Friday, March 31, 2023

My Thoughts on Second Time Around by Melody Carlson

About:

Who doesn't love a second chance?

When Mallory Farrell inherits her grandmother's run-down tourist shop in Portside, Oregon, she knows selling it is the only sensible thing to do. The place holds treasured memories for her, but it would take a fortune to restore it.

But when she learns that her childhood crush, Grayson Matthews, wants to buy the building to redevelop the funky town's business district into a soulless, cookie-cutter outdoor mall, Mallory digs in her heels. With a lot of hard work and a little bit of help, she is sure she can renovate the property herself.

Though Mallory makes incredible progress turning the store into an eclectic home decor shop, she's heartbroken when an exciting opportunity turns into a guaranteed nightmare. Should she surrender her dreams to Grayson's bulldozers? Or is there a future for both of them in this charming seaside town?

My Thoughts:

This was a second time romance for a successful career woman and mother. After her youngest, her daughter got married, Mallory Farrell started having some second thoughts, maybe some regrets, or more just sadness as her three children were grown and she was a divorced woman whose boyfriend just broke up with her. So as Mallory starts taking stock of her life and what she likes, she receives some surprising news. She is the heir to her late grandmother's store and apartment above it along the coast of Oregon in a small seaside town.

Mallory does not understand why she was left the store, and thinking just to sell some things transpire that make her hesitate on that decision. One she meets an old crush, Grayson, who wants to buy the property but for reasons that Mallory doesn't like. Then there is the developing feelings between Grayson and Mallory that complicate things and tends to make things interesting.

This was an overall sweet romance about a woman whose life is not finished yet, even though her kids are grown, and she has successful career, at any age or time in your life new things can blossom.

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

About the Author:

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of more than 250 books with sales of more than 7.5 million, including many bestselling Christmas novellas, young adult titles, and contemporary romances. She received a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award, her novel All Summer Long has been made into a Hallmark movie, and the movie based on her novel The Happy Camper premiered on UPtv in 2023. She and her husband live in central Oregon. Learn more at www.MelodyCarlson.com.

My Thoughts and More on Trail of Secrets by Lacy Williams

About the Book

Book: Trail of Secrets

Author: Lacy Williams

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: March 16, 2023

Stella is the oldest of three sisters and she’s got a long history of being the one to protect and provide for her family. When a dangerous threat sent the Fairfax sisters on a wagon train journey west, Stella knew her best bet was to disguise herself as a man to keep herself and her sisters safe.

Collin Mason has secrets of his own. And his family isn’t short on drama either, not with his troublemaking twin and an older brother about to get hitched. But he’s the only one who sees the real Stella—and that she needs help.

Collin sees the vulnerability Stella tries so hard to hide. When he becomes the only one she can trust and she discovers that danger has followed her family, Stella must rely on him despite her reluctance…

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed meeting back up with the Mason family as they are on a wagon train journey out west. The first story was all Leo's, now this one is about Collin one of his younger brothers. Collin has been highly suspicious of 'Stephen' and his family since the beginning of the journey. And quite by accident does he see why. Stephen is actually Stella dressed as a man as she and her sisters and a friend are running away from some ruthless men.

However, as Stella is realizing, the frontier and the wagon train journey might just possibly kill them all anyway. Danger is on every side. She is physically tired all the time and emotionally trying to keep things together to protect her sisters. She needs help, and Collin keeps interfering. She knows she could lean on him, but she has leaned on herself for so long and she doesn't really trust men. Can he be different than her father was?

This was good continuation of this wagon train journey and I like how the author introduces the next set of characters for the third book. I am excited to continue this journey and get August's story.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the author. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

About the Author

Lacy Williams wishes her writing career was more like what you see in Hallmark movies: dreamy brainstorming from a French chateau or a few minutes at the computer in a million-dollar New York City penthouse. In reality, she’s up before the sun, putting words on the page before her kids wake up for the day. Those early-morning and late-night writing sessions add up, and Lacy has published sixty books in a decade, first with a big five publisher and then as an indie author. When she needs to refill the well, you can find Lacy birdwatching, gardening, biking with the kiddos, or walking the dog. Find tons of bonus scenes and reader extras by becoming a VIP reader at www.lacywilliams.net/vip .

More from Lacy

Exploring birth order in fictional characters

Are you a firstborn? Middle child? Baby of the family? I’m not versed in all the psychology or science of birth order but I can tell you that I knew my second-born had a different personality from my first-born within a few hours of his birth.

I am two years older than my brother and four years older than my sister. We’re all three different. I get along with my siblings in different ways. We enjoy doing different activities together.

I love reading books with strong sibling ties. And in my books, I often like to explore the relationships between siblings. I like to play with the dynamics between brothers or have squabbling sisters (that truly love each other, deep down). And my new book TRAIL OF SECRETS is no different!

Heroine Stella is an oldest child. When her father died, she took responsibility for her two sisters. She kept the family together (even in an unconventional way) and she’s going to get the three of them to Oregon. No matter what.

Hero Collin is a middle child and a twin. He’s a peacemaker and a protector. And he drives Stella a little bit crazy with his ability to always look on the bright side. Their personalities clash but only in the best way.

After a tornado ravages the wagon train, Collin and Stella have to work together to survive and rescue family members. Can their differences be strengths when they partner up?

-Lacy

Blogs Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 19

Texas Book-aholic, March 20

Karen Baney Reviews, March 20

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 21

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, March 22 (Author Interview)

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 22

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 23

Vicky Sluiter, March 24

Blogging With Carol, March 25

Simple Harvest Reads, March 26 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Splashes of Joy, March 27

For Him and My Family, March 27

Cover Lover Book Review, March 28

lakesidelivingsite, March 29

Connie’s History Classroom, March 30

Pause for Tales, March 31

Locks, Hooks and Books, April 1

Holly’s Book Corner, April 1

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Lacy is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card and a paperback copy of the book!!

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/255bc/trail-of-secrets-celebration-tour-giveaway

My Thoughts and More on The Escape Game by Marilyn Turk

About the Book

Book: The Escape Game

Author: Marilyn Turk

Genre: Historical Christian Fiction

Release date: March, 2023

A Board Game Holds Keys to Prisoners’ Escape

Full of intrigue, adventure, and romance, this series celebrates the unsung heroes—the heroines of WWII.

After the Nazis started the bombing blitz of England, Beryl Clarke puts her college on hold to return to Leeds, care for her mother, and work as a secretary at the Waddington game company. While she endures the war at home, her brother James fights the enemy in the air. When he is shot down, injured, and captured, James meets American POW Kenneth Anderson, and they plan to escape the Nazi prison camp. Beryl knows there is a board game with escape plans being delivered to POWs by the Red Cross. But how will the men discover the game’s secret?

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts:

This is a story that takes place during WW2, and we get the point of view of two characters who have up front and personal seats to this war.

Beryl Clarke was a college student until this war broke into her life. Not only did it upend her college plans, but it also killed her father. Now with her brother James off to war, she needs to take care of her mother who is just really a shadow of who she used to be. Out of all the characters, Beryl's mother is the one that I felt for the most. She was in a deep depression, with the loss of her husband, her missing son, and the bombs falling all around. Now Beryl must work and take of her mother, all the while trying to keep her own fears at bay.

Kenneth Bordelon is an American pilot who also had been going to college along with Beryl. Then he signs up to fight with his British brothers, only to get captured and taken to a POW camp. Here he meets other pilots, but his main goal is to escape.

This story was interesting in how it dealt with the coded Monopoly game. I do wish there was a little bit more romance, the story focused mostly on Beryl's and Kenneth's individual lives and experiences during the war.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

About the Author

Award-winning author Marilyn Turk writes historical fiction flavored with suspense and romance. Marilyn also writes devotions for Daily Guideposts. She and her husband are lighthouse enthusiasts, have visited over one hundred lighthouses, and also served as volunteer lighthouse caretakers at Little River Light off the coast of Maine.

When not writing or visiting lighthouses, Marilyn enjoys boating, fishing, gardening, tennis, playing with grandkids, and her golden retriever Dolly.

She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers; Faith, Hope and Love; Advanced Writers and Speakers Association; and Word Weavers International.

More from Marilyn

The Story behind The Escape Game

In the process of writing my books, I’ve become fascinated by the real stories that happened during World War II. I’ve discovered information I didn’t know before and am finding out that many people I know, even those older than myself, didn’t know either. Every time I come across an interesting tidbit, I want to write about it. Since my husband knows I look for such things, when he came across a story about how the Monopoly game was used during the war, he shared it with me.

The true story was kept top-secret for over fifty years after the war, so few had heard about it, especially outside the United Kingdom. Of course, my writer’s mind set off asking “What If?” So the story developed about a woman who works for the company that makes the game and what happened after she found out about the secret. What if she had a close relative who had been captured before the British informed their soldiers about the game and he needed to know the information? How could she convey that to him?

I wish I could have gone to the UK for research, but that was not a possibility. Maybe someday. However, the people I contacted there were very helpful, and I was thrilled to make contact with the great granddaughter of the president of Waddintons, the company which manufactured the game. She was able to fill in a few details about the company, although when she was a child, her grandfather ran the company.

One thing many people find hard to believe, based on the horrible treatment the Nazi army inflicted on people they thought inferior, is that the treatment of POW’s was somewhat better, especially for pilots. Thanks to the rules of the Geneva Convention after WWI, the Germans abided by them for the most part. That involved treatment of prisoners who escaped. Most of them were caught and returned to the camp from which they escaped. And normally, the punishment was solitary confinement. The biggest hardship of the POWs besides lack of freedom was the meager food they were given, especially as the war continued, since the Germans themselves were facing food shortages.

The challenge for me as a writer was to accurately describe life in both England and the POW camp. The other big challenge was writing a love story when the two characters were apart for so long. But it’s true that many soldiers fell in love with women they corresponded with back home. That fact is verified in the many letters on record, including the ones my father-in-law wrote to a fellow soldier’s fiancé after the soldier was killed in action. Their relationship grew into love, and after the war, the two met in person at the train station for the first time and married the same day.

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, March 30

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 30

Texas Book-aholic, March 31

Pause for Tales, March 31

Sylvan Musings, April 1

deb’s Book Review, April 1

Locks, Hooks and Books, April 2

Labor Not in Vain, April 2

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, April 3

Cover Lover Book Review, April 3

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, April 4

Connie’s History Classroom, April 4

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 5

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, April 5

Stories By Gina, April 6 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, April 6

Betti Mace, April 7

For Him and My Family, April 7

She Lives To Read, April 8

Remembrancy, April 8

SodbusterLiving, April 9

Holly’s Book Corner, April 9

Lily’s Book Reviews, April 10

Paula’s Pad of Inspiration, April 10

lakesidelivingsite, April 11

A Good Book and Cup of Tea, April 11

Lights in a Dark World, April 12

Blossoms and Blessings, April 12

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Marilyn is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon eGift card and a copy of the book!!

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/25256/the-escape-game-celebration-tour-giveaway

Tuesday, March 28, 2023

My Thoughts and More on Sylvia's Mother by Jennifier Lynn Cary

About the Book

Book: Sylvia’s Mother

Author: Jennifer Lynn Cary

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: February 26, 2023

She’s an overprotective single mother…

…He’s a former protector who can’t give up the role.

But who will guard their hearts from scheming high school matchmakers?

Eileen Avery is determined her daughter Sylvia won’t experience the heartaches she did. Even if it means taking parenting lessons from her mother, the dragon lady. But she is not like her mother. Not even remotely.

If only Sylvia could see that.

But she wants independence. How much is a good thing? And how much is too risky?

Besides, Sylvia is in love and needing a little freedom. It’s not like she’s about to run away to a commune and become a hippy. However, she is willing to try about anything to get her mom to loosen up, even play matchmaker. Maybe if her mother had her own love life, she’d quite trying to put Sylvia’s under a microscope.

But will it all blow up in her face?

Seth Matthews thought he’d said goodbye to Kokomo until an on-the-job injury with the FBI changed his plans. This town holds more than his family, and those memories had better stay buried for all concerned. But how was he to put his honed instincts on the back burner and stop safeguarding the ones closest to him?

He was willing to help his family with almost anything. But pretending interest in some woman to help with his nephew’s romantic endeavors? That was one thing he couldn’t see himself doing.

Until he realizes there was more than coincidence at play.

Forget about Women’s Lib. Return to 1972 Kokomo, Indiana for the second installment of The Weather Girls Wedding Shoppe and Venue series—Sylvia’s Mother—and the fight for personal independence. Join Sylvia, her mother, Eileen, and the kooky mix ups that all point to romance in this small town romp. If you enjoyed the Weather Girls and Judy in Disguise, then this book is a must read.

You will love Sylvia’s Mother, inspired by the pop 1960s song by Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show, because everyone dreams of a second chance with a first love.

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts:

This was a very interesting look at a single mother's life in the early 1970's, as she tries to raise her teenage daughter alone. And trying very hard not to be as controlling as her own mother was and still is if Eileen would let her.

Eileen Avery has tried to control hers and her daughter's world as carefully as could. She was a teacher at her daughter's, Sylvia's, high school so she figured she could keep an eye on her there. Until one fateful day she sees a boy kiss her daughter, and shockingly, her daughter kisses him back. What happens next is about to change their lives forever.

Eileen comes to the awareness that she does not need to live in fear of her mother all of the time, or in fear that her daughter will make all of her same mistakes. Sylvia realizes that all her mother does is out of love, and that she is not at all controlling like her grandmother. But can these two stop the vicious cycle? And add to that all the revelations and secrets that are going to be dumped in both of their laps.

Sylvia is going to move on with her life, will Eileen accept that? And will Eileen grab at her second chance of love again too?

This story was quite a story about mothers and daughters and their sometimes very complicated relationships.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the author. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

About the Author

Historical Christian Romance author, Jennifer Lynn Cary, likes to say you can take the girl out of Indiana, but you can’t take the Hoosier out of the girl. Now transplanted to the Arizona desert, this direct descendant of Davy Crockett and her husband of forty plus years enjoy time with family where she shares tales of her small-town heritage and family legacies with their grandchildren. She is the author of The Crockett Chronicles series, The Relentless series, and The Weather Girls trilogy as well as the stand-alone novel, Cheryl’s Going Home, her novella Tales of the Hob Nob Annex Café, and her split-time novels The Traveling Prayer Shawl and The Forgotten Gratitude Journal. Sylvia’s Mother is the second book of her spin-off series The Weather Girls Wedding Shoppe and Venue.

More from Jennifer

Do you remember your high school prom? The one in Sylvia’s Mother is based on an actual prom—the Stardust Ball at Kokomo High School. I didn’t attend it—I’d gone to the Autumn Prom, but not the Stardust Ball in 1972, so I had to contact fellow classmates to get the scoop.

The date in the book is actually when it really occurred. And there are a couple other real events and personalities added to this otherwise fictional dance. It was fun to have friends tell me of their memories and to find out what some of the nominees were doing now.

Something else I learned that made me want to write this story. I had been researching and found an old interview by Chuck Buell who used to be a disc jockey for WLS in Chicago. I’d always liked him so when I ran across the interview, I wasn’t too worried about getting anything specific—it was pretty much a stroll down memory lane.

And then he told a story about meeting up with Dr. Hook. They were hanging out in Monterey, California on the good doctor’s houseboat when he offered to introduce Chuck to the guy who wrote the lyrics for “Cover of the Rolling Stone.” Turns out the guy lived a couple boats down the marina, so they walked over and Chuck Buell met Shel Silverstein for the first time.

Yep, the man who wrote The Giving Tree and those childhood collections of poetry—Light in the Attic, Falling Up, and Runny Babbit—got his start writing rock and roll lyrics. Among them are “Cover of the Rolling Stone,” “A Boy Named Sue,” and “Sylvia’s Mother.” And once I learned that, I couldn’t help hearing his style (“voice”) in the songs since I had taught from his books in my elementary classrooms for many years. The thought made me smile and I had to write a story from one of those. “Sylvia’s Mother” fit the plan for my new series, so I borrowed the title.

I hope you will enjoy the story, even if you’ve never heard the song. But if you do know that old pop hit, I think you will enjoy a couple Easter egg surprises I hid along the way.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 17

Texas Book-aholic, March 18

By The Book, March 19 (Author Interview)

Cover Lover Book Review, March 20

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 21

Sylvan Musings, March 22 (Author Interview)

deb’s Book Review, March 22

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 23

Connie’s History Classroom, March 24

Adventures of a Travelers Wife, March 25 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 26

Blogging With Carol, March 27

Pause for Tales, March 28

For Him and My Family, March 29

Beauty in the Binding, March 30 (Author Interview)

Books I’ve Read, March 30

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Jennifer is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon card and an eBook copy of the book!!

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/24dbe/sylvia-s-mother-celebration-tour-giveaway

My Thoughts and More on Do Your Best, Tess by Janet Morris Grimes

About the Book

Book: Do Your Best, Tess!

Author: Janet Morris Grimes

Genre: Children’s picture book – ages 4 – 8

Release date: June 28, 2022

Tess is as scattered as the toys and clothes all over her floor. She flits from one activity to another and forms the habit of never finishing anything.

But when her dream is on the line, she discovers the importance of not getting distracted so she can finish what she starts.

Do Your Best, Tess! is a read-aloud participation book. The reader will encourage and cheer for Tess as she learns to truly do her best.

The first in the Character is a Choice! series.

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts:

What happens when a little girl decides to not do her best? Tess is just so tired of all the chores her parents insist she do, like cleaning her room and taking care of herself. So, she decides to just do the bare minimum.

Then something exciting happens at school. Auditions for a play that Tess knows she would love to be a part of are about to take place. Tess decides to try out, but she is so used to only doing the bare minimum, that she has trouble concentrating on her lines, especially in her messy room. Maybe she will go do something else, something more fun. She is completely unprepared for the auditions.

What Tess learns is that in everything she must try and do her best. Her parents were right. Now will the teacher give her a second chance to try out? In this story Tess helps others learn the meaning of responsibility.

I was provided a copy of this book from the author. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

About the Author

Janet Morris Grimes may not have realized she was a writer at the time, but her earliest childhood memories were spent creating fairy-tale stories of the father she never knew. That desire to connect with the mysterious man in a treasured photograph gave her a deep love for the endless possibilities of a healing and everlasting story.

A wife of one, mother of three, and Tootsie to four, Janet currently writes from her quiet two-acre corner of the world near Elizabethtown, KY.

Her debut novel, Solomon’s Porch, was a 2022 American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Awards Finalist.

More from Janet

The idea for this series started over twenty-five years ago, when it was my turn to write a skit for our children’s worship service at church. I came up with a rhyming, read-aloud, interactive story where the kids could help the main character make better choices. They loved it, and they remembered the fun catch phrase long after that night. We created some great memories through the story, and that’s what I hope to offer to children of today.

Do Your Best, Tess! is about a little girl who’s learning to finish what she starts, and why that’s so important. Tess gets distracted easily, and I think we can all relate, especially with today’s culture.

I so enjoy reading this story to my own grandchildren. They love helping Tess remember to put forth her best effort, even when she doesn’t feel like doing so.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 15

Remembrancy, March 16

Vicky Sluiter, March 16

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, March 17

deb’s Book Review, March 18

A Reader’s Brain, March 19

Lily’s Book Reviews, March 20

Mary Hake, March 20

Texas Book-aholic, March 21

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 22

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, March 23

Cover Lover Book Review, March 24

For Him and My Family, March 25

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 25

Splashes of Joy, March 26

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, March 27

Pause for Tales, March 28

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Janet is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and a signed hard-cover copy of Do Your Best, Tess!!

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/24dbc/do-your-best-tess-celebration-tour-giveaway

Monday, March 27, 2023

My Thoughts and More on The Happy Rainbow by Lillian Jane McAdoo with Grami McAdoo, Illustarator

About the Book

Book: The Happy Rainbow

Author: Lillian Jane McAdoo

Illustrator: Caryl McAdoo

Genre: Picture Book – Pre-school to Third grade

Release date: December 8, 2022

A precious promise from God is fading fast when a cloud meanders between the rainbow and the sun, shadowing it. The forest animals must act fast to save the beautiful happy rainbow.

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts:

This is a very colorful and cute story about a rainbow that gets to come out after a rainstorm and looks upon the beautiful world that God created. Then, a cloud begins to drift by and much to both of their chagrins, stops as there is no wind. The rainbow's colors are quickly fading, and she wasn't quite ready to be done yet. So, she asks all the animals to pray for the wind to move the cloud. What is going to happen?

Besides the little story of friendship and lessons in praying during the hard times, at the end of the book are interesting questions your child may ask about rainbows. There are also some facts about rainbows, a few I wasn't even aware of. This is a nice book to have for any child's library.

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

About the Author

Lillian Jane McAdoo, about to celebrate her seventh birthday, wrote this story while in Kindergarten at the Primrose School of Highland Village, Texas, and she’s now a first grader at Hilltop Elementary School in Argyle. Besides telling stories, she enjoys t-ball, ballet, and roller skating. An only child, Lillian knows how special she is to all, and THE HAPPY RAINBOW is her debut book!

Singing and playing with cousins and friends are some of her favorite things to do. She lives with Daddy in Carrollton, Texas—he’s a great DFW Metroplex real estate agent—and her mother at her Nanny and Pops in Argyle. Lillian loves visiting Grami and O’Pa’s home, The Peaceable, out in the country where she plays with all the dogs, rides four-wheelers, and collects the hens’ eggs for her paternal grandmother!

About the Illustrator

Award-winning author Caryl McAdoo prays her story brings God glory, and her best-selling stories—over sixty published—delight Christian readers around the world. The prolific writer also enjoys singing the new songs the Lord gives her; you may listen at YouTube. She’s always enjoyed drawing and graphic arts! Sharing four children and twenty-five grandsugars (six are greats), Caryl and Ron, her high-school-sweetheart-husband of fifty-four years, live in the woods south of Clarksville, seat of Red River County in far Northeast Texas. The McAdoos wait expectantly for God to open the next door.

More from Caryl

Oh, what a joy family is! I’m so glad the Father thought of the generations! It was my blessing to help my grandsugardoll Lillian Jane McAdoo write her debut story THE HAPPY RAINBOW. I asked her questions and she wrote her story in a purple composition book with a Crayola when she visited The Peaceable this summer. Lillian is six years old!

I asked, “What’s something you love?”

“Rainbows!”

“I love rainbows, too. So how is this rainbow?”

“Happy!” she says.

“All right then! Do you want to call your book THE HAPPY RAINBOW?”

“Yes!”

“So, you might start your story by introducing the rainbow. Then where is your rainbow going to be? What’s beneath her?”

“She’s in the sky and there’s a forest under her like your house, Grami!”

And so it went. At first, she wanted to be through before it even got to the middle, so I explained every good story had a beginning, a middle, and an end. I told her how everything had a beginning, a middle, and an end—except for God. A day has a beginning, morning, breakfast—a middle, noon, lunchtime—and an end, evening, supper.

A house has a beginning, middle, and end when it is built, lived-in, then is torn down. Trees, animals, fish, bugs, flowers, vegetables . . . everything—except God—so that they were very important! Those beginnings,wrote a blog post middles, and ends! But we could do something else if she needed time to think about her story.

“That’s what authors do,” I told Lillian. “You don’t have to write your whole book in a day.” That made her happy.

We had several discussions while we were away from the actual writing. We researched rainbows on Google and learned so many interesting things about them.

I told her how in my stories, Grami liked to have something bad happen—a crisis—that the main character has to overcome. “Can you think of something that might happen to the rainbow?”

Lillian came up with the rainbow fading, going away, but she wanted to stay in the sky. So, I asked, “What do you suppose could make it fade?”

“The sun not shining.”

“Can you think of something that keeps the sun from shining down on you?”

“A cloud.”

“Sure! So, what if a cloud got between the sun and the rainbow? Could it shade the rainbow and make it fade?”

And so it went, the questions based on her answers. And over her visit, the story came out, all handwritten—she asked how to spell many words—in the composition book with her crayon.

She was so proud, but not as proud as Grami was of her! She told me more than once how she was the author and her name went on the cover! 😊 Politely, of course, but she sure had me grinning.

After she left, I started the illustrations, all done on the computer with free images at PicMonkey. I would send each to her and get her approval.

A couple of months back, I had the honor of leading my sugardoll to invite Jesus into her heart. As the story came forth, I’d share ways that her story honored Him.

Like the rainbow didn’t get angry with the cloud, but politely asked it to move, or the sweet little cloud, sad about the dilemma he caused, wanted to oblige the rainbow, but couldn’t without the wind (help)!

How the animals joined together to pray for the rainbow like we can join together and pray for our friends when they are in trouble. Of course, about how the rainbow shows bright and proud again at the end, proclaiming God’s promise to all men!

It thrilled me to be a part of Lillian’s first picture book! The whole process proved a very rewarding experience. Perhaps she’ll keep writing!

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 16

Vicky Sluiter, March 17

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 18

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 19

Cover Lover Book Review, March 20

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, March 21

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, March 22

Texas Book-aholic, March 23

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, March 24

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 25

For Him and My Family, March 26

Mary Hake, March 26

Pause for Tales, March 27

Artistic Nobody, March 28

Simple Harvest Reads, March 29

Giveaway

To celebrate their tour, Lillian and Caryl are giving away the prize of a $25 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!

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/24dbd/the-happy-rainbow-celebration-tour-giveaway

Sunday, March 26, 2023

My Thoughts and More on Forged in Love by Mary Connealy

About the Book

Book: Forged in Love

Author: Mary Connealy

Genre: Historical Romance

Release date: February 28, 2023

When sparks begin to fly, can a friendship cast in iron be shaped into something more?

Mariah Stover is left for dead and with no memory when the Deadeye Gang robs the stagecoach she’s riding in, killing both her father and brother. As she takes over her father’s blacksmith shop and tries to move forward, she soon finds herself in jeopardy and wondering–does someone know she witnessed the robbery and is still alive?

Handsome and polished Clint Roberts escaped to western Wyoming, leaving his painful memories behind. Hoping for a fresh start, he opens a diner where he creates fine dishes, but is met with harsh resistance from the townsfolk, who prefer to stick to their old ways.

Clint and Mariah are drawn together by the trials they face in town, and Clint is determined to protect Mariah at all costs when danger descends upon her home. As threats pursue them from every side, will they survive to build a life forged in love?

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts:

Forged in Love takes tells the story of an unusual job for a woman to have back in 1870, and that was blacksmithing. But Mariah Stove has learned the job from her father along with her brother after her late mother's death. Now, Mariah is looking at life alone and running the business also alone after the shocking attack and murder of her family, that left her almost dead. Well, that is the way her friends and the sheriff want everyone to think. In fact, they want everyone to believe she is dead. Why? Because the gang that murdered her father and brother, have a reputation for leaving no witnesses behind.

However, Mariah doesn't want to leave town and her home. She loves it in Wyoming and besides, she doesn't remember anything about the robbery anyway. So, against everyone else's advice, she stays. Chef and diner owner Clint Roberts will do anything to protect her, so he basically becomes her bodyguard. He has cared for her for a long time, and he hopes and intends to marry her someday.

Will Mariah losing her memory be enough for the gang to leave her alone or will they come after her anyway? And what about all the accidents that keep happening? If that is what they even are? This was a great start to a new series with woman in unusual jobs in the late 1800's and this one was how Mariah and Clint forged their love together through thick and thin.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

About the Author

Mary Connealy (www.maryconnealy.com) writes “romantic comedies with cowboys” and is celebrated for her fun, zany, action-packed style. She has sold more than one and a half million books. She is the author of the popular series Brothers in Arms, Brides of Hope Mountain, High Sierra Sweethearts, The Kincaid Brides, Trouble in Texas, Lassoed in Texas, Sophie’s Daughters, and many other books. Mary lives on a ranch in eastern Nebraska with her very own romantic cowboy hero.

More from Mary

The Inspiration

I started plotting this novel when I found out that Wyoming was the first state (then a territory) in the Union to grant women the right to vote. Then I discovered it wasn’t just the right to vote; all sorts of other rights were given to women as well, like the right to run for elected office or be appointed to office. In fact, the first woman justice of the peace in the U.S. was from Wyoming. This inspired me to have one of my heroines be the second justice of the peace in the country.

As I continued my research, reading about all that went on in Wyoming was fascinating. They became a territory in 1868—with women voting—and yet they weren’t allowed statehood for another thirty years. With other states being granted statehood in only a few years, why was this? Because the U.S. government refused to let Wyoming in unless they took the vote away from women.

Because Wyoming adamantly refused to strip the vote from women, year after year they were denied statehood. When they finally did get it, the state’s women maintained their right to vote because Wyoming would not budge on the issue. The whole history of this was great reading.

So I wrote a three-book series called Wyoming Sunrise in which all my heroines play against the normal, conventional female roles of the day.

Now, what job could I possibly think of that wasn’t traditionally for women? How about Mariah who happens to be a blacksmith? And while I’m writing against stereotypes, I created a man named Clint who runs a diner. That wasn’t too unusual, for lots of diners were run by men back in the day. Yet not many of them were talented chefs trained in high-class restaurants in New York City. Clint is an excellent chef. Of course, an excellent chef in a small Wyoming town is kind of wasted on folks who prefer fried chicken and beef stew.

Clint makes chicken and beef, but he calls his dishes weird names and makes them unusually delicious. Meanwhile, Mariah is working over a hot forge for long hours every day. When her father and brother are killed in a stagecoach holdup, she becomes the only blacksmith in town.

There’s some resistance to her doing such a masculine job, but even among those who disapprove, well, they’ve got a broken wagon wheel or a hole in their kettle and it’s either let Mariah fix it or go without. Mariah is allowed to be a blacksmith out of pure necessity.

My second book, The Laws of Attraction, has a female justice of the peace, while the third, Marshaling Her Heart, features a tough lady rancher. I write westerns, and honestly, writing about tough, feisty lady ranchers like Becky the Rancher comes naturally to me. Writing about a blacksmith and a judge, however, presents more of a challenge.

Mariah, who survived the stagecoach holdup, learns that the robbers believe she might know something that will reveal their identity, and she needs to be silenced. Clint tries to protect her and finds himself stepping between her and a murderous gang of outlaws.

Through it all, love finds them, and they begin to forge a life together.