My Blog's 10th Year Birthday Bash: Dawn Kinzer's book giveaway

Welcome to the 11th day of my blog's birthday bash!

Please welcome my author friend Dawn Kinzer.

She's here to give away one of her books!

Enter the book giveaway contest via the Rafflecopter widget the end of this blog post. Only residents of the USA are eligible to receive a signed paperback copy of this author's books. International residents will only receive ebook copies due to costs of mailing books outside of the USA.

Let's learn a little bit more about Dawn and her book ...

Author Bio:

Dawn Kinzer is a freelance editor, and her own work has been published in various devotionals and magazines. She co-hosts and writes for the Seriously Write blog.

Sarah’s Smile is the first book in her historical romance series, The Daughters of Riverton.

Hope’s Design is the second, and Rebecca’s Song completes the trilogy. Her first contemporary romance, By All Appearances, is set in the Seattle area.

A mother and grandmother, Dawn lives with her husband in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Favorite things include dark chocolate, good wine, strong coffee, the mountains, family time, and Masterpiece Theatre.

Connect and learn more about Dawn by visiting these online sites: Author Website, Faithfully Write Editing, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Amazon Author Page, BookBub, and Goodreads.

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Back Cover Blurb for By All Appearances:

An attractive special events planner is determined to keep her distance.

A disfigured musician struggles to guard his heart.

By all appearances, both are destined to fail.

Liana Tate, a special events planner grew up in a high-profile family. No matter what she does, Liana feels she never measures up.

Bryan Langley, a talented musician, was close to signing a recording contract when a barn fire left part of his face severely burned. He survived, but his career did not.

When Liana’s father hires Bryan as a caretaker on the family estate outside of Seattle, Liana’s and Bryan’s lives become entangled. He risks public humiliation for Liana’s success, and she encourages him to use his musical gifts, despite his reluctance. 

Thrown together, will they achieve their elusive dreams? And will the two find the love and acceptance they yearn for, or will their actions only drive each other away?

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Enter this book giveaway contest for your chance to WIN a copy of this book by filling out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget below:

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Devotionals for the Heart: Following God's Lead throughout your life

Following the Lead Car
A devotional by Sharon Musgrove

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."” – John 8:12 (ESV)

A recent vacation to California’s Bay Area had me in a panic attack.

My heart pounded in my chest and adrenaline shunted blood flow to extremities as my mind instructed its body of impeding doom. My breathing became shallow and I was lightheaded. Yet there was no emergency. My husband was simply driving our rental car on Highway 101 in a heavy downpour.

Nothing scares me more than driving unknown roads in the poor visibility of winter weather. Fears of sliding in ice or hydroplaning on standing water compound with navigating unknown roads, lack of daylight and spray from other vehicles.

It would make sense to me if my fears in these conditions came from a traumatic auto accident, but they don’t. These panic attacks originate from my imagination. I’m in unknown territory and I envision the worst-case scenario, pulling from stories I’ve read or scenes I have seen on television. In essence, I’m making it up. I torture myself.

So, I pray. When not the driver, I close my eyes and focus on thoughts that are pure and lovely (Philippians 4:8). I breathe deeply, exhaling slowly with the intention of releasing all fear-based thoughts and feelings. I re-center myself with resolve in God’s goodness.

Of course, when I am the driver, I must do the same exercises with eyes wide open to the circumstances. I must still move forward, so I focus on the car ahead of me, using their taillights, speed and navigation as my guide. With a “lead car,” I can relax some, relying on information about the road I glean from how someone else is experiencing it.

Journeying through life is like a road trip. When the territory is familiar, the road straight and the weather is clear, I am at ease, enjoying the scenery. I sing along to the radio. I chat casually with those who are with me. It’s when the road twists or the rain pours that my full attention is commanded. Cruise control becomes harmful and casual prattle ends.

When circumstances challenge, when Deception says, “Success of this trip is all on you,” I know I am in trouble. It’s at this point I pray for a lead car to follow.

Jesus is the lead car. He came to save, inviting us to follow Him. He lived this same life we do with a perfect record. Being God, He knows the road ahead. He put himself ahead of us that we might see His light and take comfort in following.

It’s not God’s intention that we go through this life in fear. He tells us this throughout the Bible in verses such as Psalm 27:1 (ESV): “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

It is His will that we mature in faith. Storms are part of that process. Driving scared is part of that process. The New Testament book of James encourages us to consider our troubles tools of perfecting, so to have joy in the process.

According to James 1:2-4 (ESV), we are advised to, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Ultimately, we travel not alone. There is peace and rest on our journey when we allow Jesus to lead. By following His light and repeating His ways, we too can be trustworthy, leading others to safety. Storms lose their power over us when we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.

~*~
Author Bio:

Sharon Musgrove is a self-proclaimed sociologist. The opportunities opened to her, over the years, have led her on a fascinating journey observing human behavior.

She has a diverse background in business, fitness and health industries. This background led her to a unique position writing curriculum and teaching for two private, Christ-based, residential recovery programs. Both recovery programs served women primarily from the homeless community.

Sharon has traveled multiple times to Kenya, serving on medical teams and teaching in the rural Maasai communities. She's been privileged to participate in Leadership camps for maturing young women. These annual camps have a mission of encouraging and empowering the impoverished, underprivileged, and often abused young Maasai girls.

Easily identifying personally with the brokenness of the women she's served, Sharon now sees all people as needing more encouragement regardless of cultural or socioeconomic status. Within these ministries, Sharon has witnessed the transformative power of loving words spoken to the broken-hearted. Sharing God’s love and witnessing its transformative power has become her passion.

In her leisure time, Sharon enjoys her garden, health food, travel, and a good story. She and her husband, Jeff, make their home in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. They have two grown children. Currently, Sharon is writing her first Christian historical fiction novel utilizing her study, experience, and understanding of self-destructive behaviors.

Cozy Christmas Reads: Donna's story

Christmas Under the Stars

A devotional by Donna Schlachter

“That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.”~Luke 2:8 (NLT)

Sometimes we can sanitize the words in the Bible so much that we don’t get their true meaning. We do this all the time when we read of Job’s sufferings, of Joseph of the Old Testament while he was in prison, and even of Jesus and the crucifixion.

And yes, with the Christmas story.

Shepherds were the lowest of the low in Biblical times when it came to social position and the ability to rise to prominence in the community. We even see in the story of Joseph in Genesis that they didn’t sit with other people (the Egyptians made his brothers sit at a separate table), and the pharaoh suggested Joseph give them land away from everybody else.

And yet God chose to announce the birth of His Son to such ones as these.

What was He thinking? That we’re all outsiders when it comes to the Kingdom of Heaven? That we are all smelly and dirty before Jesus cleans us up? That we’re all in the dark?

Yes to all of the above.

As we think of the Christmas story this year, let’s pay attention to all the players—including those not welcome in the presence of a King—which would be all of us.

And let’s give thanks that we are now not only welcome, but encouraged to come in boldly.

~*~

Author bio:

Donna lives in Denver with husband Patrick, her first-line editor and biggest fan. She writes historical suspense under her own name, and contemporary suspense under her alter ego of Leeann Betts. 

She is a hybrid publisher who has published a number of books under her pen name and under her own name. 

She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Sisters In Crime; facilitates a local critique group, and teaches writing classes and courses. 

Donna is also a ghostwriter and editor of fiction and non-fiction, and judges in a number of writing contests. She loves history and research, and travels extensively for both. Donna is proud to be represented by Terrie Wolf of AKA Literary Management.

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Blurb for Donna's book, Christmas Under the Stars:

November 1858, Utah Territory

Edie Meredith strives to keep her temper and her tongue under control as she heads west with her brother to California. Raised in an itinerant preacher family, she promises she will never marry a man of the cloth.

Tom Aiken, drover of the wagon train, longs to answer his true calling: to preach, and while he realizes not every woman would choose a preacher for a husband, he hopes to soon find his help-meet.

Suspicious ‘accidents’ plague their journey. Is someone trying to keep them from reaching their destination? Or will misunderstanding and circumstances keep them apart?

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Connect with Donna:

Blog - www.HiStoryThruTheAges.wordpress.com

Website - www.HiStoryThruTheAges.com 

Facebook - www.Facebook.com/DonnaschlachterAuthor

Twitter - www.Twitter.com/DonnaSchlachter

Amazon - http://amzn.to/2ci5Xqq

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Enter this book giveaway contest for your chance to WIN a copy of this book by filling out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget below: 

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