Peering Through Life's Window

A Warm Welcome to Allyson Carter Allyson will give away an e-book. To enter to win leave a comment and an e-mail address below   Hi Allyson, first, tell us a little about yourself .  I’m a mama and wife. I have 4 kids with three on the autism spectrum. Our children are homeschooled. Were you an avid reader as a child? I was! What did you read? Wow, that’s a loaded question. I read so many different things. I loved Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys . Really, there were too many different genres that I would read. Where do you get ideas for your books? Everywhere. That’s pretty much where I get my ideas. It can come from a song I heard on the radio, something I read in a newspaper or even on the news. Do you have to juggle writing with a job, family responsibilities or other obligations? Yes I do. How do you balance it? Some days I’m not sure. The only way I get anything done is with God’s help. I try and stick to a schedule, which benefits my kids. My hubby is hel

  A Warm Welcome to Jennifer Slattery To enter to win a copy of Beyond I Do , leave a comment with your name and an e-mail address. Closed Door   I’m not sure when this started or where it came from, but somehow, over the years, my view of obedience has become tainted. I’ve heard so much about open and closed doors and letting go and letting God that I’ve developed this idea that obedience is going to be easy. And successful. But when I read the Bible, that’s not what I see. Consider how many doors Moses had slammed in his face. His own people opposed him, Pharaoh ridiculed him, and the harder Moses pushed, the worse things became. At least initially. And what about Joshua and his encounter with Jericho? He didn’t just have a closed door. He had an entire, seemingly impenetrable, wall standing in his way. Then there’s the prophet Elijah. His life wasn’t exactly a bed of roses. At times, he even thought his work was pointless. But he kept on. As did Isaiah, John the Bapti

A Warm Welcome to Best-selling, award winning author Cynthia Hickey           Cynthia will give away a copy of An Unconventional Lady.  To enter to win leave a comment and an e-mail address below.  Modern Day Miracle   I accepted Jesus as my savior at a country church revival when I was thirteen. Myself, my father and my two sisters walked the aisle of that small country church. Not too long after that, we joined hands with others in the middle of a small pond in a green pasture and were baptized.  I tried to do everything that was expected of a good Christian teenager. I went to church, alone if I had to. Attended churches of all denominations—trying to find the perfect one for me. I even took Bible Study courses through the mail. I was doing it all and was very proud of myself. Right out of High School I got married and moved across country with my young husband who had joined the Air Force. Two years later we had a daughter and thought life wa

A warm welcome to the woman behind The Women of Valley View - Sharon Srock. To enter to win The Women of Valley View: Pam leave a comment and an e-mail address. Were you an avid reader as a child? What did you read? My father’s job moved us around a lot when I was growing up. I didn’t make friends easily, but I learned that books could move with me. I read a lot of different things. Probably my favorites were the Trixie Beldon series and Victoria Holt mysteries. As a young wife and mother I had my romance period as well. From there I moved to Science fiction and fantasy. Now, I don’t read a specific type of book. If it grabs my attention, I’ll read it. Interesting to find someone else who reads all genres. So, you went from reading to writing. Why do you write? The short answer is because God told me to. The long answer is harder to explain. I never dreamed of being a writer when I was a child. I dreaded book reports and English assignments. One day I wok

It's my pleasure to welcome Nancy. She'll give away a copy of Unforeseeable. To enter to win leave a comment and an e-mail address. Hi Nancy, first tell us a little about yourself. I’ve been married for forty years to my husband, Norman. I have one child, Danny, who lives in Missouri. We just sold our house in Kansas and are moving to be near my wonderful son, his beautiful wife, and the cutest grandson in the whole world. I might be a little prejudiced, but Aidan has brought so much joy to our lives. We want to watch him grow up and be involved in his life. I love animals and have a Puggle named Watson. He’s named after Doctor Watson from the Sherlock Holmes stories. I love mystery, and Watson is very, very nosy. His name fits him. I’ve been writing for fifteen years and have had fifteen books published. I love writing and believe it’s my calling. Lots of people who enjoy writing also have a history of reading. Were you an avid reader as a child? If so, what did you

To enter to win a copy of Beyond the Past , make a comment and leave an e-mail address. Welcome Jo. First, tell us a little about yourself. We live in a college town, which made it convenient for our children to earn college degrees. We love living in the South and vacationing on the seashore of the Gulf of Mexico. We lost a fourteen year old cocker spaniel. I won’t get another pet because the pain of that loss is too great for me to go through again. Tell us about your latest book. Beyond the Past is book 2 in the Caney Creek Series, which is a Southern inspirational historical romance. Emmajean Callaway’s life in Atlanta plummets from bad to worse. Can big brother, Jim, lead her back to the family who loves her and also hold the imploding Callaway family together? Jim Callaway looks forward to 1951 and the chance to forge a relationship with Caroline after twenty years apart. He’s sidetracked when his sister and his best friend need his help. His baby sister, Emmajean

Regina will give away a $10.00 Amazon gift card and a PDF copy of EITHER Light of the Heart OR Angels of the Heart. See below for Regina's question to answer to enter to win. Then leave your comment with an email address. Welcome, Regina. Thank you so much for having me on your blog, Gail. I am thrilled to visit and happy to share my thoughts on writing with you and your readers.  It’s wonderful to have you. Tell us about your latest book. I am very excited about my newest release. It is a reissue from Writer’s Exchange Publishing titled Angels of the Heart . This is book two in my Sterling Lakes series. What inspired you to write this particular book? That’s an interesting question because usually I rely on my imagination for inspiration. This plot, however, has one particular element that actually happened to me. In the book, developers come into town and their plans for a strip mall require the destruction of the Townsend Barn, a beloved local landmark. In re

Sharon shares an excerpt, gives us her mother's recipe for pumpkin bread, and tells us her favorite Bible verse. She'll give away a print copy of Terri. To enter to win leave a comment and an email address. Sharon's Mom Nourish the Body -- Pumpkin Bread 2 & 2/3 Cups flour 3 Cups sugar 1 & 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons cinnamon 2 teaspoons nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 4 Eggs 1 Cup oil 2/3 Cup water 2 Cups pumpkin 1 Cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts) Preheat oven to 325. Spray your bunt pan with Pam Baking spray, set aside. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl to completely combined. Pour into pan and bake for 1 hour. Since oven temps vary, after an hour touch the top of the cake, if it doesn't feel done to you give it 5-10 more minutes. Insert a toothpick, if it comes out with moist crumbs attached, you're done. Loosen the cake from the pan and invert onto a serving dish. For the frosting, mi

To enter to win a copy of Shadowed Dreams , leave a comment and an email address.              Thanksgiving and Trust One of my favorite verses in Scripture is Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to proper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." This scripture reminds me that God has something more for my life than I can comprehend. He loves me and has the best of plans for my life. Plans He set in motion before I was even born. I really try to hang on to that promise. But if I am honest, I might say I believe it, but my actions don't always prove my words. When I get caught in a whirlwind of trouble, a lot of times from my own making, when I'm worried or feeling inadequate, I find myself asking where God went and what happened to the wonderful plan He had for my life. Certainly the mess I find myself, the mess that is now my life, isn't what God would call the best plan. Is

Delia Latham talks about a new series, Heart's Haven , and her new book, Jewels for the Kingdom . She'll give away a PDF copy of her book. To enter to win leave a comment and an email address.  Nourish the Body Wow! A Delicious Recipe for Apple Pie from the 1800's From Delia: I’d like to share a recipe from Heart’s Haven, if I may… Back in the 1800s, when Hart House was operational as a boarding facility, Lily Hart’s apple pie was famous. She made the best in the entire area, possibly the whole state of Texas! Lots of things have changed in the intervening years, but one thing that has not changed is that most single men will go anywhere and do anything to at the right place, at the right time, when a home-cooked meal—and, in particular, homemade desserts—are being served. Yet die-hard bachelors in Angel Falls would not step foot inside Hart House, even for Lily Hart’s mouth-watering apple pie. Can you guess why? Here’s the recipe, and I have it on good authority