OZARK WEDDINGS Review

Ozark Weddings: The Hills Are Alive with the Ring of Romance (Romancing America), 3 books in 1 by Anita Higman and Janice Thompson from Barbour Publishing.
I’m usually disappointed in at least one story in a 3 in 1, so I read Larkspur Dreams wondering if this was the one that would disappoint. But, not so. I thoroughly enjoyed Larkspur Dreams. It was a fun, kept-my-attention read. Very satisfactory.


Now on to the second, The Love Song . Again, good settings, good characters, a good read.

All right, so it’s the third one that will disappoint. But, again, not so. Castle In The Air was a very satisfactory read. The setting and characters were particularly intriguing. Maybe my favorite of the three, or, no maybe it was Larkspur Dreams that was my favorite? Although The Love Song tugged at my heartstrings. Oh, just read them all.

So I have to recommend Ozark Weddings by Anita Higman and Janice Thompson. I found the writing well done. The settings built a story world. The characters especially believable. Filled with humor, quirkiness, and romance, I enjoyed spending a hot summer afternoon reading Ozark Weddings.

“Take a journey into the Ozarks where romance disrupts the lives of three women. Larkspur Wendell’s new neighbor Everett Holden is more interested in his computer than communication. Will Larkspur’s zest for life draw the reclusive Everett out of his shell or drive him in deeper? The vulnerability of Clair O’Neal attracts the attention of two different men. Can she trust their interest or their motives? Nori Kelly’s biological clock is ticking loud and clear. But she’s also a successful entrepreneur. So why does she only attract nerds like Zachary Martin? Will God move mountains to bring hearts together?” Barbour Publishing web page

Grandmother Lands Book Deal For Debut Novel Aged 82

"An 82-year-old grandmother is celebrating after landing a book deal for her debut novel. Myrrha Stanford-Smith, 82, saw her first work 'The Great Lie' start appearing on shelves last week. Myrrha Stanford-Smith, a teacher and theatre director, said she was ''gobsmacked'' to be handed the three-book agreement, which saw her first work The Great Lie start appearing on shelves last week...” Full Article


This article was in the Telegraph newspaper in London June 28. The book was released June 17 in England so I have not read it, nor can I recommend or not recommend it. I’m just impressed with the accomplishment. It’s 190 for sells on the UK Amazon site, which is amazing. I predict it won’t be long until it finds a US publisher.

Ever had a dream you gave up on because you thought you were too old? This grandmother kept sending in those manuscripts and collecting those rejections. Now she has her dream.

I admit I had to look up the word “gobsmacked” and found that it means to slap one’s mouth in surprise, sort of like flabbergasted.


After reading this article, I am encouraged to keep following my dreams.


A J Hawke

Need a Good Read For the Summer? Try a Christy Winner

The association of Christian publishers announced their 2010 fiction books awards, The Christy Awards. I checked with my public library and found several. I figure that if they won the award, they are good reads. Of course, I'll make my own decision after I read them. I think I'll start with the Contemporary Romance winner. With 100 degree days ahead, staying in the air conditioning and reading a good book sounds inviting. Here's the winners.


                
Contemporary Romance
Breach of Trust (Call of Duty Series, Book 1) by Diann Mills (Tyndale House Publishers)












Contemporary Series, Sequels and Novellas

Who Do I Talk To? (Yada Yada Series)by Neta Jackson (Thomas Nelson)










Contemporary Stand Along

The Passion of Mary-Margaret by Lisa Samson (Thomas Nelson)







First Novel

Fireflies in December by Jennifer Erin Valent (Tyndale House Publishers)









Historical

Though Waters Roar by Lynn Austin (Bethany House Publishers)










Historical Romance

The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen (Bethany House Publishers)







Suspense

Lost Mission by Athol Dickson (Howard Books: a Division of Simon & Schuster)









Visionary

By Darkness Hid (Blood of Kings, book 1) by Jill Williamson (Marcher Lord Press)








Young Adult

North! Or Be Eaten: Wild escapes. A desperate journey. And the ghastly Fangs of Dang. by Andrew Peterson (Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group)

Kim Vogel Sawyer - A HOPEFUL HEART Book Giveaway

Hopeful Heart, A

Join me in welcoming Kim Vogel Sawyer, the author of fifteen novels. She is active in her church, where she leads women's fellowship and participates in music ministry.Kim and her husband, Don, reside in central Kansas, and have three daughters and six grandchildren.


What led you to the career choice of becoming a writer?
Very simply: GOD, and the deterioration of my health. As a kid, being a writer is all I dreamed about. But I become a single mom very unexpectedly in the early 1980's and I had to find a way to support my daughter. So I became a teacher. Truly loved teaching, too, and used my writing in the classroom.
But between 1990 and 2000, I was diagnosed with six different chronic illnesses that really impacted my strength and mobility. I had to drop to part-time teaching. About that same time, my dad began pestering me to take up the writing again. With a half day to fill, I followed his direction, and began attending Christian writing conferences. Eventually I landed an agent, but despite her best efforts we just couldn't seem to land a contract.
In 2004, I was ready to quit seeking publication, but God made it possible (through scholarships and the kindness of an anonymous angel) for me to attend the ACFW (www.ACFW.com) Conference in Denver. So I went, and while there a fifteen-minute meeting in the prayer room changed my life. He reached down through a prayer warrior named Brandilyn and healed me of every chronic illness as well as an emotional burden that had held me captive since childhood. Then He instructed me to close my classroom door. I did, and He swung wide the door to publication, giving me ten contracts in a six-month period. I've been writing full-time ever since. I see it as my God-ordained ministry, and I love every minute of giving Him glory through the stories I write.

Every reader likes to learn more about characters, as they get further into the story. How do the secrets of your characters come to life?
Secrets are revealed as the story progresses. I learn more and more about the character as I write. I don't plot, although I do get well acquainted with my characters before I write by examining what they want, why they want it, and what stands in the way. But as I write, more pieces of mystery emerge until a well-rounded story results. Actually, it's rather fun!
Some authors report writing 5-10 thousand words a day. Do scenes flow freely from your veins, or do you have to tweeze each word out?
It depends on the day and the place in the story. My beginnings and middles flow. Then I come to last fourth of the book--drawing it to an end--and my writing slows. Not because I don't know where it's going. By that time, I have a fuzzy picture in mind of how everything will come together.
But I grow to love my characters so much, I don't want the book to end. So I drag my feet, write a scene a day rather than two chapters...and then suddenly the deadline is looming over me like a monstrous storm cloud and I make a mad dash to the end. Very rarely do encounter true "writer's block"--it mostly life interruptions or a reluctance to bring things to a close that slow my writing pace.
What is the hardest part after the book is published?
Well, I love the characters in my books. They become friends, and I'm protective of my friends. So when someone posts a negative review, it can really hurt. It's very difficult not to take it personally. *sad smile* It can also be tough for me to let the characters go. I write stand-alone novels, with the occasional sequel (Where the Heart Leads (Waiting for Summer's Return Series #2) is a follow-up to Waiting for Summer's Return, and this fall In Every Heartbeat will give another glimpse into the lives of the Gallagher children from My Heart Remembers) so I really do have to bid them farewell. That's hard on my tender heart.
Why historical and particularly, Historical Romance?
Even as a child, I loved escaping into another time and place. I enjoy historical writing because I'm a history nut (I taught history to fifth graders), and I'm fascinated by the changes our country has undergone. I don't want to say it was a simpler time a hundred years ago because people had to work a whole lot harder in a lot of ways, but in some ways it was a simpler, sweeter, gentler time.
It can be pleasant to step back and relive the days when everyone knew their neighbors and lent a helping hand, or the excitement of forging into unknown territories, depending only on your family and your God to offer assistance. As for romance...God is the original writer of romance. He created love, and He is glorified when a man and a woman create a family that serves Him.
What are you working on right now?
At the moment, I am "in" an Alaskan Athabascan village in 1898 where Clay Selby is struggling to build a mission school and facing the disapproval of one very determined Athabascan woman named Lizzie. And I'm having a great time!
What other books of yours are coming out soon?
Also releasing in 2010 are Book 2 in the Katy Lambright Series, Katy's Debate, which is a young adult novel with Zondervan. Then in September, I hope readers will enjoy the follow-up story to My Heart Remembers from Bethany House, which is titled In Every Heartbeat.
What three things do you know now about the publishing world that you wish you knew when you first started?
1) You have to do more than write. There's editing (who knew someone would suggest changes???), marketing, speaking, book signings... All of those things are important and enjoyable, but they take away from the writing time. So a person needs to balance her time wisely.
2) Publishing, while rewarding, is NOT the key to endless joy and fulfillment. For most of my childhood and young adult years, I thought, "If I can be a published writer, I will always be happy." While publishing certainly brings me great joy and has moments of fulfillment, it isn't the end-all of happiness. Only my relationship with God brings me eternal joy and fulfillment. He had to give me a few good hard head-bumps to get that through my thick skull, but I certainly see the truth of it now. My writing is my way of serving HIM, not satisfying my need for happiness.
3) Go back and read #2 again. ;o)
If time and money did not enter in the equation, what would be your dream? 
I'ld love to visit every country in the world. So far I've seen parts of Europe (England and Germany), a good portion of the U.S. including Hawaii and Alaska, and Canada. But I would love to do more traveling. Maybe someday.
What can you tell authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?
Don't let disappointment become disaster. Try to look at rejection as a stepping stone--that one didn't work, so aim for another one. Continue to hone your craft, learn more about the industry, and try again.
If God has called you to this, He has a reason, so keep marching forward. In HIS time, His purpose will prevail and you will be a better, stronger writer/Christian because of our faithfulness.
If you could recommend only one How-To Writing Book, what would it be?
I love A Novel Idea because it is the cumulative work of several well-known, well-respected authors and it covers everything from craft to personal advice. I wish I'd had it in hand six years ago--could've saved me some wear and tear.
What gave you the inspiration for this story?
In August of 2008, my parents, husband, and I went on an Alaska cruise to celebrate my folks' 50th anniversary. While on the cruise ship, we met a woman who, upon learning we were from Kansas, said she'd spent a summer in Kansas at a herdsman school. She'd married a rancher, but he didn't have time to teach her ranching skills, so he sent her to herdsman school. I'd never heard of such a thing as a herdsman school, so the brief exchange stayed with me. Weeks later, I shared this tidbit with a group of writers, and one of them laughingly said it would be fun to use that premise in a mail-order brides type story--bring inept women from the east to learn ranching skills and then match them with western men. I loved the idea!
How did you choose your characters’ names?
Tressa was named after a sweet young girl who attended a book signing in New York. She was such a darling, and I loved her unique name, so I asked if I could use it. She was delighted to say yes. Abel is a Bible name, and I love Bible names. Aunt Hattie told me what her name should be (when you meet her, you'll understand), and other names were chosen to fit their personalities. I also borrowed each of my grandsons' names for secondary characters, which was fun.
How do you choose your settings for each book?
I mostly write Kansas settings because I've lived in Kansas all but one year of my life, so it's "home" to me. It's also a prairie state, which makes for a great place to put a "prairie-type" story.
What do you hope readers will take away from this book?
Nearly all of the characters in A Hopeful Heart are holding to a hurt from their past with such tenacity they're finding it hard to face the future with peace or security. How many of us cling to past regrets or heartaches that stifle how we reach out today? As the characters learn to heal and release those long-held hurts, I hope readers will also find the courage to discard the coverings of shame, self-recrimination, or mistrust and walk confidently into the future God has planned for them.
And what kinds of things can readers expect from your books?
When I started writing seriously in the early 1980's, I made two promises. 1) I wouldn't write anything that would embarrass my mother; and 2) I wouldn't write anything I'd be embarrassed to have my children or grandchildren read someday. So readers can be assured my stories are not rife with innuendo or improper language. Each of my stories is laden with God's grace, showing how He works in human lives. My stories have been tagged "gentle stories of hope," and the designation is not one I take lightly.

Give us a preview of your story.

A Hopeful Heart

By

Kim Vogel Sawyer

Can she turn her second-best chance into a golden opportunity? Dowryless and desperate, Tressa Neill applies to the inaugural class of Wyatt Herdsman School in Barnett, Kansas. The school's one-of-a-kind program teaches young women from the East the skills needed to become a rancher--or the wife of one. But will Tressa have what it takes to survive Hattie Wyatt's hands-on instruction in skills such as milking a cow, branding a calf, and cooking up a mess of grub for hungry ranch hands?
Abel Samms wants nothing to do with the passel of potential brides his neighbor brought to town. He was smitten with an eastern girl once--and he got his heart broken. But there's something about quiet Tressa and her bumbling ways that makes him take notice. When trouble strikes, will Abel risk his life--and his heart--to help this eastern girl?
Where can we find you on the web?
www.KimVogelSawyer.com or www.KatyLambrightSeries.com.
I also blog weekly at www.writespassage.blogspot.com with five other historical writers.
God bless~
Kim Vogel Sawyer

Thanks for visiting with us Kim.

Want to have the opportunity to receive a copy of this book? Leave a comment with your email. Giveaway closes Sunday, July 4, 2010 at midnight (CST). Only US postal codes.


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CHOCOLATE CARMELS

Candy making was a common social event in the 19th century. What better way to entice a young man to come calling than to have a candy making party and invite your friends. Below is a recipe from the 1800s with the terminology of the times. For example, sweet milk simply meant milk that hadn't gone sour on you. I find the recipe works better if I use a thick bottomed pan and if I don't try it on a rainy day.

Boil together (stirring often if not constantly):

1 pound of white sugar

1/4 pound of chocolate

4 tablespoons of molasses

1 cup of sweet milk

a piece of butter as big as a walnut.

Drop a bit into a cup of cold water, when it harden, flavor with vanilla, if you want throw in a cup of pecans, and pour on a buttered slab or pan. While still a bit warm, cut in squares.

If you do try this recipe, take a picture and send it to me. Enjoy! 

Robert Elmer - WILDFLOWERS OF TEREZIN Book Giveaway

Welcome to Robert Elmer a former minister, reporter and ad copywriter who now writes from the home he shares with his wife Ronda in northern Idaho. He is the author of over fifty books, including eight contemporary novels for the adult Christian audience and several series for younger readers.
Combined, his books have sold more than half a million copies worldwide. Like his popular “Young Underground” youth series, Wildflowers of Terezin was inspired by stories Robert heard from his Denmark-born parents and family. When he’s not sailing or enjoying the outdoors, Robert often travels the country speaking to school and writers groups.
What led you to the career choice of becoming a writer?
About my writing journey… I was a voracious reader when I was little, and always wanted to write things. In the third grade I put together a family newspaper and started writing essays just because. But I was a typical boy, too, and liked being out on my bike just as much as anything else. So I didn't really start getting serious about writing until I was in intermediate and high school.
Before I had a chance to write novels I was a news reporter and editor, advertising and PR writer, college administrator and pastor. Today I still write marketing kinds of writing. I have a degree in communications and Bible from Simpson College in San Francisco and an elementary teaching credential.
I started writing books when my own kids were young, and penned the first draft of my first book in longhand, riding to and from work on the bus. And here I am, 56 books later! Whew!
What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?
The story is about faith in the face of deadly opposition, about choosing the right thing and making love work when it’s hard. It’s a challenge to complacent faith, and a contrast between those who seek safety and those who just do the right thing, period. Where is the safest place, really? I think we can all relate to that kind of challenge, even if we’re not living in a war zone or a prison camp.
What three things do you know now about the publishing world that you wish you knew when you first started?
Ah-ha! The perfect place to spring out one of my favorite quotes, this one by the British novelist W. Somerset Maugham:"There are three rules for writing the novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are."
How did you decide on your current project? What have you learned about writing and yourself since you started it?
This is actually the first grown-up novel concept I had, years ago, and it was suggested to me by my writer friend Bill Myers. After the success of the “Young Underground” World War 2 series for kids, Bill asked me, “Why don’t you turn this story into a novel for older readers, Bob? It would be a natural.” It took several years of playing with different scenarios and characters, but I knew that Bill was right, and that a conflict in 1943 revolving around the Jewish deportations would be the perfect crucible for a powerful story.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
My Danish heritage has flavored my interest in writing historical fiction, and I’ve always been interested in history. Perhaps it’s that way with children of immigrants. There’s a strong tie back to the old country, and when my parents and my grandmother told stories about their life in Denmark, I knew there were things there I had to pass along somehow. What was it like during the occupation years? What was it like to be a student back then, a kid? Were there lessons for us that we need to remember today? I wanted so much to tell these stories, both in the “Young Underground” novels for kids, and now in Wildflowers of Terezin.
What has been the hardest part of writing your latest book and how did you overcome it?
Probably the most difficult parts were the bleakest days for Hanne in the Terezin death camp. I won't give it away, but I have to say these were scenes where Robert Frost's quote came to mind: "No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader." I have to say those were emotional scenes to write. I didn't really "overcome" that difficulty; it was simply part of the process.
What would you tell an aspiring writer?
I do a bit of mentoring through the Christian Writers Guild, and have enjoyed leading a lot of writing workshops at Christian schools. I tell students not to give up, and not to choose a life path based on how much money they think they can make. Please! Even if they don’t end up making their primary living as a writer (most won’t) God still wants us to tell our stories to the world, and God still looks for people who will communicate hope through stories and writing. If not us, then who?
How much of your own experiences influenced your characters? What aspects became traits that were theirs and theirs alone?
I identify with elements in both the Steffen and his brother—the bold one and the safe one. And I also identify with Hanne, the courageous, compassionate nurse. All of them inspire me in different ways, and I’m hoping readers will be inspired similarly.
How do you do the research for your historical books?
My favorite sources have always been those accounts that are the closest to the actual events. Because even if they lack perspective or the ability to place history in larger context, they bear that immediacy that I value above all. Eyewitness accounts are of course ideal, but they only reach back a limited number of years. So I will use historical books written decades after the fact for outlining and fact-checking, but their perspective may or may not be accurate. It may be colored by the retelling and the distance from the actual events.
In the end I return to the newspaper accounts, first person accounts, and diaries for the real meat of my research. In my case, I’m fortunate that I can read Danish, so I was able to use a lot of first person accounts and books that were written right after World War Two as major sources. Similarly, when I was writing a series about Australian pioneer days, one of my best sources was a journal written in the 1860s. Journals are gold, especially because of the personal flavor and perspective that so closely lends itself to good storytelling.

Tell us about the story of Wildflowers of Terezin.
Wildflowers of Terezin is a sweeping historical novel set against a backdrop of danger. A Danish Lutheran pastor’s complacent faith is stretched to the breaking point during World War II when he meets a young Jewish nurse Hanne Abrahamsen and becomes deeply involved in Resistance efforts to save Denmark’s Jews from the Nazi prison camp at Terezin, Czechoslovakia—also known as Theresienstadt.
Challenged by his activist brother and swayed by his own attraction to Hanne, Steffen abandons his formerly quiet, uninvolved life and hesitantly volunteers to help smuggle Denmark’s Jews out of the country before a Nazi roundup. Steffen finds that helping his Jewish neighbors is the most decent, spiritual thing he has ever done. As he actually does God’s work, rather than just talking about it, Steffen’s faith deepens and he takes greater risks in his sermons.
When things go terribly wrong and Hanne is sent to Terezin, Steffen finds his heart fully engaged. He undertakes protests and rescues that are more and more dangerous, never imagining where it will lead him, or the ultimate cost of his decision to get directly involved.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with my readers?
Did I say how excited I am about Wildflowers of Terezin? Maybe you’ve heard other writers say about a story that “this is the story I was born to write.” Well, this is probably the story I was born to write. My heart’s all there in this one, along with my roots, my passion, and everything I know about crafting a story. I held nothing back. It’s the best I can do at this point in my career. And this is, as Romans 12 puts it, my “spiritual act of worship.” Please read it. 
Where can we find you on the web?
http://www.robertelmerbooks.com/
Thanks for visiting with us, Robert.
 
Want to have the opportunity to receive a copy of this book? Leave a comment with your email. Giveaway closes Sunday, June 18, 2010 at midnight (CST). Only US postal codes.
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Finding Jeena by Miralee Ferrell

This novel hit a little too close to home, the home of secret fears. The fear of getting so wrapped up in things that I lose sight of what is truly important. The fear that choices of boyfriends are not always wise. The fear that the job, the credit cards, the house, everything could go away and I’m left looking for a woman’s shelter to take me in. This is what happens to Jeena in Miralee Ferrell’s latest novel. A view into the world of what happens when everything is gone and one has to depend on the kindness of strangers for food and shelter. Even when the circumstances are not one’s own fault, consequences can still happen. How does one cope and how can one rebuild?



I recommend Finding Jeena: A Novel.

Will have an interview with Miralee Ferrell soon. What questions do you have for her? Leave them in the comments.