Cara C. Putman's Blog, page 106
September 1, 2013
Memory’s Door Review and a Magic Trick
My friend James Rubart has a new book out: Memory’s Door, the second installment in the Well Springs series. All the characters I came to love in the first book, Soul’s Gate are back…this time with even more challenges as they press into God. The crux of this book is an allegory about how Satan will disguise himself as the angel of light and trick us into believing there are certain parts of us or our past too dangerous to bring into the light. If we just stuff them deep enough, we’ll be okay. But if they ever come out…our lives as we know them are over.
Memory’s Door is a great sequel, but it does not stand alone. This is a series that should be read in order and with a heart open to the idea of having the box we place God in stretched. My husband and I both really enjoy this series and Jim’s writing.
Jim has done something really fun with this book. He’s created a youtube video of a magic trick that is included in the book. Jim used to be a semi-professional magician, so he’s quite good with the trick. Enjoy it below!
August 27, 2013
They Won the Lotto and Didn’t Tell: Guest Post
I love to introduce y’all to my writer friends. Today Nicole Quigley has stopped by with a fun story about faith and family. Her debut Young Adult Novel Like Moonlight at Low Tide is a finalist in the ACFW Carol Award and is getting rave reviews. Without further ado, here’s Nicole!
Cara is a great storyteller, and so I thought I’d share one of my favorite stories from my family on her blog.
My grandparents won the Florida lottery back in the early 1990s and never told a soul. Ok, it wasn’t the big jackpot, but it was a kindly little sum that certainly would have made news around my Irish family faster than we could say, “Let’s open a pub.”
We found out The Secret years later, the week we buried my grandfather. When we began to call funeral homes, my grandmother broke down in tears from the terrible guilt of it all.
“I wanted to tell you, but your Poppo wouldn’t let me!” My poor, blue-eyed grandmother had probably never kept a secret that long in her life.
Poppo was a prudent WWII vet who decided to put the winnings toward pre-planned funerals for the both of them, a wise decision that helped lighten the burden off of the family when the time came.
I smile now when I think of the things my loved ones and I will discover about each other after we pass on. “You mean to tell me they had this all along?”
So often in well-intentioned churches we talk about our loved ones who don’t yet believe. We wait hopefully for them to come to know the Lord who loves them so God may be glorified and they can share in His joy. And perhaps, in some small-minded way we stuff down deep inside, we look forward to the day when we can simply say, “Now you see what I’ve been talking about!”
But, oh, does my grandfather’s little lesson remind me that there will be another side to that story. There will come a day when all of our loved ones will see the Lord in all his glory, what he’s done, and all he offers. And they’ll come to see that not only did we Christians have a relationship with Jesus to get us through life, we had God’s word as well—everything we need to live lives of service and love.
A study by Lifeway Research last year suggests that only 19 percent of church goers read their Bible every day. Although the good news was that nearly 40 percent read their Bible at least one a week, it still reminds me of how many of us don’t read our Bible as if it were, you know, what we keep telling everyone it is—the very Word of God. Why that would be like having a winning lottery ticket and never cashing it in! I am writing this piece because I am no better.
In a world filled with the wonder of back porches and fireflies, nursery schools and wise old grandfathers, we must treasure the great love letter from our Creator—because of our reverence for the author and also our love for those who will never read it.
When we meet our friends in that new morning, I hope they will not wonder at why we would have had a treasure and kept it buried. Rather, I hope they will be able to say about us much what my family can say about my grandparents.
They had a treasure, and they used it well to prepare them for heaven. And because they did this, it helped lighten our burden, too.
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” –Matthew 4:4
Nicole Quigley is the author of young adult fiction novel Like Moonlight at Low Tide (Zondervan). USA Today calls her award winning debut “a darkly poignant inspirational romance that will linger in the mind long after reading it.” Visit Nicole online at www.facebook.com/nicolequigleybooks and www.nicolequigleybooks.com.
On Distant Shores Review
Sarah Sundin is masterful at capturing the special WWII era. That’s one reason I’m so excited to be writing a WWII Novella collection with her — stay tuned! On Distant Shores is the latest foray into that generation…and with another flight nurse. Her depictions of flight nurses has convinced my daughter that is the career for her. And in this one her hero is a pharmacist — a job Sarah fills when she isn’t writing. Read this book and you will find rich characters, a setting you can see and touch, and a story that winds its way into your heart. All while reading about the Greatest Generation.
Caught between the war raging around them and the battles within, two souls long for peace—and a love that remains true.
Lt. Georgiana Taylor has everything she could want. A boyfriend back home, a loving family, and a challenging job as a flight nurse. But in July 1943, Georgie’s cozy life gets more complicated when she meets pharmacist Sgt. John Hutchinson.Hutch resents the lack of respect he gets as a noncommissioned serviceman and hates how the war keeps him from his fiancée. While Georgie and Hutch share a love of the starry night skies over Sicily, their lives back home are falling apart. Can they weather the hurt and betrayal? Or will the pressures of war destroy the fragile connection they’ve made?
With her signature attention to detail and her talent for bringing characters together, Sarah Sundin weaves an exciting tale of emotion, action, and romance that will leave you wanting more.
Learn more at Sarah’s website.
August 25, 2013
Mackinac Island is the Perfect Setting
Once we arrived, it didn’t take long to learn the island residents have worked hard to preserve a feel of days long ago. It took even less time to fall in love with
this retreat. Researching and then writing A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island was truly a dream come true for me.
We’ve stayed at the Grand, in B&Bs and in Mackinaw City. Each time, I couldn’t wait to reach the island and explore its roads, shops, and Fort. It was only natural that it became the perfect place to set a contemporary romance.
From the moment I stepped off the ferry and heard the clip-clopping of horses’ hooves along the island’shistoric Main Street, I was transported back a good hundred years. Pronounced “Mackinaw” like Mackinaw City (but spelled differently so the post office could differentiate between the island and town), Mackinac Island is a place that time seemed to forget.
The diverse history on this island goes back hundreds of years, when Native Americans considered the island the home of their Great Spirit and local tribes gathered there each summer to fish. In the 1700s, lucrative French and American fur companies made their homes and millions of dollars on Mackinac until the British took over during the War of 1812 and held the island for three years before returning it to the United States. Then, in 1819, the first steamship of tourists arrived. The tourists have never stopped coming.
A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island: Join attorney Alanna Stone as she returns home despite her determination to never set foot on Mackinac Island again. Once again in close proximity to Jonathan Covington, her first love, she vows to protect her privacy and her heart from the man who still makes her pulse race. But when her worst fears are realized and history repeats itself—landing her in the midst of a murder investigation—Jonathan may be her only hope. Will they be able to lay aside the past and let God heal their hearts, or will reconciliation come too late? Read the first chapter here. A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island can also be found in Waterfront Weddings .
August 22, 2013
Icing on the Cake Review
The Icing on the Cake is the latest book from comedic romance author extraordinaire Janice Thompson. Scarlet just wants to chase her dream and maybe find love for herself as she creates beautiful cakes for brides around Galveston. Join her on a journey that is filled with humor, love and a great cast of side-kicks. Along the way she learns that life may not follow the path we imagine, but that’s okay. In fact, the one God has for us may be better (we all should know this, right?).
“This breezy, fun-filled romance is sure to please.”—Library Journal
Scarlet isn’t sure if she has just the right ingredients for true love—or utter disaster
Scarlet Lindsey is busy making her dreams come true. She’s moved her bakery to a prime spot on Galveston’s most popular street, she’s planning an extravagant cake for her best friend’s wedding, and she has a great relationship with Bella Neeley, the island’s most popular wedding coordinator. Business is booming and Scarlet is enjoying the ride.
But when Bella’s dangerously handsome brother Armando breezes into her life, Scarlet is faced with a sticky situation. Should she stay with the safe, sweet guy who’s been a fixture in her life for years? Or will this brash Italian hunk melt her guarded heart?
Fan favorite Janice Thompson is back with more wit, more weddings, and more of what you love best—bridal-business drama laced with laughs.
August 20, 2013
Word of the Year: Restoration
In the past, I’ve asked God for a word for the year. One year it was believe. This was the year of my first miscarriage. Things were moving forward in writing with contracts. But I couldn’t reconcile my faith with what had happened and was scared to ask for more in any area of my life.
Another year it was trust.
This year, I didn’t really get one. I kept seeing what other people posted and kept thinking, “oh, that’s a good one.” Then I’d read another and want that to be mine — you know how there are some words you want and others you don’t?
And I don’t know if this is so much my word, but it seems to be the theme as I look around at our church: Restoration (the replacement or giving back of something lost or stolen).
I am seeing God answer long held prayers. The kind that have been prayed for years. He is opening doors that seemed nailed shut. He’s giving more than people had asked. He’s providing a way where there seems to be no way.
This doesn’t mean I don’t see people still hurting, wondering how to pay the bills, etc. But He is moving in truly miraculous ways to restore what our enemy stole. My faith is engaged and energized. I have a sense of expectation that God will continue to restore in dramatic ways.
Have you seen God restore? What is your word?
August 18, 2013
Mourning turned into Dancing
Six years ago, I experienced my first miscarriage. Sometime about now that baby would have been born. If you know anything about my story, you know that was a deep valley in my soul. I still cry when I think of that time and that loss.
My arms still feel empty at times. And I’ll catch myself looking at our four healthy, beautiful children and wonder about the two we haven’t met yet. I’ll be completely fine, and then something will spark a wondering.
Why?
I won’t know this side of heaven.
But this I do know. God is a God of restoration. For each baby we lost, we have a child who delights my heart. One I cannot imagine my family without. And the timing of it all dictates that with one I wouldn’t have the other.
I can sing with abandon that God makes all things new. That it is okay to wrestle with God. As Beth Moore said in a CD I listened to this week, it’s when we wrestle with God that we are still turned toward Him. In those dark days, you might find me curled on the floor, but you would always find me asking God why. Demanding answers. Desperate to see how He could turn my pain into good. He has and He will if you are in a similar position.
This I know to the very core of who I am. God will take your pain and give you joy. He’ll give you a new name like He did Jacob after Jacob wrestled. Our questions don’t scare God.
August 16, 2013
Rules of Murder Giveaway
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Rules of Murder
Bethany House Publishers (August 1, 2013)
by
Julianna DeeringI have already talked about how much I LOVED this book here. So I’m thrilled that I have a copy to giveaway. Just continue to the end of this post to participate. If you need a refresher, here’s why I loved Rules of Murder :
The first Drew Farthering book has me longing for the next…immediately. I am a huge fan of classic black & white murder mysteries like the Thin Man series of movies. Rules of Murder made me think of those, only with the British accent of a Maisie Dobbs mystery. I ADORED it. And I don’t state that lightly.
Drew Farthering is a British playboy in search of a purpose. The purpose flops in his lap as two people are murdered at his country estate on one night. As he investigates he gets help from his sidekick Nick and an American gal who has come to visit her uncle, his stepfather. There’s corporate espionage, murder, mayhem, and an attempt to break all ten of the rules for not solving a murder. I loved the romance — the interplay between Drew and Madeline was wonderful if occasionally over the top as the last murder unfolds.
This book gets five solid stars from me. Bring on the next Drew Farthering mystery. The sooner the better!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
JULIANNA DEERING has always been an avid reader and a lover of storytelling, whether on the page, the screen or the stage. This, along with her keen interest in history and her Christian faith, shows in her tales of love, forgiveness and triumph over adversity. A fifth-generation Texan, she makes her home north of Dallas with three spoiled cats and, when not writing, spends her free time quilting, cross stitching and watching NHL hockey. Her new series of Drew Farthering mysteries set in 1930s England debuts with Rules of Murder (Bethany House, 2013) and will be followed by Death by the Book (Bethany House, 2014).
ABOUT THE BOOK
Downton Abbey Meets Agatha Christie in This Sparkling Mystery
Drew Farthering loves a good mystery, although he generally expects to find it in the pages of a novel, not on the grounds of his country estate. When a weekend party at Farthering Place is ruined by murder and the police seem flummoxed, Drew decides to look into the crime himself. With the help of his best friend, Nick Dennison, an avid mystery reader, and Madeline Parker, a beautiful and whip-smart American debutante staying as a guest, the three try to solve the mystery as a lark, using the methods from their favorite novels.
Soon, financial irregularities at Drew’s stepfather’s company come to light and it’s clear that all who remain at Farthering Place could be in danger. Trying hard to remain one step ahead of the killer–and trying harder to impress Madeline–Drew must decide how far to take this game.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Rules of Murder, go HERE.
August 13, 2013
Doing the Work of Weeding
Our yard suffered with us spending last summer in Germany. Neighbors did an AMAZING job keeping the front yard alive during a drought, but the backyard became infested with weeds. Weeds like I’ve never seen.
That means this summer, I’ve spent pockets of time outside yanking weeds out by as much root as I can. Monday night we had a great rain, so Tuesday I was outside pulling a small mountain of dandelions and other, unnamed weeds. (The pile is really more impressive than the photo shows)
It was a hot process. My back began to ache. I even got a little sweaty — amazing considering it wasn’t quite seventy degrees outside. And for every weed I pulled, ten waited. I’d make a little progress and then look around and wonder what I’d accomplished.
It made me think about faith. I have pockets of sin. Areas of character that blemish an otherwise green field. If I leave the sin in place, it grows, the roots go deeper, and it pushes out the Christ-like areas in my life. If I ignore them, before long my life is covered in sin.
But when I’m willing to do the work, God comes alongside me. His Spirit gives me the strength and courage to keep pulling just one more weed. Life may be a process of pulling one more weed, but I believe it will reveal more of Christ each time.
So let’s look for those times when conditions are ripe. The grounds wet, the tools are at hand, and let’s dig deeper into Christ so we can yank out the roots of sin and self. Anyone want to join me?
August 11, 2013
What do we do when life changes…unexpectedly?
[image error]Thursday I started orientation at Purdue for the Weekend MBA program. Talk about a curveball or plot twist that I didn’t anticipate even five weeks ago. It’s a change that I started looking into toward the end of June, and by July 5th it was beginning to look like it might happen, but it wasn’t until we got back from North Carolina that I realized “Hey, I’m really going back to school.”
Do you ever have those times in life when you can see God’s invisible hand? It seems counter intuitive, doesn’t it? How can you see something that is unseen? I’m sure most of the actors in this little drama would never imagine they were being used by Him.
Yet as I kept praying and evaluating, it became clear He was directing this step. How? First, Eric and I were in agreement when it came down to whether I should join the program. Let’s face it: our life is crazy, busy, erratic, and only getting more so. But the more I explored and prayed, it became crystal clear to both of us that this was the right time and the right place. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to move one step beyond or behind God. So for Eric and I to be in agreement on this type of life change and committment was critical to me.
Second, He’d replanted the idea that maybe I should start considering a MBA again in my mind. Years ago, right out of undergrad when I was trying to decide what to do for grad school, a MBA competed with a law degree until I learned I’d have to wait and take the GRE or GMAT. I’d already done well on the LSAT and I really wanted to go the law school direction. About five years ago when it became clear I would teach more than one class in the graduate management programs at Purdue, I looked at it, but the timing and price just didn’t make sense. By May of this year, my teaching load was increasing enough that the idea began to tickle that maybe I should explore it again, but life was too busy to do more than think about it.
Third, my mentor at Purdue suggested I consider it. Then he worked to open some doors to make it possible. He followed up with others and me even as his life is taking him many different directions. And the Weekend MBA folks made it clear there was a place for me and they’d do what they could to make it possible.
Now I’ve live through the first weekend of classes, around 35 more weekends to go. I loved it. I’m exhausted, but the challenge of being in the classroom and learning with others is invigorating.
So many times in my life, this process has happened. Step by step God engages me with a thought and then opens the doors even when I’m not sure how it will all work. This process is an act of obedience for me. I have a couple loose ideas about how I could use a MBA…I have the sense I’ll know for sure in about ten years.
How have you seen God work in your life? Does He use a similar process or a different one?
