Peering Through Life's Window

          A Warm Welcome to Paula Mosher Wallace   Paula will give away a print book and a t-shirt. To enter to win leave a comment and an e-mail address below. (U.S. residents only)                 About Bloom in the Dark Have you ever experienced a hurt that didn't qualify for a sympathy card? Did embarrassment or shame keep you from getting help or support? Do you have a loved one who's been abused? Many women face trauma and abuse. In these pages, you will read 30 stories, poems, and letters that tell these testimonies. Without sugarcoating her situation, each woman shares her pain, how she made it through, and how God met her. Our journeys to healing are different. Your story may not be reflected in the pages of this book, but you will see that you are not alone. We can all reach out to the same God who helped each of these women. Christ will meet you, carry you, hold ...

Some say that Christ wasn’t born on December 25th. They claim that Christians took the date from a Roman holiday honoring the sun or a sun god. The Britannica Encyclopedia says Christians took the date to rival pagan feasts taking place during the Winter Solstice, which honored a new age brought by the sun. Depending on location, the Winter Solstice occurs on or around December 25th. Even though it lasts only an instant in time, many cultures have held festivals marking it as midwinter. According to some, Christmas simply grew to be one of the most popular events. Nonetheless, every year by the time we’ve celebrated Thanksgiving, festive decorations acknowledging the birth of Christ appear in overwhelming numbers across the American landscape. A majority of homes have wreaths on their doors, candles in their windows, lights in the yards. And jolly old Santa Claus sits in the middle of the mall to greet youngsters. And this country’s biggest celebration continues until after December ...

Hats, horns... Congratulations to Mary Preston!

A Warm Welcome to Nancy Mehl   Nancy will give away a print copy of her new book, Rising Darkness . To enter to win leave a comment and an e-mail address below Hi Nancy, first, tell us a little about yourself. I was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas. Two years ago, my husband and I moved to Missouri to be near our son, daughter-in-law, and our precious grandson. I’ve worked in a lot of areas, including Christian radio and banking. But most of my working life was spent doing social work. I loved it! I’ve been married 43 years this month, and I have a 36 year-old son, Danny. He’s been married for 4 years and has a 2 year-old son named Aidan. Aidan is such a blessing. We just can’t get enough of him! Since my husband Norman and I have no more children at home, we spend a lot of time parenting our puggle, Watson. Watson is part pug, part beagle. It seems he got the most rambunctious qualities of each breed. LOL! When I’m not writing, or watching Doctor Who , I spend...

The winner is... Congratulations! Linda Weaver Clarke.

A Warm Welcome to Renee Blare Hi Renee, thank so much for stopping by to share your personal story, Grace Under Fire and tell us about your latest book.   Renee will give away an e-book of To Soar on Eagle's Wings to enter to win leave a comment and an email address below. Grace Under Fire   Life…everything’s spinning along perfectly one day and the next? A freight train slams into your world and shatters it into a million pieces. And then a tractor comes by and grinds the shards into powder. Has this ever happened to you? It’s not fun, is it? How did you react? When my life turned upside down, I didn’t respond well. Yes, I’m a Christian. I know who God is. I know He’s faithful and true. I pray, and He answers. But you have to understand. What happened to us wasn’t fair. And I was mad. This time, praise and worship wasn’t good enough. It wasn’t sufficient to meditate on the Word and soak up His power and strength. I needed to know why He’d let this happe...

Messages Poems and Short Stories to Live By Just in time for Christmas, a collection of inspirational poems and short stories   About Messages Find inspiration for our hectic times in these straight-forward poems for happy and sad days. Find history, warmth and a touch of the paranormal in three stories. Getting the Goat peeks into the early 1900's when mountain life was tough. Does Mama's advice hold true today? In Stitches in Love Rose's deep love for her grandmother motivates others to share their gifts. Does Rose reap her reward? Robert Horner is tempted in The Stranger , but does he succumb to the lure? Print copies coming soon! Excerpt from the Poems "...Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew: 22: 37 - 39 Refreshed Sometimes life uncovers a sharp, ugly sna...

A Warm Welcome to Linda Weaver Clarke  Hi Linda, Thanks for sharing with us. Tell us about your new book and your contest. Mystery on the Bayou is a Fun New Cozy! Book Giveaway Nov 23 – Dec 7 It’s time to get cozy once again with the Amelia Moore Detective Series. Louisiana, the land of bayous and gumbo! Crawdads, jambalaya, swamps, alligators, and plenty of Spanish moss hanging from the trees! Mystery on the Bayou, book six, blends a nice balance of mystery, intrigue, romance, and humor. Amelia Moore and Rick Bonito, two private eyes and a newly married couple, specialize in missing persons. To enter the contest, make a comment about the interview and tell me why you enjoy mysteries. Visit http://lindaweaverclarke.blogspot.com/2015/11/mystery-on-bayou-is-fun-new-cozy.html

A Warm Welcome to Jennifer Slattery Jennifer's Mom Experience It’s the one job I most want to excel in and yet the one responsibility I mess up most. But when it all goes well, when, by the grace of God I manage my emotions and hold my tongue, it’s beautiful. Bonding. Healing. Moms, I don’t think I’m alone in this. Nothing tugs at our hearts quite like our kids, and it’s that intense tug that often does us in. For me, most of my less than grace-filled reactions are usually rooted in fear. And when I’m in that hyper-alert fearful state, I tend to react… before I think. It was a Sunday night, and my husband I had just returned from an overnight away—our teenage daughter’s first night home alone.  Well, sort of alone. She had a friend over. This trip felt pretty monumental. With our daughter leaving for college next fall, this step of independence only served to remind us of how much she’s grown and how short our time with her truly is. And I was giggly-excited, ...

Hats... Horns... Congratulations to Linda Weaver Clarke

A Warm Welcome to Candee Fick   Candee will give away either a mobi or pdf file of Catch of a Lifetime First, tell us a little about yourself . I’ve been married to a high school football coach for almost 20 years and we have three kids, including a recently-turned-adult daughter with special needs, a high school senior, and the “baby” in middle school. I’m a former chemistry teacher and cross country coach who now works from home summarizing work histories in asbestos cases. In my free time, I savor the escape of fiction through both reading and writing! Lots of writers loved to read when they were young. Were you an avid reader as a child? If so, what did you read? I learned to read at age four and haven’t been far from a book since. Some of my early favorites were the Little House on the Prairie series, Chronicles of Narnia, The Borrowers , Black Stallion, Jannette Oke’s Love Comes Softly, and Watership Down. Let's talk about your writing. Why do yo...

Hats...Horns... Congratulations, Sonja N.!!!

A Warm Welcome to Lynn Lovegreen Lynn will give away an ebook copy of Gold Nuggets . To enter to win leave a comment and an e-mail address. Also, be sure to check out her fun quiz at the end of the interview. Hi Lynn, first, tell us a little about yourself. I was lucky enough to grow up in Alaska, and still live there. I’m a retired teacher who now writes full-time. I write young adult historical romance, and Prism Book Group publishes my Gold Rush series. Lots of writers loved to read as children. How about you? Were you an avid reader as a child? If so, what did you read? Yes—mine was a reading household, and I read anything I could get my hands on. I read a lot of children’s books (favorite picture book: The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf, favorite chapter book author: E. B. White). I enjoyed strong young ladies, like the Little House, Anne , and Nancy Drew books. But I also waded into my mother’s poetry and Shakespeare books early on, and read both young adul...

A Warm Welcome to June Foster   Congratulations on your new book, What God Knew.   About What God Knew 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 offer medical treatment 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 become 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 acknow...

A Warm Welcome to Brandy Heineman Photo credit: Copyright Emilie Hendryx of E. A. Creative Photography, 2014.  Hi Brandy, lots of writers enjoyed reading as a child. How about you? If so, what did you read? Oh, yes. I always loved to read. I adored mysteries— The Dollhouse Murders and Behind the Attic Wall come to mind—and of course I had my Baby-Sitters Club and Sweet Valley High phase, my Roald Dahl phase, my Judy Bloom phase . . . I was quite a bookish child, I’d say! About Whispers in the Branches In 1942, Ruby lost something. In 2012, Abby found it. Abby’s love life, career, and faith are in shambles when she first hears Great Aunt Ruby’s claims that the family home is haunted. Abby moves in, determined to shake out a ghost, but the secrets she discovers there aren’t the ones she hopes to find. Whispers in the Branches is my first novel. It was released earlier this year by Elk Lake Publishing. Buy Whispers in the Branches on Amazon Wh...

                                                                                   A Warm Welcome to Kim McMahill Hi Kim, first, tell us a little about yourself. I grew up in Wyoming, which is probably where I developed my sense of adventure and love of the outdoors. I started out writing non-fiction, and had over eighty travel and geographic articles appear in magazine and other publications. As exciting as that was to see my work in print, my passion for exotic world travel, outrageous adventures, stories of survival, and happily-ever-after endings soon drew me into a worl...