Melanie D. Snitker's Blog, page 22

Want to Win an Autographed Paperback Copy of Finding Faith?

Stop by my Facebook page for your chance to win an autographed paperback copy of Finding Faith! All you have to do is locate the pinned post and then tell me about a positive thing that happened to you this week. I will randomly choose a winner tomorrow morning! 

* Unfortunately, a paperback copy can only be sent to someone within the United States. If someone wins who is located outside of the States, an electronic version will have to be substituted. Thanks for your understanding! 

New Release from Franky A. Brown

I'm so excited to be able to share the news about this release with you. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to read None But You ahead of time and enjoyed the book thoroughly. Anna is a great character with a lot of depth and a fun personality. 

Franky uses heart-felt emotions to draw the reader into a fantastic story that will leave you laughing, grinning, and holding your breath as you wait to see what happens next. 

None But You is out today and I hope you'll pick up a copy for yourself! ​ Anna never expected to see Erick Walsworth again. Breaking off their engagement eight years ago was the worst decision of her life. But her bitter regret is nothing compared to pretending she’s not still in love with him. Especially while having to watch a perfect girl like Piper Ashley hang on his arm.

With circumstances throwing them together and a best friend insisting on playing matchmaker, Anna can’t escape the one question she fears most: What happens if she can’t convince her first love to give her a second chance?

None But You is a clean, romantic chick lit novel with a nod to Jane Austen's Persuasion. Available on Amazon Follow Franky
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Love Sweet Love! Giveaway

We're celebrating Valentine's Day by offering you
a chance to win 12 eBooks by 10 different authors!  eBooks included in the Love Sweet Love! Giveaway
The Land Uncharted by Keely Brooke Keith
Finding Beth by Linnette R. Mullin 
Falling for Alaska by Shannon L. Brown 
God's Daughter by Heather Day Gilbert
Unraveled by Heidi McCahan
Finding Peace by Melaine D. Snitker
Reverie by Christina Yother
Chain of Mercy by Brenda S. Anderson
Blue Hydrangeas by Marianne Sciucco
Her Imaginary Husband by Lia London 
Uncharted Redemption by Keely Brooke Keith
Reliance by Christina Yother

a Rafflecopter giveaway Official Sweepstakes Rules:
No purchase necessary to enter. Must be 18 years or older and a resident of the United States. Sweepstakes begins Feb. 8, 2016 and ends midnight CST Feb. 15, 2016. Odds of winning dependent upon the number of entries. Grand prize includes one ebook copy of each title listed here. Winner will be selected at random and notified by email. Once winner notification email is sent, winner must reply within 7 days. Once winner confirms email address, the ebooks will be emailed to the winner’s email address. First name and last initial of winner will be announced, all other information will be kept private. Sweepstakes sponsored by the participating authors. Void where prohibited by law. 

Admiring God's Creatures

Photo by Melanie D. Snitker It's a gorgeous day so we thought we'd take the family and go walk around the zoo. The sunshine warmed everything up perfectly and nearly all the animals were active. I think it was one of my favorite visits. Seeing all of these beautiful animals always reminds me of what an amazing imagination our God has! 

I also got to play around with my fairly new Canon 55-250 lens while we were there. So I thought I'd share some of my favorite images. Enjoy! :-)

Finding Courage is FREE!

Finding Courage , the third book in the Love's Compass series, is FREE for only three days. You can get it on Amazon February 2nd - 4th. 

It takes courage to ask for a second chance…even more to extend one. 

For Duke and Avalon McNeil, it was love at first sight. Married within months of meeting, their feet hardly touched the ground until the reality of their haste hit home with startling clarity. 

Duke's heart shattered when Avalon vanished for nearly three weeks, fleeing their arguments and misunderstandings. Now she's back. He's happy she's home and safe, but he isn't ready to risk everything again when their bond was so easily broken. 

Avalon's relieved to be home. She's desperate to make peace between them, but returns with a secret. She can't reveal anything to Duke until she proves to him she came back to restore their relationship. 

As outside pressure continues to threaten Duke and Avalon's fragile foundation, they must find the strength to prove to each other their marriage is worth fighting for. You can also pre-order the next book in the series,  Finding Faith . It will be released February 13th. 

Clean Indie Reads Mid-Winter Sale

Clean Indie Reads is having our Mid-Winter Sale! This is a great opportunity to stock up on books to read as you wait for spring to arrive. With a wide variety of genres, there's something for everyone! The sale is going on now through the 30th. Don't miss out on some great deals! 

Clean Indie Reads is a fantastic group of authors who strive to write and publish flinch-free fiction. What does that mean? You can find a variety of books that contain no erotica or sexually explicit scenes, no graphic violence or gore, and very little or no language (and no use of the "F-word").   One of my books, Finding Hope (Love's Compass: Book 2) is included in the sale. You can pick up a copy for $0.99 through the 30th. 

Guest Post: New Release from L. R. W. Lee

I'm excited to have Author L. R. W. Lee on my blog today. I haven't read these books yet, but they're definitely on my TBR list. They look amazing and the reviews speak for themselves.  JUST RELEASED!
Vision of the Griffin’s Heart, Andy Smithson, Book 5  Four years ago, Andy Smithson discovered he is the Chosen one to break a 500-yr-old curse plaguing the land of Oomaldee when he unexpectedly and mysteriously found himself there. To do so, he must collect ingredients for a magical potion. Thus far he has gathered the scale of a red dragon, venom from a giant serpent, a unicorn’s horn, and the tail feather of a phoenix. Now he must ask a griffin for one of its talons. There’s just one problem…humans have poached griffin treasure, causing these mythical creatures to attack on sight.
 
Complicating matters, the evil Abaddon, sovereign of Oomaldee’s northern neighbor, is turning more and more citizens into zolt in his ongoing campaign of terror as he sets in motion the final steps of his plan to conquer the land. Things really start to heat up in book five!
 
If you loved Harry Potter, you’ll love the Andy Smithson series chalk full of mythical creatures, newly invented animals like zolt, herewolves, and therewolves, a complex plot with evolving characters, and positive themes including responsibility, diligence, dignity, friendship and more.
 
Purchase Kindle and Paperback​ THE DEPTH OF THE ANDY SMITHSON SERIES
If you’re an adult looking for a clean series you can sink your teeth into, Andy Smithson is definitely it! In it I develop four layers simultaneously: 1) Andy Smithson in Lakehills, TX 2) Andy in Oomaldee 3) the Afterlife 4) a meaning layer. A few examples to demonstrate the depth…

Symbolism is used extensively (a couple examples):The fog of the curse symbolizes blindness and oppression.The magic key unlocks doors, brings stone statues to life, as well as revives. Put another way, it symbolizes bringing forth, opening up, and revealing (aka taking responsibility).Methuselah is not only a weapon and helper, but also represents justice as it divides good and evil. Consistent with life, justice requires diligence to uphold.
Names are also important in this series (a few examples):Andy means brave or courageous.Alden means helper.Hannah means favor or grace.Imogenia means blameless.
Alchemy used throughout the series (a few examples):Alchemy played a significant role in the development of modern science. Alchemists sought to transform base metals into the gold or silver and/or develop an elixir of life which would confer youth and longevity and even immortality.In the series, the first instance of alchemy begins with the gold weavers, Max, Oscar, and Henry, spinning straw into gold to manufacture the wealth of the kingdom.The four elementals: air, earth, fire, and water are then seen on Methuselah’s hilt. 
The titles of the books manifest yet another layer of meaning and reveal Imogenia’s evolution.Beginning with Blast of the Dragon’s Fury, Imogenia is furious at what has happened to her and she fuels her emotional hurt.In Venom of the Serpent’s Cunning, Imogenia turns venomous (or spiteful) and cunning in seeking ways to continually punish her brother.Disgrace of the Unicorn’s Honor has Imogenia act in a manner disgraceful to the honor of royalty.In Resurrection of the Phoenix’s Grace we see Imogenia’s grace reborn as she begins to reflect.In Vision of the Griffin’s Heart, Imogenia realizes she is gripped by hatred and distrust she has harbored for so long. Unlike griffins who choose to trust others, Imogenia cannot yet make that leap when it comes to her brother. ABOUT THE AUTHOR L. R. W. Lee credits her love of fantasy with her introduction to C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. Later on, she enjoyed the complex world of Middle Earth brought to life by J. R. R. Tolkien in Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. The multiple dimensions of the worlds mixed with a layer of meaning, captivated her and made her desire to invent Young Adult Fantasy and Epic Fantasy worlds others could get lost in, but also take meaning away from. More recently, L. R. W. Lee has found inspiration from J. K. Rowling and her Harry Potter series as well as Brandon Mull and his best selling Fablehaven, Beyonders and Five Kingdoms series.

L. R. W. Lee writes to teach her readers principles that can transform their lives – overcoming frustration, impatience, fear and more. She also shows why responsibility, diligence and dignity are the keys to true success in life. She lives in scenic Austin, TX with her husband. Their daughter is a Computer Engineer for Microsoft and their son serves in the Air Force.
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And We Have a Name!

The contest is over! Duke and Avalon's baby girl now has a beautiful name:  Lorelei Grace Congratulations to BN100 for the winning suggestion!

I wanted to thank you all for the ideas you posted on RJs Blog . There were so many wonderful suggestions and it was hard to narrow it down. But I think that Lorelei Grace fits baby McNeil perfectly. 

The winning name will be mentioned in the next book in the series, Finding Faith . 

Don't forget! Even if you didn't win a copy of the two new books RJ and I are releasing next month, you can still snag a copy for yourself. Both are available for pre-order now: 

Heartsick  by RJ Conte
Publication date: February 26, 2016
​
Finding Faith  by Melanie D. Snitker
Publication date: February 13, 2016
​
A special thank you to my friend, RJ , for hosting this fun contest. You're the best and I had a blast meeting some of your readers! 

Giveaway: Help Me Name the Baby!

My thoughtful friend and fellow Author, RJ Conte, is hosting a fun giveaway that includes a $20.00 Amazon gift card along with a copy of our upcoming new releases. 

For your chance to win, head over to
RJ writes some great psychological love stories. Her newest book, Heartsick, will be coming out February 26th. You can check out RJ's work on Amazon. 

Her short story, Lucent Sylph, is free on Amazon. It's one of the most unique short stories I've read and one that's hard to forget. You can read my review here.

So what are you waiting for? Head over to Available on Amazon Pre-Order on Amazon

Official Release Date for Finding Faith

Finding Faith , the fourth book in my Love's Compass series, has an official release date: February 13, 2016. I can't wait for you all to read Serenity's story! Single mom Serenity Chandler is determined to do anything to provide better opportunities for her son, Gideon. Moving away from her family support system so Gideon can attend a special school seems like the right choice, even if it means her entire life is about to change. 

The satisfaction of helping children and being a part of their lives is one reason Aaron Randall loves his job as a music therapist. When Hope Academy instills a dating policy, he doesn't give it a second thought. Until the new coworker who'd caught his attention turns out to be the parent of one of his students. 

Any relationship between them will put his job at risk. The more time Aaron spends with Serenity and Gideon, the harder it is to ignore what they could have together. With Aaron's job and Gideon's education hanging in the balance, they'll have to rely on faith to find their way.