Julie Arduini's Blog, page 138

Entrusted Featured in This Week’s Clash of the Titles

This week there is a new clash at Clash of the Titles, COTT, and my own book is one of the contenders. What I love about this competition is that readers choose the winner. They look at a little summary of the book and the cover, and they vote.

If you love Entrusted, I’d appreciate your vote!

Clash of the Titles


Tags:  Adirondack Mountains, author, Clash of the Titles, contemporary romance, COTT, Entrusted, fiction, Julie Arduini




Del.icio.us





Digg



StumbleUpon




Comments:  0 (Zero), Be the first to leave a reply!Take a look!  
 The Writing Trifecta: Writing, Marketing and Motherhood  Guest Blogger Jill Schultz: It Takes a Strong Leader to be an Army Chaplain  Angel at Midnight by Diane Dean White  Character Confession: I'm an Introvert  COTT: Oath of the Brotherhood by C. E. LaureanoCopyright © Julie Arduini [Entrusted Featured in This Week's Clash of the Titles], All Right Reserved. 2014.

The post Entrusted Featured in This Week’s Clash of the Titles appeared first on Julie Arduini.

Book Review: The Day She Died by Bill Garrison

Book Description:

A mystery. In this clean time-travel whodunit, a middle-aged coffee-shop owner always wondered what his life would have been like if he’d stayed in town the day his college fiancee disappeared, the victim of an unsolved crime.

One morning he wakes up 20 years earlier and finds himself a student at the University of Oklahoma again on the day she died. In a journey that takes months, he stumbles over people connected to Kim’s disappearance and puzzles over connecting the dots.

Oddly enough, things are different when he relives sections of his life. For example, as a teen he plays baseball and as an adult he discovers what it’s like to be a Christian pastor, things he never did before.

Can he find some answers about Kim and about his own life? Or prevent Kim’s death? And if he succeeds in changing history, what happens to his wife and kids?

 

I’ll admit, when I learn a book contains time travel, I’m skeptical. Flashback scenes are difficult to write and very few authors do it well. Then when I read that the book is the first from the author, I’m not sure at all.

The Day She Died and Bill Garrison proved me wrong. This time travel mystery and romance is told well, flashbacks and all. I was able to keep track of the characters and the time frame. I loved that I truly didn’t know “the bad person” until the reveal, because I usually guess and am right. The Day She Died was full of surprises but they all made sense for the plot. The author didn’t have to make it work. He told the story well enough he didn’t have to force it.

I also enjoyed the references to the teen and college/young adult years. I was that age then and those were the movies I was going to. The author made these things authentic. I especially appreciate that it’s “clean,” no profanity. Mysteries don’t have to be profane, and I liked that The Day She Died isn’t.

If you’re a mystery and/or romance fan, you’re going to enjoy this story.

To purchase The Day She Died, click here.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

Tags:  Bill Garrison, book review, Julie Arduini, mystery, romance, The Day She Died, time travel




Del.icio.us





Digg



StumbleUpon




Comments:  0 (Zero), Be the first to leave a reply!Take a look!  
 Surrendering Needless Suffering: Guest Blogger Shawna  Word Full Wednesday: No Condemnation  Sabbath Sunday: The Inventor of Tulips  Mother of Pearl Mother's Day Blog Series: How I Learned to Give Up Control by Sue Edwards  COTT: Last Clash of 2012Copyright © Julie Arduini [Book Review: The Day She Died by Bill Garrison], All Right Reserved. 2014.

The post Book Review: The Day She Died by Bill Garrison appeared first on Julie Arduini.

Book Review: Annabelle’s Angel by Therese M. Travis

Book Description:

Annabelle Archer has been crushing on Rick Stockton for years. And now, when he notices her, it’s only because her brothers and sisters make it impossible for him to miss her. Annabelle still hasn’t decided if God’s will means she spends her life taking care of her six siblings, or if He has more in mind for her.Rick Stockton doesn’t mind that church activities and Annabelle’s brothers and sisters keep throwing Annabelle and Rick together. He just isn’t sure what it means. But as the kids keep trying to turn Rick into a snow angel—with sugar, baby powder, and more—he’ll work on figuring it out. Spending time with Annabelle’s family gives Rick a longing for one of his own…and an idea to make it happen.This Christmas, Annabelle may just find there’s a special angel in her corner, one that will stick around for a lifetime.

 

 

I’m a sucker for Christmas romances and Annabelle’s Angel has everything you want. A festive cover drew me in and a sweet story filled with children, a sibling seeking God’s will and a man open to whatever God has for for him kept me engaged. It’s impossible not to love the kids and their mischief and root for Rick and Annabelle.

This is a quick read and just the thing to put you in the Christmas spirit.

To purchase Annabelle’s Angel, click here.

Tags:  Annabelle's Angel, book review, Christmas romance, Julie Arduini, novella, Therese M. Travis




Del.icio.us





Digg



StumbleUpon




Comments:  0 (Zero), Be the first to leave a reply!Take a look!  
 Sabbath Sunday: Not Even in the Fog  COTT: Captured by Moonlight by Christine Lindsay  A2Z Meme: Spectacular Falls  Sabbath Sunday: I Got This  Thankful for Life by Connie ArnoldCopyright © Julie Arduini [Book Review: Annabelle's Angel by Therese M. Travis], All Right Reserved. 2014.

The post Book Review: Annabelle’s Angel by Therese M. Travis appeared first on Julie Arduini.

COTT: Meet Suspense Author Patricia Bradley

Former Clash Contestant Patricia Bradley is in the spotlight today! A popular romantic suspense author from Mississippi, her latest book “A Promise to Protect” released this fall and garnered high praise from readers. It’s the second book in her Logan Point series, with the third releasing next summer.

A Promise to Protect:
In a steamy small town riddled with broken promises, one woman’s secret could change everything.



Acting Sheriff Ben Logan hasn’t heard from Leigh Somerall in a very long time, but it doesn’t mean he can get her—or their whirlwind romance of ten years ago—out of his head. When she calls out of the blue, it is with a strange request to protect her brother, Tony. But all too soon, Ben is charged with a different task—protecting Leigh from the people after her brother. With Leigh doing everything in her power to avoid Ben, it’s no easy task. And the secret she is keeping just may change their lives forever.


The Christian Manifesto says this about A Promise to Protect:
“Patricia Bradley definitely has a knack for creating mysteries that are tough to get to the bottom of. A Promise to Protect proves once again that Patricia Bradley has a knack for writing intriguing, complex mysteries that are difficult to solve. Fans of her first novel won’t be disappointed, and hopefully this book will endear some new readers to her as well.”

JoJo Sutis on Goodreads says:Wow! Wow! Wow! Once again Patricia Bradley has written another hit! I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy of this one from the minute I finished the first Logan Point book. I was so excited to get to read more about Ben (a character from book 1). The interaction between the two main characters was awesome…I love when main characters have a past together. This is definitely an edge of your seat thriller, full of secrets and intrigue. I’m thrilled to have found a new fave suspense author…fans of Lynette Eason, Terri Blackstock, and Irene Hannon don’t miss Patricia Bradley!!!” 

About Patricia:

Patricia Bradley lives in North Mississippi and is a former abstinence educator and co-author of RISE To Your Dreams, an abstinence curriculum. But her heart is tuned to suspense. Patricia’s romantic suspense books include the Logan Point series—Shadows of the Past and A Promise to Protect—and Matthew’s Choice a Heartwarming romance. Her workshops on writing include an online course with American Christian Fiction Writers and workshops at the Midsouth Christian Writer’s Conference in Collierville, TN. When she’s not writing, she likes to throw mud on a wheel and see what happens.

 

Coming in July–the third book in the Logan Point series features Livy Reynolds and Robyn Martin’s story:

It’s been more than two years since homicide detective Livy Reynolds’s cousin disappeared from Logan Point. Unlike most people in her hometown, Livy has never believed that Robyn left voluntarily. When Dallas private investigator Alex Jennings contacts Livy concerning a missing senator’s daughter who was last seen in Logan Point, she notices eerie similarities between the two disappearances. But with self-doubt plaguing her and an almost instant dislike of Jennings, Livy is finding this investigation an uphill battle. With her future in law enforcement on the line, can she find a way to work with a man who is her polar opposite?

COTT NEWS: Don’t forget! Submissions for the Olympia are open through next Friday, December 12th, for all unpublished novelists! Get feedback from those who count most: READERS. For submission guidelines, visit us at http://www.clashofthetitles.com/p/the-olympia.html

Tags:  A Promise to Protect, author, Clash of the Titles, COTT, fiction, Julie Arduini, Patricia Bradley, suspense author




Del.icio.us





Digg



StumbleUpon




Comments:  0 (Zero), Be the first to leave a reply!Take a look!  
 Book Review: Deliver Us by June Foster--Includes Author Interview!  Book Review: Tricia Goyer's Beside Still Waters  Character Confession: That One Thing  Sabbath Sunday: Cross that Bridge  Book Review: Hidden Falls Episode #1---Ordinary SecretsCopyright © Julie Arduini [COTT: Meet Suspense Author Patricia Bradley], All Right Reserved. 2014.

The post COTT: Meet Suspense Author Patricia Bradley appeared first on Julie Arduini.

Sabbath Sunday: Christmas Season Rest

 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28, NIV

Julie Arduini photo

Tags:  Christmas, Julie Arduini, Matthew 11:28, rest, Sabbath, Sunday




Del.icio.us





Digg



StumbleUpon




Comments:  0 (Zero), Be the first to leave a reply!Take a look!  
 Sabbath Sunday: Because of Him, with Him, Toward Him  Testing Our Newlywed Strength by Amanda Kerl  Fiction Friday: Shadows and Sun  Featured Video of the Week: Stranded by Dani Pettrey  Character Confession: Allowing RecalibrationCopyright © Julie Arduini [Sabbath Sunday: Christmas Season Rest], All Right Reserved. 2014.

The post Sabbath Sunday: Christmas Season Rest appeared first on Julie Arduini.

CHRISTMAS BONUS: The Christmas Concert Disaster by Ruth O’Neil

All this week the Write Integrity Press families have been participating in Christmas blogs and specials, including last night’s Facebook party. I wanted to share a bonus post by Ruth O’Neil. I guarantee this will tickle your funny bone.

Do you have a Christmas pageant memory/choir/concert?

Boy, do I ever, but I will try to limit my Christmas disaster stories to only two. I remember one year Mom was frantically trying to get four kids ready for the Christmas program at school. She had taken her bath and in an effort to safe time, she plunked one of my little sisters and me in the tub together without changing the water. I never minded this. In fact, I remember loving to take a bath using her bath water (I know it sounds kind of gross, but I was a little kid!) Mom’s water was always so warm and it smelled so good because of whatever it was she would put in it.

While the two of us girls played around a little bit, I thought I would help Mom by washing our hair. When she came into the bathroom, presumably to wash our hair, get us out of the tub, and send us to our rooms where freshly ironed red velvet dresses awaited us, she let out a little bit of a scream.

“What are you doing?”

We just looked at her with saucer eyes, not realizing we had done anything but wash.

“Why did you wash your hair?”

“I was trying to help.” My lip probably quivered a little bit as I was the type of child that you only had to look at cross-eyed and I would never do whatever I was doing again.

“There was bath oil in the water!”

That meant nothing to me. Mom tried to rinse out our hair as best she could and as fast as she could. But it didn’t help much. Later that night I understood. Our hair never looked dry. We looked like oily, greasy messes standing up there in front of hundreds of parents and grandparents. I have pictures to prove it…somewhere.

Then there was another Christmas; the time I was in my first play. I was so excited. I was bad, I knew it, but that was okay. No one else tried out for the one female part so I got it. It was a cantata that the high school choir was singing with a little play scattered in between the music. The setting was the Civil War and my husband had been lost for good, at least that’s what my character thought. She watched her son grow up without his father. But then, low and behold, the husband came back. Now, the husband and I only had one scene together at the very end of the play. It was supposed to be very serious and touching. SUPPOSED being the operative word.

All through rehearsals I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t look him in the eye and be serious. I finally figured out that I could look at eye level, but look to the side of his face and the audience would think we were having a moment.

Then the night of the cantata/play came. Everything went fairly well. I didn’t mess up and my acting debut ended up not being all that terrible…until the end of the play. I don’t know what possessed me to try and look the poor boy in the eye, but it still didn’t work. I started giggling.

The director never cast me in a play again.

If you would like to read more about Christmas time growing up around my family and me, here is a short story available on Amazon for only ¢.99. A large portions of the story are true. I guarantee you will find at least a little bit of your family in this story. It will make you laugh, but then make you realize what it is we celebrate this Christmas season.

You can also visit me at my website and my blog.

Tags:  Christmas concerts, Christmas disasters, guest blogger, Julie Arduini, Ruth O'Neil, Write Integrity Press




Del.icio.us





Digg



StumbleUpon




Comments:  1 (One) on this itemTake a look!  
 Saturday Confession: The First Class Curtain  Book Review: Shadows of the Past by Patricia Bradley  Book Review: Outrageous Courage by Kris and Jason Vallotton  Sabbath Sunday: Not Shaken  A2Z Meme: The "I's" Have ItCopyright © Julie Arduini [CHRISTMAS BONUS: The Christmas Concert Disaster by Ruth O'Neil], All Right Reserved. 2014.

The post CHRISTMAS BONUS: The Christmas Concert Disaster by Ruth O’Neil appeared first on Julie Arduini.

Write Integrity Press Christmas: Christmas Concert Memories

Write Integrity Press wraps up our Christmas week with a Facebook party tonight from 7-9 EST. I’ll be hanging out and around 8:30, participating in a chat. I’d love to connect with you. We have lots of party favors to pass out, you don’t want to miss!

My last walk down memory lane is about Christmas concerts. I asked my colleagues if they had ever been in a pageant or choir.

 Tracy Ruckman:

A couple of years when I was a kid, we participated in the children’s choir at Christmas. I loved that time – and to this day, still see the songbook we used. I even remember the pictures and the order of some of the songs in the book, and standing in the choir room rehearsing. I think I was only 8 or 9, so retaining those kinds of memories surprise me at times. LOL!

Elizabeth Noyes:

Not a family event, but we always attend our grandkids’ special events. If you heard my kids and grandkids sing, you’d understand why … but they do make a joyful noise!

Phee Paradise:

When I was in school we had a Christmas program every year – sort of a talent show. I have very little of that sort of talent, but one year I translated part of The Night Before Christmas into English/Spanish and performed it. i.e. Twas the night before Christmas and all through the casa, not a creature was stirring “Carramba, que pasa?” (full disclosure – that part was common knowledge, I did the rest of it)

Betty Thomason Owens:

First grade. We wore white paper collars with black crepe paper ties and sang “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” – Mom still has the paper collar. It’s really old.

 

I remember my elementary and middle school concerts like it was yesterday. The good I recall is my clarinet playing best friend was always there. We got ready together, giggled as we waited and when our sisters had concerts we sat together and talked, getting in trouble for being disruptive. The bad was that the events carried extra stress I didn’t know how to process and I was the only female percussionist in a time where that wasn’t welcomed. At all. Bullying? You have no idea.

But I can still hear the squeaks and squawks of Jingle Bells to this day, smiling as I now attend these concerts as a mom.

Tags:  authors, books, Christmas, Elizabeth Noyes, Facebook party, Julie Arduini, Tracy Ruckman, Write Integrity Press




Del.icio.us





Digg



StumbleUpon




Comments:  0 (Zero), Be the first to leave a reply!Take a look!  
 Book Review: Dancing with Fireflies by Denise Hunter  Review: The High Calling Newsletter  Book Review: The Christmas Stalking by Lillian Duncan  Saturday Confession: What 44 Looks Like on Me  COTT: Vote for Your Favorite Winter ReleaseCopyright © Julie Arduini [Write Integrity Press Christmas: Christmas Concert Memories], All Right Reserved. 2014.

The post Write Integrity Press Christmas: Christmas Concert Memories appeared first on Julie Arduini.

Write Integrity Press Christmas: Pictures and Ugly Sweaters

All week the gang at Write Integrity Press is celebrating Christmas. We’ve been having special blog posts and giveaways culminating with a special Facebook Christmas party tomorrow night from 7-9pm EST. I’ll be chatting around 8:30 so I hope you join us. I am really excited.

Speaking of exciting, what’s Christmas without Christmas pictures. How about ugly sweaters? They are coming back as trendy, who saw that coming? That’s what we’re talking about today.

Christmas pictures/Ugly Sweaters, etc…how active are you involved in these things?

Elizabeth Noyes:

I have to admit I wore Christmas sweaters for many years. I think it’s a rite of passage for entering your fifties. LOL. I’m a little more subdued in my apparel these days.

Betty Thomason Owens:

We try to remember to take Christmas Pictures, but usually forget. There are no ugly sweaters allowed in our house. This is my husband’s rule.

Phee Paradise:

Barely ever do anything like that.

I never intentionally wore an ugly Christmas sweater but I’m sure there was a few in my closet. I do enjoy Christmas pictures. I think because we didn’t take a lot as a family growing up and we’re a blended family with children who lived out of state, I wanted to capture memories.

Arduini Christmas card 2012

These days I take my own pictures and create collages and cards online and use those as Christmas cards. I love looking back over previous years and seeing how we’ve grown. Or, how many hairstyles I’ve had over the years!

Tags:  Christmas, Christmas cards, Elizabeth Noyes, Julie Arduini, pictures, ugly Christmas sweaters, Write Integrity Press




Del.icio.us





Digg



StumbleUpon




Comments:  0 (Zero), Be the first to leave a reply!Take a look!  
 Character Confession: Forgiving Judas  My Early Christmas Present: JournEzine's 6th Annual Christmas Story Contest  12 Pearls of Christmas | Day 4 - A Mistletoe Medley by Margaret McSweeney  Book Review: Heather Munn/Lydia Munn Deliver with How Huge the Night  Sabbath Sunday: Like God Likes YouCopyright © Julie Arduini [Write Integrity Press Christmas: Pictures and Ugly Sweaters], All Right Reserved. 2014.

The post Write Integrity Press Christmas: Pictures and Ugly Sweaters appeared first on Julie Arduini.

Write Integrity Press Christmas: Christmas Music

All this week the Write Integrity Press family is celebrating Christmas with special blogs, blog giveaways, and a Facebook party Friday, December 5th from 7-9 pm EST. I’ll be chatting at approximately 8:30 but the entire party is going to be full of fun and party favors you don’t want to miss.

I’m celebrating with Christmas posts this week. Each day I’m asking questions and sharing my memories, and the WIP gang is joining me. Here’s today’s question.

When do you start playing Christmas music?

Tracy Ruckman: 

Well, I could LISTEN to Christmas music year round, but to spare others, I don’t. We do start watching Christmas movies in October. Tim always had a yearly tradition with his family concerning one particular piece of Christmas music, so we’ve carried that tradition into our own marriage. Every Thanksgiving, while his mom was preparing their dinner, he would put The Ventures’ Christmas album on, and blast their music through the house. He always just got in one song before she made him turn it down, but it was always fun and made the family laugh. I had never heard of The Ventures until he introduced me, so it’s been a fun tradition to carry on.

Elizabeth Noyes

It depends. Some years, I need the uplift only Christmas carols can bring. Other times, I try to hold off until after Thanksgiving. The key is when I find myself humming or singing to myself—then it’s time.

Betty Thomason Owens

After Thanksgiving, when I start to prepare my home for the Christmas holidays.

Phee Paradise

I refuse to do anything Christmasy, including playing music before the first Sunday of Advent.

My husband starts listening in late summer/early fall for his duties with choir at church. It’s only the music he needs for the concert so I think we both start listening to the classics around the second week of November. I know I need it to be cold before I listen, and that seems to be the time when winter makes an early entrance and Christmas music seems the natural thing to do.

 

 

 

photobucket

Tags:  




Del.icio.us





Digg



StumbleUpon




Comments:  0 (Zero), Be the first to leave a reply!Take a look!  
 An Inside Look at the Laurel 2012 Finalists  The Nativity by Lynn Austin  Featured Video of the Week: The Redemption of Caralynne Hayman by Carole Brown  Character Confession: What I Wish the World Knew About Depression  Saturday Confession: Resurrected FireCopyright © Julie Arduini [Write Integrity Press Christmas: Christmas Music], All Right Reserved. 2014.

The post Write Integrity Press Christmas: Christmas Music appeared first on Julie Arduini.

Write Integrity Press Christmas: Presents

All this week Write Integrity Press is celebrating Christmas. Many of the authors are participating with their own blogs and everything culminates with a Facebook party December 5th from 7-9 pm, EST. I’ll be chatting at approximately 8:30. Join me!

I love a party so I wanted to celebrate as well. Given November was another blessed month with the thankful series, I thought why not keep the fun memories going? So each day this week I’m sharing a Christmas memory with reflections from my Write Integrity Press colleagues.

Today is about the shiny presents. It isn’t the reason to celebrate but like it or not, they are a tradition for most families. We were all kids once so I asked  my friends if there was a special gift they longed for, and did they receive it?

 Our fearless leader, Tracy Ruckman shared:

Although we didn’t have a lot of money growing up, we were pretty spoiled. Even if we didn’t get everything on our list, our parents – and Santa – always had lots of surprises for us. My dad always gave us brain-teaser puzzles. And he usually had some kind of fun surprise waiting for us. One year, we had a note that told us our big gift was waiting outside, where we found another note, saying it was somewhere else. He led us on a scavenger hunt for about 30 minutes before sending us to the basement where we discovered a ping pong table. That was great fun and totally unexpected. 

 Betty Thomason Owens, author of Amelia’s Legacy, said:

A “Chatty Cathy” doll (from ancient times, I know) & no, I didn’t get it.

 

Elizabeth Noyes, author of Imperfect Wings:

Growing up, the one thing I remember wanting more than anything else was a Tiny Tears baby doll.  That year for Christmas, Santa brought me a stack of booklets instead, all filled with S&H Green Stamps. Two days after Christmas, my mom took me to the redemption center … and I got my doll. When I was older, I learned she’d tried so hard to get the doll for me for Christmas, but the stores had run out. She used the stamps she’d been saving for a vacuum cleaner to get my doll instead.

Phee Paradise, A Ruby Christmas:

I can’t think of anything I ever really wanted. When I was 58 I asked for a bicycle and my husband laughed and my children asked if I could ride one. I got it and rode it almost every day.

 

As for me, I remember being about seven when I wanted a Barbie Dream House. Money was tight and even at that age the stress of that and other things was palpable. I got it. But it didn’t stop me from asking.

Santa didn’t deliver.

I’m sure I got other things that were just as nice but back then, I focused on the negative. For all I had, my thoughts were always on what I didn’t have. When I thought about knowing God in any way my logic always went back to the fact that if God cared, I’d have a normal, happy family. Money wouldn’t be a problem. And I’d have a Barbie Dream House.

As I left childhood and entered my teens, times grew tougher and so did my attitude. My foundation was anger and self entitlement. As I pursued academics, common sense went out the window. Faith? I had none.

Even after I asked Jesus into my life, my defenses remained. Thankfully He was patient and gave me tools and resources to not just heal, but transform.

It was in this season God showed me the Barbie Dream House.

It was a want, not a need.

I confused Santa with God.

I lived the illusion that God was angry with arms closed, never available.

When I want to whine about what I don’t have, my mind goes back to that Barbie Dream House. I have so much more than that plastic thing. I’m in a relationship with a Heavenly Father who I know through personal experience loves me every day of the year with arms wide open. He knows what I want and He knows what I need.

No matter my zip code, no matter where I hang my coat, I don’t have a Barbie Dream House.

But I have the promise of an eternal home.

What a present.

 

photobucket

Tags:  Betty Thomason Owens, Christmas, Eliabeth Noyes, Julie Arduini, presents, Tracy Ruckman, WIP, Write Integrity Press. authors




Del.icio.us





Digg



StumbleUpon




Comments:  0 (Zero), Be the first to leave a reply!Take a look!  
 Sabbath Sunday: Not Shaken  Sabbath Sunday: Made to Soar  Clash of The Titles End of Summer Survey  COTT Massive Birthday Bash  12 Pearls of Christmas---Shellie Tomlinson's Let the Baby Grow Up This ChristmasCopyright © Julie Arduini [Write Integrity Press Christmas: Presents], All Right Reserved. 2014.

The post Write Integrity Press Christmas: Presents appeared first on Julie Arduini.