Romantic Reads: Smile for Me (book)

Welcome Jan Thompson to the blog! 

She's here today to talk about her book Smile for Me. 

Enjoy the interview!

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Alexis: What inspired you to write an interracial romance novel for the Christian fiction book market?

Jan: As a Christian Asian American, I have felt for many years that interracial romance is under-represented in our current Christian fiction market. In the words of Toni Morrison, “If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.”

Taking it a step further, as a Christian who is in a multiracial family, I think that the current Christian fiction market largely does not reflect my real world. While not all my books are multiracial, I have made an effort to do so whenever the characters fit the story. I have several multiracial romances in my Savannah Sweethearts, Vacation Sweethearts, Protector Sweethearts, and Binary Hackers series.

Alexis: How did you come up with title “Smile for Me” of this first book in your Vacation Sweethearts series? Explain how your book title plays into your storyline.

Jan: Before I write the first book in each of my series, I agonize over the titles until I have all the book titles ready to go. This way, it’s easier for me to send the branding specifications to my cover designer. Vacation Sweethearts has book titles that end with “for Me.” The seven books in this series are Smile for Me, Reach for Me, Wait for Me, Look for Me, Pray for Me, Care for Me, and Cheer for Me. Each novel focuses on a couple at a vacation location that is familiar to me, somewhere I have visited in real life.

In this series, I try to mention the title at least once in the book as part and parcel of the story. In Smile for Me, my Christian beach romance set in the Bahamas, I wanted to contrast careful Byron from carefree Tina. There is a scene in which Tina asks Byron to smile for her. At the end of the novel, Byron is all smiles. I’ll let readers read it to find out why.

Alexis: How did you research this story? Did you travel to the Bahamas where it’s set?

Jan: Yes, indeed. Many years ago, my husband and I went on a cruise to the Bahamas, and I had such a memorable time that I never forgot it. I can still remember the towns and people, beaches and hammocks, ocean and sky. Since I grew up on yet another tropical island in a former British colony, I was able to relate to Nassau and Freeport. We walked about the towns, visited nearby islands, and rested under swaying coconut trees. Smile for Me is a mix of my memories of this visit, plus the recollections of my childhood days in the tropics.

Alexis: Why is your story’s hero, Byron Moss, a “deadline-driven workaholic assistant school principal” and a meticulous planner too?

Jan: Byron is based on the planner side of me, which stemmed from my past career as a computer programmer. I meticulously plan everything and I even have plans for plans. I need deadlines to complete tasks or they would take forever if I let the perfectionism in me take over. So I decided that Byron would carry his iPad around his neck to show how tied he is to his planner.

Alexis: Why is your story’s heroine, Tina MacFarland, an “easygoing art teacher and studio potter with no sense of time” who likes to live life season to season?

Jan: Tina is based on the artistic side of me. In my life, I have done wheel pottery as Tina does, and like Tina, I have painted in many mediums and enjoyed art. These days I’ve been writing more than I’ve been painting (though I hope to get back to that soon). When I did a lot of painting, I rarely looked at the clock. I could paint all day long if given the chance. I thought that as a contrast to Byron, Tina would have “no sense of time” not because she doesn’t care, but because she finds the clock limiting to her artistic side.

Alexis: What role does Summer by the Sea Day Camp play in bringing the hero and heroine together? Paint a picture (with words) of Summer by the Sea Day Camp.

Jan: Sponsored by the Chapel by the Sea Christian School in Nassau, the Summer by the Sea Day Camp run by assistant principal Byron Moss provides schoolchildren of all grades an opportunity to enrich their hobbies and interests that they might not be able to do during the regular school year. The students can go beyond their regular academic curriculum. There are actually more than just art and music camps, but in Smile for Me, I only focus on the art camp because that’s where Tina interacts the most with Byron. The two cannot avoid each other, and they must confront the friction carried over from two summers ago.

Alexis: What happened the first time that Tina and Byron met that made them at odds with each other? Is there hope for a better, healthier and happier working relationship now that they’re in the same place again?

Jan: When Tina first went to Nassau to teach in the summer camp two years ago, she and Byron didn’t get along. Tina likes to say that Byron made her cry that summer because he kept a very strict schedule in the summer camp and she could barely keep up. Byron would roll his eyes over that accusation and say that she needs to learn to be better organized.

Alexis: Does Tina think that things will be different between her and Byron as she agrees to be an art teacher for his students this second time around? Why or why not?

Jan: Now that time has passed, and each has grown spiritually and gotten wiser when my novel begins, both of them have hopes that they can work together. After all, it’s for just one month to begin with. After four weeks, if they still can’t stand each other, Tina would go home to Savannah, and that would be the end of it.

Alexis: What role does Tina’s faith in God play in her giving Byron a second chance?

Jan: Tina and Byron discover that God is always loving and ever forgiving. Once they own the truth of God in their hearts, they begin to see the special love that God has in store for them. I loved writing about how they come together this time and how God’s love conquers all. As in all my other fiction books, I often include scripture verses that my characters learn as they travel along in life.

Alexis: Why is Byron so uptight?

Jan: Byron’s family makes its fortune in the hotel and cruise industry. His brother, Donovan, enjoys his yacht, for example. His mother, Nancy—the matriarch of the family—has to run their family business alone after Byron’s father passed away suddenly. Byron has chosen the career path of an educator, earning a lesser salary than his jet-setting brother. I think Byron feels that he must be the best in his chosen profession and rise to the top, not only because he is in ministry for the Lord at a Christian school, but also to show his family that he has made the right decision for his own career.

Alexis: What are Byron’s greatest dreams for his career path and how does that goal affect how he operates?

Jan: His aspiration to become the principal (aka headmaster) overrules all else in his life. When the opportunity comes sooner than he expects, Byron plunges into more work. At the same time, he falls more and more in love with Tina, and begins to wonder if running a Christian school, with its many details, is something he wants to do for the rest of his life.

Alexis: What is it about seeing Tina again that hints to Byron’s heart that his adverse feelings for her are transforming into something more … romantic?

Jan: I think that deep in Byron’s heart, he finds Tina fascinating because she is so carefree. His work at the school is demanding, and the big shoes he has to fill as acting principal carries with it a heavy burden. When Byron is with her, he lets his guard down and he can be himself. He doesn’t have to perform or keep up protocols. He is free to seek God’s perfect will for his life without putting preconditions on himself. As he grows spiritually, his attitude towards Tina changes. Tina’s view of Byron as the taskmaster also changes, and her heart softens toward him.

Alexis: What’s the moral of the story?

Jan: There are several Bible verses in this novel, but two would probably describe the main themes of Smile for Me:

“A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps” (Proverbs 16:9 KJV).

Only God has the perfect plan, and I would do well to seek His perfect will for my career and life, rather than plan it however I want and then ask God to bless whatever I purpose. Instead, may His perfect will prevail.

“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled” (Hebrews 12:14-15 NKJV).

The Bible admonishes Christians to be at peace with one another so that we don’t cultivate the destructive “root of bitterness” that can defile our testimony. When Byron and Tina start understanding each other, they are able to encourage each other in their walk with the Lord.

Alexis: If you could step into this story as a professional counselor for both Byron and Tina, what advice would you give to each person in a private session? Why?

Jan: I would discuss the two Scripture verses above, and pray with them for God’s wisdom to guide their lives professionally and privately. I’d also remind Byron to recall his conversations with his friend, Pastor Diego Flores, who has given him some good advice about balancing his personal life and professional career. As for Tina, I would counsel her to consider adding some structure to her productivity by putting herself on a flexible schedule that allows for her creativity to flow without losing track of time. Above all, I would encourage them to keep studying God’s Word and drawing closer to Him every day.

Alexis: Thanks for the interview, Jan! Would you like to share closing thoughts?

Jan: Thank you very much for inviting me to your blog website. These are wonderful questions, and I appreciate your taking the time to prepare them. To me, writing is a calling. I have been writing for a long time, and I am thankful to God for the opportunity to be able to fulfill His calling for my life. Sometimes it takes me years to write one book. Sometimes it takes months. Either way, my ultimate goal is to glorify God!

~*~
Author Bio:

USA Today bestselling author Jan Thompson writes clean and wholesome multiethnic contemporary Christian romance with flavors of women’s fiction, Christian romantic suspense with elements of mystery, and inspirational international thrillers with threads of sweet Christian romance. 

Her books are for readers who love inspiring stories of faith, family, and friends. 

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Smile for Me blurb:

She is laid-back. He is uptight. Never the twain shall…kiss?

A deadline-driven workaholic assistant school principal who meticulously plans his schedule months in advance meets an easygoing art teacher and studio potter with no sense of time, living her life as the seasons come and go. When they cross paths again at the Summer by the Sea Day Camp sponsored by his church in Nassau, Bahamas, how can they get along if they cannot see eye to eye?

From USA Today bestselling author Jan Thompson comes Smile for Me, book 1 in her Vacation Sweethearts collection of inspirational Christian travel romance novels. To start off the series, we travel to the Bahamas in the Caribbean, where the waters are clear, skies are blue, hammocks sway under coconut trees, and hearts are in love…

Tina MacFarland is laid-back…

When invited back to the Bahamas for a second time two years after a disastrous mission trip there, potter and art teacher Tina MacFarland isn’t sure she wants to face the obnoxious assistant principal of the Chapel by the Sea Christian School again. The last time she encountered Byron Moss, he found fault in everything she did. It seems that nothing she ever does is good enough for Mr. Uptight, as attractive as he may be to her.

Regardless of her personal concerns, they need art teachers at the Summer by the Sea Day Camp, and Tina answers the call to go. Surely God will help her last for four short weeks. What can possibly happen in a month? Nothing she can think of.

Byron Moss is uptight…

Assistant Headmaster Byron Moss is at a crossroad in his career. On the one hand, he has worked very hard to get to this position at the Chapel by the Sea Christian School. One more step up from this assistant principal position, and he’d be in charge of the entire school.

On the other hand, when Tina returns to Nassau, Byron suddenly feels hemmed in by his career choice. He is restricted from showing his transforming feelings for Tina. He fears he has taken a wrong turn in his career, and that if he keeps going on that route, he may lose his chances with Tina. More importantly, what is God’s will for his life? Somehow, he knows that Tina is part of all that. But she’s so…chaotic! And it drives him nuts. For the first time in his life, Byron is confused about what he needs to do.

Never the twain shall…kiss?

Ah, Byron and Tina. How will they navigate the super-conservative work environment where office romance is frowned upon? Can they change the old rules? Or will the old rules change them?

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Buy Smile for Me on Amazon

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Connect with Jan:
Website: JanThompson.com
Book News: JanThompson.com/newsletter
Amazon USA: JanThompson.com/amazon
Goodreads: JanThompson.com/goodreads
BookBub: JanThompson.com/bookbub
Facebook: JanThompson.com/facebook
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thompsonauthor

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Devotionals for the Heart: Did you know that God has a tattoo of you?

God’s Tattoo
A devotional by Amy Odland

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hand; your walls are ever before me.” 
–Isaiah 49:15-16 (NIV)

Do you have a tattoo?

Tattoos are usually a pretty taboo topic amongst Christians, especially with earlier generations.

Nowadays there is judgment on both sides, whether you have one or don’t, the reasoning behind getting a tattoo or what they symbolize, etc.

It used to be that it was the hardened criminal or biker dude kind of individual pictured when talk of having or getting a tattoo came up. Nowadays there are worship leaders and suburban moms sporting tattoos. They are becoming more and more common in the church and if you attend a hipster church, you may even feel pressure to get a tattoo to fit in.

Usually tattoos have some kind of meaning to them: a remembrance of someone lost, a reminder of a battle won, or a symbol of a new beginning. They can be small and easily hidden or they can cover a whole portion of the body. The Guinness Book of World Records holder for the most tattoos has 91.5% of her body covered in tattoos!

Here’s the thing: No matter what your stance is on tattoos as a Christian, something you probably haven’t ever heard in church is the fact that God has you “tattooed” on his hand.

The word “engraved” in Hebrew in the verse above means to cut, to set, to inscribe or engrave, as in cutting into something (picture the commandments being cut on the stone tablets) or setting something into law (as in inscribing laws on a scroll). Engraving something onto stone or wood requires tools that cut and chip away; engraving something onto your skin would require cutting or burning it badly enough that it scars.

Tattoos are a little different in that they use pigment to highlight the scarring caused by the needles, but the same result is produced: a “permanent” mark on the skin is left. Modern tattoos are painful enough they scare off people with lower levels of pain tolerance, imagine how painful the older, more barbaric forms of tattooing and engraving would have been.

Have you paid attention recently to how sensitive the palms are?

They can tell you when something is hot and going to burn you, when you are feeling the softest of textures, or when you feel pleasure by holding hands with your loved one.

The most experienced tattoo enthusiasts know the palms are one of the more highly sensitive areas of the body and thus should be avoided when considering where to place a tattoo – as an example, the world record holder I mentioned above doesn’t have ANY tattoos on her palms. God says He has placed a remembrance of you right there on one of the most sensitive and one of the more painful areas we know. He has cut and set your name right there in His palms.

When things are hard and overwhelming, when it feels like you are forgotten and invisible, remember that God has done this to remember YOU.

God has you ever before him, engraved on His Hands. He is always reminded of you and will never forget you. Isaiah recorded God’s promise of this long before the nails had been driven into Jesus Christ’s Hands. God has your name tattooed on His palms and Jesus has holes in His. Both God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son have scars on their hands for you.

Live like you are loved and remembered, friend, because you are by the One (God) who holds the whole world in His Hands!

~*~
Author Bio:

Amy Odland has been serving in church ministry as a volunteer leader for over 16 years, in various worship, prayer and women’s ministry roles.

Her passion for helping women stems from her own struggles and lessons learned in her journey as a Christian since first deciding to follow the Lord in 1994.

Amy’s priorities after her faith include her family — husband Rick, and their four kids — as well as extended family who all live close in proximity and the many friends she’s made over the years.

In addition to a love of teaching and helping her husband with the bookkeeping for their many businesses, Amy has recently expanded her stay-at-home work to include leading author’s book launch teams for publishing companies like Baker, Revell, Barbour, and Lifeway.

She also enjoys teaching new authors about platform building, self-launching, and online marketing.

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Connect with Amy:
Facebook: https://facebook.com/amyodland
Instagram: https://instagram.com/amy_odland
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amy_odland
Website: https://amyodland.com

Cozy Christmas Reads: Allie's story

Excerpt from Chapter 1 of "A Brilliant Christmas" by Allie Pleiter

 I take a deep, expectant breath as I wander into my building's upstairs lobby. It's a quiet old room—full of big windows, overstuffed chairs, and afternoon sunshine. I imagine there was a time when this was called a "parlor" back in the day when a seventeen-story building marveled as a "skyscraper."

Warm sunshine greets me, but the promising solace and silence is broken by the presence of a large—no huge—green lizard.

What? Who left their miniature dragon out in the sun?

It's been one of those days. Actually, it's been one of those weeks, and I wanted some peaceful time to sit and knit in my favorite hiding spot. "Now there's something you don't see every day," I quip, mostly to hide my annoyance.

"A sunny day in Chicago in December?" a deep voice with a British accent calls from behind the high-backed chair that is usually my favorite perch. "It's bloody arctic out there."

"Actually, I was talking about your lizard," I reply. "And we have lots of sunny winter days in Chicago." I walk farther into the room as a pair of jeans and black boots—both looking expensively distressed—come into view. "You know he's illegal, don't you?” I advise. Trust me, if pets were permitted in this building, I'd have adopted a herd of cats by now.

He leans around the chair back to look at me. I've never seen blue-black eyes like that before. They're striking. Stormy and intense under that mop of tousled black hair. There's a carefully calculated wildness to this guy's appearance that makes me wonder if the lizard is a beloved pet, or just the perfect shock-value accessory.

He reaches for the big green beast with the blatant affection my grandmother shows her cats. Definitely pet. Weird pet, but beloved. Still illegal, either way.

"Marilyn has a special dispensation."

The hundred-dollar word makes me laugh. "I thought only the Pope could give dispensations."

"Well, evidently the maintenance man can as well, provided you plunk down an obscenely large pet deposit."

Lou? Our super has all the compassion of a red-light camera. That must have been a hefty sum. "Marilyn, huh? She like the sun?"

"It's a must-have for iguanas. They get sick if you don't give them enough. That wasn't much of a challenge in L.A., but here..." he scoffs.

I sit down in the other high-back chair. The pair of chairs face the set of deliciously big windows that make this room the haven I often seek. It's the tenth floor, so the height helps me to remember the rat race down on the street isn't all there is to life. When you've got a job that's a one-hundred-percent uphill battle, you've got to do a little "mood maintenance." A lot, actually. Usually, an hour of quiet—maybe even prayerful—knitting in this sunny space is enough to recharge my batteries. I came up here for "Be Still My Soul," and wound up with "Animal Planet." Still, friendliness counts for something so I ask, "You're new here?"

"An extended stay."

Not "spending the holidays," but "an extended stay." There's just enough edge to his words to tell me there's a story there, but he doesn't elaborate.

Do iguanas bite? I can't remember, so I chance it and extend my hand anyway. "I'm Zoe."

He starts to extend a hand—one with a really interesting silver ring, then freezes mid-gesture with a look of alarm on his face. "Zoe what?"

Do British introductions require last names? "Zoe Walters," I reply slowly, wondering just how bad it would look to retract my hand.

"Oh," he gulps, eyes wide, "you're her." The hand that ought to be shaking mine runs through his hair, while Marilyn's big froggish eyes roll to me with such a snide expression that I brace for dragon smoke to shoot from her nostrils.

"I'm who?" I ask, stunned by his reaction.

"From the thing," he says, waving his hand, "at the museum. The class."

Almost everyone in the building knows I run The Brick House, a neighborhood arts program a few blocks away. I know, because they all wonder how I can afford to live here on a not-for-profit salary, and most of them aren't particularly subtle about how they ask. Grandma—the one with the cats—helps my sister and I hold down the cost of our apartment here. Not that it's any of their business.

Nor is it Mister Lizard Guy's, who still hasn't told me his name or why mine is such cause for alarm.

Oh.

Oh, you've got to be kidding me.

I don't know why I didn't figure it out immediately, except for the fact that I never in a thousand years dreamed Nigel Langdon would be living in my building. I pictured Nigel Langdon a whole lot different than how he actually looks.

Things just got really interesting.

"You're Nigel Langdon?" Oops, probably shouldn't have asked that with quite the air of surprise I just did. One ought to treat the famous television animator recently down on his luck with a bit more class than a shocked American question mark.

"Most people recognize me." He flops back against the chair. "Or did.”

~*~

Blurb for Allie's story, A Brilliant Christmas (included in the book  "I'll Be Home For Christmas: Four Inspirational Holiday Novellas"): 

Zoe Walters pours her heart and soul into the community arts center she runs. Her kids could benefit so much from the brilliant talents of animator Nigel Langdon—if he weren’t such a legendary grump. 

The next six weeks of his artist-in-residency look like they’ll ruin Zoe’s Christmas for sure. And certainly, things get off to a rocky start until Zoe discovers the great big heart—and the deep hurt—Nigel’s been hiding under that crusty exterior. It turns out Nigel can see through to Zoe’s deepest wounds as well. 

When the arts center is threatened, Nigel and Zoe come together not only to save the organization, but to discover a love and the brilliant Christmas no one ever expected.

~*~
Book Review for "I'll Be Home For Christmas: Four Inspirational Holiday Novellas" (entire story collection): 

From small towns to the larger city of Chicago and from first impressions to first loves, I’ll Be Home for Christmas includes for novella collections to warm your heart.

Even though each of the stories in this collection is standalone (which go with each author’s separate book series), the collection is delightful and fun. From two people pretending to be together and a matchmaking relative, an ex-NFLer, ex-convict who wants to make a difference in the lives of young people but doesn’t feel worthy of the job, a famous cartoonist who has fallen in the public’s eye and takes an artist-in-residency position in Chicago, and first loves who are tricked into spending the holiday in Florida, each of the characters may just get more than they ever dreamed of for Christmas.

Filled with hope, family, friendships, and some laughter, I’ll Be Home for Christmas embodies what Christmas should look like. It’s never about the gifts under the tree but the relationships around the table. ~Review written by Suzanne Waltner on Amazon.

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Author bio: An avid knitter, coffee junkie and unreformed chocoholic, Allie Pleiter writes both fiction and non-fiction working on as many as four novels at a time.

The enthusiastic but slightly untidy bestselling author of over thirty books, Allie spends her days writing, buying yarn, and finding new ways to avoid housework. Allie hails from Connecticut, moved to the midwest to attend Northwestern University, and currently lives outside Chicago, Illinois.

The “dare from a friend” to begin writing has produced a seventeen-year career with over 1.3 million books sold. In addition to writing, Allie maintains an active writing productivity coaching practice and speaks regularly on faith, the creative process, women’s issues, and her very favorite topic—time management for writers. 

Visit her website at www.alliepleiter.com to learn more.

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Connect with Allie:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/alliepleiterauthor/
Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/alliepleiter
Twitter - https://twitter.com/alliepleiter
Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/alliepleiter/
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/453346.Allie_Pleiter
Amazon - http://amzn.to/2oZlp1Z

~*~

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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25 Days of Christmas Stories: Interview with Amanda Cabot, author of The Christmas Star Bride

Let's welcome our featured author today, Amanda Joy Cabot! She's a former director of Information Technology who now is blessed to be able to write stories on a full-time basis. 

Amanda is here to talk about her contribution to The 12 Brides of Christmas Collection of stories, featuring her novella "The Christmas Star Bride." Here's the cover of Amanda's book:

Here's the book blurb for The Christmas Star Bride: 

Because love isn’t limited to the very young. 

Esther Hathaway lost her one true love at Gettysburg twenty years ago, but that doesn’t stop her from celebrating her niece’s wedding by commissioning Jeremy Snyder to paint her portrait. 

Will Esther's prayers for God to ease her loneliness be answered by a wounded vet?

"The Christmas Star Bride" is part of The 12 Brides of Christmas, twelve historical novellas that celebrate the joy of love at the most wonderful time of the year. 

 Each novella is available for download for only 99 cents.

Now on to the interview about this lovely book! *Words from Alexis are in bold, words by Amanda are not in bold...

~*~
Alexis: Tell us about The 12 Brides of Christmas story collection. How did you first hear about it? Who invited you contribute a story? What were your reasons for accepting the invitation?

Amanda: I’ve always loved reading – and writing – Christmas novellas, in part because it’s the season of miracles. For me, that makes the stories extra special, so when my agent told me Barbour was looking for Christmas novellas, I knew I wanted to send them a proposal. I feel blessed to have had my story chosen, because I understand that they received an exceptionally large number of proposals for this particular collection.

What can you tell us about your story, “The Christmas Star Bride,” (book #10 in the collection) without giving away the plot?

Stories of second chances have always appealed to me. That made writing The Christmas Star Bride a delight, since it provided the opportunity to give both my hero and my heroine a second chance. Prior to the outbreak of the Civil War, each of them was close to being married, but the war changed all that. Esther’s fiancé was killed and Jeremy’s fiancée – well, let’s just say she decided that marriage to him wasn’t in her plan. My heart ached for both Esther and Jeremy, especially since the wounds the war inflicted were slow to heal, but being able to give them a happy ending made me sigh with pleasure.

How did you create the characters for your story? Tell us how you chose their names, decided on their appearance, made their traits and flaws.

The most important thing to me when I created Esther and Jeremy was the fact that they’re older than the typical hero and heroine. I wanted to tell a story of second chances and to show readers that love isn’t only for the very young.

Esther Hathaway is your heroine in “The Christmas Star Bride.” What inspired you when writing her part in the story?

Esther’s a giver. All her life, she’s been the one who’s taken care of others – first her parents, then her orphaned niece. She reminds me of several women I know who put everyone else ahead of themselves. While those women didn’t necessarily find a happily-ever-after, I wanted Esther to have one.

What does Esther love most about her fictional life? What are her unique challenges, hopes and dreams? Does she have any regrets? Explain.

As I mentioned before, Esther’s a giver, but for the first time in her life, she has a home she can call her own, and she’s unwilling to leave it, even to stay with her niece. Her primary regret is that her fiancé was killed during the Civil War, taking her dreams of marriage and children with him.

Jeremy Snyder is the hero of this story, whom Esther hires to paint her niece’s portrait. What is Jeremy’s first impression of Esther? Does it prove to be a lasting impression? Explain.

Poor Jeremy! Though he desperately needs the commission Esther is offering him, he’s reluctant to accept it, because she reminds him of the woman he once loved. But, fortunately for both him and Esther, he’s able to look beyond the surface to see the real Esther.

Tell us about Jeremy as the hero. Describe his looks and share his dreams. What’s his backstory?

Though he’d once thought he’d spend his life as a farmer, the war changed all that. While it took many things from Jeremy, including his dream of marriage and children, it gave him a new dream: painting.

What role does your characters’ faith in God play in this fictional story?

Both Esther and Jeremy’s faith sustains them through the most difficult times of their lives and gives them the strength to face each day.

What’s the moral of the story?

That God’s plans for us are always good. His timing is not ours, but it’s always perfect.

As an author, what do you love most about writing Christmas stories?

I love the fact that, for most of us, this is the happiest time of the year. I also love knowing that for those who least expect it, it can be the season of miracles, a time to find peace and joy. It’s a pleasure to share those aspects of Christmas with readers.

Thanks for the interview, Amanda! Would you like to share any closing thoughts?

I’ve enjoyed our conversation so much, Alexis. Thanks for inviting me to be part of your blog and for introducing readers to my story. I wish you and them the most joyous of Christmases as we celebrate the true reason for the season.

~*~ 

Author bio:

Amanda Cabot is the bestselling author of more than thirty novels including the Texas Dreams trilogy, the Westward Winds series, and Christmas Roses. 

A former director of Information Technology, she has written everything from technical books and articles for IT professionals to mysteries for teenagers and romances for all ages. 

Amanda is delighted to now be a full-time writer of Christian romances, living happily ever after with her husband in Wyoming. 

~*~

Buy Amanda's Christmas books:

The Christmas Star Bride on Amazon, B&N, and CBD

Christmas Roses on Amazon, B&N, and CBD

~*~
Connect with Amanda:
Website -  www.amandacabot.com 

Blog - http://amandajoycabot.blogspot.com/ 
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/amanda.j.cabot
Twitter - https://twitter.com/AmandaJoyCabot/ 

~*~

Amanda would like to give away one copy of her other Christmas book, Christmas Roses to one resident of the United States of America. Here's the cover of the book:

If you want to have a chance to WIN this book, fill out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget below which will qualify you to enter this book giveaway contest:

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A devotional about Grace—God’s Beautification Award

Today, I'd like to introduce you to Catherine Castle.

She's a talented writer and photographer plus she's an award-winning author!

Catherine contributed her time and writing talent to pen a devotional for my blog that I believe will encourage you in your life journey.

Enjoy! :)

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Grace— God’s Beautification Award
A devotional written by Catherine Castle

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God."—Ephesians 2:8

A few years back I received a beautification award from the local garden club. I came home from a three-week trip to find a note stuck in the door telling me I had been nominated for a “Best Hillside Garden” award. When I called the number on the note, I was told I had won the award!

While I was gone, one of the club members had driven around town looking for gardens, and she spotted my front yard which was, at the time, blooming with daisies and daylilies. The garden committee member who spoke with me went on about the ribbons of flowers that run through the back garden. She commented on colorful flowers that curve gracefully around the front of the house. She recognized the time I spent watering, weeding, and tending to the garden. She saw purple ninebarks nestled against chartreuse and lime green golden privets and forest green mugo pines. She described the front gardens as stunning and the back garden as awesome.

Naturally, I was ecstatic. I’d never won a garden award before. So, I went out to view my garden. What I saw was three dead evergreens at the top of the hill; the bare branches of a dead forsythia sticking up in brown mulch; hundreds of flowers that need deadheading; the slender, dead trunk of a dogwood shooting up from the center of bushy dogwood suckers; a graying pile of pallet flats at the top of the gully; a three foot sticker weed waving at me from Mom’s daylily bed; and the fungal diseases that claimed the lower leaves—and in some cases, the entire plant—of the brown eyed-Susans.

I was amazed the other gardeners overlooked the flaws, weeds, and work that needed to be done. Instead, all those who judged my garden saw beauty wherever they looked. They looked at my garden through different eyes. Eyes that didn’t see what I saw.

I was gone a lot from the garden that year. Between trips I had just enough time to pull a few weeds from the paths. It was a rainy season, so God watered for me. Thankfully, God is gracious, because without his grace in my garden that year I wouldn’t be the owner of a beautification award.

He is also gracious about my life. When he looks at me, one of his children, he doesn’t see the flaws of sin in my life. Because I am covered by his grace, though in faith and by the blood of Christ, God only sees the beautiful things in me, not the weeds.

I’m proud of my Shaker Farm beautification award, and I went around for weeks with a big smile on my face, saying, “I’m an award-winning gardener.” If a plaque with my name and a tiny trowel attached to it gives me that much pleasure, imagine how happy I’ll be when God’s Beautification Award of Grace grants me a spot in heaven and a golden crown.

I’ll take that award any day.

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Author bio:

Award-winning author Catherine Castle has been writing all her life. Before beginning her career as a romance writer she worked part-time as a freelance writer. She has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit under her real name in the Christian and secular market. 

Besides writing, Catherine loves traveling with her husband, singing, and attending theatre. In the winter she loves to quilt and has a lot of UFOs (unfinished objects) in her sewing case. 

In the summer her favorite place to be is in her garden. She’s passionate about gardening and even won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club.

Catherine's debut inspiration romantic suspense, The Nun and the Narc, from Soul Mate Publishing is an ACFW Genesis Finalist, a 2014 Beverly Hills Book Award Winner, a 2014 EPIC finalist, a 2014 RONE nominee and a Carolyn Readers Choice Award finalist.

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Connect with Catherine:
Amazon author page - http://www.amazon.com/author/catherinecastle
Blog - http://catherinecastle1.wordpress.com/blog/
Facebook - http://facebook.com/catherinecastleauthor

Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7085414.Catherine_Castle
Stitches Thru Time- http://stitchesthrutime.blogspot.com/

Soul Mate Publishing authors blog site- http://smpauthors.wordpress.com/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/AuthorCCastle 

Website - http://catherinecastle1.wordpress.com