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Looking out the Window: Olivia Sykora Talks about Her New Book, Son of the Mountain King, Mountain King Trilogoy Book 1. Shares a Devotional and an Excerpt

A Warm Welcome to O. R. Sykora Hi Olivia, Thank you for sharing an inspirational devotional with us and telling us about your new book.  Light Reflections by O.R. Sykora I love gazing at the moon. My three-year-old has an uncanny knack for spotting the moon whenever it’s visible in the bright morning sky, a dimly glowing crescent that, sure enough, hangs exactly where she’s pointing. But I prefer the view of a full moon lighting up the night sky (and not because it’s easier to find!). I’ll never forget the first time a friend invited me to see the moon through her high-powered telescope, the rise and fall of every crater imprinting on my memory. Each luminous detail through the glass only heightened my enjoyment of the moon I see now with the naked eye. But the essential beauty element does not belong to the moon itself. The glowing pearl of the midnight sea is nothing but a dark, blemished rock without its true source of light: the sun. The moon’s glory is a reflected glory. I lov...
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Looking out the Window: Take a Sneak Peek at Dangerous Shadows.

Nick and Emily must connect a theft, gamblers, a college athlete, murderer and stalker to solve Nick's new case. Impossible or not? Snag a Kindle copy on pre-order and find out on November 3, when the book releases. The characters in Dangerous Shadows meet up with those in Hidden Danger and   Dangerous   Detour. Each book stands alone, but reading them all brings three times the fun. About Dangerous Shadows Shaken from an assault in the library parking lot at Hilltop College in Western North Carolina, crime reporter Emily Hanover contacts her ex-fiancé, private investigator Nick Lancaster. When the college hires Nick to recover quartz and ancient maps stolen from the library, Nick insists there’s a connection between the theft and Emily’s attack. As Nick and Emily face danger from an elusive stalker, their romance rekindles. Nick’s sidekick, Hucklesford, spots two suspects, so he and Nick go undercover. While Nick’s surveillance points to illegal gambling and murder, Huc...

Looking out the Window: Tracy Wainwright Talks about her New Book, Shifting Goals.

 A Warm Welcome to Tracy Wainwright Hi Tracy, thanks for sharing your thoughts on fall, parenting and letting go as well as introducing us to your new book, Shifting Goals.  Fall Fall is a wonderful time of year. Not because I’m a pumpkin spice junkie, I’m not. While I love summer and the family time it gives us on the water, there’s just something extra special about the smell of autumn – bonfires, cinnamon, and, yes, even pumpkin – the array of leaf colors, football games (although I can’t remember the last full game I watched, and the temperature fluctuating from 40⁰ to 80⁰. Not to mention sweaters, boots, and leggings.  The other season changes seem to occur more gradually, while fall bursts on the scene like a random firework on a random Saturday (this is a thing in our neighborhood. Fall is the season when most of nature begins to die or hibernate. This may feel pessimistic or disheartening, but God made it beautiful. And we have extra bonuses like hayrides, corn ma...

Looking out the Window: The American Christian Fiction Writers' October New Releases

October 2025 New Releases More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website Biblical: Rescued Heart: The Story of Sarah by Angela Hunt -- A master of biblical research, Angela Hunt delivers a series starter that transports readers to the Old Testament world of Sarah and Abraham, making this novel a perfect read for those who love Francine Rivers, Mesu Andrews, Connilyn Cossette, and Jill Eileen Smith. (Biblical/Historical from Bethany House) Leading Philippi by Jenifer Jennings -- In the raging sea of fear, Epaphroditus finds his faith. (Biblical/Historical, Independently Published) Contemporary Romance: The Second Story Bookshop by Denise Hunter -- She inherits the bookshop of her dreams . . . But she has to run it with the ex she vowed never to speak with again. (Contemporary Romance from HarperCollins Christian Publishing [Thomas Nelson]) Trying to Save Christmas by Dawn Kinzer -- A new teacher trying to save Christmas for a ...

Looking out the Window: Award-winning Author June Foster Visits my Blog to Talk about The Hidden Legacy -- a Ford Family Ranch Book 2. She Shares a Bible Verse and a Yummy Bar-b-Que Recipe

  A Warm Welcome to June Foster The Bible verse and recipe June shares both relate to her new book,  The Hidden Legacy—a Ford Family Ranch book 2 Bible Verse  “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me.” Found in Mark 9:37 and Matthew 18:5, the Scripture refers to the hero in The Hidden Legacy , Austin Ford, when he was a child. Recipe The Ford family held an annual fund raiser to benefit the local homeless boys’ shelter in Oakville. One of the favorite dishes was Texas Bar-b-que.  Texas Bar-b-que Ingredients 1 beef sirloin tip roast (4 pounds) 1 can (5-1/2 ounces) spicy hot V8 juice 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup white vinegar 1/4 cup ketchup 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, or to taste 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground mustard 1 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon chili powder 1/8 teaspoon pepper, or to tast 16 Hawaiian sweet rolls split Directions: Cut roast in half; place in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Combine the V8 juice, wate...

Looking out the Window: Tracy Wainwright Talks about Overflowing Hearts, Book Four in the Fruit of the Spirit Series. Giveaway

  A Warm Welcome to Tracy Wainwright Tracy shares a devotional about love with us and gives away a digital copy of Overflowing Hearts . To enter to win the book leave a comment and an email address below.  Devotional As I reflect on the question, “Why do you think Jesus told us to love one another and what does that mean?”, I find myself reflecting on the gamut of emotions roiling through me in the handful of days since the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk. I saw the news very quickly and watched too many of the live videos. I experienced the roller coaster of emotions as news came out that he made it to the hospital and then passed away. I wept at the death of this man I never knew. And I didn’t know why. You might be asking what all this has to do with Jesus’ second greatest command. I promise I’m getting there. As a believer, and one in the public eye, I, along with every single other believer in Jesus the Messiah, am part of the same family. The family of God’s childre...

Looking out the Window: A Former Newspaper Woman Turned Novelist, Kathleen Bailey Inspires Us with her Heartfelt Devotional and her New Book, Hilltop Reunion, Sequel to Hilltop Christmas

  A Warm Welcome to Kathleen Bailey Thanks to Kathleen for sharing her writing with us. Devotional   “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11      For me, 2024 was a year of letting go. Of reading the Sunday paper on Sunday – it’s now a combined issue with Saturday. Of seeing newspapers themselves, the foundation of my career, become slimmer and less respected. Of paying cash for things, with one national chain holding us hostage until my husband produced a credit card. Of seeing CDs and DVDs replaced with streaming (and the inexplicable return of vinyl, who knew?) Of seeing favorite national retail chains go out of business, and seeing cherished local and regional attractions close.       Of seeing my beloved younger daughter die at 43 from cancer.      I’ve always been a problem-solver, always been able to “fix” things for my family a...