Finding Love by Toni Shiloh ends June 26th

Please welcome Toni Shiloh to my blog this week. Toni is giving away an ebook so be sure to leave a comment as well as your email address for a chance to win.

Hi, Reader friends! Thank you so much for taking a moment to read my guest post here at Debbie’s blog. The second book in my Maple Run series, Finding Love, releases June 28th. I’m so excited as Delaney and Luke hold a special place in my heart. For those of you who read book one, Buying Love, you met Delaney, Dwight’s sister. Well, she whispered to me that she had a secret. She was absolutely terrified of falling in love with another military man since her first husband, Parker Jones, died while serving his country. My mind immediately wondered what would happen if an Army soldier walked onto the scene. Enter Luke Robinson! Y’all, Luke Robinson has an noble heart, yet he battles his own secrets. One that’s been clinging to him since Parker Jones died. When he walked into The Maple Pit, I knew I had found an honorable hero. I hope you join me and the characters of Maple Run this summer. The Maple Pit crew is waiting! Note: If you pre-order an eBook copy of Finding Love, you can get a signed postcard by yours truly.  Claim your pre-order gift here: http://bit.ly/2rADocs 

 

Toni Shiloh is a wife, mom, and Christian fiction writer. Once she understood the powerful saving

grace thanks to the love of Christ, she was moved to honor her Savior. She writes to bring Him glory and to learn more about His goodness.

She spends her days hanging out with her husband and their two boys. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and president of the Virginia Chapter.

You can find her on her website at http://tonishiloh.weebly.com

Finding Love Back cover Blurb –

Delaney Jones has finally started to pick up the pieces of her shattered life after the death of her husband, Parker. Just as life enters a new normal, in walks Army soldier, Luke Robinson. Just when she makes the decision to trust him, life deals her a heavy blow.

Sergeant First Class Luke Robinson can’t get over his part in the death of Delaney’s husband. In hopes to assuage his guilt, he offers to lend a hand. Only, he never counted on the feelings she evokes with just a smile. Will his secrets widen the gulf or will he finally find absolution?

Buy links – http://amzn.to/2r2NmFZ

Social media links –

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authortonishiloh

Google+: https://plus.google.com/+ToniShiloh

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/tonishiloh

Instagram: www.instagram.com/tonishiloh

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/tonishiloh

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/toni-shiloh

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonishiloh

Blogs I’m part of: http://puttingonthenew.com  ; http://heartwingsblog.com  ; http://diversitybetweenthepages.wordpress.com ; www.acfwvirginia.com/blog

The Tethered World by Heather L.L. FitzGerald ends June 19th

Please welcome Heather L.L. FitzGerald to my blog. Be sure to answer one of her questions to be entered in her e-book giveaway. Don't forget to leave your email address so we can contact you if you wish. 

The Recipe for a Delicious Story

A lot of readers like to know where authors get their ideas and inspiration. I think I can speak for most writers when I say that ideas can come from anywhere—even the most unlikely places. A snippet of conversation overheard at a restaurant, an encounter with the neighbor’s vicious dog, and of course, the daily grind. Good stories are similar to good recipes. There will be a variety of ingredients included, some more than others, but all necessary for satisfying consumption.

As a fantasy writer I get this question, I suspect, a little more than someone who writes, say…romance. I mean, most people can relate to love and relationships a lot more readily than dwarves and dragons, right? People are often curious to know how both Sasquatch and Nephilim ended up in my novels.

Well, believe it or not, real life is still the inspiration. No, no…I’m not saying I believe in Bigfoot or have discovered a tribe of Nephilim in the woods near my home. But there are a lot of unexplained and amazing things around me. Even the mundane can have a little mystery. The Lord’s creativeness is vast. At once both consuming and subtle. Complex in its simplicity.

Consider the mushroom. That unpretentious little cap-shaped fungi is merely the fruit of a vast network of threads that entwine themselves in the moist earth and other plants, helping matter decompose. These mycelium threads can reach far and wide, in comparison to their clusters of cute little caps. In fact, there’s a single organism in the Blue Mountains of Oregon that is the size of nearly 1700 football fields!

The honey mushroom—dubbed “the humungous fungus”—is s-l-o-w-l-y killing the trees in this mountain range. It is smothering the life out of the evergreens at a growth rate of one to two feet per year. Not spreading up the trunk of each tree at that rate…but the entire network only casts its net a little wider by one to two feet per year. For it to have spread to such an enormous size means that this honey mushroom plant is a minimum of 2,000 years old. Amazing! Doesn’t this sound like something from a science fiction novel?

Now, that example is just one random thing I thought I’d look into for the sake of this post. (Admittedly, I only now learned about this giant organism. You really should click the link and see it for yourself!). But I did, in fact, take the humble mushroom and use it in my book, The Tethered World. However, my mushrooms were humungous, big enough to picnic beneath, and emitted a soft phosphorescent glow. Voila! Fantasy.

I won’t drone on about how all the different elements found their way into my story. But I wanted to point out that anything around you can—possibly—be fodder for your imagination. Take a little folklore, add a tie to the Garden of Eden, mix in a fiercely loving family, swirl together a prophecy about their autistic son and his destiny…and you’ve got yourself an adventure!

Those “ingredients” are all things that are part of my life, to one degree or another. I grew up in the Northwest where there are rumors of Bigfoot. I’m a Christian that believes the Garden of Eden really existed (time machine, anyone?), my family is close and loving, and my son is autistic.

A lot of reality mixed with a heavy dose of “what if” and a story takes shape. My particular circumstances and beliefs are unique to me. But, like a chef, I have learned to take the different elements and create something palatable for most readers.

You, my friend, are blessed with your own unique situation. God has placed you in a particular environment and has allowed your trials and triumphs for many reasons. Might one of them be to create a story that will build the faith of others? Has He given you the ingredients for an appetizing new tale?

What have you experienced that has made you think, “Wow, this would make a good book”?

Now think a little harder…what everyday things surround you that could be added to your story recipe in an unexpected way? I’d love to hear your ideas! You might be surprised at how a new perspective on something familiar can grow into a plot for a book.

But hopefully it will grow a little faster than the honey mushroom ;) 

Heather L.L. FitzGerald writes from her home in Texas, while dreaming of being back in the Pacific Northwest, where she grew up. When her four kids were young, she enjoyed reading aloud until her voice gave out. (Her son, who is autistic, would just move on to his favorite audiobook). Certain stories became good friends—the kind you want to revisit. The kind you wish never needed to say goodbye. Those are the kind of stories Heather aspires to write. Stories worthy of delicious coffee. Stories difficult to leave. She hopes you will find her YA Fantasy trilogy The Tethered World Chronicles to be one of those kind of tales. All three books, The Tethered World, and The Flaming Sword, and The Genesis Tree are available on Amazon or can be ordered at any book retailer.

Heather is a member of the North Texas Christian Writer's group, ACFW, CAN, and helps with the Manent Writer's group in Fort Worth, Texas. You can connect with Heather on her website/blog,  Facebook, Pinterest, Character blog: (Sadie’s mother has a blog pertaining to legendary creatures), Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads.

 

Until Proven Innocent by Carol Kinsey ends June 4th

Please welcome Carol Kinsey to my blog this week. Carol is giving away a copy of Until Proven Innocent so be sure to leave a comment as well as your email address.

Venti Focus in a World of Grande Distractions

             

              It was crowded in Starbucks today. I don’t know when I’ve seen so many people in our local coffee shop at one time. There was literally only one seat and it was a small round table right by the window. I was thankful to just get a seat. Coffee shops are usually great places for me to get things done. I had a lot of writing to do today—a church newsletter, blog article, and more edits on my newest book manuscript. I was a bit overwhelmed with all I had to do.

              I pulled my Bible and computer out of my bag and set them on the table, hoping to focus. But I couldn’t. Dozens of conversations whirled around me while I tried to still my heart.

              My attention was snatched away by the many voices and snippets of discussions. The people sitting closest to me were studying together. Without trying, I could hear them discussing thyroids, adrenals glands, symptoms of problems and potential cures. Others were talking about their day, greeting each other, laughing. A barista called out a name. A woman complained about her drink. The whole room was in chaos.

              It hit me that too often my mind is like that Starbucks. Chaotic. Concerns, thoughts, deadlines, worry, and responsibilities become voices of life vying for my attention. It’s not what I want.

              I took a sip of my mocha and tried to think about the last time I’d been still. Really still. God’s word tells us in Psalm 46:10a to “Be still, and know that I am God.” (ESV). I love those words. They express the desire of my heart. But my actions don’t always reflect my desire.

              Sometimes I feel so distracted that I lose sight of my real focus.  

              In Matthew 14:22-33 we read about Jesus walking on the water. In verse 28, Peter says to Him…  “Lord, if it’s you - tell me to come to you on the water.” Jesus replies to Peter saying, “Come.”  “Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” (NASB).

              I can relate to Peter. He wanted to get out there and walk on the water with Jesus… do something great! Walk boldly with Jesus! But he got distracted.

              I’m reminded of the old hymn, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus “… look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”

              In a world full of busyness and distractions, how do we make sure our minds are on the right things? How do we maintain our focus? How do we make sure our eyes are on Jesus and we don’t sink?

              When our eyes are on Him we maintain our focus! That’s what Peter did when he first got out there on the water and started to walk. After he got distracted, he started to sink. But when he cried out to Jesus, Jesus rescued him.

              The room was still crowded but I opened my Bible to Daniel 9:3-4. “So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. And I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed…” With all these distractions whirling around me, I needed to give my attention to the Lord God, seek Him by prayer and supplications—and confess.  

              Funny, but as the realization began to dawn on me that each of those people kind of represented a distraction in my mind and all I needed to do was lay them at His feet something changed. One by one I prayed for them. In a matter of minutes what was chaos and craziness became quiet and calming. My mind was like that too. As I lifted each care of the day to my Father who knows me, the chaos in my mind was replaced with calm.

             

·       Do you ever feel distracted—like there are so many things going on around you that you lose your real focus?

• What distractions do you need to lay at His feet today?

·       What are some helpful ways you’ve learned to keep your focus on Jesus in the midst of the distractions around you? 

     

Under the Shadow of a Steeple

      https://www.amazon.com/Under-Shadow-Steeple-Carol-Kinsey/dp/1490454284/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1495908328&sr=1-2

      It's not easy being a teenager in foster care. Tormented by verbal abuse and the threat of being separated from her brothers, Hailey knew something had to change. Hoping to find the peace they long for, Hailey, Hayden, and Grant, and their foster sister, Kyra, set out on a journey that would change their lives forever. Can Hailey keep her family together by running away? Will God heal their hurting hearts and help them find the love they long for? Hailey hopes to find protection under the shadow of a steeple.

   

Until Proven Innocent

https://www.amazon.com/Until-Proven-Innocent-Carol-Kinsey/dp/1495973700/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Bethany Young is running from the law. Accused of a murder she didn’t commit, Bethany’s life is in the hands of one of her accusers. Embarking on an irreversible journey, Deputy Tanner Brenly and Bethany work to unravel the secrets that tangle her life. How can Bethany prove she’s innocent when all the evidence points to her? How can she expect Tanner to believe what even she cannot prove? Together, Bethany and Tanner must wait and trust in the Lord - until proven innocent.

      

Greater Love

https://www.amazon.com/Greater-Love-Carol-Kinsey/dp/1505827582/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1495908328&sr=1-1

Trey Netherland is undercover. Rainey Meadows has been deceived. She wants answers. He wants the bad guy. Together, Rainey and Trey find themselves in the heart of Columbia both searching for different things. As Rainey struggles to learn who she is, Trey is torn between the lies he’s told and the Truth that is fighting to reach his heart. Tangled in a dangerous plot, can Rainey trust the man whose lies put her heart in turmoil? Will Trey finally cry out to the only One who can truly set him free? There is only one Truth and it’s in Him they find Greater Love.

About Carol:

Carol Kinsey lives with her husband and their two daughters on a farm in rural Ohio. She and her husband have been involved in youth ministry for over twenty years and currently serve at a small country church, which inspired her first novel, Under the Shadow of a Steeple. She has also published Greater Love, Until Proven Innocent, and a writing curriculum, Creative Writing Through Literature. Her newest novel, Witness Protection, is scheduled for release this summer.

      

Carol is a member of ACFW and co-founder of the Writing Family. She speaks on developing the writer in yourself and your child. Along with her fiction, Carol is also published in several nonfiction venues. She has a passion for writing exciting Christ-centered fiction that uplifts, encourages, and gives glory to God. You can learn more about Carol by visiting her website carolkinsey.net