Julie Arduini's Blog, page 115

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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What God Knew by June Foster

Julie’s Note:

June Foster is a friend who spent a loooonggg time working with me on showing vs telling in my own writing. I’m not a master, but anything I learned, June taught me. It’s my pleasure to introduce you to her latest book.

Book Blurb

Neonatal specialist Dr. Michael Clark is passionate about saving the lives of premature babies. But the pediatrics department at El Camino General can’t provide the care many of his preemies require. Now he wants to build a specialty hospital where he can better care for his young patients.

Tammy Crawford is an accomplished geriatrics RN who wants nothing to do with her sister Joella’s religious beliefs. She’s independent and doesn’t need anyone, including God in pursuing a new job as a nurse practitioner.

When she falls in love with the intriguing Michael Clark, she must reconsider her resolve to devote herself completely to her career and not be distracted by a romantic relationship. Now the obstacles are insurmountable. She’s in love with a man from another culture and a different race.

Michael acknowledges his growing affection for the beautiful nurse yet can’t ignore his brother’s deep racial prejudices.

Can two people who are as different as night and day find a life together?

June Foster Bio:

An award-winning author, June Foster is also a retired teacher with a BA in Education and a MA in counseling. In 2013, June’s book Give Us This Day was a finalist in EPIC’s eBook awards and in 2014 a finalist in the National Readers Choice Awards for best first book. Ryan’s Father won The Clash of the Titles book of the month for January 2014 and was one of three finalists in the published contemporary fiction category of the 2014 Oregon Christian Writers Cascade Writing Contest and Awards. Deliver Us was a finalist in COTT’s 2014 Laurel Awards. June has written four novels for Desert Breeze Publishing. The Bellewood Series, Give Us This Day, As We Forgive, and Deliver Us, and Hometown Fourth of July. Ryan’s Father is available from WhiteFire Publishing. Red and the Wolf, a modern day retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, Books One, Two, and Three in the Almond Tree Series, For All Eternity, Echoes From the Past, and What God Knew are all available from Amazon.com as well as Misty Hollow. June enjoys writing stories about characters who overcome the circumstances in their lives by the power of God and His Word. June uses her training in counseling and her Christian beliefs in creating characters who find freedom to live godly lives. Find June online at http://junefoster.com, @vjifoster for Twitter, and http://facebook.com/AuthorJuneFoster.

 

Buy Link for Book: http://amzn.to/1j8SPTP

Tags:  Almond Tree series, book launch, culture, fiction, interracial relationship, Julie Arduini, June Foster, race, romance, What God Knew by June Foster




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 A Writer's Thanks by Betsy Duffey and Laurie Myers  Have a Better Idea than The Hunger Games? Start Here.  COTT: Five Fab Feb Book Releases  Help! Chocolate Ricecakes Don't Taste Like a DQ Peanut Buster Parfait...  ActivationCopyright © Julie Arduini [What God Knew by June Foster], All Right Reserved. 2015.

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COTT: Reclaimed by Jennifer Rodewald, 2014 Olympia Winner, Now Available

COTT’s 2014 Olympia winner, Reclaimed, launched in September! Author Jennifer Rodewald is pleased to put this winning title in front of readers, especially the COTT judges who fell in love with her story.

 

About the book:

Suzanna Wilton has had a heavy share of heartache in her twenty-seven years. Left wounded by a marriage cut short, she leaves city life to take up residency in a tiny Nebraska town. Her introduction to her neighbor Paul Rustin is a disaster. Assuming he’s as underhanded as the other local cowboys she’s already met, Suzanna greets him with sharp hostility.

Though Paul is offended by Suzanna’s unfriendliness, he can’t stop thinking about her, which unsettles his peaceful life. Intrigued by the woman who lives down the road and propelled by a sense that she carries a painful burden, he frequently drops by to offer help as she adjusts to rural living.

Just as Paul’s kindness begins to melt Suzanna’s frozen heart, a conflict regarding her land escalates in town. Even in the warmth of Paul’s love, resentment keeps a cold grip on her fragile heart.

Will Suzanna ever find peace?

PURCHASE

Amazon

Q: Jennifer, what message or theme do you hope readers will take with them after reading Reclaimed?

A: I put up a promo meme the other day on my Facebook page. This one:

One of my friends posted this response: so thankful He does.

That’s it. Right there.

I write women’s fiction with strong threads of romance, but my heart’s desire is always to point to the romance of heaven, to reflect back to the King’s heart toward his reclaimed bride. He knows every wound, small and festering or fresh and gaping, and He LOVES us. He holds out hope and healing, He waits for us to run into his arms with our heartaches. I think almost every woman’s heart longs for the love of a good man, but ultimately our thirst is for Love. Agape Love, the kind that pours out from heaven to satisfy our thirsty hearts.

About the author:

Jennifer Rodewald is passionate about the Word of God and the powerful vehicle of story. The draw to fiction has tugged hard on her heart since childhood, and when she began pursuing writing she set on stories that reveal the grace of God.

Jen lives and writes in a lovely speck of a town where she watches with amazement while her children grow up way too fast, gardens, and marvels at God’s mighty hand in everyday life. Four kids and her own personal superman make her home in southwestern Nebraska delightfully chaotic.

She would love to hear from you! Please visit her at authorjenrodewald.com or  www.facebook.com/authorjenrodewald.

Tags:  2014 Olympia, 2014 Olympia Winner, COTT, COTT: Reclaimed by Jennifer Rodewald, fiction, Jennifer Rodewald, Julie Arduini, Now Available, olympia, Reclaimed




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 Saturday Confession: I Like to Hustle  Margaret McSweeney Introduces the 12 Pearls of Christmas with the Concept of Juxtaposition  Book Review: Healing Love by Laura V. Hilton  Sabbath Sunday: The Sad Scrapbook  From Transition to Justice: Year in ReviewCopyright © Julie Arduini [COTT: Reclaimed by Jennifer Rodewald, 2014 Olympia Winner, Now Available], 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:  guest bloggers, Julie Arduini, November 2015, Sabbath Sunday: Thankful, thankfulness




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 When God Makes No Sense  Character Confession: Frazzled. I Think That Fits.  My Gift to the King by Sheryl Giesbrecht  And the Survey Says...  Thankful: Jennifer Slattery's Romeo and the Fire in His EyesCopyright © Julie Arduini [Sabbath Sunday: Thankful], All Right Reserved. 2015.

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