Julie Arduini's Blog, page 114

Don’t Miss This: Catch of a Lifetime by Candee Fick

I wanted to introduce a monthly feature where I share a book that I want to make sure you take notice of and hopefully purchase. Think Oprah on a budget.

I kick things off with the debut romance from Candee Fick, Catch of a Lifetime.

My book review will post tomorrow but here’s a book description:

Can she forget the fumbles of her past and open her heart to love?

He breathes football. She shudders at the very mention of the sport.

After a tragedy involving a football player destroyed her family, athletic trainer and graduate student, Cassie moves across the country looking for a fresh start, but a change in financial aid lands her in the middle of her worst nightmare.

Meanwhile, rookie coach Reed worries his dream career will slip away as injuries plague his players and his star receiver teeters on the brink of ineligibility. As the two work together to salvage the season, sparks fly, and Reed must eventually choose between the game and the woman he loves.

Clean & Wholesome Romance

With fall comes football and for me, I love to read while a game is on. I’ll look at the score just to have enough info to carry a conversation on with my husband. But to watch Candee blend football and romance, I had to make this my first post about what I don’t want you to miss.

Candee Fick knows what she’s writing about. She’s the wife of a high school football coach and the mother of three children, including a daughter with a rare genetic syndrome. When not busy with her day job or writing, she can be found cheering on the home team at football, basketball, baseball, and Special Olympics games. As a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), she has been a Genesis Award double finalist and winner over several years.

Friends, don’t miss this!

To purchase Catch of a Lifetime, click here.

Tags:  Candee Fick, debut romance, Don't Miss This: Catch of a Lifetime by Candee Fick, fiction, football, Julie Arduini, new book release, romance




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 Explaining My Surrender Tagline  12 Pearls of Christmas | Day 3 - Who is Mr. Carbunkle? by Debora M. Coty  COTT: Ann Gaylia O'Barr's A Sense of Mission  COTT: Until the Harvest by Sarah Loudin Thomas  Character Confession: The Independence Day InjectionCopyright © Author Julie Arduini [Don't Miss This: Catch of a Lifetime by Candee Fick], All Right Reserved. 2015.

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The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving by Nike Chillemi

The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving by Nike Chillemi

 

The Bible talks about “the sacrifice of thanksgiving.” Most of us don’t like to sacrifice anything. We think: suffering, forfeiting, losing, renouncing, and/or kiss it goodbye. Simply pondering “the sacrifice of thanksgiving” turns our thinking around on the notion of “sacrifice”.

 

The Bible tells us to “enter into His gates with thanksgiving.” We are allowed to enter into His holy space, into the gates of His abode with by giving Him thanksgiving. We’re offering up thanks to Him. We are kissing something goodbye and that something is self. When we offer Him thanksgiving we’re acknowledging that He is the One who bestowed blessing upon us. We didn’t do it ourselves.

 

Psalm 100:3-5King James Version (KJV) ~ 3  Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

 

It might be just me, but I think thanksgiving is the beginning of reverence. Reverence for this awesome God is so necessary. I’m totally in awe that the sacrifice of thanksgiving allows me entrance through the gates of God’s habitation.

I’ve heard secularists say if God is God He should do thus-and-so…He should be nice, according to their definition of nice. God the Creator of the universe has many names in the Bible, but “nice” isn’t one of them. If we were to stand on the sun and look down on the earth, man would be a speck of dust. Who is this speck of dust to tell God what He should be?

When I offer thanksgiving unto God from my heart, the core of my being, I find that peace follows. I’m at peace in my spirit. When I offer thanksgiving, I’m not reminding God about what He’s given me, what good He’s bestowed upon me. He hasn’t forgotten. I’m reminding myself and it gives me pause. It gives me peace.

In the just released second book in my detective series, DEADLY DESIGNS, heroine Veronica “Ronnie” Ingels is having a problem with God. She’d had no peace where God is concerned since the first novel in the series, HARMFUL INTENT. She believes in the supernatural, even believes in God, but she’s mad at him. Her earthly father deserted her and her mother, so Ronnie is taking it out on her heavenly father. As DEADLY DESIGNS opens, Ronnie sees very little reason to be thankful to God. Deputy sheriff Lt. Dawson Hughes, who is a good deal more than merely attracted to Ronnie, once believed deeply in God and often wishes he could get that faith back again.

 

Blurb:

Private investigator Veronica “Ronnie” Ingels teams up with Deputy Dawson Hughes to find a geeky radio broadcaster’s missing wife and young daughter. They fear the woman and child were taken by Islamic terrorists as revenge against the husband’s pro-Israel, conspiracy theory broadcasts. The investigation takes Ronnie and Hughes from a manicured Connecticut estate, to interviews with an elitist A-List society crowd, and run-ins with cranky local police detectives. Then they plunge deep into the seamy, drug-riddled underbelly of the fashion world, with the specter of international terrorism hovering.

 

Hughes has recently been promoted to lieutenant in the Taylor County, Texas Sheriff’s Department. He’s on leave on a special assignment with Authorized Operations (AO), a clandestine, quasi-government agency operating out of a sea-side mansion in Hither Hills, NY. The only thing is, many powerful politicians, and government big-wigs claim Authorized Operations doesn’t exist.

Ronnie is furious at both Hughes and the broadcaster for waiting thirty-six hours to start the search. She knows the longer it takes, the less chance there is of finding the child alive. The problem is, radio talk-show host Ed Harper has been hoping-against-hope that his pot-smoking, model wife is on one of her ‘esoteric experiences’ and has simply taken the child while she romps for a few days. He doesn’t want to seriously consider the other, more hazardous possibility… that his radio broadcasts have angered some very dangerous people.

 

 

Bio:

Like so many writers, Nike Chillemi started writing at a very young age. She still has the Crayola, fully illustrated book she penned (colored might be more accurate) as a little girl about her then off-the-chart love of horses. Today, you might call her a crime fictionista. Her passion is crime fiction. She likes her bad guys really bad and her good guys smarter and better.

Nike is the founding board member of the Grace Awards and is its Chair, a reader’s choice awards for excellence in Christian fiction. She has been a judge in the 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 Carol Awards in the suspense, mystery, and romantic suspense categories; and an Inspy Awards 2010 judge in the Suspense/Thriller/Mystery category. Her four novel Sanctuary Point series, set in the mid-1940s has finaled, won an award, and garnered critical acclaim. HARMFUL INTENT released under the auspices of her own publishing company, Crime Fictionista Press, won in the Grace Awards 2014 Mystery/Thriller/Romantic Suspense/Historic Suspense category. Her new release is DEADLY DESIGNS. She has written book reviews for The Christian Pulse online magazine. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and John 3:16 Marketing Network.  http://nikechillemi.wordpress.com/

 

 

 

Tags:  author, Deadly Designs, guest blogger, Julie Arduini, Nike Chillemi, thankful, Thanksgiving, The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving by Nike Chillemi




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 A2Z Meme: All the Things I've Loved Before  Two Free Webinars for Women You Should Know About  COTT: Cynthia L. Simmons Interviews 2012 Laurel Award Winner Laura V. Hilton  Sabbath Sunday: Swampy Yard  Some Fun Writing AnswersCopyright © Author Julie Arduini [The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving by Nike Chillemi], All Right Reserved. 2015.

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Grateful by Lillian Duncan

It’s November and that means Thanksgiving. Yes, we all love the turkey and pumpkin pie! Well, actually I don’t like the pie, but that’s beside the point. Thanksgiving was created as a day to focus on all the blessings God’s given up in the previous year, but sometimes that can be a little difficult.

 

Like when you have brain tumors.

 

I was diagnosed with brain tumors more than three years ago. These past three years have been filled with doctors’ appointments, treatments, side effects from the treatments, and some permanent problems because of the tumors. I’m completely deaf in one ear and partially deaf in the other. Along with that I have to use a cane because of damage to my balance system.

 

So you might think, it would be a little difficult for me to be grateful about anything, right? Wrong! There are so many things I’m grateful to God for. Most of all, I’m grateful God has been with me through it all. Every time I’ve needed him, he’s been there. My prayer throughout this ordeal has been for me to stay in his peace and joy. Amazingly enough, I have most of the time. And the times I haven’t was because I took my eyes off him, just as Peter did when he walked on water.

 

One thing I’ve learned through all of this is that God is always there. We’re the ones who look away—not him. And all we have to do when we look away is to look back. He’ll be there waiting for us.

 

I’m also so grateful for a wonderful husband who has been amazing throughout the whole process and that I still have enough residual hearing to carry on a conversation with him, listen to his corny jokes, and hear him sing.

 

And last but not least, I’m so grateful that I’ve been able to continue writing throughout the whole ordeal. In fact, I’ve received 7 book contracts since being diagnosed with the brain tumors, including my latest release-No Home For The Holidays.

 

No Home For The Holidays is a Christmas-themed story. It’s part of my publisher’s annual Christmas Extravaganza. Each year, they release twenty-five novelettes (meaning short novels) that all have a Christmas theme in all different sorts of genres. So there’s something for everyone, no matter what you enjoy reading.

 

I love finding a way to mix suspense into a Christmas story. There’s always so many possibilities for what the characters can learn as they journey through the story. And, of course, I love all the Christmas symbolism available during my favorite time of the year.

 

In No Home For The Holidays, Chloe Sullivan needs a miracle but has given up on getting it. As sad as it is, she’s resigned to the fact that she has to stay in hiding if she wants to remain alive as well as keep her family safe.

 

Ex-FBI turned preacher, Colton Douglas believes in helping others. When Chloe enters his life, he’s sure God has put her in his path for a reason—to help her. And that’s just what he plans to do, whether she likes it or not.

 

Both Colton and Chloe learn a great deal about themselves and about life as they face death.

Tags:  brain tumors, Julie Arduini, Lillian Duncan, No Home for the Holidays, thankful, Thankful: Lillian Duncan, Thanksgiving




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 I Recommend: Childhood Cancer Awareness Month  COTT: Captured by Moonlight by Christine Lindsay  Guest Blogger Author Susan May Warren: Take a Chance on Darek Christiansen  Character Confession: A Divided Heart  An Interview with Tiny Hands Gift Book Author Leanne StevensonCopyright © Author Julie Arduini [Grateful by Lillian Duncan], All Right Reserved. 2015.

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Thankful Series Kicks Off

It’s weird, this year.

Each October I start promoting the need for guest posts from people from every walk of life to say why they are thankful. Most years I receive so many submissions they spill into December.

They have been short, long, from women, men, authors and readers. From Ohio, from across the pond.

This year, they aren’t coming in.

Are people too busy? Are they not seeing my invite? Or, are they no longer thankful?

Perhaps it’s a mix. Or, maybe God’s got a plan I need to roll with.

Maybe I’m supposed to share why I’m thankful.

Unless I get more submissions, that’s what I’ll do. I’ll take every day I have a vacancy and share why I am thankful.

Starting today.

I’m thankful this blog exists. It’s the first evidence of my obedience to write as God leads. I wrote past the fear and in time, He healed me from worry and what people thought. Through the years I’ve received incredible feedback from people who read a post and thought I was in their window. Nope, just being obedient and writing as God directed.

These days this blog is only one of many things I do.  I’m in the middle of a three book series. I’m pondering writing a rough draft for NaNoWriMo. I market my work and enjoy cross promoting other authors. I’m still a wife and mom. I enjoy ministering to women and young ladies through my home church.

But this little blog is my baby.

And I’m thankful you read it!

Tags:  author, blogging, Julie Arduini, marketing, mom, thankful, Thankful Series Kicks Off, wife




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 12 Pearls of Christmas---Suzanne Woods Fisher's A Christmas of Kindness  Book Review: Lady Blues: Forget-Me-Not by Aaron Paul Lazar  Book Review: The Prince Who Was Just Himself by Silke Schnee  Author Blog Hop: Spectacular Falls  Book Review: The Firefighter's Promise by Patricia JohnsCopyright © Author Julie Arduini [Thankful Series Kicks Off], All Right Reserved. 2015.

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Book Review: NIV Bible for Teen Girls

Book Description:

The NIV Bible for Teen Girls, designed specifically for girls ages 13 to 18, is for real teenage girls with real lives. Packed with daily readings, highlighted promises of God, challenging insights, smart advice, and open discussion about the realities of life, this Bible is designed to help teen girls grow in faith, hope, and love. The NIV Bible for Teen Girls is as sincere about your walk with God as you are, helping you discover his will for all areas of your life, including relating to your family, dealing with friends, work, sports, guys, and so much more.

 

Features include:

 

 

Daily readings for teen girls by popular Christian female authors (Annie Downs, Bekah Hamrick Martin, Christine Caine, Crystal Kirgiss, Bethany Hamilton, Nicole Weider, Elsa Kok Colopy, Denise Van Eck and more)

 

Character profiles of women in the Bible

 

Book introductions for each book of the Bible

 

Highlighted promises of God: verses worth remembering

 

A concordance for help in finding verses

 

The complete text of the bestselling New International Version (NIV) of the Bible

I spend a decent amount of time with teen girls.  Some I have known since early elementary school where reading the Bible was exciting and something easy to challenge them to make part of their daily routine.

The teen years? It’s a challenge to challenge them. When they do open a Bible, it’s usually an app on their Smartphone. So when I see a traditional Bible, I’m skeptical. I don’t see teens carry them around much anymore.

I loved that this Bible has character introductions, daily readings, character profiles and a concordance. I have no problem with the NIV translation. However, I didn’t find the book visually stimulating. I tried to look at it as one of the girls, and they can pull up a verse in a bigger font on their phone. They can find commentaries and concordances. Reading plans from Christian women they admire. With all that, I think a hand held Bible has to compete for reader attention. I know it’s God’s word and that should be enough. But…teens have so much competing for their attention. I wish the NIV Bible for Teen Girls had more to see than a pink outline here and there and very small font.

To purchase the NIV Bible for Teen Girls, click here.

I received the NIV Bible for Teen Girls from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.


Tags:  Bible, book review, Book Review: NIV Bible for Teen Girls, Julie Arduini, teen girls




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 Help! Chocolate Ricecakes Don't Taste Like a DQ Peanut Buster Parfait...  Character Confession: God Help Us All  What I Learned from My Dream--And it Could Be Your Lesson, Too  Book Review: Yes or No by Jeff Shinabarger  A2Z Meme: Gimme a Break This Summer VacationCopyright © Author Julie Arduini [Book Review: NIV Bible for Teen Girls], All Right Reserved. 2015.

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Sabbath Sunday: Thankful

Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakeable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping Him with holy fear and awe. Hebrews 12:28, NLT

Each year I dedicate my blog to the theme of thankfulness and invite others to share why they are thankful. Children, adults, a paragraph, anything up to 750 words, I’m looking for it all. It doesn’t have to be fancy or professional. Just write why you are thankful.

It’s that easy.

Send your post, signed as you want the world to know you, to me at juliearduini@juliearduini.com and with a bio and optional headshot. If you are an author, you’re welcome to submit your information as long as you remember the main idea is a thankful post.

The slots go fairly fast, so don’t wait. Send your thankful posts now. Let’s combat negativity with hope and inspiration.

Tags:  JulieArduini.com, November 2015, Sabbath Sunday: Thankful, thankful, thankfulness, Thanksgiving




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 CHRISTMAS BONUS: The Christmas Concert Disaster by Ruth O'Neil  Video of the Week: The Southland Series by Mary Hawkins  Two Free Webinars for Women You Should Know About  Book Review: Dale Recinella's Now I Walk on Death Row  Letting Go of the Good StuffCopyright © Author Julie Arduini [Sabbath Sunday: Thankful], All Right Reserved. 2015.

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Book Review: The Prince Who Was Just Himself by Silke Schnee

Book Description:

The royal couple is looking forward to their third child. “He looks a little different,” muses the king at Prince Noah’s arrival. “He is not like the others,” agrees the queen. Soon they notice what a very special person he is, even though he can’t do everything his brothers can.

When the youngest prince disarms the cruel knight Scarface, the nation’s most dreaded enemy, with an act of compassion, everyone finally realizes how good it is that each person is unique.

This delightfully illustrated fairy tale for children three years and older instills appreciation for children with Down syndrome and other developmental challenges, making it a valuable aid for teaching tolerance in the home or classroom.

First, I signed on to review this months ago and was frustrated as the book never arrived. I contacted the publisher and never heard back. Then, I received word that it was mailed to my former home. I was able to pick it up, and here we are. I apologize for the delay.

Now, what a delightful book. I think The Prince Who Was Just Himself is an excellent conversation starter with children and Down’s Syndrome.  Prince Noah is the newest prince and he doesn’t look like the others. He doesn’t run like anyone else, and he doesn’t say a lot. When it comes to fighting the villain, Scarface, Prince Noah’s approach is different, too.

This is a touching book with a beautiful message and vibrant illustrations. Recommended for ages 3-9, I think this is a needed book for all libraries, classrooms, and homes.

To purchase The Prince Who Was Just Himself, click here.

I received The Prince Who Was Just Himself from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Tags:  book review, Book Review: The Prince Who Was Just Himself by Silke Schnee, children's book, Down's Syndrome, Julie Arduini




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 COTT: Speak No Evil by Mary Hamilton Wins Clash  Suggestions for Facebook Success  Sabbath Sunday: It's That Simple Like Me  Clash of the Titles: Vote for Your Favorite Book Cover and Blurb  Book Review: Raspberries and Vinegar by Valerie ComerCopyright © Author Julie Arduini [Book Review: The Prince Who Was Just Himself by Silke Schnee], All Right Reserved. 2015.

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COTT: The Bound Heart by Dawn Crandall Wins Laurel Award

*

2015
LAUREL AWARD WINNER!



On September 2, 2015, The Bound Heart took home Clash of the Titles’s fifth annual Laurel Award. Over the course of six weeks, the novel’s first chapters were read and judged by avid readers of Christian fiction who determined The Bound Heart to be the worthiest to receive the

2015 Laurel Award.

Clash of the Titles extends a heartfelt congratulations to author Dawn Crandall for her exemplary writing. We wish God’s richest blessings on her future work.

 

About The Bound Heart:

One accidental kiss. That was all it took to throw Meredyth Summercourt’s world upside-down. Determined to marry the ever-elusive Vance Everstone, she simply doesn’t have the time or the desire to fall for her friend Lawry Hampton. However, with Vance out of the country and Lawry constantly at her side, Meredyth can’t help but wonder if what’s holding her to Vance is nothing more than a desire to redeem herself from their unfortunate past.





When Vance comes home to stake his claim on Meredyth, will she be strong enough to break free from the tangled web she’s convinced she deserves? Or will she find the strength to accept that God’s plan for her life could include redemption… and quite possibly the love of her best-friend?

PURCHASE YOUR COPY

Now in PAPERBACK!

LISTEN TO A RADIO INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR!

About Dawn:

A graduate of Taylor University with a degree in Christian Education, and a former bookseller at Barnes & Noble, Dawn Crandall didn’t begin writing until 2010. That is the year she shared with her husband her long-time dream of writing books. He encouraged her to quit her job and to pursue her passion to write stories. Apart from writing books, Dawn also recently became a mother—she and her husband were blessed with a baby boy in March 2014. She also serves with her husband in a premarriage mentor program at their local church in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Connect with Dawn online:

www.dawncrandall.blogspot.com

www.FaceBook.com/DawnCrandallWritesFirst

www.twitter.com/dawnwritesfirst

www.APassionforPages.blogspot.com

www.pinterest.com/dawnwritesfirst

dawncrandallwritesfirst@gmail.com

*begin

Tags:  Clash of the Titles, COTT: The Bound Heart by Dawn Crandall Wins Laurel Award, Dawn Crandall, fiction, Julie Arduini, The Bound Heart, The Laurel Award




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 Sabbath Sunday: I Don't Feel So Alone  Sabbath Sunday: I Got This  Saturday Confession: Close Enough  Character Confession: Passionate  Character Confession: I Don't Feel Like DancingCopyright © Julie Arduini [COTT: The Bound Heart by Dawn Crandall Wins Laurel Award], All Right Reserved. 2015.

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Sabbath Sunday: Thankful

Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakeable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping Him with holy fear and awe. Hebrews 12:28, NLT

Each year I dedicate my blog to the theme of thankfulness and invite others to share why they are thankful. Children, adults, a paragraph, anything up to 750 words, I’m looking for it all. It doesn’t have to be fancy or professional. Just write why you are thankful.

It’s that easy.

Send your post, signed as you want the world to know you, to me at juliearduini@juliearduini.com and with a bio and optional headshot. If you are an author, you’re welcome to submit your information as long as you remember the main idea is a thankful post.

The slots go fairly fast, so don’t wait. Send your thankful posts now. Let’s combat negativity with hope and inspiration.

Tags:  Hebrews 12:28, Julie Arduini, November 2015, thankful, thankfulness, Thanksgiving




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 12 Pearls of Christmas---Debora M. Coty's Inside Out Christmas  Character Confession: Happy to Teach the Professionals  Invisible Illness Week 2015: I Fight Against Ignorance  BookSneeze Blogger Review- Sheila Walsh: How to be God's Little Princess  Booksneeze Book Review: Max Lucado's Max on LifeCopyright © Julie Arduini [Sabbath Sunday: Thankful], All Right Reserved. 2015.

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Saturday Confession: I’m Looking at You, Coconut Head

When our son was three, I took him to a McDonald’s play place. He zoomed to the top and hung out there for awhile. I kept looking but didn’t see him on the move. It wasn’t long before I heard crying.

It was him.

I climbed through the maze and made my way to the top. A pre school crowd gathered around him to comfort him, until they saw me. And zoom, everyone was gone.

I asked what was wrong and with big tears and a shaky voice, he confessed a kid called him…coconut head.

Once I talked him down to the ground and we discussed building up, tearing down and choosing to receive negative words, we went home and I thought it was over.

I’m not kidding, for two years I would walk in on him playing. Whether it was soldiers or stuffed animals, he re enacted that scene. The difference was, in his role play, he got the last word.

This week I’ve wanted to get out my toys and role play. Our son isn’t three but he got a verbal smack down from an adult that hurt him as much as coconut head did. Like that day at McDonalds, he didn’t do anything to bring it on. In fact, in this case, he took steps to make sure he did all the right things. I suspect the adult forgot and needed to cover their behind and my kid got it. When I tried to get clarification, I was pretty much called a coconut head and the discussion was shut down.

Permanently.

I responded with a blessing. I wished them well, and I meant it. It was obvious it was a fight I wasn’t going to win, and neither would our son. I’ve taught him the way we close one door is the way we open the new. Being positive was the best way to respond.

But in the minutes and hours after, I struggled with the temptation to respond.

I had the right to file a complaint, and I would have seen action come from it.

I had the right to go off on social media, and readers would have felt compassion for our kid.

I could have addressed the adult again, bringing up examples from them and others that negated everything she was saying.

And darn it, I could have called them coconut head.

As I stewed and ate my way through the anger, God kept reminding me that the door was closed and He was not approving my taking the reigns and running after a response, as justified as I felt. In fact, He threw something at me that I think has merit.

Maybe that unfair situation was His way of protecting him from future issues.

If that adult or that place has trouble down the road, my kid won’t have to worry because he wasn’t a part of it.  Whatever the case, I went to bed that night realizing God was covering my kid. Being called a coconut head or being treated unjustly stinks. But sometimes that’s part of a bigger plan that would end way worse had we stayed in it or had the last word.

So, I’m asking God to take away my temptation to respond. And give me wisdom for the next time someone I love is called a coconut head.

Can you relate?

WikiHow image

Tags:  bullies, confession, having the last word, Julie Arduini, , Saturday Confession, temptation, words




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 Guest Blog: Unsure About your Career Potential? How to Surrender to Find your Calling  COTT: Midnight on the Mississippi by Mary Ellis Wins Clash  Guest Blogger Laura Hodges Poole: My Middle Name is Not 'Doormat' (& Neither is Yours)  Have a Blessed Thanksgiving!  Saturday Confession: He Knows My VoiceCopyright © Julie Arduini [Saturday Confession: I'm Looking at You, Coconut Head], All Right Reserved. 2015.

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