Moody Publishers giving away a Kindle, iPod, and more!

One of the things I like to do on my blog is let you know about free stuff. Moody Publishers is giving away some really cool things as they launch their new blog. Here's their press release and all the info...

 

Moody Publishers is pleased to announce our new corporate blog! We will be launching Inside Pages, at http://www.insidepages.net/, on January 17th and to celebrate we’re hosting daily giveaways from January 17th-29th, giveaways include a Kindle, iPod, new book releases, Ryrie Study Bibles, and more. Inside Pages will serve as Moody Publisher’s online forum on faith, publishing, and literary culture, offering readers a behind-the-scenes look at publishing and creating a digital community for dialogue about books. Here you will hear from the editors about the changing face of traditional publishing, catch a sneak peek at upcoming titles and what goes on behind the publisher’s desk, and read devotionals and articles from our authors. Inside Pages will also regularly feature giveaways and free reading/writing resources. See http://www.insidepages.net/ for details. We hope to see you there!

CFBA Presents COURTING MISS AMSEL by Kim Vogel Sawyer

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingCourting Miss Amsel(Bethany House - January 1, 2011)byKim Vogel Sawyer


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kim Vogel Sawyer is the author of fifteen novels, including several CBA and ECPA bestsellers. Her books have won the ACFW Book of the Year Award, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and the Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Kim is active in her church, where she leads women's fellowship and participates in both voice and bell choirs. In her spare time, she enjoys drama, quilting, and calligraphy. Kim and her husband, Don, reside in central Kansas, and have three daughters and six grandchildren.





ABOUT THE BOOK

Edythe Amsel is delighted with her first teaching assignment: a one-room schoolhouse in Walnut Hill, Nebraska. Independent, headstrong, and a strong believer in a well-rounded education, Edythe is ready to open the world to the students in this tiny community. But is Walnut Hill ready for her?

Joel Townsend is thrilled to learn the town council hired a female teacher to replace the ruthless man who terrorized his nephews for the past two years. Having raised the boys on his own since their parents' untimely deaths, Joel believes they will benefit from a woman's influence. But he sure didn't bargain on a woman like Miss Amsel.

Within the first week, she has the entire town up in arms over her outlandish teaching methods, which include collecting leaves, catching bugs, making snow angels, and stringing ropes in strange patterns all over the schoolyard. Joel can't help but notice that she's also mighty pretty with her rosy lips, fashionable clothes, and fancy way of speaking.

When Edythe decides to take her pupils to hear Miss Susan Anthony speak on the women's suffrage amendment, the town's outcry reaches new heights. Even Joel isn't sure he can support her newfangled ideas any longer. And if he can't trust her to know how to teach the boys, how can he trust her with his heart?


If you would like to read the first chapter of Courting Miss Amsel, go HERE.

Say Goodbye to 2010

I just went through the yearly task of switching from one desk calendar to another. The 2010 calendar is spent, used up. It will be filed away with years worth of others (I can't bear to throw one away... what if I write my memoirs some day and need to know that on Thursday, April 26, 2007, my son and I saw Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat at the Summerlin Library? See what I mean?)

But I digress... I know a lot of people are going to be happy to send 2010 on its way. For me, however, it was a year of blessings. Personally, my son started his senior year of high school, my husband achieved a career goal, and we were finally able to buy (and move into) a house of our own. Professionally, I saw the release of my second novel (The Pastor's Wife), signed a contract to write another one (The Mother Road), and signed with a great agent. So when I put away my 2010 date book, it's with a smile and a thank you.

Then there's the new calendar. It's so pretty. It already contains (in no particular order):

• The January schedule for all the awesome ladies who contribute to my blog, The Pastor's Wife Speaks.
• Dates when I'm scheduled to blog elsewhere
• The deadline for my next book - April 1st!
• The date for the next ACFW Conference
• Special dates to remember for family and friends

That may sound like a lot, but for the most part, the calendar is blank. Like the year spreading out before me, it's open to amazing possibilities. 2011 will hold challenges, to be sure... How will I cope with an empty nest when my son goes off to college? Will I sell another book, or will I crash and burn? Will my Wii Fit character EVER lose enough weight to be skinny again?

I have no idea.

But here's what I do know: God loves me. My husband and son love me. My family and friends love me. I even love myself from time to time (something I think every woman on the planet struggles with). Being surrounded by that much love, everything else is just icing, right?

I can't wait to see how God fills up my calendar. May He fills yours with all that is good and lovely.

Be blessed!

Great Gift Idea - Autographed Books! And Here's Where to Find Them...

If you're looking for special Christmas gifts, I can't think of anything better than books chosen for that certain someone and personally inscribed. If that sounds good to you, check out this amazing event.

75 Christian Authors

One Amazing Online Event

The Christian Review of Books in conjunction with CrossPurposes Bookstore is excited to announce the first annual Christmas Book Signing Bash.

Beginning on the day after Thanksgiving and lasting ten days (26 November- 7 December), this book signing will be an unprecedented online event. Seventy-five of today’s favorite Christian Authors have come together to answer questions, chat with their readers, and offer signed copies of their books—all without you leaving the comforts of home and hearth! Readers can search by author, title, or genre at the Christian Review of Books and then follow the purchase links to CrossPurposes Bookstore and buy autographed copies of each book featured. The authors will sign the books and ship them to the customers. For a full list of participating authors, visit the CRoB.

(In case you're curious, you can find my book by clicking here. Happy hunting!)

CFBA Presents LONG TIME COMING by Vanessa Miller

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingLong Time Coming(Abingdon Press  - November 1, 2010)byVanessa Miller


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vanessa Miller of Dayton, Ohio, is a best-selling author, playwright, and motivational speaker. Her stage productions include: Get You Some Business, Don’t Turn Your Back on God, and Can’t You Hear Them Crying. Vanessa is currently in the process of turning the novels in the Rain Series into stage productions.

Vanessa has been writing since she was a young child. When she wasn’t writing poetry, short stories, stage plays and novels, reading great books consumed her free time. However, it wasn’t until she committed her life to the Lord in 1994 that she realized all gifts and anointing come from God. She then set out to write redemption stories that glorify God.

To date, Vanessa has completed the Rain and Storm Series. She is currently working on the Forsaken series, and the Second Chance at Love series. Vanessa believes that each book will touch readers across the country in a special way. It is, after all, her God-given destiny to write and produce plays and novels that bring deliverance to God’s people. These books have received rave reviews, winning Best Christian Fiction Awards and topping numerous Bestseller’s lists.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Two women from different worlds find hope together.

Faithful Christian Deidre Clark-Morris is a professional career-minded woman with a loving husband, but no children. Kenisha Smalls has lived in poverty all her life. She has three children by three different men and has just been diagnosed with inoperable cervical cancer.

While the meeting between these two women appears accidental, it becomes their catalyst of hope. Neither woman expects the blessing that God has in store for her. While Deidre will guide Kenisha on the path to eternal life with Jesus Christ, Kenisha will teach Deidre how to stand strong against the hard-knocks of life.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Long Time Coming, go HERE


Watch the book video:

CFBA Presents HEAD IN THE CLOUDS by Karen Witemeyer

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingHead in the CloudsBethany House; Original edition (October 1, 2010)byKaren Witemeyer


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karen Witemeyer is a deacon's wife and mother of three who believes the world needs more happily-ever-afters. To that end, she combines her love of bygone eras with her passion for helping women mature in Christ to craft historical romance novels that lift the spirit and nurture the soul.

After growing up in California, Karen moved to Texas to attend Abilene Christian University where she earned bachelor and master's degrees in Psychology. It was also there that she met and married her own Texas hero. He roped her in good, for she has lived in Texas ever since. In fact, she fell so in love with this rugged land of sweeping sunsets and enduring pioneer spirit, that she incorporates it into the pages of her novels, setting her stories in the small towns of a state that burgeoned into greatness in the mid-to-late 1800s.

Karen is living her dream by writing Christian historical romance novels for Bethany House. When she visited her publisher back in January of 2010, she was interviewed by the staff. If you'd like a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how she develops her story ideas and a description of her bumpy journey to publication, go to her website to listen to a podcast of that interview.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Adelaide Proctor is a young woman with her head in the clouds, longing for a real-life storybook hero to claim as her own. But when a husband-hunting debacle leaves her humiliated, she interviews for a staid governess position on a central Texas sheep ranch and vows to leave her romantic yearnings behind.

When Gideon Westcott left his privileged life in England to make a name for himself in America's wool industry, he never expected to become a father overnight. And five-year-old Isabella hasn't uttered a word since she lost her mother. The unconventionality of the new governess concerns Gideon--and intrigues him at the same time. But he can't afford distractions. He has a ranch to run, a shearing to oversee, and a suspicious fence-cutting to investigate.

When Isabella's uncle comes to claim the child--and her inheritance--Gideon and Adelaide must work together to protect Isabella from the man's evil schemes. And soon neither can deny their growing attraction. But after so many heartbreaks, will Adelaide be willing to get her head out of the clouds and put her heart on the line?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Head in the Clouds, go HERE.


JEN'S THOUGHTS

After reading Karen Witemeyer's debut novel, A Tailor-Made Bride, I was excited about adding a new author to my list of favorites. With novel number two, Witemeyer lives up to her promising start and solidifies her place on that list. If you enjoy historical romances with heart and humor, get your hands on Head in the Clouds.

Just for Fun - Facebook Etiquette... Fifties Style

Hope you get a chuckle out of this tongue-in-cheek video. After you watch it, come visit me on the electronic friendship generator.