Another Award-Winning Week!

Things keep getting better!

FIRST: Two of our award-winning authors are giving away print versions of their books! Sign up below for the Goodreads contest - this week only.

Goodreads Book Giveaway The Revisionary by Kristen Hogrefe Giveaway ends June 17, 2018. See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter Giveaway

Goodreads Book Giveaway Imperfect Lies by Elizabeth Noyes Giveaway ends June 17, 2018. See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter Giveaway

AND: We have yet another award-winner! Cynthia Toney's middle-grade historical adventure, THE OTHER SIDE OF FREEDOM, is available this week only at a $2 discount. The e-book is only $2.99 and the print book is only $9.99 (but Amazon is being a little slow in showing that changed price - make sure you buy it when the price is correctly reduced)!

In honor of Father's Day, this children's story about a dad and his son! Perfect!

We're also continuing with our "We Love Our Readers" sales and this week's book is the humor-filled inspirational FAUX PAS. Such a fun story.

And we shared a hysterical article from the author in our newsletter. If you don't get our weekly newsletters, by all means, sign up! You'll not only get info on our coming and sale books, but every week offers a short note from one of our authors and some insight into their worlds.

SIGN UP HERE!

Capture the Magic: Saving Eric: The Birth of a Novel by Joan Deneve

Congratulations to Paula for winning yesterday's copy of THE HEART SEEKER SERIES! Will you win the next one? Simply leave a comment with your email address to enter for today's free copy!

One of our outstanding romances that will be discounted next week, SAVING ERIC has a beautiful story about its beginnings, even beyond the novel itself.

***

July 18, 2016

I'm still surprised when God answers prayer. Don't get me wrong. I've been a believer and practicing woman of faith for over forty years. I've seen God do some amazing things, and yes, even miracles, in answer to prayer. On the other hand, I've experienced times when God remained silent to my anguished cries.

My mouth will tell you that I believe God can do anything, but sometimes my heart counters, "But will He?" At such times, I try to fall back on what I know to be true: That God is a good God who is also wise and all-knowing; That our God is sovereign, which is a fancy way of saying He is God and I am not; that He gets to call the shots.

It was out of these thoughts, feelings, and questions that my first novel Saving Eric was born. I wanted to illustrate that God's plan is sometimes bigger than what we can presently see, and that we can trust God to always do what is needed and right.

Through this character-driven novel, three basic truths about God come to light:

1. God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we ask or think. These words, taken from Ephesians 3:20, are the foundational truth behind Brock Whitfield's faith. Brock's faith is strong because it was forged in the crucible of deep failure, disappointment, and loss. He passes on what he has learned about trusting God to all the staff at the mission hospital he started in Angola.
2. God sometimes lets us be the answer to our own prayers. This is probably my favorite truth. Brock had prayed for Eric Templeton for years, but he never dreamed God would allow him to be part of the answer. What an exciting thought! God not only gives us the desires of our hearts, but He also lets us be part of the answer! 
3. God uses broken people to help other broken people. We are all broken. That's why we need a savior. God is in the business of changing lives. Brock, Ellie, Eric, and Bob—all are broken and in need of God's truth and God's grace to turn their lives around. 

These fictional characters struggle with things we all struggle with. Using Brock as spiritual mentor, I take the reader down the path of some of my own spiritual battles and questions. My goal was to portray God realistically and faithfully. He is a God who does not always answer the way we think He will or should, but His answer is always the best one. It's a hard lesson to learn, and one that must be relearned many times in one's life.

I wrote the book, tweaked, re-wrote, and tweaked some more, and after three long years, I doubted that I would ever get my book published. So in 2014, I did the unthinkable. I gave God a deadline. Granted, I gave Him a year, but it was still a deadline. I asked for two specific requests. Big requests. Not the generic, "God bless my children and keep them safe." (Nothing wrong with that either)
I prayed on January 1, 2014 for God to come through and answer the two requests I had been praying for three years. I committed to prayer that 2014 be the year both requests would be answered. At every prayer meeting, everybody knew my hand would go up, and I would mention two unspoken prayer requests.

Did I ask in faith? You bet. Did I really believe the requests would be answered? Sort of. In September, fully nine months after asking that original prayer, I was thrilled beyond words to finally have a contract for my novel to get published! Check off first request!

I'll tell more about the second request after the photo

The second request was more of a challenge. Okay, I'll go ahead and tell you, I prayed for God to let my son find a good, godly wife. I still had hope, but I had already decided to let God off the hook in case it wasn't His timing or His will. (Like He needed for me to let Him off the hook.)

The answer came on Christmas Eve. My son visited and announced that he had met a girl, a special girl, who just might be "the one." Unfortunately, like Rhoda who refused to believe Peter was actually out of prison and knocking on the door, I responded with "You're kidding."

How's that for faith?

I'm thankful God answers even weak faith! My novel was published on February 14, 2015, and I like to think of it as God's Valentine to me. My son was married in October of 2015, probably not just because of my prayers, but because God is so good!

Let me sum it all up. God is real. God is good. God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we ask or think. Our God loves us and delights to show Himself strong on our behalf. But His ways are not our ways. Sometimes He says, "No." Sometimes He says, "Wait." Sometimes He is silent, and at such times, we must do as the song says, "When we can't trace His hand, we trust His heart."

***

What a touching post. Have you waited on the Lord? Maybe you're waiting now. Please share your

thoughts when you leave your email address.

Last but not least, our Capture the Magic continues on February 14-21 with a book on sale every day. One book per day will be discounted 60% or more. Look HERE on our website, for more information and a schedule for the when the books will be on sale.

Come back tomorrow to see our winner listed and enter again by leaving another comment! Super-simple!

And learn more about Joan Deneve and her books at her author page on the Write Integrity Press website.

Capture the Magic: Watch Out by Marji Laine Clubine

This month, the season of romance, is the time when we relish in the love we have for others. And it’s the time for romance!  Nothing better than snuggling down in front of a fire with a loved one. And snuggling down in front of that same fire with a sweet romance is almost as delightful.

Today, we’re giving away a free e-copy of THE HEART SEEKER SERIES. Leave a comment below with your email address to enter. We'll be drawing a winner every morning from the day's comments. And while you're at it, share a funny, romantic experience that you’ve had or heard about.

Here’s one from my history. My mom always had a saying, “Watch out for the railroad tracks.” See, when my brother or I drove to church, we had to drive over 4 sets of tracks. It was her way of saying “I love you.” But before I get all mushy …

Railroad tracks have a whole new meaning when you have to get braces. And I had them three times; first in 6th grade, then as a freshman in college, and finally my senior year in college. I got them off for the last time just a few months before my wedding.

And I’ll never forget the way my mother’s words echoed through my brain the time that my fiancé’s lip got pulled by the bracket on my front tooth.

“Yeah, dude. Be careful of the railroad tracks!”

So, share something from your past or that you’ve heard. Tuesday’s always a good day to chuckle!

And here are a few things to remember: First, tonight at 7PM Central, Marie Wells Coutu and I will be chatting on Blog Talk Radio at the Publishing Laine program. We’ll be talking about her new book and also about the current awards season. Join us!

Last but not least, our Capture the Magic continues on February 14-21 with a book on sale every day. One book per day will be discounted 60% or more. Look HERE on our website, for more information and a schedule for the when the books will be on sale.

Come back tomorrow to see our winner listed and enter again by leaving another comment! Super-simple!

And learn more about Marji and her books at her page on Write Integrity Press. 

12 Books of Christmas: CHRISTMAS MEMORIES by Fay Lamb

My children were very young when my husband and I bought our first house in our hometown. The Christmas Eve before we purchased the home, we drove through the neighborhood known for its Christmas Eve luminaries and the all-out decorations. Our boys had many friends who lived there, and as we drove through the streets and marveled at the ingenuity of the lighted spectacles, we spoke aloud our dreams of someday living there.

Our miracle on Ayshire Drive happened in June of the next year and not on Christmas Day.  My aunt, our realtor, showed us a nice little house sitting on the street facing a cul-de-sac. We toured the place. I fell in love with it, and my heart sank. The homes were just too far out of our reach. That’s when my aunt smiled and announced that the home was an assumable mortgage without qualification … and the seller was motivated.

My husband surprised me by placing an offer on the home, and the next Christmas Eve and for seventeen Christmas Eves thereafter, we lived on Ayshire Drive; we purchased our luminaries from the homeowners’ association in October; we went to the sand pile on Christmas Eve morning (read: sneaked onto a sandpit of the neighborhood golf course where folks would be hidden, their heads bopping up to look around to make sure the groundskeeper wasn’t scurrying toward us in his cart to chase us away), and we sifted sand into bag after bag for luminaries that would line our driveway and front yards. Neighbors would get an extra set of bags and candles to help out neighbors who planned to travel for the holidays.

On Christmas Eve, our family would sit outside, sometimes bundled heavily against the sixty-degree weather freezing our thin skins, sometimes in shorts and still sweating (this is Central Florida after all), and waving and calling out “Merry Christmas” while cars drove slowly by with their lights out and Christmas music blaring.

Later, when the traffic slowed, my husband and I would walk arm in arm through the neighborhood, the memories of each Christmas Eve stoking the warming fire that blazed in my heart. We live in a different neighborhood now, but not a Christmas Eve goes by that I struggle with the urge to drive to the north end of town from where we now live. Even now, tears fill my eyes because I miss that place as if it were an old friend I’d moved away from so long ago.  Yet, I know that God blessed our family with those many Christmases together. Time moves on and the memories of my boy’s laughter during the season only grow sweeter with each passing Christmas.

About the Author:

Fay Lamb is an editor, writing coach, and author, whose emotionally charged stories remind the reader that God is always in the details. For more information about Fay and her books, check out her author page on the Write Integrity Press website.

Before you go, you have to read through Fay's Three-Layer Brownie recipe. This dessert sounds decadent. Drool away!

Recipe: Three Layer Brownies:

First Layer Ingredients:
For First Layer (Brownies):
2 cups sugar
1  ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup baking cocoa
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

First Layer Instructions:
In a mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients; add oil, eggs, and vanilla; beat at medium speed for three minutes; Pour into a greased 13”x9”x2” baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for thirty minutes or until brownies are done. Cool completely (very important).

Second Layer Ingredients:
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour

Second Layer Instructions:
Cream butter and sugars in a bowl; add milk and vanilla; mix well. Slowly beat in flour. Spread over COOLED brownies.

Third Layer Ingredients:
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon shortening
¾ cup walnuts (for what I consider a fourth layer and highly optional)

Melt chocolate chips and shortening either in microwave or on low on stovetop (preferably stovetop); stir until smooth; spread over second layer.
Optional: sprinkle nuts over glaze immediately.

Also very important: Let the glaze set before serving.

12 Books of Christmas: 

You can win a copy of the first book of Fay's Amazing Grace Suspense series, STALKING WILLOW, along with 11 other books (US residents only) by commenting below and leaving your email address for us to add to our monthly newsletter list. (Unsubscribe anytime.) Here's a question you can answer: Family is so special at Christmas. What is one of your favorite family traditions?