Kathy agreed to give away not one, but two copies of her book! You can read the details about that toward the end of this blog post.
Here's the blurb for Kathy's book: 21 Days of Love is book 3 in the Fiction Lover's Devotional series--collections of short fictional stories followed by brief Life Applications, each chapter written by a different author.
Love can be found in many treasured relationships: boyfriend-girlfriend, husband-wife, parent-child ... with a special friend, teacher, or pet ... in the kindness of a stranger. We even have a national holiday to celebrate love.
The greatest love ever known is God's abundant love for us, His children. And He often demonstrates that perfect love through imperfect people.
This book offers engaging, inspirational short fiction stories written by new, intermediate, and well-know nauthors including Cindy Woodsmall, Susan May Warren, Sherry Kyle, Renae Brumbaugh, and more.
These stories represent all kinds of love. Woven through each story is the sustaining hand of our loving heavenly Father. On Valentine's Day and every day--whether your life is chocolates and flowers or loneliness and pain--let these stories fill your heart with hope, peace, and most important, love.
Enjoy reading this devotional that Kathy's written about her book!
The greatest love ever known is God's abundant love for us, His children. And He often demonstrates that perfect love through imperfect people.
This book offers engaging, inspirational short fiction stories written by new, intermediate, and well-know nauthors including Cindy Woodsmall, Susan May Warren, Sherry Kyle, Renae Brumbaugh, and more.
These stories represent all kinds of love. Woven through each story is the sustaining hand of our loving heavenly Father. On Valentine's Day and every day--whether your life is chocolates and flowers or loneliness and pain--let these stories fill your heart with hope, peace, and most important, love.
Enjoy reading this devotional that Kathy's written about her book!
~*~
Have you ever had a dream that just wouldn’t let you go…but it didn’t go anywhere, either?
Sixteen years ago, I had the idea of doing a devotional for people who love fiction. I’ve always loved Christian fiction, and I’ve seen its power to touch hearts and change lives, both firsthand and hearing about the experiences of others. When I read a novel, I relate to the characters and their situations, even when the details are vastly different from anything I’ve experienced. And reading how those characters responded to their trials and conflicts helps me see how I can do things better in my own life.
But you know, in my quiet times with the Lord, reading a chapter from a novel just doesn’t seem appropriate. A devotional with short fiction stories seemed like a great solution.
So I decided to create one. Since I’ve been a professional freelance editor for several years, I could edit the submissions I chose to use, polishing them without losing the authors’ unique voices. And since I’ve been teaching and speaking at writers’ conferences across the country for years, I’ve connected with several authors at all levels, including well-known best sellers. So there were a lot of people I could personally ask about submitting to the books in this series. And I’d developed a strong social media presence, so I could get the word out to other writers as well.
I started pitching the idea to the publishers I met at writers’ conferences. Some of the editors were really excited about the idea, but the proposals never developed into a contract. In spite of numerous rejections, I just knew God had a plan for this concept, so I kept pitching it—working on other books (and my editing business) in the meantime.
Finally, BroadStreet Publishing caught the vision I had. They created these devotionals as beautiful hardcover gift books, with full-color interior pages, even ribbon page markers. They’re so gorgeous, I’m actually glad the other publishers turned me down!
21 Days of Grace: Stories that Celebrate God’s Unconditional Love, the first book in the Fiction Lover’s Devotional series, was launched in June of 2015. 21 Days of Christmas: Stories that Celebrate God’s Greatest Gift, followed that. The third book, 21 Days of Love: Stories that Celebrate Treasured Relationships, released on September 1, 2016, followed by 21 Days of Joy: Stories that Celebrate Mom. Each book contains twenty-one short fiction stories, followed by brief life applications, each written by a different author: some best sellers, some mid-range authors, and some new writers.
The short chapters in these books are perfect to read over breakfast, at lunch break, before bed, or curled up in your favorite chair with a cup of coffee or tea. And you can take these purse-sized devotionals wherever you go, to read when you have a few minutes of down time. It’s a great way to get “inspiration on the go.” And they make fantastic gifts for friends and loved ones. If you love Christian fiction, you’ll recognize some of the authors. And as you read these books, you’ll probably discover a few authors who may become new favorites.
This series would also work great in a women’s group, Bible study, book club, life group, or even just a bunch of friends who want to get together once a week and share how the Holy Spirit spoke to them through these stories. Study guides are available for all of these devotionals as free PDF downloads from www.FictionDevo.com or as 99-cent e-books from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
I’m glad I didn’t give up on this dream. I know God made sure these books got published in just the right way and at just the right time … according to His plan. He will make sure they get into the hands of the people He had in mind when He called me to do this in the first place.
~*~
Author bio:
Kathy Ide is the author of Proofreading Secrets of Best-Selling Authors and editor/compiler of the Fiction Lover’s Devotional series.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Don’t Give Up On Your Dreams
Devotional book promo for 21 Days of Love written by Kathy Ide
Have you ever had a dream that just wouldn’t let you go…but it didn’t go anywhere, either?
Sixteen years ago, I had the idea of doing a devotional for people who love fiction. I’ve always loved Christian fiction, and I’ve seen its power to touch hearts and change lives, both firsthand and hearing about the experiences of others. When I read a novel, I relate to the characters and their situations, even when the details are vastly different from anything I’ve experienced. And reading how those characters responded to their trials and conflicts helps me see how I can do things better in my own life.
But you know, in my quiet times with the Lord, reading a chapter from a novel just doesn’t seem appropriate. A devotional with short fiction stories seemed like a great solution.
So I decided to create one. Since I’ve been a professional freelance editor for several years, I could edit the submissions I chose to use, polishing them without losing the authors’ unique voices. And since I’ve been teaching and speaking at writers’ conferences across the country for years, I’ve connected with several authors at all levels, including well-known best sellers. So there were a lot of people I could personally ask about submitting to the books in this series. And I’d developed a strong social media presence, so I could get the word out to other writers as well.
I started pitching the idea to the publishers I met at writers’ conferences. Some of the editors were really excited about the idea, but the proposals never developed into a contract. In spite of numerous rejections, I just knew God had a plan for this concept, so I kept pitching it—working on other books (and my editing business) in the meantime.
Finally, BroadStreet Publishing caught the vision I had. They created these devotionals as beautiful hardcover gift books, with full-color interior pages, even ribbon page markers. They’re so gorgeous, I’m actually glad the other publishers turned me down!
21 Days of Grace: Stories that Celebrate God’s Unconditional Love, the first book in the Fiction Lover’s Devotional series, was launched in June of 2015. 21 Days of Christmas: Stories that Celebrate God’s Greatest Gift, followed that. The third book, 21 Days of Love: Stories that Celebrate Treasured Relationships, released on September 1, 2016, followed by 21 Days of Joy: Stories that Celebrate Mom. Each book contains twenty-one short fiction stories, followed by brief life applications, each written by a different author: some best sellers, some mid-range authors, and some new writers.
The short chapters in these books are perfect to read over breakfast, at lunch break, before bed, or curled up in your favorite chair with a cup of coffee or tea. And you can take these purse-sized devotionals wherever you go, to read when you have a few minutes of down time. It’s a great way to get “inspiration on the go.” And they make fantastic gifts for friends and loved ones. If you love Christian fiction, you’ll recognize some of the authors. And as you read these books, you’ll probably discover a few authors who may become new favorites.
This series would also work great in a women’s group, Bible study, book club, life group, or even just a bunch of friends who want to get together once a week and share how the Holy Spirit spoke to them through these stories. Study guides are available for all of these devotionals as free PDF downloads from www.FictionDevo.com or as 99-cent e-books from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
I’m glad I didn’t give up on this dream. I know God made sure these books got published in just the right way and at just the right time … according to His plan. He will make sure they get into the hands of the people He had in mind when He called me to do this in the first place.
~*~
Author bio:
She’s also a full-time freelance editor and director of the SoCal Christian Writers’ Conference and Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. She’s co-owner of Christian Editor Network LLC.
Visit Kathy at www.KathyIde.com.
~*~
Buy Kathy's book, of 21 Days of Love:
Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble ~ Christianbook ~ Cokesbury ~ MoreToLife
~*~
Connect with Kathy:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/kathy.ide
Facebook Fan Page - Kathy Ide Author/Editor https://www.facebook.com/KathyIde.AuthorEditor/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/kathyide/
~*~
*The author (Kathy Ide) wants to restrict this book giveaway contest to residents of the United States of America (U.S.A.) because it's too expensive to ship a book overseas.
~*~
Buy Kathy's book, of 21 Days of Love:
Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble ~ Christianbook ~ Cokesbury ~ MoreToLife
~*~
Connect with Kathy:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/kathy.ide
Facebook Fan Page - Kathy Ide Author/Editor https://www.facebook.com/KathyIde.AuthorEditor/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/kathyide/
~*~
*The author (Kathy Ide) wants to restrict this book giveaway contest to residents of the United States of America (U.S.A.) because it's too expensive to ship a book overseas.
So only if you live in the United States of America (U.S.A.), are you eligible to enter this book giveaway contest.
If you are a U.S. resident, fill out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget below for your chance to WIN a copy of Kathy's book!
TWO winners will be selected and each will receive one copy of her book. Here's the widget:
This is such a great idea. What a special book for those of us who love Christian Fiction. I'd love to read it because it is different from any other devotional I have ever had or read, to know that it is specifically tailored to my interests as a reader makes it that much more special.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of using fiction to convey God's love in stories of romance to bring light and life to a reader. Your persistence in getting this published is commendable.
ReplyDeleteI would love to be inspired by the special stories shared in this devotional! Thank you so much for the wonderful giveaway opportunity!
ReplyDelete