog Hopping Today!

No, I don’t usually post on Fridays, but I’m doing some blog-hopping today and thought you might want to come say “Hi.”

At Inkspirational Messages, in celebration of Lorna Seilstad‘s new release While Love Stirs, we’ve been talking about birth order and how that affects who we are. I’m the third of seven in my family, but my traits are more like a first born. Always a contrarian! We do have a giveaway going on with the posts, but it ends today (Friday, May 23, 2014), so you’ll want to hurry over there to comment.

http://inkspirationalmessages.com/third-born/

And I’m excited to visit Shannon Vannatter’s Inkslinker blog this week.

On Monday, I wrote about how I met my husband: http://shannonvannatter.com/brenda-s-anderson-real-life-romance-part-1-of-3/
On Wednesday, I talked about how we surprised our guests at our wedding, and had them all in tears: http://shannonvannatter.com/brenda-s-anderson-real-life-romance-part-2-of-3/
And today I’m sharing a couple of romance interviews: one with me, and a second with my hero and heroine from Chain of Mercy. http://shannonvannatter.com/brenda-s-anderson-romantic-real-life-character-interview-excerpt-part-3-of-3/

There’s also a book giveaway (one copy of Chain of Mercy) on Shannon’s site; this contest ends on May 31, 2014.

Would love to see you at the other blogs!

Blessings!

Grad Party #3!

One would think that after planning three high school graduation parties within four years, I’d pretty much be an expert. Know what? I think I am. I have it down to a science–too bad (well, not really) this is our last graduate. The best advice I have is to Keep It Simple, Sweetheart.

I’ve already purchased the basics: tableware, napkins, and tablecloths. The announcements went out today–a week later than I wanted them to, but at least they’re in the mail. I’ve lined up friends to hostess the party, so I can mingle with the guests (best idea ever!).

The menu is planned, and much of it is already purchased:

pulled beef
baked hot dogs (much easier than grilling and almost as good)
veggie & fruit tray
popcorn bar
bars (in Minnesota-speak, that means yummy desserts usually made in a cake pan or on a cookie sheet, and often involving chocolate)
cake

I do have a few items left on my to-do list:

Scan pictures from his 18 years. Year one is done, but that’s it.
Have child #3 create his slide show
Clean windows
Clean the house!

Unfortunately, painting the house exterior won’t get done until after the party, but that’s life.

Now, off to scan those pictures!

Abundantly Blessed!

Going into my book launch last Thursday, I had no idea what to expect. Would anyone show up? Would they purchase books? My daughter only had a couple days to practice the music, and really only 15 minutes with the pianist (because we left the keyboard cord at home and my husband had to rush home to get it!)–would that be enough time? And, besides, I’m not someone who relishes being the center of attention. Would I stumble over my readings? Would the audience get bored?

Well, the answer to all the above questions is that I’m abundantly blessed. I’m so very grateful to all who were able to make it in person and in spirit. I’m thankful to my daughter’s friend for agreeing to accompany her, with one day’s notice! I’m thankful for my dear friend, Stacy Monson, who emceed the program taking all the stress off of me. And I’m thankful for all the phone calls and the Facebook congrats and for church members who stop me and tell me how much they’re enjoying Chain of Mercy. It’s wonderful and humbling. To think that God can use me to share more of Him. Wow!

Yes, I am blessed!

With my husband

Glimpse at the crowd & my musicians

ACFW MN NICE members: Stacy Monson, Julie Klassen, Gail Helgeson, & me.

My Writing Process Blog Tour

The Writing Process Blog Tour has traveled to my blog today. Special thanks goes to Heidi McCahan for nominating me for this tour. You met Heidi on my blog last week, but I’ll refresh your memory here. After that I’ll talk about my writing process, and then I’m going to point the tour in a new direction, toward three writers whose books you won’t want to miss! The tour stops at their sites on Monday, May 26.

Heidi McCahan

A Pacific Northwest girl at heart, Heidi was blessed to spend her formative years in Alaska. Her unique upbringing, coupled with Alaska’s breathtaking scenery, fueled her active imagination and loosely inspired her debut novel, Unraveled.

Heidi graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Medicine from Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington and a Master’s Degree in Athletic Training from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. After a brief career as a Certified Athletic Trainer, Heidi married her husband, Steve. They live in North Carolina with their three active little boys.

When Heidi isn’t stepping on Legos, chauffeuring the boys around suburbia or watching one of their many sporting events, she loves to read and write heartwarming romance.

Heidi’s stop on the blog tour: http://heidimccahan.com/2014/05/11/my-writing-process-blog-tour/

Website: http://heidimccahan.com/

Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/heidimccahan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeidiMcCahan

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/HeidiMcCahan/

Brenda’s Writing Process:

1. Current writing project: Right now I’m editing my next release, Pieces of Granite, which is a prequel to Chain of Mercy. It’s about a couple who discovers that their baby has Down syndrome.

2. How my work differs from others in the same genre: I write contemporary inspirational fiction and would say that my work tends to be grittier than the average Christian fiction novel. No, I don’t go beyond the bedroom door, and I don’t use curse words–not that kind of gritty. But I try very hard to create authentic characters that the real world can identify with. My characters are usually broken and lead messy lives. We can all relate to that, can’t we?

3. Why do I write what I do? I’ve always been drawn to stories about the tough side of life, because God’s light is so clear there, his redemptive work is more evident. That’s what I enjoy reading and writing.

4. How does my writing process work? I’m a pantser (seat-of-the-pants writer), which means I don’t plot my stories out before writing them. Sure, I have a vague idea of where the stories are going to, but that often changes as the story progresses. God often nudges me and tells me to veer left when I really want to head right. Not knowing how the story will unfold makes the writing process so much fun!

The tour rolls on: May 26th

Please stop by and visit three fellow authors from Inkspirational Messages:

Rose Ross Zediker

Rose Ross Zediker writes contemporary and historical inspirational romances for Harlequin’s Heartsong Presents line of books.

Rose works full time at the University of South Dakota and writes during the evening or weekends.

Besides writing inspirational romance novels, Rose has many publishing credits in the Christian children’s genre. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writer’s of America.

Website: http://roserosszediker.blogspot.com/

Twitter: @SDAuthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roserosszedikerauthor

Shannon Taylor Vannatter

Shannon Taylor Vannatter is a stay-at-home mom/pastor’s wife/inspirational romance writer. When not writing, she runs circles in the care and feeding of her husband, their nine-year-old son, and their church congregation. Home is a central Arkansas zoo with two charcoal gray cats, a chocolate lab, and three dachshunds in weenie dog heaven. If given the chance to clean house or write, she’d rather write. Her goal is to hire Alice from the Brady Bunch.

The 18th Annual Heartsong Awards named Vannatter #3 Favorite New Author, White Roses #1 Favorite Contemporary, and White Doves #8 Favorite Contemporary.

Website: http://shannonvannatter.com/

Twitter: @stvauthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shannontaylorvannatter

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/stvannatter/

Lorna Seilstad

Lorna Seilstad has called Iowa home her whole life. She received her B.S. in education from Lubbock Christian University. After her first child was born, she stopped teaching and became a professional wiper. “I wiped noses, tears, skinned knees, baby’s bottoms, and countertops every day. But at naptime, I wrote.” Today, she writes historical fiction with a generous dash of humor.

Website: http://lornaseilstad.com/

Twitter: @LornaSeilstad

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lorna-Seilstads-Fan-Page/

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lornaseilstad/

Thank you for visiting my blog today! I hope you’ll continue to follow the tour!