My Blog's 10th Year Birthday Bash: Courtnaye Richard's book giveaway

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

Please welcome my author friend Courtnaye Richard.

She's here to give away one copy of her devotional book!

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 Courtnaye and her devotional book ...

Author Bio:

Courtnaye is the founder of Inside Out with Courtnaye, a ministry that helps women grow in their walk with Christ from the heart and equips them to fulfill their God-given purpose. 

She is also the author of the book, IDENTIFIED: Knowing Who You Are in Christ and Moving Forward in Your Purpose.

Courtnaye is married with three beautiful children and is a contributing writer for ibelieve.com, Women’s Ministry Tools, speaker of a host of women’s conferences. Her blog reaches thousands of women across the globe. 

She resides in the beautiful Texas Hill Country (outside of Austin, Texas).

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Back Cover Blurb for Courtnaye's devotional book:

Behold all things are made new! In this 52-week devotional, get ready to grow in your Christian walk one week at a time with influential blogger, author, mentor, and conference speaker, Courtnaye Richard.

Each week, you will be encouraged, challenged, instructed, and equipped through real life topics and practices such as...

• Spending focused time with God
• Working well with others in church and at work
• Trusting God even when you can't see
• Controlling your emotions from the inside out
• Setting boundaries in life
• Self-care principles for Christian women
• Pressing through fear in life and endeavors
• And so many more topics

Courtnaye has created this brief, life-changing weekly women's devotional complete with monthly themes, scripture, practical insight, transparency, and a BONUS study guide! 

Choose to do it alone or use it for a small group. It's time to grow from the Inside Out, this week and beyond!

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Connect with Courtnaye:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InsideOutWCourtnaye/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insideoutwithcourtnaye/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/InOutwCourtnaye

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/insideoutwcourtnaye1

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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:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Romantic Reads: This Wandering Heart (book) by Janine Rosche

Welcome Janine Rosche to the blog today!

She's here to talk about her debut novel, This Wandering Heart.

Janine is offering a signed, paperback copy of her book to the winner of the giveaway contest hosted via the Rafflecopter widget at the end of this blog post! 

Since mailing books internationally is expensive, you must be a resident of the United States of America to enter the contest. Enjoy your time with Janine!

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Interview with Janine Rosche about her debut book,
This Wandering Heart (Madison River Romance Book 1):

Alexis: What inspired you to write This Wandering Heart as your debut book?

Janine: When I graduated from high school, I flipped through my father's road atlas. From my house, I was able to drag my finger along a path from my home to anywhere in the continental United States. Something about that realization unearthed a longing to set out on my own and discover everything from east to west. Now that I'm settled—married with children—I still struggle with that desire to wander wild.

Alexis: How did you create your main characters for this story?

Janine: Keira isn’t too dissimilar to me in one specific way, so she was relatively easy to create. I feel the same push-and-pull that Keira feels, although her wounds cut much deeper. As for Robbie, I knew I'd need to create a fantastic hero to walk beside her as she discovers herself.

Alexis: Tell us about your story’s heroine, Keira. What are her likes, dislikes, hopes and dreams?

Janine: During her abusive and controlling childhood, Keira read novels and watched travel television shows to mentally escape. Now, as an adult, she wants to photograph that world and share it with others who can’t travel. She also loves the freedom of traveling on her own, but she can’t seem to forget the guy she once left behind.

Alexis: Tell us about your story’s hero, Robbie. Describe his looks, personality and character.

Janine: Robbie is a kindhearted former football star with a great sense of humor that he uses to hide his insecurity thanks to a learning disability. Above all, he has a lot of integrity, but also a serious lack of impulse control that has gotten him in trouble in the past. Oh, and he’s real strong with auburn curls that peek out from under his baseball cap.

Alexis: What makes Robbie swoonworthy and conflicted about his feelings for Keira?

Janine: Robbie is loyal, especially to the women in his life: his mama, his sister, and his four-year-old daughter. So naturally, he feels a driving desire to help and protect Keira despite the fact that she hurt him in the past.

Alexis: What is it about Robbie that keeps Keira coming back to him?

Janine: He’s perfect? Is that an answer? I mean, he loves her so well and would give up almost anything to make her dreams come true. He once saved her from her father and encouraged her to imagine dreams in the first place. He’s the one man she’s ever known who didn’t want to keep her in a cage.

Alexis: Both Keira and Robbie have developed online personas centered on travel. Why?

Janine: Keira is a high school geography teacher so to keep some anonymity she started travel-blogging/social-media-influencing with an alias, Kat Wanderfull. Robbie stumbled onto social media, and wouldn’t still be on there if he’d never crossed paths with Kat Wanderfull who gives him hope that maybe there’s a right girl out there for him.

Alexis: What role do Keira and Robbie’s online personas play in their personal story offline?

Janine: Robbie’s pretty straightforward. He’s been the same guy since he was seventeen and first fell for Keira. He only hides his identity to make “Kat” feel comfortable chatting with him. But Keira has lived her whole life not knowing who she is. Her multiple names symbolize the people she has been and wants to be. That’s a big part of her journey—figuring out her true identity.

Alexis: Why did you set this story in Montana? What about that great state do you love?

Janine: My father introduced me to Montana. I used to love going out there and watching him and my brothers fish the Madison River. After he passed away, I wanted to find a way to memorialize him and give him the retirement he never got. Enter Chuck Matthews, Robbie’s father, who owns a fly-fishing resort on the Madison.

Alexis: Your debut book is the first installment in your Madison River Romance series. What can you tell us about the next books in your series? Will they all take place in Montana?

Janine: While this is an on-the-road romance, Robbie and Keira’s home base is Montana. The next two books take place almost entirely in the Madison River Canyon. The next book is about Robbie’s wild-haired, strong-willed sister, Ryann. She’s my hero!

Alexis: Who is Anabelle and what role does her mother play in creating conflict for this story?

Janine: Anabelle is the result of one of Robbie’s impulsive moments, but from the minute he knows about her existence, he acts as her protector. He cares for her the way a father should care for his daughter and gives up everything for her, especially when Anabelle’s mother abandons her. But now, she’s back and demanding custody. Robbie can’t let her take his girl away.

Alexis: Why do Keira and Robbie struggle with trust issues?

Janine: They’ve each hurt each in the past. Sometimes the best intentions aren’t enough.

Alexis: What brings Keira and Robbie together?

Janine: Keira has a big opportunity to land a travel television show if only she can convince the producers that her followers will fall in love with the person behind Kat Wanderfull. For that, she needs an assistant—and Robbie is the only one who can help her do that.

Alexis: What – or who – threatens to tear Keira and Robbie apart forever?

Janine: Robbie would give up anything for Keira, except his little girl. If this custody battle goes south, he may have to choose between them. Keira struggles with intimacy. Having Robbie close to her side is amazing—she knows from experience. But for her, losing him is devastating—she knows that as well. She can’t risk that pain again.

Alexis: As a Christian author, what role does your faith play in sustaining the fictional lives of your characters in This Wandering Heart story?

Janine: Keira’s desire to “wander” is pretty symbolic of our relationship to God. Fear and a need to be independent combine to keep up from trusting God with our lives. I know I feel that in my own faith. The lyrics from “Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing” describe this perfectly: “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it. Seal it for thy courts above.” Bind my wandering heart to thee is my constant prayer.

Alexis: What do you want your readers to remember the most about your debut book?

Janine: One reviewer thought Robbie was too forgiving of Keira’s unwillingness to trust him. And I agree! It defies what most of us have experienced in life. But I hope they see the patience he has with her. He doesn’t force her, doesn’t pressure her, and certainly doesn’t cage her, not unlike how God pursues us. I hope readers rest easy afterward knowing that they are gloriously loved, the same way Robbie loves Keira.

Alexis: Now for the quick and fun questions in italics with your answers in plain font …

Coffee or tea? Sweet Tea! I lived in the south for eight years and I miss it!

Summer or Spring? Summer, because I get to travel!

Kindle or paperback books? Paperback a million times over.

Alexis: Thanks for the interview, Janine!

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Author Bio:

Prone to wander, Janine Rosche finds as much comfort on the open road as she does at home. 

This longing to chase adventure, behold splendor, and experience redemption is woven into her Madison River Romance series. 

When she isn’t writing or traveling, she teaches family life education courses to college students, takes too many pictures of her sleeping dogs, and embarrasses her four children and husband with boy band serenades.

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Blurb for This Wandering Heart:

In the first entry in the Madison River Romance series, Keira Knudsen gets the traveling opportunity of a lifetime, but when she reunites with her first love, Robbie, she learns that even a wandering heart needs a home. ... 

No one in the quaint town of West Yellowstone, Montana, knows that unassuming geography teacher Keira Knudsen moonlights as sensational travel blogger Kat Wanderfull. No one, that is, except for her first love, Robbie Matthews, who has just discovered the woman he is falling for online is the same one that broke his heart five years ago.

But Robbie has another problem: the mother of his daughter, Anabelle, has resurfaced after a three-year absence determined to rip Anabelle away from him. Robbie needs a steady paycheck for a chance at custody, and now, on the eve of a grand adventure that could give Keira a chance to flee her old, troubled life once and for all, she is in need of assistance.

With so much broken trust between them, Keira and Robbie must keep an arms-length away to make this partnership work. But the more time they spend together, exploring majestic places and sharing new experiences, the closer they get–until their secrets and dreams threaten to cost them everything.

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Buy Janine's book on Amazon or Barnes and Noble

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Connect with Janine:
Website: http://www.JanineRosche.com
Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/janineroscheauthor
Reader group, The Love Wander Read Book Club:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/600718360423024/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/janinerosche
Instagram: www.instagram.com/janinerosche
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/janinerosche/
Author Newsletter Link: http://janinerosche.com/the-love-wander-read-journal/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/janine-rosche
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/janinerosche

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United States of America residents ONLY may 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:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My interview with the Truth, Salt and Spice podcast about my NEW book!

Dear Reader Friends,

I'd love for you to listen to my very first interview with Xamayta Graver on her "Truth, Salt and Spice" podcast!

She interviewed me about my faith journey with God, my work as a professional writer and how I wrote my first devotional book, Stories and Songs of Faith: My Journey with God.

Listen and let me know what you think by leaving a comment below! :)

Book Review: Together with Christ

My Review of Together with Christ: A Dating Couple’s Devotional

(The author of this book is Chelsea Damon)

This book contains 52 devotions and Bible studies to nurture the reader’s relationship with their significant other. It is an easy read that offers answers for life’s challenges and doesn’t shy away from tough topics.

The author encourages the reader to, in the author’s words: build a strong foundation on mutual love, faith, and understanding before saying “I Do.” It’s definitely a field guide for relationships from the dating stage to the wedding day and beyond. This book is filled with nuggets of wisdom from a young woman (Chelsea Damon) who has learned a lifetime of lessons on love and is willing to share it with the world.

Chelsea is a blogger at Living the Sweet Wife where she shares advice on marriage and family to an audience of 100,000 each month. In this book, she shares her heart with sweet stories about how she met her husband Josh. But she doesn’t shy away from giving the reader a real glimpse into the conflict that they have experienced in their relationship.

The way that Chelsea offers advice to readers is honest, relevant and captivating. I read this book in one sitting. She knows how to catch your attention in the start of this book with situations that everyone experiences (the first chapter is about open communication) and she smoothly segues the reader from one page to the next. Before the reader knows it, they would have consumed 157 pages of valuable information and may want more.

For the reader who wants more, there is an option of revisiting the chapters and delving deep into the advice for your prayer life that Chelsea has included for enrichment. Revisit the chapters and seriously make those prayers your own and if that still isn’t enough then read Chelsea’s blog.

I enjoyed reading this book and found it to be something to treasure. If you are a woman who wants to get married and have a Christ-centered marriage or you’re already married but having struggles, this book is for you!

Together with Christ is worth every bit of a five-star rating. Bravo to the author for creating content that inspires the heart and encourages the reader.


*I, (Alexis A. Goring), received a complimentary copy of this book (Together with Christ: A Dating Couple’s Devotional) from the author’s publisher for me to read. My opinions in this book review are my own.

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Author Bio:

Chelsea Damon is the owner and creator of the blog, Living the Sweet Wife, where over 100,000 people read her advice on marriage and family each month. She also works as a content marketer for the New York City tech startup Scouted. 

She, her husband, Josh, and their two children spend their time looking for new places to hike and explore beautiful Washington State. Chelsea and Josh met while attending Liberty University, where they grew in their faith and dated for three years. They were married on the windy coast of Washington in 2013. Six months later they found out they were pregnant with their son.

Throughout their dating and marriage relationship and into parenthood, they’ve been learning what it means to live loving God and loving others in a self-love world. 

For advice on marriage and family, read her blog or follow Chelsea and her family on Instagram @chelsealeighdamon.

Giveaway Contest: Celebrating my blog and debut book's birthday!

Dearest of hearts,

Today is my blog's 7th birthday! It all started with this post on August 2, 2010...and God took it from there! He inspired me with ideas to inspire you ever since.

Over the years, my blog has matured from being a place where I timidly posted videos and links to articles that I read online, to a place where I grew strong and found my voice. Now we do book giveaways, music CD giveaways, author interviews, character interviews, and personal essays. You get to "meet" my favorite authors and read devotionals written by lovely ladies of faith in God like Mary Manners and Laura Thomas! Sometimes you even get treated to viewing pictures that are "Worth 1,000 Words" captured by my photographer friends like Katelyn James and Terri Baskin!

My journey as the founder of this "God is Love" blog grew from its humble beginnings to my becoming a consistent blogger with a voice. Every step and blog post of this journey helped to enrich my life. It's always been my mission to share God's Love for humankind with the world and I am thankful that He led me to establish this blog to accomplish that purpose.

Now here's to YOU my dear blog readers because this blog would not be of benefit if you were not reading it! I've downloaded a free e-card from DaySpring just for you! Here you go:

Thank YOU for ALL the "little things" you do that make a BIG difference! Little things like leaving comments on my blog posts, participating in the giveaway contests, and taking the time to write a note to me personally via e-mail truly have made my day. Your kindness has encouraged my heart. I appreciate you ALL so much!

Another reason to celebrate this August 2017 is that my first (debut) book, Hope in My Heart: A Collection of Heartwarming Stories, was published in August 2013! It's my debut book's 4th birthday! And to celebrate both my blog's birthday and my first book's birthday, I'm hosting a giveaway contest where seven people will have the chance to WIN a copy of Hope in My Heart: A Collection of Heartwarming Stories for their Kindle. 

The giveaway starts TODAY (August 2) and it will END on August 27.

So won't you celebrate with me by leaving a comment with your "Happy birthday" wishes and give yourself the chance to WIN this gift of my first book by entering the giveaway contest?

You can enter the contest by filling out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck in the giveaway! God bless your dear hearts!

Love,

Alexis A. Goring
Founder of "God is Love" blog
Author/Blogger/Journalist/Screenwriter