Tyndale Blog Network

I received an e-mail from Tyndale Blog Network. They are giving away books for the next 30 days. You can get in on this if you follow the directions below. Give it a try and have some fun!

"In honor of Tyndale launching its new book club enewsletter we’re running a 30 day giveaway on our website. The Book Club Hub Newsletter will be an email newsletter geared towards people who are in or are running book clubs. It will feature suggestions, discussion guides and great ideas for your book clubs. You can see a preview by clicking here.

To enter the giveaway you just need to visit the contest page and click on the book you’d like to sign up to win. You can even go back and sign up for both books. Each day is a new giveaway so you can return to the site each day and try to win. Every few days the books change, so check back!"
Here’s how you can help:
1. Visit the page and sign up to win one or both of the free books daily.
2. Post about this giveaway and about the Book Club Hub Newsletter on your blog.
3. Fill out this form with the address of your blog post.
4. Shake at least two people’s hands today and tell them about the contest.
The first 100 people to fill out this form will win a free copy of The Holy Bible Mosaic: NLT!
Please feel free to write me back if you have any questions, or follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/adamsab.

God bless!

Adam Sabados
Tyndale House Publishers
Digital Media Coordinator
www.twitter.com/adamsab

A Deeper Kind of Calm by Linda Dillow

Calm, peace, comes not from mind over matter, but Christ over all. Delving into the Psalms, Dillow guides the reader through the tough Psalms, the Psalms of weeping and searching, of begging and pleading, of remembering what God has done in the good times...so we know He is still God in the darkness. A Deeper Kind of Calm includes a four-week Bible study, stories from Dillow's own experience, and those of others with whom she's walked the path of Christianity.

I currently have several books on my "to read" list. Most are for book reviews for various publishers and one is for my pleasure and spiritual growth (I'll review that one too, just because I can!) But I am noticing a theme--Peace in Christ. Dillow's book, A Deeper Kind of Calm, underscores what I have been reading in other books. When I happen to have several books come across my desk that share a similar message, I do not look on it as mere coincidence, but rather a God-incidence. There is something here that I need to know now--whether it's because I need it immediately or I will need shortly or I will need it for the long haul--I'd better sit up and pay attention. I have found God often gives me what I need well ahead of the situation...if only I'm paying attention. So here is what I have learned so far from A Deeper Kind of Calm: God is God in the darkness and the light and I can know this by remembering what He has done in the past (my past and the distant past of creation and salvation.)


For more information on Linda Dillow and the books she has written, click here. Linda has a neat testimony and has traveled extensively in conjunction with ministry. Take a few moments to read about her life experience and how that has influenced her writing, relationship with God and her husband, and her ability to relate with you wherever you are, click here.



Just some of my thoughts from the tub!

Lori

Judgment Day by Wanda Dyson

Suzanne Kidwell has learned a few shortcuts in her years as a hard hitting cable news journalist. She knows how to keep the ratings shooting higher and higher. Yeah, she might have gotten a few of her facts wrong, but she meant well. Her job on the cable news show Judgment Day requires her to stay on the cutting edge of what's happening in her city.

The recent disappearance of two teens from the high school sends Suzanne scrambling for news. While on the trail of who might have been responsible, Suzanne boyfriend is killed taking her car to the shop. The police inform her that his death was murder and wonder how she's connected.

Suzanne remains above the fray until she's set-up for the murder of her boyfriends secretary. Bitter and confused, Suzanne turns to the best detective in town, Marcus who also happens to be her ex-fiancee. Crisp and his partner Alexandria Fisher-Hawthorne take the case of their careers, but will it be their last? Will they find the evidence to spare Suzanne?
Will Suzanne finally peer into the depths of her own shortcomings on her Judgment Day?

I could not stop reading Judgment Day by Wanda Dyson. The suspense, the action, the drama pulled me in from the first page. Drawn to find out who dunnit, I turned pages as quickly as I could read the page. Dyson's tale could be the headline of any major newspaper or top news show: realistic, relevant, and unfortunately not out of the realm of possibility. I enjoyed the characters: quirky, unique, and feisty with a little romance thrown in for good measure.

While the story is fictional, Suzanne Kidwell embodies everything I distrust about the modern day media. Suzanne took half truths and misinformation and spun it to tell the tale she knew her viewers wanted to hear regardless of who might get hurt or even for the truth. I believe the sensational side of journalism has taken hold of many in the news field.

Unfortunately, the fact that humans are trafficked as slaves for sex and organs is sickening, but sadly true. What does it say about our nation that we have so much and we want so much more that we are willing to pay any price to get what we want even if it involves murder.

Thank you Wanda for writing a great read while reminding us of the struggle for truth and freedom.

Click here
to find out more about Wanda Dyson, her life, and her fiction!

Just an interesting aside: Here is a picture of Casey Pitts (my writing friend from New Mexico), Wanda Dyson, and myself at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference in Estes Park, Colorado in 2009. I met Wanda at my very first writers conference in 2007 and she encouraged me to write the book I had envisioned and to not let anyone tell me I couldn't do it. Thanks Wanda for that encouragement!
Keep up the God work.

Just another thought from the tub,
Lori








Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Waterbrook/Multonomah as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising

Seek Me With All Your Heart by Beth Wiseman

The land of Canaan was the promised land in the Old Testament. The Detweilers and Stoltzfus' are hoping to find the same promise in Canaan, Colorado. Land prices are cheap compared to their home states of Pennsylvania and Ohio and there is plenty of it available if your willing to work hard and experience long hard winters.

Emily hoped that the attack that changed her life in Ohio would be forgotten in this promised land, but she soon learns that unless dealt with properly our past follows us and keeps us from enjoying our future. Can she learn to love and trust again or will she live her life alone forever never knowing what might have been with David Stoltzfus?

When David Stoltzfus' grandpa died and left them with land in Colorado, David's parents thought this was the perfect solution to their financial problems. They did not tell David the real reason for their move. David has his own issues brought about mainly by secrets and misunderstandings. Will David find out the truth in time to seek the love of his life?

Beth Wiseman takes us into Amish country in an entirely new setting, Canaan, Colorado. She builds real life situations around genuine Amish folk and weaves in a unique English woman named, Martha. I really liked Martha's character as she was a great foil to the conservative Amish. I found the abrupt changes in Martha's storyline a bit hard to understand throughout the story, but Wiseman tied them together at the end. I have to admit I found some of the changes unnecessary to the storyline which made me, as the reader, stop reading and wonder why this was written into the storyline, but as the writer, Wiseman has the perrogative of writing it her way. Like in life, as in writing, we often wonder why things have to happen the way the do, but in the end we see what we needed to learn from that experience.

If you enjoy Amish fiction, you will like Wiseman's unique setting and characters in Seek Me with all Your Heart.

Click here to learn more about Beth Wiseman and her numerous novels about Amish Life.

Just another thought from the tub,

Lori

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising

Piece de Resistance by Sandra Byrd

The exciting conclusion to the French Twist series by Sandra Byrd, Piece de Resistance brings Lexi Stuart home from France and back to Seattle. She left a sweet girl and her widowed father, Phillipe back in France, but is hoping she made the right decision for her life and career by moving back home.

While she understands the culture in Seattle better than she did in France, she still works with the French in the bakeries and wonders if she will ever be able to satisfy their incredibly high standards for baking and customer satisfaction. Given a chance to show what she can do, Lexi lives her dream and learns more about God as she trusts him more each day in the decisions she has to make regarding her job, family, and life.

Piece de Resistance sweetly ends the French Twist trilogy. Let Them Eat Cake and Bon Appetit
set up the life and times of Lexi Stuart beautifully along with delivering mouth watering recipes for French baking. Byrd brings her series to a satisfying end in Piece de Resistance giving the reader delicious morsels of French history, culture, pastries along with challenging the reader to search for God's best in all we do---relationships, careers, family, and the ultimate relationship with Him. If you are looking for a sweet chick lit read, check the French Twist Trilogy out today.

Click here to read more about Sandra Byrd and her unique brand of fiction.
Just another thought from the tub,
Lori

Bon Appetit by Sandra Byrd

A chance to go to France and work in a real French bakery and study to become a real French pastry chef seems like a dream come true for Lexi Stuart. She's ready for some adventure and some space from her potential boyfriend, Dan.

Lexi settles in and soon realizes that life in the states and life in France are abundantly different and her perky personality can only carry her so far. Her hard work and perseverance eventually win over the some of her workmates, but her optimism is put to the test when even her successes are met with cool compliments. Not only is her baking put to the test, but so is her relationship with Dan when child, Celine, steals her heart and her widowed father is easy on the eyes, as well as one of her only friends in Presque, France.

As Lexi lives her dream, she wonders if this is the extent of her ambitions? Is this her goal in life...to be a French pastry chef...or does the Lord have more in store for her?

I found this follow up to Let Them Eat Cake a delight to read. The recipes are wonderful and the learning more about life in France through fiction is one of my favorite ways to travel the world. When I initially read this book, the third book was not yet published and Byrd left me hanging wondering who Lexi would choose--Dan or Phillipe. I mean the choice seemed obvious to me, but would Lexi choose the one I wanted her to? I had to wait several months to find out. For those of you just picking up this series now, you'll be happy to know all three books are written, published and ready to read.


Click here to check out Sandra's Website and all of her great fiction!

Just another thought from the tub,
Lori

Let Them Eat Cake by Sandra Byrd

Lexi Stuart feels stalled in her life: graduated from college but still living at home; unsure of her next career move and even more unsure of her future with her current crop of suitors.

When a job opportunity lands is handed to her along with her favorite pastry, Lexi decides to jump on board only to find out the limitations of hope and expectation in the face of adversity, diversity and deadlines.

An unexpected confrontation with local businessman refocuses her priorities and her life: she is going to stop trying to please everyone else and see where God takes her.

Fun, witty, and touching, Let Them Eat Cake speaks to the twenty-something crowd and the myriad of life choices facing them each and every day. Finding direction and purpose in this world is challenging and there are no easy answers, but God works in and through our circumstances everyday.

Sandra Byrd does a great job of conveying the issues Lexi is dealing with while giving us a taste of life in Seattle. I enjoyed the local flavor Byrd wove throughout her story along with all of the tasty treats she shares in the French Twist series. She made me want to learn french baking!

Click here for more information on Sandra Byrd and her other fun works of fiction!

*FYI: Sandra Byrd was my mentor in the Christian Writers Guild Apprentice Course. I learned so much from her and am excited to blog about her books.

Keep up the God work, Sandra.

Just another thought from the tub,

Lori

White Picket Fences by Susan Meissner

Tally lives a carefree life on the road with her father until one day he insists he has to travel to Europe without her. He leaves her in the care of her grandmother without a forwarding address or phone number. When her grandma dies, the state contacts her aunt, Amanda Janvier, a woman Tally has only met once and who lives a life so different from Tally's, Tally wonders what they could possibly share besides some similar DNA.

Amanda Janvier's life is fine. Everything's fine or so she and her family want everyone to believe. If you just smile and don't talk about the issues, everything will be fine, right? Amanda soon finds out with the arrival of her niece that everything in her family isn't fine, but after years of avoiding the real issues, she doesn't know where to start unraveling the blanket of deception they've all hidden behind for years.

Tally and Chase, Amanda's son, work on a school project that not only directly relates to Tally's dad, but also to Chase's past. In learning about the Warsaw Ghetto, will Tally and Chase be able to resolve issues from their own past? Will their digging affect Amanda and the rest of the family?

In White Picket Fences, Susan Meissner creates a the White Picket Fence world where life is beautiful and the family who lives inside the fence has it all: two kids, good jobs, a secure future...the American dream. Meissners message hits home in a time where many of us are very rushed and do not stop to evaluate how our lives really are; mostly we think they are just fine. When we take time to slow down and look at what is really going on beneath the surface, we see things aren't "fine," they never were "fine," and we don't know how to make them "fine." Which I would like to think that they will never be "fine" in this world.


Susan Meissner has written many other novels including Why the Sky is Blue, Lady in Waiting, The Rachel Flynn Novels, and many others. Click here for more information on Susan Meissner and her other titles.

I had the priviledge of being in a Susan Meissner's critique group at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference. The best part about going to a Christian writers conference is getting to meet the authors of the novels I love to read along with many of the editors from the publishing houses of my favorite books. If you are wanting to pursue a career in writing, I highly recommend attending a writers conference. CCWC is the only one I've attended, but I went three years in a row and loved it each and every time.

Just another thought from the tub,
Lori