14 Days of Love: An Orphan’s Hope

Today, we're shining the spotlight on a book by my author friend Christina Miller.

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Book Blurb for An Orphan’s Hope:

He trusts her with his new daughter.

But his wounded heart is another matter…

Twice left at the altar, preacher Jase Armstrong avoids commitment at all costs—until he inherits his cousin’s three-day-old baby. Pushing him further out of his comfort zone is Erin Tucker, the nurse for his live-in octogenarian boss, and her lessons on caring for an infant. 

But can Jase open his heart enough to see the family forming around him?

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Author Bio:

Christina Miller’s idea of a perfect day involves a southern beach, a stack of books, and a glass of sweet tea. 

Years ago, she left her job as an RN to work in the church her husband pastors. She also became a writer—and sometimes she gets to write on the beach.

Christina is a Love Inspired author, Bethany Global University (Bloomington, Minnesota) graduate with degrees in theology and missiology, church secretary, worship leader, and children’s ministry teacher.

When she doesn’t have her nose in a book or her toes in the sand, you might catch her visiting an antebellum mansion, opening her early-American home for Dinner Church, or teaching at a women’s conference. Christina lives on her family farm with her husband of thirty-three years.

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Buy Christina’s book on Amazon or Love Inspired or Barnes and Noble

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Connect with Christina:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christinalinstrotmiller
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CLMillerbooks

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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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Book Boyfriends: Laura's hero

Interview with Caleb, hero of Laura Hilton's book Love by the Numbers:

Laura: Caleb, glad to have you stop by. You are working as an accountant for Judy’s Gift Shop. Can you tell me about it? Is this your normal job?

Caleb: No, it’s not. Judith is my mother’s best friend. She’s Mennonite and going on a mission trip and needed someone to balance the books since the woman she hired to manage the shop in her absence doesn’t do math. It gives her a headache. Can you imagine? But all I have to do is balance the books and make deposits and pay the bills while Judith is gone. Nothing too strenuous.

Laura: What is your real job? 

Caleb: I’m Amish. I work on a farm and help my dad with the chores. That is my real job. But we have a cuckoo clock business on the side, dad calls it a hobby, but it brings in more money than the farm. But we enjoy designing them and decorating them. Judith sells them in her gift shop. 

Laura: How would people describe you? 

Caleb: Shrug. Boring, stick in the mud, vanilla ice cream eating, math whiz… should we make it nerd? 

Laura: Can you tell us about your family? 

Caleb: My dad is a preacher, and I have five sisters. No brothers. One sister is married. The others are younger than me. We live in a big farmhouse with a wrap-around porch, a swing, and surrounded by Mom’s flower gardens. We also have a big garden. 

Laura: Are you involved in a relationship with a girl? 

Caleb: No, but I am thinking about what kind of woman I’d like to date. Someone sensible, practical, and a hard worker, who is safe. I need someone safe because there’s this other girl… (shakes head) Her name’s Lydia…

Laura: Tell us about Lydia. 

Caleb: I met her at a wedding of a mutual friend. She’s beautiful, twinkling and seems to have glitter floating around her. Totally unsuitable. Not at all practical. She’s...exciting. Tempting. And well…She’s allergic to math. Which is why I’m doing the accounting. She’s Judy’s niece, which is why she’s the manager while Judy is gone. I need to stay far away from her. But…I can’t. Because Mom and Judy have devised this plan to make me be near her…With the bookkeeping and introducing her to people in the community. You know. 

Laura: What is your biggest fear? 

Caleb: Laughs. Well, Lydia. Sparkle. Glitter. Happy girls. They are trouble. Make that T.R.O.U.B.L.E. But wow, what I wouldn’t give to go out with her just once.

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Author Bio: 

Laura V. Hilton is an award-winning, sought-after author with over twenty Amish, contemporary, and historical romances. 

When she’s not writing, she reviews books for her blogs and writes devotionals for blog posts for Seriously Write. 

Laura and her pastor-husband have five children and a hyper dog named Skye. They currently live in Arkansas. One son is in the U.S. Coast Guard. She is a pastor’s wife, and homeschools her two youngest children.

Laura enjoys reading and visiting lighthouses and waterfalls. Her favorite season is winter, her favorite holiday is Christmas.

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Book Blurb for Love by the Numbers: After her fiancé dies in a buggy accident, Lydia Hershberger is invited to Jamesport to manage her Mennonite aunt’s gift store while her aunt and uncle are on a mission trip. While there, Lydia gets acquainted with her aentie’s best friend, Bethel Bontrager, and her grown son, Caleb. 

Lydia is surprised to find herself drawn to handsome clockmaker, Caleb Bontrager. But in spite of an instant flame of attraction between them, he doesn’t seem interested. In fact, pesky Caleb treats her like he doesn’t even like her.

Bright and sparkly. That’s Caleb’s first impression of Lydia. He’s always been attracted to sparkly things. In fact, his affinity for those things, and the trouble they can cause, are exactly why he’s determined to change his ways and settle down. With Lydia’s aentie gone, he is handling the books for the gift shop and is forced to spend too much time in her presence.

When God offers Lydia a second chance at love and family, will she take it? Or will the secret Caleb harbors cause her even more heartbreak? 

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Buy Laura's book on Amazon

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Connect with Laura:
Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Laura-V.-Hilton/e/B004IRSM5Q
Blogs - http://lighthouse-academy.blogspot.com/ 
http://lauravhilton.blogspot.com/
Facebook - http://bit.ly/2DSNviI
Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/vernetlh/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/Laura_V_Hilton

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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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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.

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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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Book Review: The Hollywood Commandments by DeVon Franklin

Author: DeVon Franklin
Book title: The Hollywood Commandments: A Spiritual Guide To Secular Success
Reviewed by: Alexis A. Goring

"The Hollywood Commandments: A Spiritual Guide To Secular Success" as a book title is intriguing. Upon opening the book, the reader will see that the content is completely captivating and equipped with the power to not only help you succeed in your chosen career but to change your outlook on life for the better.

The author, DeVon Franklin, is more than a bestselling author sharing good words of wisdom with people who are thirsty for success. He is a Hollywood movie producer, CEO of Franklin Entertainment (his own, faith-based production company), spiritual success coach, and preacher.

His goal in writing this book was to show people that they are able to be successful—not just in Hollywood but in any career—without losing their faith. He argues that succeeding in the secular arena is a journey that can strengthen your faith if you permit it. He challenges the stereotype among church folk that Hollywood is a land of sin and shame, a place where no good Christian should go for if you do then you may gain the world but you’ll lose your soul. Franklin challenges those stereotypes and deep-rooted belief systems with this one idea and that is, “your faith was designed to thrive in the secular world, and, as a result, transform it.” He argues, “You may never experience the true fulfillment you were created for until you pursue the secular ambitions on your heart.”

Franklin encourages the reader to follow their dreams but consult God first. He emphasizes the importance of staying in tune with God throughout the journey to your dreams because God knows you better than you know yourself. It is important to discern God’s will for your life and live out His plan and purpose whether that means going to Southern California and eventually getting your own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, or becoming the best you can be in a more traditional career. He emphasizes the point that this book is a guide to success in any career whether it’s in the spotlight or behind the scenes. He casts the net wide for his readership.

As a creative individual who always dreamed of a successful career in the Arts & Entertainment industry, this reader (me) was encouraged by valuable life lessons Franklin preached through his book. I say “preached” because reading this book in a sense was like going to church and listening to a really good sermon but without limitations. Unfortunately, sometimes well-meaning ministers in church limit people who are “out of the box” or don’t fit in. If you are one of those people who feel limited or “different” then “Chapter 8: Your Difference Is Your Destiny”, might be the part of this book that resonates most with you. Franklin writes on page 174, “People don’t like what’s different, and sometimes they criticize or ridicule people who insist on being different. It can be lonely. But even in the loneliness, you have to trust God and let your distinctiveness stand out. The moment you begin to exchange what makes you different for what makes you ordinary because you want to fit in, you give away that which God wants to use to elevate you and take you to somewhere extraordinary.” If this were an audible sermon, Franklin could “drop the mic” at the end of that sentence because ultimately that’s his core message.

The words in this book paint a rich and vivid picture of how Franklin made it from his humble beginnings in Oakland (located in Northern California) to the seat of his destiny in Hollywood (located in Southern California). His life story is inspiring, the content of this book is encouraging and the message is meaningful. The readers will appreciate the clear roadmap he shares that shows in great detail, how to navigate the workplace so that you can be a success without losing your faith. His tone is kind yet firm. His style is solid, uplifting and motivational. The editing is flawless and the author’s heart for helping people while pointing them to God is beautiful.

It’s admirable how the author made it clear that he is not the person to tell you how to live your life. While he supports everything in this book with solid evidence and Scripture, he also constantly reminds the reader to get right with God and trust Him to reveal His purpose for your life. The reader can infer that the author knows that no matter how successful he is in this life and no matter how many words of wisdom he has to share from his own life experience, there is someone higher up the ladder than he and that someone is God. The author makes it clear that only God can guide you to your destiny. He knows that this book, while some may say was inspired by God, is not the most authoritative source on how to live your life. He makes it clear that God’s Word (The Holy Bible) is the best guide to your destiny and to succeed in life you must know the Bible and its Author (God, whose Holy Spirit inspired people to write it).

Kudos to the author for allowing his light as a follower of Jesus Christ to not only shine brightly in Hollywood, but through this book, impact the world. His transparent message will resonate with readers and encourage people to seek God’s plan and purpose for their life story.

It’s truly a beautiful message that deserves a five-star rating and a top place on your to-be-read book pile!

* I (Alexis A. Goring), voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book that I received from the author’s publicist. My opinions are my own.

Falling in Love with Jesus: The Break that Found Me Love

Who would have thought that a broken heart could result in finding True Love?

Such is the story of Mrs. Shari Loveday! She knows firsthand what it's like to have your heart shattered to what looks like the point of no return and she knows what it's like to have Jesus Christ mend your broken heart and return love to you in a way that lasts for eternity.

Welcome Shari to the blog today as she shares her story of how God created beauty out of her brokenness and redirected her to her First Love (Jesus Christ). Please note: God also sent Jeremiah Loveday to Shari's life and blessed their marriage with children and happiness! See, when God restores, He does it in a holistic matter with more than you could imagine! 

Enjoy your visit with Shari. 

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The Break that Found Me Love
A Falling in Love with Jesus story written by Shari Loveday

I can still hear Him whispering, “Come to Me first.”

I fell to the floor; a literal pain in my heart. I had only just started crying, but my face was now covered in tears. The thought that at any moment someone could walk into my boss’s office and see me on my knees in a broken hovel of anguish couldn’t motivate me to pull it together. I couldn’t stand…or think…or stop the tears from falling. It had hurt so bad when he’d said, “I’m still in love with my first love. I can’t see you anymore.”

The break-up had done just that. It had broken me, and I felt I would never be able to pick up the pieces of my life. To make matters worse, I had to watch him be happy with his new, old girlfriend. Each time I saw them my wounds reopened, and I thought I could physically die from the emotional pain. The week before, it was his dog tags around her neck. The day before, it was the two of them walking hand in hand across campus. On this particular day, he had walked right into my job.

Unable to escape the harsh reality I was faced with, I sought God for help that I knew only He could give me. I begged Him to make it better, to stop the pain. The next day, we got a new book on the shelves at the bookstore. I randomly picked it up and began flipping through it. I didn’t know what I was looking for or what I thought I would find in its pages, but I felt compelled to read it. Not long into the book, I came across a poem titled, "Come to Me First."

Here, God reminded me that He knew what I was going through because I had set Him aside so many more times than I, myself, had been cast away. I had stood Him up and scorned His love for another’s. He too was jilted, and hopelessly in love with someone who was inconsistent and inconsiderate. He begged me to come to Him first with my everything. “Build your life on me," He entreated, “and I will never let you down. Even when the one you love walks away, your life will not crumble because you will have built it on Me. I allowed this heartbreak, so you’d never be broken again."

"Come to Me first," He begged. Those words changed my life.

I began building a real relationship with Jesus. I kissed dating goodbye and said yes to a courtship with Him. I resolved to go to God with each problem, desire, good idea, joy, sorrow, accomplishment, failure…my everything. I built my life on Christ, so that I would never be broken again.

Before this broken moment I had a primarily cognitive knowledge of God. After the break, I came to know Him as the Lover of my soul. He fulfills my life with His tender care of me and never seems to grow weary of me. He waits by my bedside to hear the first words I utter, and He is there once again as I lay down to think my last voluntary thoughts for the day.

My whole life, I searched for a love that transcends everything, but I thought this would be found in a mate. It took a long, confusing search, two major heartbreaks, and a whole lot of frogs to learn that it is only in Him I will find what my soul has sought since its conception.

And here I am, 15 years later, not broken, but whole! “Come to Me First," God is still saying today. “Come to Me first.”

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Author bio:

Shari Loveday is an author, a poet, a teacher, a preacher, and a life coach. She is a sister, a friend, a wife, and a mother. She tries to wear all these hats well, but the role she most focuses on these days is that of a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ. 

She has found that mastery in that one area ripples success through all the others.

Shari understands her God given purpose in life to be freeing the mind and hearts of women so that they can be their best selves. She does this through writing, speaking, coaching, dreaming, and living. 

If you ask her why she is here she will say, "To teach women that finding purpose equals power!"

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Connect with Shari:
http://faithwalkinfortoday.com/
www.about.me/theshariloveday

True Love Stories: God's Awesome Handiwork

He was Mr. Popular and a pothead. She was a sweet girl destined to be a preacher's wife. They were dangerously in love. 

How did God weave a true love story between a popular teen with bad habits that threatened his future and a teenage girl whose love for romance and stories would lead to a successful career as an inspirational romance author when she grew up? 

Read today's featured true love story to discover answers to your questions, a testimony of how when God's Hand is over your life, any bad situation can be turned around for the good (Romans 8:28). 

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God's Awesome Handiwork

Shannon Taylor Vannatter's true love story

My first love was David Cassidy back in the Partridge Family days. I was five when the show began, but by the second grade, I had a wall in my room papered with pull out posters of him from Tiger Beat Magazine.

My second love was John Travolta back in his Welcome Back Kotter days. The show started a year after the Partridge Family ended. Do you see what they have in common? Can you say hair?

When I was fifteen, a new boy came to our school and what was I supposed to do when I saw all that hair? Fall for him of course. All of the other boys at my school wore buzz or bowl cuts. Neither was popular back then. The new guy had black, naturally wavy hair to his shoulders, and the greenest eyes I’d ever seen. 

(Shannon's husband, high school photo)

I decided on the spot that I’d marry him. Yep, it was shallow, but several other girls made the same vow and he was soon Mr. Popular.

I was very shy and quiet, but as the months passed, the new guy finally noticed me and we began going together. We didn’t go anywhere together, since I couldn’t date until I turned sixteen. As my birthday neared, rumors began to circulate that my boyfriend drank heavily and smoked pot. Raised in church, I never tasted alcohol or tried smoking cigarettes, much less marijuana. Of course, when I asked him about it, he denied the rumors. I refused to believe the gossip and gave him the benefit of the doubt.

Finally, after months of waiting, my birthday came and my parents allowed me to date. The rumors continued and a strange aroma surrounded me whenever my guy was near. When I mustered the courage to ask about it, he told me the kid sitting behind us in class smoked a joint that morning.

I think I knew, but didn’t want to know. As the school year ended, the truth could no longer be denied. We hashed it out, no pun intended. Given an ultimatum, drugs and alcohol or me, he didn’t pick me. I spent the summer in tears and prayerfully placed the relationship in God’s hands.

The week before school started again, my ex-boyfriend came to my house. Claiming to have quit drinking and drugs, he wanted to get back together. Though cautious, I could soon tell the difference in him. He even started attending church with me. We dated throughout high school and graduated together.

Fast-forward. After fourteen years of marriage, my husband answered the call to preach. Though we were both Christians and had consistently attended church, I didn’t feel up to the task. But I supported him and stumbled into my new role.

Another change came when we entered into parenthood after sixteen years of marriage, our son was born. He was planned, he’s ours, and we never separated. We waited until we could afford for me to stay home.

Shortly afterward, I began attending monthly writer’s group meetings for my Mom’s night out. While I learned to write, my guys hung out at a local bookstore and Wal-Mart.

On a typical night, they dropped me off, then went to eat supper at their favorite restaurant before visiting their regular haunts. As usual, my meeting ran late. By the time I strolled across the parking lot, they’d been waiting thirty minutes. Once in the truck, hubby told me of his evening. At the restaurant, secured in the highchair, our little guy threw up. Not just a little, but apparently everything he’d eaten, all day long.

My husband wiped our son down, detected no fever, and ordered their food. Both ate, then raided our emergency clothing stash, and went on their way. Though he’s always a very hands-on father, I would have expected him to grab our child, pick me up early, and head home. I would have.

That night, thoughts of my high school boyfriend made me wonder if he would have coped so well with the events of the evening. You see, that long ago pothead and my incredible husband are one and the same.

During the intervening years, he recommitted his life to Jesus. That pothead I dated all those years ago is now a Baptist pastor. Though, he still has the greenest eyes I’ve ever seen, his hair is buzzed and thinning. He wears it well. In fact, he’s even more beautiful to me now. Not only does the heart of a father beat within him, but the heart of a man of God.

And after thirty years, we’re still going strong.

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Author bio: Central Arkansas author, Shannon Taylor Vannatter is a stay-at-home mom/pastor’s wife. She lives in a town with a population of around 100, if you count a few cows and once climbed a mountain wearing gold wedge-heeled sandals which became known as her hiking boots. Vannatter won the Inspirational Readers Choice Award in the short contemporary category, The 18th Annual Heartsong Awards 3rd Favorite New Author and #1 Contemporary Award.

Shannon has ten published titles and is contracted for five more. Her books are available at christianbook.com, barnesandnoble.com, amazon.com and barbourbooks.com. 

Learn more about Shannon and her books at http://shannonvannatter.com and check out her real life romance blog at http://shannonvannatter.com/blog/.

Connect with Shannon:
Facebook - http://facebook.com/shannontaylorvannatter
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/29672798-shannon-vannatter, Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/stvannatter/ 
Twitter - @stvauthor.

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Buy Shannon's book Rodeo Family:

Tori Eaton is ready to start over.  

She's beginning a new chapter in Aubrey, Texas, away from her abusive ex-boyfriend. As she picks up the pieces of her broken life, Tori's surprised at the helping hand the church's new song director, Brant McConnell, offers her, and at the warm emotions he inspires. 

Brant is drawn to Tori. And as their friendship grows, so do his feelings for her. But Tori is still hounded by her past, and the walls she's built around her heart are high. Can he convince the wounded beauty that he's exactly the kind of man she needs—and deserves?

Purchase links for Rodeo Family:

Amazon.com - http://amzn.to/1AElZjC

Christianbook.com - http://bit.ly/1DSIr9u