Krista Noorman's Blog, page 4

99¢ sale

"Being a part of the Gilbert family Thanksgiving, complete with several guests of the Bed and Breakfast, was absolutely joyful. There were so many different conversations going on all at once, it was hard to keep track. Claire soaked it all in. Thanksgiving at her grandparents’ house was always a little more subdued. Her family had a good time together, but this was a completely different experience, a wonderful chaos that made her feel warm and happy."

THE TRUTH ABOUT DREW is on SALE for just 99¢ thru Monday.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KDLTMQY/

I hope your time with family this holiday season is filled with good conversation, laughter, wonderful chaos, and so much love. Hold those you love close, savor your time with them. Don't let the days go by without letting those you love know it!

Happy reading!

HELLO, FOREVER is HERE!

Well, after eight months of writing the first draft, editing, and putting the finishing touches on this baby, HELLO, FOREVER is finally ready and releasing into the world today. I'm so excited to share it with you, and I hope you will find it to be a sweet addition to Maggie and Simon's story.

HELLO, FOREVER is available on the following sites:

• eBooks •
Kindle
Apple iBooks
B&N Nook
Kobo

• Paperback •
Createspace
** the paperback will be available on Amazon (should be later today or tomorrow), but for now it can still be ordered direct from my Createspace storefront.

What's it about?
Maggie James spent years all-consumed by her wedding photography business, hiding out from love after a painful breakup. When fellow photographer and consummate rogue Simon Walker came into her life, she held him at arms length to protect her fragile heart from being broken again. But after discovering how he selflessly helped her business in a very big way and admitting her mistaken assumptions about him, she is finally ready to give him a chance. Will fear keep her from truly opening her heart to him? Or will secrets tear them apart?

From small town Michigan to the sunny shores of Malibu, California, Maggie and Simon must navigate their budding relationship, survive family drama, and come face to face with the past to see if their faith and ever growing love are enough to get them to forever.

NOTE:
This novella is the sequel to GOODBYE, MAGNOLIA , so I highly recommend reading that one first. ;)

Happy reading!

Hello, Forever has a release date!

So excited to announce that Hello, Forever has a release date of November 15th and is now available to pre-order for your Kindle for the special release price of just $1.99. HERE is the link or click the image above to order your copy and it will be automatically delivered to your Kindle on release day. :)

My little family spent a week camping in the upper peninsula of Michigan a couple weeks ago, which was so lovely. A nice break and time to enjoy the beauty of our state together. So I'm getting back into editing the book before I send it off to a few people to read. Then it will be more editing, editing, editing, then formatting, formatting, formatting for the next two months leading up to the release. I love this part really. It's where the story really fills in and comes together.

Plus, this sequel to Goodbye, Magnolia is all about Maggie and Simon and their relationship. We get to know Simon and where he comes from and why he is the way he is. We get to see them together while they deal with family, exes, etc. It's a sweet little story with such a happy ending moment that it makes me grin just thinking about it.

Can't wait for you to read it!!!

UNTIL THEN | Amazon Giveaway

Hello, friends! I've got a giveaway going on over on Amazon right now for 5 copies of my new release, Until Then . There are still a few left and the giveaway ends on June 28th, so click or tap your way over through this link to see if you are a winner.

No purchase necessary to enter.

If your name isn't picked, I hope you will still give Until Then a read. Thank you!

Happy reading!
Krista

#AmazonGiveaway

UNTIL THEN | Launch Day!

It’s HERE!
Today is the official release day for Until Then . I am so ecstatic right now (and a little nervous) at the thought of everyone finally getting to read this book I’ve been working on for so long. I hope you will enjoy Michelle’s story from a struggling young girl to a woman finding God’s purpose for her life. :)



Until Then is available on Amazon in:
PAPERBACK or Kindle EBOOK format.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

READ BOTH CORNERSTONE BOOKS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!
Goodbye, Magnolia is FREE and Until Then is just $2.99.
Prices good for May 24-25th ONLY!

REVIEWS
A few early reviews of the book:

“I've been a Krista Noorman fan for a while now and if there's one thing I can count on Noorman for, it's creating characters you can relate to. She did it again with Until Then. One of the areas that shined the most to me was the genuine remorse over sin that Krista was able to bring to life on the pages. Our heroine, Michelle, hasn't lived the life of a saint and we see the destroying power of sin very clearly in this novel. I was greatly impressed with the deep regret Michelle showed throughout the novel at various moments ... It's a beautiful story of redemption and a great lesson on sexual purity.”
••• A.M. Heath, Author of the Ancient Words Series


"Wow, wow, wow and wow! ... So much goodness in this book ... I read Goodbye, Magnolia and had my mind made up about Michelle. Then this book comes along and completely changes my view of her! I loved going back to college and seeing how Michelle, Maggie, and Simon all came together. This book is about hurt, loneliness, sin, betrayal, and God's unconditional love He has for each and every one of us."
••• Karen W, Ting's Mom Books


"This is a story that isn't afraid to tackle the hard issues head on rather than gloss over them. It makes for a great ending that leaves you satisfied rather than feeling like this would never happen in real life. ... Krista Noorman deals with the realities of life in a way that has you simultaneously shaking your head at humanity and at the same time identifying in various ways with the characters. I really appreciated that she made me think about things more deeply and yet kept me thoroughly engaged in the story. I couldn't put it down!"
••• Krista H, Book Reviewer at Welcome to Married Life


"Once I finished Until Then, I wanted to go back and re-read Goodbye, Magnolia! It magnified things from the first book. ... I really enjoyed the story and the concepts of redemption and forgiveness that it illustrated."
••• Shecki B, Book Reviewer at Greatly Blessed

A GIVEAWAY
In celebration of the book release, I'm giving away a $15 Amazon gift card. The giveaway is running thru May 27th. Enter today. No purchase necessary. This giveaway is in no way affiliated with Goodreads.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

Happy reading!

on jealousy and comparison

I wish I could remember the moment that I came across this verse. I think I was looking up verses about jealousy when working on Until Then and this one popped up. I do remember thinking this verse is perfect for Michelle's story . And then I actually read the entire Psalm that surrounded that verse and I got that feeling - the one when you know God showed you something he wanted you to see. This particular Psalm is written by a priest, Asaph, and the story he tells HERE is so relevant to what Michelle goes through in the book.

Jealousy.

It can cloud your judgment and make you do stupid things. Jealousy overwhelms with feelings of comparison, inferiority, anger, depression. It can mess you up, get into your head, and ruin your life if you let it. Jealousy messes with Michelle in the book. Big time!

I just saw this on Jasmine Star's instagram the other day: If comparison is the thief of joy, then envy is the thief of contentment.

Absolutely agree!

Comparison can totally squelch your confidence. If you're feeling a little unsure of yourself, comparing yourself to others is the quickest way to make you feel like you aren't good at something, like they are doing everything better, and what you once believed was your purpose is no longer worth your time. Those are all LIES!

And envy over what others have - their success, their position, their popularity, their wealth - will quickly take away that happiness you had over something good happening in your life. It will make you feel like you aren't doing enough, aren't working hard enough, like you're a failure. You'll be left with anxiety over what you don't have, rather than calm and peace over the things that God has blessed you with so far.

I have been guilty of both of these things. It's hard not to compare myself to other authors, to envy the success they have with their books, the many followers they have on social media. I can't even tell you how many times I've read a glowing review of another author's book and thought surely my books are horrible in comparison, even though I haven't even read their book and, many times, they are books in totally different genres. But still, my mind goes to those places because of my own insecurities, rather than trusting God to put my book in the hands of those who are meant to read it, those who will enjoy my writing and become my lifelong readers and friends.

Here is what I'm working on remembering every day:

Everyone sees life differently, so even if someone else is already doing what you want to do and seems to be doing it well, don't let that stop you! Use your special and unique talents given to you by God for His glory. Tell your stories, make art, write songs, teach children, do whatever God has called you to do. Because nobody can bring your life experiences to the job, except you. Nobody can do it the way you can, because you're you, you're unique. God made you for a purpose. So live purposefully. ;)

Until Then is the second book in my Cornerstone series and is available for KINDLE PRE-ORDER NOW !

Until Then | PRE-ORDER

Only a few more weeks until this baby finds its way out into the world. There's still time to pre-order Until Then and it will be automatically delivered to your Kindle on May 24th! Yeah!

Until Then | Final Proof

I'm so excited. The final proof arrived in my mailbox today, and it looks so pretty. Just a couple very small tweaks to the interior and this baby will be ready to venture out into the world! So excited.

Pre-order your Kindle eBook now.

Until Then | Michelle and Simon's first words

I came across this picture the other day when looking for pics of guys grinning for my little "Show Me Your Grin" contest. ;) It immediately made me think of Simon and Michelle from my books. They have such a close friendship -- best friends forever. And I love them and their instant connection.

I adore the actors pictured here (from the movie "Love, Rosie"). Sam Claflin is one of my favorites, though I think he's a little shorter than what I imagine Simon to be. And Lily Collins is beautiful, but she is super short to be Michelle (like 5'5" when Michelle is 5'10"). But I love this picture, and it makes me happy when I think of Michelle and Simon as real people, not just characters in my books.

So, I thought I would share the first words Michelle and Simon ever said to each other with you today. A little setup for the scene: It's move-in day at college, and Michelle has gone to the gym to check things out. There is a group of guys there playing 3-on-3. She stops just inside the door to watch. And …

     One of the guys immediately turned her head. He was tall and handsome, with nut brown hair and an athletic physique. But he was a terrible shot, hitting the backboard way too high at least half a dozen times. He suddenly lobbed the ball at the basket and completely missed, sending it bouncing in Michelle’s direction.
     She retrieved the ball and dribbled it in place, glancing his way.
     He jogged over to her, and she tossed him the ball.
     “Thanks,” he said with a grin. “Do you play?”
     Michelle flipped her long, dark ponytail over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow in reply. “The real question is … do you?”

Hehehe. So cute, right?

If you've already read Goodbye, Magnolia, then you know how things turn out with them, and you'll get to see it all unfold in Until Then , which comes out on May 24th.

Until Then Goodreads GIVEAWAY

Release day is getting closer (May 24th!) and I wanted to let you know about my little giveaway here on Goodreads. I'm giving away 2 signed paperback copies of Until Then. The giveaway ends on May 10th, so you could have the book in your hands before anyone else. :)

Note: It's not absolutely necessary to read Book 1 before Book 2, but I would recommend it. This book puts another perspective on some of the events of the first book and if you haven't read Book 1 then this book will spoil the end of the first book for you.

ENTER HERE:
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/180601-until-then