Julie Arduini's Blog, page 82

Come Fly With Me: They Met Jesus by Katheryn Maddox Haddad

COME FLY WITH ME

Novel #8 in THEY MET JESUS series

Oh what delight it was to write this last book in the series. Jesus came back to life in the last half of novel 7 and appeared to the women and Peter and two men on the road. In this last novel Jesus appears several time to his apostles. He spends time with them answering their questions and training them just a little more with the time that is left.

I loved the chapter called “Power Surge”. That is where he appears to 500 followers all at once and greets them all. The shepherds are now old, one wise man happens to be there when it happens. He greets people he has worked miracles on. Last he greets his family—Mary, his sisters, and his brothers. All but James; they couldn’t convince him to come. All the time James was growing up at Joseph’s oldest son, he had resented Jesus dominating everything. So Jesus appears alone to James back in his home. They talk. James is shocked and all his beliefs shattered. In the end he bows to his brother who was actually the Son of God.

Then Jesus takes his twelve to their old encampment on the Mount of Olives. Everyone is quiet. They know. Somehow they know. He stops. “Don’t go, Jesus.”

Jesus does go, they recover, and ten days later they receive a special gift to instantly speak in foreign languages. They go up on the roof of the old hostel they bought as their headquarters. They preach to the mob that had demanded Jesus’ crucifixion, three on each side. Peter’s sermon is recorded. “Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins.” Three thousand do.

They are confronted by the Sanhedrin which had thought they had won. They beat and imprison the apostles, but the apostles turn right around and show up at the temple to teach again. Shortly five thousand more are baptized. The new church grows like wildfire. A few years later, Stephen is stoned to death by the holy Sanhedrin. Later, one of their own—James—is beheaded. Persecution grows rampant and Christians scatter, The apostles stick it out.

After nineteen years, Thaddeus announces he is leaving. “Jesus told us to go into all the world. If you’re not going to do it, that’s your choice. I’m leaving.” Their children have had time to grow up. Now with a few gray hairs, they know it is time for them all to leave. They have one last evening alone together talking about the old days in their youth with their Jesus.

Within the next couple of decades, most of them are tortured to death. All but John. Now in his nineties and exiled to an island, he shuffles along the beach, mostly praying. One day he sees someone shining bright walking up the beach toward him. He knows. He had seen that same glow sixty years earlier on the mountain. It is his Jesus. John is taken on a tour of heaven, a glance into hell, and back to heaven.

Then, guided by his Jesus, he is returned to the little island on earth. Jesus stays only momentarily and begins to back away. As he hovers, then rises higher and higher he calls out to John, “I am coming to get you soon.”

Me too, Jesus? Me too?

Katheryn Haddad was born in the cold north, but now lives in Arizona where she does not have to shovel sunshine. She enjoys hot weather, palm trees and cacti in her yard, and a computer with the letters worn off.

With a bachelor’s degree in English, Bible and social science from Harding University and part of a master’s degree in Bible, including Greek, from the Harding Graduate School of Theology, she also has a master’s degree in management and human relations from Abilene University.

Her newspaper column appeared for several years in newspapers in Texas and North Carolina ~ Little Known Facts About the Bible ~ and she has written for numerous Christian publications.

Currently she teaches English over the internet every morning, using the Bible as a text book. Most of her students are Muslims. She has taught some 6000 thus far, and has former students, now Christians, in hiding in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Jordan, Uzbekistan, and Palestine. “They are my heroes” she declares.

She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Christian Writers of the West, and is also an energetic public speaker who can touch the heart of audiences.

Website: http://inspirationsbykatheryn.com

Purchase Come Fly with Me HERE

Tags: Bible, Come Fly With Me, Jesus, Julie Arduini, Katheryn Maddox Haddad, They Met Jesus

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Published on July 06, 2017 21:00

Coming Out of Hiding to Say Yes to God by Jennifer Slattery

From invincibility to hiding—for years, my life seemed to follow the opposite path God desires His children to take. He created us to live bold, brave, and intentional lives. He’s given us everything we need, in Christ, do this. I know this now, but for over a decade, fears and wounds from my past kept me in bondage.

You never would’ve known it to look at me. I went to church. Smiled. Served. Had friends for dinner and went to their place, all the while engaging in polite, acceptable … filtered conversation.

I felt like a fraud, convinced if they were to find out who I truly was, who I’d been, they’d want nothing to do with me.

Then came the call.

That sounds exciting, right? Except for when you’re spending your days hiding out, trying to play the part you believe is expected—by people. I’d kicked my people-pleasing up to such intensity, God’s still small voice faded into the background.

I felt certain the two were in opposition of one another. If I were to do this thing, to follow God with everything within me and surrender to Him, I might irritate a few folks. Maybe even turn others away.

It was the latter that scared me most, because God wasn’t just calling me to serve. I’d been doing that. He was calling me to serve Him transparently. To be completely real, with my sins, my struggles, my ugly side.

An ugly side that can be easy to hide when I all is going well, but when I feel squeezed or overtired? Those are the times when my ick, the part of me that God is working to chip away at, is most likely to rise up.

And yet, God was calling me to live authentically. To be real.

Not just real, but to put this transparency into writing, for all the world to see. Knowing some reading would judge me. Would see the worst in me. Would misunderstand. Maybe even choose to use my words against me.

So I hid. I continued to reveal only slivers of myself, and thus, only slivers of what God was doing within me—those things that made me look good, like I’d grown and conquered. And day-by-day, God’s still, gentle voice grew softer and more distant.

Until the chill between us became more than I cared to bear. I realized I craved intimacy with Christ more than anything else, even my pride. So I said yes, and have had to make that choice many times since, for pride never seems to stay dead for long.

What I found—the more I let God in, the more I say yes to Him, the more I begin to live.

Consider this quote by Gordon T. Smith, author of Courage and Calling: “Living our lives to the full is precisely what it means to be good stewards of our lives. … We live fully by living in a way that is deeply congruent with who we are.” (p. 18).

Congruent with who we are. Living authentically. No more hiding. No more pretending to be someone we’re not. No more trying to please others or avoid their rejection or judgment. Simply leaning deeper into Christ and allowing Him to use as—our past and our present, our strengths and our weakness, our quirks and qualities—for His glory.

I believe that’s when we truly begin to experience the full freedom available to us in Christ and the peace that “surpasses all understand.” A peace no amount of ridicule, “failure,” or rejection can take away.

What about you? Are you living authentically, or are you in some state of hiding? Can you sense God saying to you, “Come out, my beloved, chosen by God. Let my Spirit flow, unhindered, through you as I use you to bring about my good, pleasing, and perfect will.”

Say yes, friend. I promise, you won’t regret it.

Bio and Blurb:

Author, speaker, and ministry leader Jennifer Slattery writes for Crosswalk.com and is the managing and acquiring editor for Guiding Light Women’s Fiction, an imprint with Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. She believes fiction has the power to transform lives and change the culture. Healing Love is her sixth novel, and it was birthed during a trip she and her family took to El Salvador that opened her eyes to the reality of generational poverty and sparked a love for orphans and all who’ve experienced loss.

Her deepest passion is to help women experience God’s love and discover, embrace, and live out who they are in Christ. As the founder of Wholly Loved Ministries, she travels with her team to various churches to speak to women and help them experience the love and freedom only Christ can offer. When not writing, editing, or speaking, you’ll likely find her chatting with her friends or husband in a quiet, cozy coffeehouse. Visit her online at JenniferSlatteryLivesOutLoud.com and connect with her and her Wholly Loved team at WhollyLoved.com

Healing Love

Genre: Women’s fiction with a strong romantic thread

Dual setting—Southern California, and El Salvador

Blurb: A news anchor intern has it all planned out, and love isn’t on the agenda.

Brooke Endress is on the cusp of her lifelong dream when her younger sister persuades her to chaperone a mission trip to El Salvador. Packing enough hand sanitizer and bug spray to single-handedly wipe out malaria, she embarks on what she hopes will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

But Brooke is blindsided by the desperation for hope and love she sees in the orphans’ eyes. And no less by the connection she feels with her handsome translator. As newfound passion blooms, Brooke wrestles with its implications for her career dreams.

Ubaldo Chavez, teacher and translator, knows the struggle that comes with generational poverty. But he found the way out – education – and is determined to help his students rise above.

When he agrees to translate for a mission team from the United States he expects to encounter a bunch of “missional tourists” full of empty promises. Yet an American news anchor defies his expectations, and he finds himself falling in love. But what does he have to offer someone with everything?

Learn more about Healing Love by visiting Goodreads.

Tags: authentic, author, Coming Out of Hiding to Say Yes to God by Jennifer Slattery, fiction, guest blogger, Healing Love, Jennifer Slattery, Julie Arduini, Surrender Story, testimony, transparency

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Published on July 05, 2017 21:00

God is Waiting to Bless Your Broken Road by Jennifer Dornbush

God Is Waiting To Bless Your Broken Road: Just Surrender!

My new novel (soon to be a major motion picture) God Bless the Broken Road, is a textbook on surrender. After two years, the protagonist, Amber Hill, has still not been able to completely surrender the loss of her military husband to God and it’s starting to create great havoc in her life. No spoilers, but in her efforts to try to control her life, emotions, and circumstances, she almost loses the most important thing her husband ever gave her.

When writing the script (which I actually wrote before writing the novel), I always kept in mind this concept of surrendering our will to God’s will. The question of surrender drives Amber’s every decision in every scene and chapter.

God is Waiting to Bless Your Broken Road by Jennifer Dornbush.

It’s easy to relate to Amber. I know I do! When we’re in those “bad places” of life, we don’t always see God with us. We don’t feel like He is and it can be really hard to seek Him. But He is always there and He is always providing us with amazing blessings, even if we don’t acknowledge them. One of the keys to surrender on our broken roads is to turn our gaze to Him so that we can start healing. As we begin to recognize Him along the path, we can become filled with His hope and renewed purpose. When we turn to Him and humble ourselves, He can start to guide us and shape our brokenness into blessing. Grab a copy of GBTBR to see how this pans out for Amber.

But wait! Surrendering to God is only the start. God’s healing work is complete when we surrender in the context of our community. This is great news! It means we don’t have to travel our broken roads alone. God has given us friends and family to lean for support and encouragement. This can make a huge difference when we are going through trying times.

Now, I get it. It can be difficult to let down your guard and let people into your pain (the people who love you don’t always “get it”). This takes a great deal of vulnerability and courage. Mother Theresa said the greatest poverty we have today is the feeling of loneliness because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. We see this in GBTBR with Amber, who consistently refuses the well-meaning help of her family and friends. She has forgotten that she belongs to God and God’s people here on hearth. Instead, she chooses time after time to exclude those around her in her pain. And she becomes really, really lonely.

Of course, Amber’s despair eventually leads her to hit rock bottom and she is finally ready to surrender… with the help of an unlikely character. In that moment of letting go, Amber’s life turns and she finds a renewed purpose, joy, love, and a community very eager to have her back in the fold.

Maybe you are the one being called to can help someone on their broken road? It’s so simple to be there for someone. You don’t have to be a professional counselor or therapist to help someone heal from a wounding. Most time the very best thing is to just to take a moment from your day to pause, listen, and lend a hug or word of encouragement. How exciting to think that God may be using you to bless someone’s broken road! How will show someone today that they are deeply, deeply loved?

Author Info:

Author Website: www.jenniferdornbush.com

Facebook: Jennifer Graeser Dornbush

https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.graeserdornbush

Instagram: Jennifer Dornbush

https://www.instagram.com/jenniferdornbush/

Pintrest:

https://www.pinterest.com/jenidornbush/

Twitter: @JGDornbush

https://twitter.com/JGDornbush

GBBR Book link:

https://www.amazon.com/God-Bless-Broken-Road-Novel/dp/1501159593/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497487120&sr=8-1&keywords=god+bless+the+broken+road+jennifer+dornbush

GBBR Audiobook link:

https://www.audiobooksnow.com/author/jennifer%20dornbush/

GBBR Movie Trailer link:

https://vimeo.com/191227455

Jennifer Dornbush Bio

Jennifer is a writer, speaker and forensic specialist creating diverse range of stories that shed light on the dark places of the human experience.

Her story creation is bred from a very unsheltered childhood as the daughter of a medical examiner whose office was in her home. She investigated her first fatality, an airplane crash, when she was 8 years-old and from there gathered a decade of on-sight experience in death investigation and 360 hours of forensic training through the Forensic Science Academy.

The stories she creates stem from the unique range of human experiences. Because of her background, she does not shy away from telling stories about tough circumstances and how characters choose to deal with them. Jennifer’s characters encounter light in their darkness… redemption where none seems possible… and bits of levity to sweeten the journey.

Her feature film, God Bless the Broken Road is slated for release in 2017 in conjunction with the novel released on June 6th by the same title published by Simon & Schuster.

Jennifer has several crime drama series being developed for television and a bi-lingual kid’s show, Team Abuelita, in production with Baby First TV.

Wanting to share her love of forensics with other storytellers, she scribed non-fiction work, Forensic Speak: How To Write Realistic Crime Dramas, published by Michael Wiese Productions, hailed as a north star to creating authentic crime dramas.

As a forensic specialist she has consulted with TV writers on network and cable TV shows. She regularly leads seminars and webinars on forensics and crime fiction and has taught screenwriting on the high school and university level and mentored new writers.

Sign up for her newsletter and YouTube channel at: www.jenniferdornbush.com

Tags: author, fiction, God is Waiting to Bless Your Broken Road by Jennifer Dornbush, grief, guest blogger, Julie Arduini, military widow, motion picture, novel, redemption, screenplay, surrender, transformation

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Published on July 04, 2017 21:00

ENGAGED Special Features

There’s something a little different in the back of ENGAGED that I thought readers might enjoy. As a reader, I like knowing what’s coming next from authors and what their thoughts and passions are.

Included in ENGAGED is Regan’s Acts of Kindness. I didn’t have the opportunity to meet Regan Shetsky as our family and hers moved different places. However, her parents spent a lot of time with us when we lived in Upstate NY and they were fantastic with our kids. Regan was taken from them in January, she would have turned 4 in March. It is the desire of everyone who loves Regan to make sure she is remembered. So, I included information about Regan’s Acts of Kindness and how anyone interested can also donate to Regan’s Memorial Fund. There are so many amazing acts going on in her name. You could be participating in one of them!

Featured after ENGAGED is a series prologue for my next series about Surrendering Opinions. I’m SO excited about this. Sextuplets are thrust in the national spotlight simply because of their unique birth. However, a tragedy keeps them in the limelight and as young adults, they are trying to find their own identities despite the community being so invested in them. They are also each trying to find a love as strong as what their parents had. This is a six book series and the first title is tentatively ANCHORED.

Of course, there is also a contemporary romance that IS ENGAGED.

ENGAGED Special Features

Trish Maxwell’s back in Speculator Falls with egg on her face and a lot of apologies to make. She left the mountain town for her dream job in New York City, only to come back unemployed. With no prospects, she works at her family’s department store and makes amends as she finds a new passion creating window displays for Adirondack businesses. She works hard and tries to convince the people of Speculator Falls she’s changed for the better.

As Trish pitches in with community events, she meets paramedic Wayne Peterson, the one man who doesn’t seem to judge her. She even makes friends with Jenna Regan, who helps Trish when people demand to know what’s next in Trish’s life. Living in New York City has been her goal, but the more she’s around Wayne and the Adirondack area, the more she’s drawn to revising her plans. Just when Trish thinks the plan for her life’s coming together, a second chance comes her way that could give her every career goal she’s ever wanted, but threaten to tear her and Wayne apart. Can Trish surrender fears about her future and discover God’s plan for her?

PURCHASE ENGAGED HERE

Did you know I have a FREE eRead for you at my website? Actually, there is a chance to receive TWO FREE eREADS. Check it out at juliearduini.com.

Tags: contemporary romance, engaged, Engaged Special Features, Julie Arduini, New Release, Regan Shetsky, Regan's Acts of Kindness

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Published on July 01, 2017 21:00

How to Receive TWO FREE eREADs from Julie Arduini

When ENTRUSTED was re released last year, I asked a group of authors what the best method of marketing was. Their answer?

Write more books.

That took me awhile to comprehend, as easy as it was. Yet, I see the brilliance of the answer.

How to Receive Two Free eReads from Julie Arduini

I have a ways to go, but in one year:

ENTRUSTED was re released
ENTANGLED released
ENGAGED is now available
FINDING FREEDOM THROUGH SURRENDER-A 30 Day Devotional complements the series by featuring short readings from the characters regarding letting go of fear, loss, change, and the future. I also share my own personal experiences to encourage readers. It’s also available on Amazon.

My heart is to get to know readers and connect with them. Since I started writing for publication, I’ve seen social media change. Facebook has had several transformations. Snapchat didn’t even exist. Email? That doesn’t change.

As I keep writing, I want to make sure we don’t lose touch.

If you visit my website, you have the opportunity to receive ENTRUSTED as a FREE eRead. If you do, I have a second FREE eRead ready for you. I don’t take readers for granted. So be ready to enjoy ENTRUSTED and MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN!

Back to writing!

Tags: author, change, engaged, Entangled, Entrusted, fear, fiction, Finding Freedom Through Surrender-A 30 Day Devotional, future, How to Receive Two Free eReads from Julie Arduini, Julie Arduini, loss, non fiction, regret, surrender

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Published on June 28, 2017 21:00

Wholly Loved

It’s been busy yet again, but I have great news!

ENGAGED is available! Right now it’s ready for electronic devices, and the print version will be early July. If you don’t have a Kindle, no worries. Download the free Amazon Kindle app and start reading on your device!

I’ll talk more about ENGAGED this week, but right now I wanted to let you know I share some very transparent and vulnerable thoughts with the Wholly Loved team today. It started with a bird feeder I wanted on Amazon and how I thought about our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Read An Open Invitation (With an Add-On Clause) HERE

I love how Jennifer challenged me to dig deeper with this post, because I had to confront feelings that aren’t quite resolved. From that is coming a beautiful dialogue with readers on the Wholly Loved Facebook page. I hope you will join me there!

Tags: author, broken, contemporary romance, engaged, fear, Jesus, Julie Arduini, New Release, peace, transparent, vulnerable, Wholly Loved by Julie Arduini

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Published on June 26, 2017 21:00

Shadow of Death: They Met Jesus by Katheryn Maddox Haddad

SHADOW OF DEATH

Novel #7 in THEY MET JESUS series

It’s now 6:00 AM and the Temple hierarchy has managed to find liars to testify against Jesus in their middle-of-the-night illegal court. They can already smell Jesus’ blood. They drag him through the street to Governor Pilot’s palace. Rome controls all executions. Pilate interviews Jesus in private. It doesn’t take Pilate long to realize he is standing before greatness. He decides to save Jesus’ life by having him scourged with iron bits on the tips of the whip. Jesus’ back turns to raw meat.

Barely alive (most people die of scourging), Jesus is presented to the “holy” mob. They still are not satisfied. “Crucify! Crucify!” The death penalty is granted. It takes two chapters in my book to struggle with Jesus on the cross. This is some of it (which I wrote fifty years ago when I was 17):

The pain. The writhing, seething, shooting pain. How can another moment be like the last? It can’t. But it is.

Uhhhhhh…

On and on, endlessly, each joint screaming, calling out for mercy. Relieve me! Relieve me! But there is no relief.

Uhhhhhh…

Still the pain. The pain that shoots through the body like fire arrows. The pain that tangles up the muscles like fish in a net. The pain that mounts, ebbs, then comes back more horrible than before.

“Aggghhhh.”

“…Oh, my God, my God… Keep me strong. Strong for them.”

“Aggghhhh.”

…On and on, deeper and deeper. Harsh, horrible, hideous, hanging on, never letting go. No relief, no release, no anything but this excruciating pain. Oh the pain…

The spasms. The unrelenting spasms. They’re back. They knot Jesus’ feet and twist them, involuntarily pulling at the rusty stake.

Uhhhaaah!

Jesus, God is nearby. He’s touching your feverish brow and enveloping you in his love. And the angels. They’re preparing for your homecoming. Remember? Remember how it used to be?

The longer Jesus’ weight is carried by the spikes, the more his joints slip out of their proper location. The droning of his pain slips almost secretly from his nerves and little by little sneaks into his bones.

Harder and harder it becomes for Jesus to claim his next breath. Still harder to exhale.

His muscles shattered, his shoulder bones dislocated, part of him dehydrating, part of him bloating.

“Uhhhhcgk.”

The rhythm of indistinct breathing interrupted only by the spasms that gradually creep up his legs.

Ahhhhhhh!

Jesus’ heavy laden heart struggles with his dehydrated broken body to pump thick, heavy, sluggish blood to a resistant, barely living being.

“I…uhhhhcgk…thirst,” he whispers.

One last request. It is time to will himself to die.

Can they refuse? No! Look! Someone has had mercy on you, Son of God! He’s taking a sponge dipped in vinegar, and now…and now…he is offering it to you, thirsty Savior. A drink.

With the weariness of dying, Jesus takes the vinegar and it momentarily helps the nausea.

His tormented swollen heart labors slower and slower.

Gradually and increasingly surrounded by a contemptible, mocking serum, his heart strains even harder as it struggles to pump just a few more drops of blood.

Slower it pumps, and slower…

…Everything is getting so dim, so hazy, so blurry…

Where is everything going?

Around and around. Spinning, spinning, back, farther and farther, faster, faster, faster!

He groans.

“It…uhhhhcgk…is…uhhhhcgk…finished…”

Finished. Your work all completed. Everything as you knew it would be. And now, oh Lamb of God, die! The sacrifice is completed. But for your sins, Son of God? No, of course not. You have none. You’ve been perfect, unselfish one, from your human birth, the whole way. All of this has been for the others.

…Everything is drifting so far away…

So far away…

So far away.

So lonely…

No one here…

So hazy…All alone…

Forsaken…

Desolate…

…Something drawing… something… something drawing you to it. What is it? Where is it coming from?

Look up! But the pain—the cramping relentless pain.

Merciless.

Torturing to the very end.

But look up.

Look up!

Quick!

Don’t you see?

He calls out.

“Father!”

Yes, he’s coming for you!

“Father…uhhhhcgk… I know…uhhhhcgk…you’re there.

My spirit…uhhhhcgk…it’s yours!”

Just a little more now!

Just a little closer…

Jesus’ head lifts up in all the defiance of death. His body jerks and writhes, his knotted muscles strain.

Just a little closer now…

His heart swells…

Trembles…

Bursts.

And with a loud piercing cry that shakes the foundations of the earth, Jesus sends his liberated spirit rushing at last to the outstretched arms of God.

OH, MY SON! MY SON!

(Later in this volume is his resurrection and appearances to his startled friends.)

Katheryn Haddad was born in the cold north, but now lives in Arizona where she does not have to shovel sunshine. She enjoys hot weather, palm trees and cacti in her yard, and a computer with the letters worn off.

With a bachelor’s degree in English, Bible and social science from Harding University and part of a master’s degree in Bible, including Greek, from the Harding Graduate School of Theology, she also has a master’s degree in management and human relations from Abilene University.

Her newspaper column appeared for several years in newspapers in Texas and North Carolina ~ Little Known Facts About the Bible ~ and she has written for numerous Christian publications.

Currently she teaches English over the internet every morning, using the Bible as a text book. Most of her students are Muslims. She has taught some 6000 thus far, and has former students, now Christians, in hiding in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Jordan, Uzbekistan, and Palestine. “They are my heroes” she declares.

She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Christian Writers of the West, and is also an energetic public speaker who can touch the heart of audiences.

Website: http://inspirationsbykatheryn.com

Purchase SHADOW of DEATH HERE

Tags: Bible, Jesus, Julie Arduini, Katheryn Maddox Haddad, Shadow of Death

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Published on June 15, 2017 21:00

Reading News You Can Use

There’s a lot going on with ENGAGED releasing this month. I thought I’d share an update with reading news you can use!

Patti Shene hosted me last week and time is running out on the giveaway opportunity to receive a copy of ENGAGED. Learn more HERE.

Sarah Ruut interviewed me yesterday and there’s a giveaway opportunity for ENGAGED as well. Check it out HERE!

ENGAGED is available for eReader pre-order on Amazon. Don’t have a Kindle? No worries. Amazon has a free Kindle reading app for your electronic device.

The print version will be out later this month.

I will be at Christians Read tomorrow with my thoughts on faith.

Reading News You Can Use

About ENGAGED:

Trish Maxwell’s back in Speculator Falls with egg on her face and a lot of apologies to make. She left the mountain town for her dream job in New York City, only to come back unemployed. With no prospects, she works at her mom’s department store and makes amends as she finds a new passion creating window displays for Adirondack businesses. She works hard and tries to convince the people of Speculator Falls she’s changed for the better.

As Trish pitches in with community events, she meets paramedic Wayne Peterson, the one man who doesn’t seem to judge her. She even makes friends with Jenna Regan, who helps Trish when people demand to know what’s next in Trish’s life. Living in New York City has been her goal, but the more she’s around Wayne and the Adirondack area, the more she’s drawn to revising her plans. Just when Trish thinks the plan for her life’s coming together, a second chance comes her way that could give her every career goal she’s ever wanted, but threaten to tear her and Wayne apart. Can Trish surrender fears about her future and discover God’s plan for her?

Tags: author, Christian author, Christians Read, contemporary romance, dreams, engaged, faith, giveaway, goals, God's plans, Julie Arduini, Reading News You Can Use by Julie Arduini

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Published on June 13, 2017 08:38

Sneak Peek: Excerpt from An Encore for Estelle

Engaged is now available for Kindle Pre-Order on Amazon!

A couple days ago I introduced you to Kimberly Rose Johnson and her latest release, AN ENCORE FOR ESTELLE. Kimberly was gracious enough to share an excerpt with everyone here today. Check it out!

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Chapter One

Estelle Rogers willed her galloping heart to slow. Why had she come back to Oak Knoll, Oregon? It wasn’t like the people here had welcomed her with open arms six years ago.

But that was then. Things were different now. Helen Wood had invited her for a visit

over the summer, and she could never say no to the one woman who’d accepted her in spite of her flaws. Besides, she needed time away to think about her future. Estelle

squared her shoulders, raised a hand, and pressed the doorbell beside the farmhouse door.

The door flung open. “You’re here!” Helen’s smile lit her eyes.

Estelle blinked. Helen looked like a young Mary Tyler Moore—she looked fantastic.

Could this be the same woman she’d grown close to all those years ago? Granted when she’d last seen Helen, she’d been recovering from a stroke, but a different woman stood before her now. The rosy-cheeked brunette looked fifteen years younger than her fifty five years. “You look amazing.”

Helen blushed and waved a hand in front of her face. “Derek sent me on a spa

vacation. You should try one. You’d love it.”

The mention of her one-time boyfriend didn’t affect her like it used to. Helen’s son

was now happily married, and she adored his wife, Kayla. “If I didn’t know better, I’d

say you’re hinting that I need a makeover.”

The older woman shrugged. “Not at all. You look lovely as usual.” She stepped

back, opening the door wider. “Come in. I can’t believe you’re actually here. I was afraid you might change your mind.”

“How silly would I be to do something like that?” If Helen only knew how many

times she had almost cancelled the trip. But she would never reveal that to her dear

friend.

Helen looped her arm through Estelle’s. “I prepared lunch for us in the garden.”

“I love your garden. It’s so serene. I’m glad the weather is cooperating today. I

noticed you’ve had a lot of rain lately.”

“We have, but summer doesn’t usually start here until July. Welcome back to

Oregon.” She chuckled. “I remember how much you enjoyed my garden the last time you were here, so I’ve been praying the weather would cooperate.”

Of course she had. Helen was like that—she had no qualms about asking the Lord

for a sunny day.

“You’ll be staying in the guest cottage while you’re here.”

Estelle stilled. “I thought your . . .” What does one call a man who works around the

farm doing odd jobs? “handyman—”

“His name is Blake, and he moved into the barn so you could have the cottage.”

“That was nice of him, but the barn?”

Helen patted her arm. “Now don’t you worry about Blake. He’s a grown man and

can take care of himself. Besides, he and Derek built a nice room out there. He has all the comforts of home.”

Estelle raised a brow. “If you say so.”

“I do.” She guided them through the house and out the French doors that led to the

courtyard garden.

Estelle caught her breath. Water bubbled from a fountain near the cottage. A light

breeze rustled the leaves on the birch trees overhead. A large vase of multi-colored

flowers sat in the center of a round table covered with a white cloth. “It’s more beautiful than I remember. You’ve added some new features.”

“I’m glad you like it. This space has been a labor of love. I spend as much time as I

am able to out here.” She motioned toward a wooden chair padded with pillows. “Have a seat. I’m so pleased you finally took me up on my offer to take an extended vacation.”

“Me too. Although whether I stay the entire three months you had in mind is up in

the air. If I’m needed in LA, I’ll have to return.” There was no way she could put Jeff off for three months—it wouldn’t be fair to either of them.

“Of course. After all, you’re a woman in constant demand. What with your

restaurant and acting career.”

“I don’t know how in demand I am these days. I gave up acting years ago, and my

restaurant runs smoothly thanks to my executive chef and my fantastic manager. Between those two, the only thing I’m needed for is paying the bills.” She sat up taller. “What’s for lunch?” She wasn’t hungry, but anything was better than talking about her professional life.

Helen’s face lit up as she pulled the cloth off a serving tray. “I prepared a chicken

salad, fresh fruit, and for dessert I made homemade peach ice cream.”

“That sounds delicious.” She allowed Helen to serve her then bowed her head as her

hostess offered a blessing for the food.

“Amen.” Helen placed a cloth napkin in her lap. “I wasn’t sure what you like, but I

remembered you enjoyed this dish when you were last here.”

“You have a good memory, especially considering you’d had a stroke shortly before

I arrived. I’m surprised you remember much about those weeks.”

“I recall pretty much everything. It wasn’t like I had a lot to do to fill my mind.

Having you here helped with my therapy.”

How had she not managed to find the time to visit this sweet woman sooner, and

more important why had she been so nervous? Helen was as kind and genuine in person as she’d been in their weekly correspondence these past six years.

Helen’s face brightened as she looked past Estelle. “Good afternoon, Blake. I’d like

you to meet a friend. She’s the one staying in the cottage.”

Estelle turned to face the man. She sucked in a breath. He had to be over six feet tall. His dark hair had a messy look that she liked. Get it together. He wasn’t the first

ruggedly handsome man she’d ever met. Plus there was Jeff.

He looked down at her with chocolate brown eyes. “It’s nice to meet you. Helen has

told me all about you.”

Estelle shot a look toward Helen. “Don’t believe everything you hear.”

***

Oooh, I LOVE where this story is going, and I think you will, too.

Amazon Follow: https://www.amazon.com/Kimberly-Rose-Johnson/e/B00K10CR6E/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1435862403&sr=1-2-ent

Amazon buy link:https://www.amazon.com/Encore-Estelle...

Tags: An Encore for Estelle, contemporary romance, fiction, first chapter, Julie Arduini, Kimberly Rose Johnson, New Release, Sneak Peek: An Excerpt from An Encore for Estelle, The Twelve

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Published on June 10, 2017 21:00

Don’t Miss This: An Encore for Estelle by Kimberly Rose Johnson

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Book Blurb:

The theater ties them together but a painful past could pull them apart.

At a crossroads, former movie star Estelle Rogers, returns to the place that set her life on a new course. Although she expects a rough reception she is pleasantly surprised and quickly settles into her new position at the local children’s theater. But her road back to acting isn’t as smooth as she would like.

Tragedy brought Blake Price to Oak Knoll, Oregon, but it’s love that keeps him there. His late wife and daughter loved acting, and he owes it to them to honor their memory with the children’s theater, but his new assistant is making changes he isn’t ready for both at the theater and in his heart. Can he forgive himself and move forward, or will he forever be tied to the biggest mistake of his life?

Hook: A former A-list actress seeks to redeem herself in the most unlikely of places—a children’s theater. The writer/director didn’t anticipate a famous actress would ever show interest in his musical much less him. Will their pasts pull them apart or join them together?

Bio: Kimberly Rose Johnson married her college sweetheart and lives in the Pacific Northwest. From a young child Kimberly has been an avid reader. That love of reading fostered a creative mind and led to her passion for writing.

She especially loves romance and writes contemporary romance that warms the heart and feeds the soul.

Kimberly holds a degree in Behavioral Science from Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.

You can sign up for Kimberly’s newsletter via her website at: http://kimberlyrjohnson.com/index.html

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KimberlyRoseJohnson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kimberlyrosejoh

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Amazon buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Encore-Estelle-Melodies-Love-Book-ebook/dp/B071Z3C5SG