Friday, November 2, 2018

Review, Guest Post, and Giveaway: Miles From Where We Started by Cynthia Ruchti


About the Book

Book Title: Miles from Where We Started  
Author: Cynthia Ruchti  
Genre: Christian Romance/Family life  
Release date: October 16, 2018  

These no-longer-newlyweds want out of this road trip—and their marriage. Too bad they can’t find the off ramp.

Weeks away from their one-year wedding anniversary, Mallory and Connor Duncan can’t even agree on how to end their marriage. But when a last-minute crisis lands them on a three-thousand-mile road trip together, Mallory wonders if their story may not be over after all.

The trip begins to unravel before the key is even in the ignition, and an at-risk, trouble-seeking missile of an eleven-year-old is unexpectedly launched into their travel plans. Close quarters get even tighter, and the couple believes this whole experience will spell disaster.

Their first year of marriage hasn’t been the arm-in-arm togetherness they expected. How can they find a new beginning when the road ends?
Click here to purchase your copy!

My Thoughts:
Author Ruchti knows how to write relevant stories in such a way that has you flipping pages. This story is about marriage, a marriage that is dying, and to one spouse it is dead. Mallory and Connor were two characters that I genuinely liked. Both were dedicated to their careers, but not so much each other. There was more to the problems of their marriage and Connor had already made up his mind that it would be best for them to divorce.

As we read through this story, we get more of their back story and their view points. Connor and Mallory are suddenly thrown together for a 3000 mile trip to promote a business Connor and his business partner, Nathan, have been trying to sign on. Not only that, but Nathan needs them to take his 11 year old nephew Judah as well. Judah was a very smart if not sassy kid who has had his fair share of pain in his life. So in this mix you have a broken marriage and a troubled kid, and all three are going to make a go of this trip-which will be video logged to the masses as well. The company will be sending them on an adventure where you “just add humans” as they try to promote RoadRave’s camper and other ingenious ideas to get families back on the road and spending quality time together.

What an adventure it was-heartwarming, sad, happy, and meaningful. These three would need to work together to survive this trip and to save Connor’s business. Three weeks together in the vehicle doing nothing but spending time together and seeing the sites. Mallory is hurt and wants to keep working on their marriage and I like that at the beginning of this trip she acknowledges this just might be the answer to her prayers. An answer that will take courage and some ingenuity to pull off, because in her book marriage was supposed to be forever.

While reading this I wanted to take the trip, only with a bigger camper.


I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

About the Author


Cynthia Ruchti tells stories of hope through novels, nonfiction, devotionals, and speaking events. She serves as the professional relations liaison for American Christian Fiction Writers and is a frequent speaker at writers’ conferences across the country. She married her grade school sweetheart, and the two live in the heart of Wisconsin, not far from their three children and five grandchildren.


Guest Post from Cynthia

I have a confession to make. I heart millennials.

My other novels have had a few millennial characters. Some even played starring roles. But I knew there was more to the heart of millennials than I could gain from listening to the often unfair sighing or comedy routines about that generation. As a person, I wanted to know them better—what are they really like? What challenges do they face with which previous generations saddled them? What strengths to they offer our culture?

Until now, I hadn’t written a story about a millennial couple whose marriage was in crisis. Like, serious crisis.

I-don’t-want-to-be-married-to-you-anymore. That kind of crisis. As any good novelist knows, part of what we do to our characters is make the situation worse. So, millennial couple, approaching their one-year anniversary, ready to call it quits because “This marriage thing is really hard. Is it supposed to be so much work?” But what if…? What if they were forced to be together for three weeks…in a micro-camper…on America’s backroads…with an 11-year-old foster boy troublemaker…and both the husband’s AND the wife’s jobs depended on the trip’s success?

Plot idea in hand, I set off to write Miles from Where We Started, not entirely sure when I began the journey where they would end up or how they’d get there. It was an education for me in so many ways. The impact of the turning point of the story? In the words of my millennial friends, “That’s lit!”

Side note: I’m a big fan of a young teen musician at our church. The boy has mad skills as a keyboard artist. He approaches life as if it’s an endless game of Ninja Warrior. Why walk when you can vault into the room? Why walk up a flight of stairs when you can hop four at a time? He also sports a perpetual smile and is famous for his kindness, but his eyes give away that a little mischief may be hiding behind that smile. I asked Judah’s permission to use his name (and a little bit of his personality) as the foster child character in Miles from Where We Started. I can’t wait for him to read the part he inspired. 

Can’t wait for you to read it, too. 

Hemmed in Hope, 

Cynthia

Blog Stops

The Power of Words, October 25
All-of-a-kind Mom, October 26
Lighthouse Academy, October 26
Quiet Quilter, October 27
cherylbbookblog, October 28
Simple Harvest Reads, October 28 (Guest Post from Mindy Houng)
Remembrancy, October 28
Godly Book Reviews, October 29
By The Book, October 29
Maureen’s Musings, October 30
Spoken from the Heart , October 30
SusanLovesBooks, October 30
Mary Hake, November 1
Book by Book, November 1
amandainpa , November 1
Pause for Tales, November 2
Just Commonly, November 2
Baker Kella, November 3
Bibliophile Reviews, November 4
Texas Book-aholic, November 5
Carpe Diem, November 6
A Diva’s Heart, November 7
Bigreadersite, November 7

Giveaway




To celebrate her tour, Cynthia is giving away a grand prize of the Adventure begins” large tote bag, “This way to adventure” travel notebook, “Home is Where We Park It” metal wall hanging, a teardrop camper birdhouse, PLUS a $50 gift Visa gift card…to start your adventure fund!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/d4ea/miles-from-where-we-started-celebration-tour-giveaway
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