I’ve joined with 20 other contemporary Christian romance authors to offer a free books for Valentine’s Day only.
Australian author Narelle Atkins has organised a giveaway involving all the Trinity Lakes Romance authors (including the new season authors I haven’t introduced you to yet).
Today is Narelle’s final post, and she’s featuring my second Trinity Lakes book: Always In My Heart, which is currently on pre-order at Amazon.
Click the link below to find out more and leave a comment on the blog post to be in to win:
Or click here to find the main blog post with links to all the different days.
The giveaway ends at midnight Saturday (US Western time), which is 5pm Sunday Sydney time or 7pm Sunday New Zealand time.
Australian author Narelle Atkins has organised a giveaway involving all the Trinity Lakes Romance authors (including the new season authors I haven’t introduced you to yet).
She’s featuring Always By My Side today – click the link below to find out more and leave a comment on the blog post to be in to win:
Or click here to find the main blog post with links to all the different days.
The giveaway runs until 28 September, so stop by every day for another chance to win!
Early morning is my favourite time, especially during the warmer months. I love to sit outside on my patio listening to the cardinals sing during the summer. I enjoy smelling the freshness in the air, and marvelling in the creation of the brilliant heavenly blue morning glories climbing my fence. It’s almost like they smile at me with their huge faces. I smile back.
But joy wasn’t always there. Many mornings I didn’t feel like smiling. Inside, I was wilting like a flower without water. Happiness was zapped out of me after my first husband left me. I had wondered if I would ever get it back.
Anger crept in and took me to a place of bitterness. I was mad at him for leaving, and yes, even at God for allowing it to happen. But did I stay there?
I knew even though God allowed this journey to happen in my life, He knew the bigger picture. He wanted me to trust, so I slowly left my anger at the foot of the cross. I began to choose joy and forgiveness.
Did it happen easily? Of course not. It was a difficult journey. A few steps forward, many steps back. I worked through the anger, confusion, and defeat with the help of a counsellor, family, friends, and many prayers. I chose to forgiveness because I did not want the bitterness to consume my life. No one likes to be around someone filled with resentment. We avoid it at all costs. And doesn’t God command us to forgive? Yes, seventy times seven.
In Abducted in Alaska, Layke struggles with forgiving his mother for the years of abuse he suffered by her hand. This causes him trust issues and he holds back in any of his relationships. Throughout the book he has to deal with this in order to move on. Will he? You’ll have to read the book to find out!
However, in my story after months had subsided, I met with my spouse to sign the divorce papers. I felt surprisingly calm. The bitterness was gone and I knew it was time to move on. So I did.
Bitterness can consume our lives so easily. We must learn to recognize it, forgive, and then move on. When we do, God will give us a peace and help us to find joy again.
Comment on the question before 11:59pm New Zealand Time on 3 March 2021 and you’re automatically entered into the contest.
Prize is open internationally. Here’s how it works. The number of entries are input into a Random Sequence Generator (i.e. 1 through 20). After Darlene clicks the Generate button, whoever’s number corresponds with the number the random generator generates wins!
Note: If the winner is Canadian, they will be required to answer a skill-testing question before being awarded the prize.
Darlene L. Turner’s love of suspense began when she read her first Nancy Drew book. She’s turned that passion into her writing and believes readers will be captured by her plots, inspired by her strong characters, and moved by her inspirational message.
Darlene won the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense twice and an ACFW Genesis award. She’s represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. Her debut book, Border Breach, released in April, 2020 with Love Inspired Suspense. She has two books releasing in 2021: Abducted in Alaska (March) and Lethal Cover-Up (August).
Darlene met her husband Jeff at the turtle races in Ontario, Canada. She loves flavored coffee and plaid shirts. You can connect with Darlene at www.darlenelturner.com where there’s suspense beyond borders.
Website | BookBub | Facebook | Instagram |LinkedIn | Pinterest | Twitter
Welcome to the cover reveal tour for Harmony on the Horizon, book three in the Chaparral Hearts series! Collect all the passwords and enter for a chance to win the grand prize!!!
On the heels of the Great Rebellion, Margaret Foster, an abolitionist northerner, takes a teaching position in 1865 San Diego—a town dominated by Southern sympathizers. At thirty-seven years of age, Margaret has accepted spinsterhood and embraced her role as teacher. So, when Everett Thompson, the handsomest member of the School Board, reveals his interest in her, it’s a dream come true. Until her passionate ideals drive a wedge between them.
After two decades of hard work, Everett Thompson is on the verge of having everything he’s dreamed of. Even the beautiful new teacher has agreed to his courtship. Then two investments go south and a blackmailer threatens everything Everett has and dreams of.
As Everett scrambles to shore up the crumbling pieces of his life, Margaret unwittingly sets off a scandal that divides the small community and threatens her position as teacher. With the blackmailer still whispering threats, Everett must decide if he’s willing to risk everything for the woman still keeping him at arm’s length.
Did you know that before fire departments were taken over by local governments, private fire companies used to compete to reach a fire first? In some cities the competition even became violent. Competing firemen would fight each other while the structures they were meant to be saving continued to burn. San Francisco’s fire fighters were generally well behaved until the 1860s when their competition reached a boiling point that led to street brawls. One such altercation is included in Harmony on the Horizon. Eventually the private companies were dissolved in favor a public fire department. On the day the last private company closed, there was a huge ceremony held which had the overtones of a funeral.
It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from Beyond the Stars, Past the Moons by Jebraun Clifford, one of the stories in the Encircled anthology:
Amazon US | Amazon AU | Apple Books | Barnes & Noble| Kobo
You can then click the link which will take you to the master page of all this week’s #FirstLineFriday posts.
And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.
Life can be crazy busy. Rather than put your head down and power through each day, find those touchpoint moments when you can seek God’s calm and strength. They need only be long enough to remember who He is, and who you are in Him.
It’s easy to get caught up in the stress of each busy day and forget to see where God is at work. He is at work, just rarely in big moments that involve fireworks, thunderous applause, and flashing lights (unless you count the miracle of nature all around us). He’s there in the smile of a child after a tantrum, the hug of a friend in the midst of bad news. The cry of a newborn, and the understanding tears of one who knows infertility.
It’s important to look back and recognize moments when we received exactly what we needed—a phone call, a hug, a job offer, unexpected good news. He surrounds us with people who know us and love us (anyway). He provides what we need to face each day.
This isn’t a request—it’s a two-fold command. God knows there is little stillness in our high-tech lives. With calendars crammed full of activities, there’s no time to be still! So we must make the time. God tells us Be still. Only then can we know who He is. And this verse tells us He wants us to know Him. Amazing.
When we are still (in the car waiting for the kids, in the silence of early morning, or on a break at work), that’s when we can hear His voice, feel His presence, know He’s there. He is who He says He is: Creator of heaven and earth, lover of our soul, Lord over our calendars.
One of a woman’s greatest strengths can also be her greatest weakness. We are do-ers. When something needs doing, we jump in with both feet. Wobbling on our heels, we race from this commitment to that, leaping over obstacles, praying we stay upright as we take on yet another request. The flip side of this is burnout, resentment, and exhaustion.
How often do we pause and ask God if this new “opportunity” is what He wants for us? Instead of seeking His will for our many options, we make decisions based on the warm, fuzzy feeling of being needed, then we ask Him to save us from the issues of our own making.
Stacy Monson is the award-winning author of The Chain of Lakes series, including Shattered Image, Dance of Grace, and The Color of Truth. Her stories reveal an extraordinary God at work in ordinary life. Residing in the Twin Cities in Minnesota, she is the wife of a juggling, unicycling physical education teacher, mom to two amazing kids and two wonderful in-law kids, and a very proud grandma of 3 (and counting) grands.
Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter
Mindy Lee “Minnie” Carlson’s dream job has dropped into her hands, but there’s a catch. She has four months to revive Open Circle, the town’s only Senior Adult Day Center, or the doors will close, leaving her jobless, and the seniors she cares for stranded.
After decades traveling the globe and documenting the forgotten people of the world, Jackson Young discovers his beloved Grandma Em is still alive in Minnie’s small town. Overjoyed, he races back to his hometown to reconnect with her, only to discover she’s been Minnie’s surrogate grandmother for the past twenty years.
When Grandma Em has a stroke, his ideas about her care pit him against Minnie’s determination and expertise. For Grandma Em’s sake, and the future of Open Circle, they’ll need to do the impossible – find a way to work together.
(For a winner in the U.S. An international winner will receive an Amazon gift card of comparable value).
And I’ve teamed up with twelve Australasian authors to offer an exclusive Australia Day Christian Fiction Giveaway!
[giveaway id=1738]
All the books are either by Australian authors, or set in Australia (most are both). So it’s your chance to have a virtual holiday Down Under!
You can also win more entries by forwarding the unique code you’ll receive in your verification email. Note: if you don’t get the verification email, check your spam box, or the Promotions tab if you’re a Gmail user.
Good luck!
And I’ve teamed up with twelve Australasian authors to offer an exclusive Australia Day Christian Fiction Giveaway!
[giveaway id=1738]
All the books are either by Australian authors, or set in Australia (most are both). So it’s your chance to have a virtual holiday Down Under!
You can also win more entries by forwarding the unique code you’ll receive in your verification email. Note: if you don’t get the verification email, check your spam box, or the Promotions tab if you’re a Gmail user.
Good luck!
I have teamed up with my critique partner, Jessica Kate, to bring you a giveaway of two of our favourite novels: Blue Ridge Sunrise by Denise Hunter, and Then There Was You by Kara Isaac.
[giveaway id=1610]
