New Blog & Win My Book

Thanks to my webmaster extraordinaire Gayle DeSalles of www.WordCount, I have moved my website to WordPress. This means that my blog is now integrated into my website at www.rosemccauley.com. All  blog posts, including this one, will be available to read there.  While all previous posts will still be available to read at http://rosemccauley.blogspot.com, to stay current, again,  please visit http://rosemccauley.com 

to read my blog or contact me personally.

My book giveaway for this month and November will be a copy of my fiction book Christmas Belles of Georgia. Winners (US residents only please) will receive Christmas Belles of Georgia in time to read before Christmas. Check out the book page or my archives or www.amazon or www.cbd for more info about this fun, happy Christmas read! Please leave a comment on my blog for a chance to win. If you tell me you’ve signed up for my newsletter as well, I’ll enter your name twice. A winner will be posted on November 1st and December 1st.

Exciting News!

New winner in bookdrawing--Deanna Stevens has won a copy of Lynette Sowell's A Suspicion of Strawberries. I have emailed her, and the book will be sent off after I receive her mailing address. Thanks to all for entering.

I will announce a new book to win on November 1st and my new blog address tomorrow, so stay tuned for the exciting news!

Reciprocal Blog with Interview with Betty Owens

Dear Readers, since this is a reciprocal blog, I hope you will read Betty's info below then scoot on over to read my interview on her blog today. http://www.bettythomasonowens.com/2014/09/rose-mccauley-authorview.htmlYou get two for the price of one--FREE!

Hi, Betty, Please tell us about your favorite book as a child and your favorite book as an adult. Can you see a connection between those books?

As a child, my all-time favorite book was The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. As an adult, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. Do you see the connection?

I absolutely can. The strong, determined heroine overcomes a troubled childhood, and a loveless life. Mary brings new life to a hopeless, dying garden. Jane brings warmth and life to a hopeless, dying soul.

Two of my fave books also, Betty. I love your connections. What is your favorite Scripture? Do you also have a favorite Scripture that encourages you in your writing?

There are so many! I love the Word of God.

I John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

For writing and other work: For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. NKJV Ephesians 2:10

If you could go to any place in the world to research/write a book, what setting would you choose? Orcas Island, in the Puget Sound. I find it inspiring and achingly beautiful throughout the region. I think my blood calls me back to the Pacific Northwest, where my mother grew up. Where I was born.

4. I often wonder if I would write if I had to do it the old-fashioned way without computers and spell-checks and email. Is there anything about technology that you don't like? Or anything about it that you feel enhances your writing?

I don’t like when it malfunctions. Sometimes, I’ll admit, it’s user error. Inspiring? The shiny white page, pristine and empty, inspires me to fill it with thoughts and words. But I remember the same inspiration when presented with a sheet of paper and a pencil, or a fresh sheet of typing paper positioned on the platen. Ah, but technology makes it so much easier and you can’t see where you’ve erased. Remember the dirty eraser marks?

Yes, I do remember those eraser smudges! As a writer how have you had to grow and stretch out of your comfort zone?

I think this is our greatest challenge. Promoting myself. Swallowing my pride. Believing in myself. To not be afraid to push “send.”

Amen! What advice would you give to a beginning writer that you wish someone had given you?

Don’t be afraid to wipe the slate clean and start over. And...nobody’s perfect. We all start out in the same place.

Do you want to add anything about your book such as how to order it?

I have two fantasy-adventure novels published by Sign of the Whale Books, an imprint of Olivia Kimbrell Press, The Lady of the Haven and A Gathering of Eagles. You can read about them and order them here: http://www.bettythomasonowens.com/p/blog-page_16.html

Special Note: For those of you who live in the Lexington, Kentucky area, I will be at the Local Kentucky Author Book Bazaar at Bakery, Blessings & Bookstore at the Bar on Saturday, October 18th, 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.

I also have a 1920’s historical releasing very soon through Write Integrity Press, the first in the 3-book Legacy Series, Amelia’s Legacy.

Bio

Born in the Pacific Northwest, Owens grew up in such exotic places as West Tennessee and San Diego, California. She lives in Kentucky with her husband. They have three grown sons living in the area, along with their daughters-in-law, four beautiful granddaughters, and two handsome grandsons.

Though she’s always had an interest in storytelling, her writing career began to take off in 1986. As a busy homeschooling mom, she needed an outlet for all the extra joy in the house. She has two fantasy-adventure novels in a second edition published by Sign of the Whale Books, an imprint of Olivia Kimbrell Press.

Now semiretired, Betty spends most of her time writing, studying about writing, and critiquing other peoples’ writing. She is one of twelve authors featured in the romantic novella, A Dozen Apologies, released Valentine’s Day, 2014 by Write Integrity Press.

Betty is an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), where she leads a critique group, and Bluegrass Christian Writers, a lively group of Kentucky writers, who meet quarterly in a Lexington, Kentucky bookstore.

Visit her webpage at www.bettythomasonowens.com, or find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

Book Review--Sincerely Yours by J. Kirkpatrick, A. Cabot, L. A. Eakes, and A. Shorey

I love anthologies like this one with four novellas by four different authors with various locations and subjects. The four stories in Sincerely Yours range from early 19th century to early 20th, and we get to vicariously travel on a steamboat, ride (and even paint) a merry-go-round, pose as a writer, and go on a secret mission, all from our chair or bed.

The earliest novella by Laurie Alice Eakes is entitled "Moonlight Promise." I promise this steamboat ride is not at all what our heroine expected. Or the hero.

The next story, "Lessons in Love," by Ann Shorey, involves an author who is keeping a secret from her editor. Her piano instructor agrees to help her keep her secret for awhile, leading to a developing relationship neither thinks will work. Can they learn the lesson God has for them?

What is the "One Little Word" the heroine in Amanda Cabot's story is waiting to hear? It may surprise you! Besides the love story, this novella showcases scads of information about merry-go-rounds in a fun, entertaining way.

Jane Kirkpatrick is a master writer of many books. I am so glad she shares her skills with us in this novella collection so many new readers can enjoy her story "A Saving Grace" and check out her other well-written books.

I highly suggest you read these four stories about the four letters that set our heroines on their journey of love. You won't be disappointed you went along for the ride.

This book is the first novella collection by Revell, but I hope it won't be the last. Revell sent me the book to review, but these thoughts were not influenced in any way by the gift.

Debut Author Ane Mulligan about her characters for Chapel Springs Revival

I am so happy to welcome my long-time friend Ane Mulligan to my blog again today to celebrate her debut novel, Chapel Springs Revival, hot off the presses. 

First, a little about Ane!

While a large, floppy straw hat is her favorite, Ane has worn many different ones: hairdresser, legislative affairs director (that's a fancy name for a lobbyist), drama director, playwright, humor columnist, and novelist. Her lifetime experience provides a plethora of fodder for her Southern-fried fiction (try saying that three times fast). She firmly believes coffee and chocolate are two of the four major food groups. President of the award-winning literary site, Novel Rocket, Ane resides in Suwanee, GA, with her artist husband, her chef son, and two dogs of Biblical proportion. You can find Ane on her Southern-fried Fiction website, Google+, Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Thank you, Rose, for letting me come talk to your readers. If y’all don’t know, it was Rose who pinned my brand on me, and I’ll be forever grateful. Southern-fried Fiction is exactly what I write!

And today, I want to introduce you to Claire and Patsy. Best friends since kindergarten, they're not quite Lucy and Ethel, but they tend to stumble into trouble and catastrophe. Bighearted and loyal friends, these two lead readers on a romp through miscommunication in marriage.

Years ago, I overheard a gal say she married before learning God had a husband chosen for her, so she was going to divorce hers and find the perfect one. I pulled her aside for a "Titus 2:4" moment, then logged that incident in my mind for further exploration.

A few years later, God reminded me of that conversation. I thought what if a woman in her late forties found her marriage is ho-hum? When she became a Christian, she thought life and her marriage would be included in the new creation part. But her thighs are just as big, her husband just as ornery, and he still won't go to church with her. Toss in a BFF whose husband had grown non-communicative and was never home, and I had the foundation for a story.

I ran with it.

From God's nudge and that first "what-if," Claire Bennett, Patsy Kowalski, and the small village of Chapel Springs were born. Along with a supporting cast of funny, quirky characters. I even created a map of Chapel Springs.

Claire is tired of being nothing more than a sheet-changer, a towel-folder, a pancake-flipper. She resolves to emulate her Great Aunt Lola, who refused to be slighted by any man. Why, the first morning Aunt Lola's husband forgot to kiss her goodbye, she packed her bags, went off to Hollywood, and became a big star in silent films. Would Claire really do what Great Aunt Lola did?

When Patsy's nest became empty, she thought her husband would retire and they could finally do some travelling, but he hasn't mentioned slowing down. In fact, he's not talking much at all. When he starts coming home well after she's in bed, she becomes convinced he's having an affair. With Claire's help, Patsy's determined to catch him with the trollop who's trying to break up their once happy home.

As I worked on the plotting and backstory for Claire and Patsy, I saw the same things I'd heard the young women say at church: Patsy focusing on what her husband did wrong, and Claire is trying to find Mr. God-Ordained-Right.

Now, Claire has a tendency to be judgmental. She blurts out exactly what she thinks. She also moves before she thinks, which leads to a number of catastrophes. Patsy tries to hide her troubles; pretend they don't exist and they'll go away. Only it never works.

While Claire is eyeballing and discarding every man she sees, she and Patsy are determined to revive their marriages. At the same time, Chapel Springs could do with some reviving. The town has grown shabby and the tourist trade has declined. Complicating matters are a pair of curmudgeons, the mayor and his cohort, who would prefer to see the town stuck in the fifties and closed to outsiders.

I had so much fun with these characters. Claire is funny, a loyal friend, and someone I love spending time with. Besides, every time she turns around, she's in some kind of trouble. It's a blast just following her. And everyone needs a friend like Patsy, someone who has your back.

I’ve completed the sequel called Chapel Springs Survival. Can Claire and Patsy, and the town, survive their revival? That story grew out of something our son did. While it turned out to be wonderful in his life, the manner in which he revealed it called for Mama's retaliation. It went into a book (insert evil laughter).

It's my hope that through humor, readers will see God's hand in their choice of a husband. God is a faithful keeper of little girls' dreams for a knight in shining armor.

Chapel Springs Revival

With a friend like Claire, you need a gurney, a mop, and a guardian angel.

Everybody in the small town of Chapel Springs, Georgia, knows best friends Claire and Patsy. It's impossible not to, what with Claire's zany antics and Patsy's self-appointed mission to keep her friend out of trouble. And trouble abounds. Chapel Springs has grown dilapidated and the tourist trade has slackened. With their livelihoods threatened, they join forces to revitalize the town. No one could have guessed the real issue needing restoration is their marriages.

With their personal lives in as much disarray as the town, Claire and Patsy embark on a mission of mishaps and miscommunication, determined to restore warmth to Chapel Springs —and their lives. That is if they can convince their husbands and the town council, led by two curmudgeons who would prefer to see Chapel Springs left in the fifties and closed to traffic.

 Rose again! Hope you want to read this book as much as I do after reading this article and blurb! Just click on the link above and it will take you to Amazon!

Guest Blog by Jennifer Johnson "Do You Believe in Love at First Sight?"

Bio

JENNIFER JOHNSON and the world's most supportive redhead are happily married and raising the three cutest girls on the planet. Jennifer is a 6^th grade language arts teacher in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. (Pray for her.) She is also a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. Jennifer loves to read, write, and teach. She also likes to shop with her daughters- much to her husband’s chagrin. Blessed beyond measure by her heavenly Father, Jennifer hopes to always think like a child - bigger than she can imagine and with complete faith. You can reach her at jenwrites4god@bellsouth.net or check out her website at www.jennifercollinsjohnson.com.

Blurb

How many of you believe in love at first sight? When you read about it in a book or watch it on a movie, do you think, “please, that never happens.” Guess what, it does!

The year was 1988. I was cheering in the very first football game in a brand new school. I thought I knew pretty much everyone. I mean, I’d gone to middle school and high school with my classmates. The only reason for the new school was overpopulation at the old one. Essentially, they just split us all up.

Well, like I said, I was cheering for my brand new team. Boy, I loved cheerleading. I was giving it all I had when suddenly one of our football players was hit in the back after the whistle. Our guy gets the breath knocked out of him, but he stands up, walks to the bench and kinda plops down on the side of it. He takes his helmet off, and I notice his red hair.

“Who’s that?” I asked one of my cheerleader friends.

“Albert Johnson.”

There was something about him. I don’t know how to explain it. I didn’t even get a good look at his face. I just knew and even said, “I’m going to marry him.”

And you guessed it, I did. Poor guy didn’t stand a chance. He and I had the same Spanish class. I’d send him little notes with footballs and pom poms drawn on them telling him what a great game he’d had. (He was our amazing quarterback.) It took a couple weeks, but he finally found out who the chick was sending him all those goofy letters. I found out later he thought I was a bit immature, but that I’d probably be fun to be around, so he asked me on a date.

I was crazy about him. C-R-A-Z-Y!

Twenty-three years of marriage later…I still am. I suppose we’ve both gained a few pounds. He’s lost a little hair. We’ve birthed and almost finished raising three girls. He put me through college and sent me to writing conferences. Our relationship started with me being his cheerleader. In life, he’s been mine.

Do I believe in love at first sight? Does it last? Well, I’d have to say I do, and it does. Of course, there is one key ingredient. Can you guess it? Jesus! He’s the key. Jesus!

Another winner and Another Giveaway book for this month--A Suspicion of Strawberries by Lynette Sowell

The winner of Ann Gabhart's Love Comes Home book is Barbara G. Ann will be mailing it to her as soon as she receives her mailing address.

And the book I am giving away this month is A Suspicion of Strawberries by Lynette Sowell, another friend of mine. Here is part of the back cover blurb to pique your interest!

"When Charlie Rae Thacker and her bridesmaids show up at Andi's soap shop in Tennessee for a  morning of pre-wedding pampering, Andi bends over backwards to make it a pleasant experience for them all. but then Charla keels over and dies...after she uses Andi's personally blended cherries jubilee facial scrub..."

Sounds like an exciting cozy mystery! Be sure to leave a comment this month along with your email address so I can contact you. Every one with a US mailing addy is eligible. Drawing to be held on October 1st.

And the two winners for August are...

This was a good month for my blog. I posted 4 times plus a guest blog by Ann Gabhart for a total of 5 blogposts, which is more than usual, and Ann had 30 comments which is a lot more than usual, too!

So we have two winners to announce today. Karen K won Jennifer Johnson's book A Love Discovered, and the winner of Ann's giveaway of Love Comes Home will be announced as soon as I hear from Ann, so I will post it soon. Thanks for all the visits and comments!

Guest Blog and giveaway by Ann H. Gabhart

Readers, please read all the way through to find out how to win a copy of the book Love Comes Home by responding to Ann's question or leaving another comment with your email address so we can contact the winner. U.S. mailing addresses only. Drawing to be held on September 1st.

Writing Through It All

By Ann H. Gabhart

From the time I was old enough to read, I’ve wanted to be a writer.  So at about the age of ten, I picked up a pen and began writing my first novel. It was a mystery starring me, or at least the me I wished I was. Cute and smart and able to catch bad guys. Writing those chapters was probably the most fun I’ve had writing. No deadlines. No editors to please. No worries about readers liking my story. The only readers were my indulgent family members. My biggest worry was using up all the eraser before I ran out of pencil.

Then, with a few more years under my belt, I began to dream of being published, one of those writers who actually got paid for their words. So, while writing was still a dream, it also became a job. Not one with any regular paychecks, to be sure. Still, the occasional checks for this or that bit of writing encouraged me to keep going until at last, in 1978, my dream of having a published novel came true. I saw my book, my very own imagined story, on bookstore shelves. You might think having a book published would make the publication road easier to travel, but that didn’t happen for me. Through my writing years, I’ve bounced through plenty of potholes along my writing road, but I kept writing. More books were published even though I had to re-invent myself as a writer a couple of times in order to adjust with the market.

After having thirteen books published, a few years went by where nothing I wrote found any loving editors. So since I was struggling to hit market trends, I forgot about markets and editors and wrote the story I wanted to write. That book, Scent of Lilacs, about a preacher and his family opened the door to the Christian fiction market. (By the way, Scent of Lilacs, is a free download right now if you like reading e-books.) This time, since perhaps I had finally found the genre that best fits my storytelling style, my publication road did become smoother. For the first time in my long writing career, I had contracts for future books. That meant I had deadlines for getting the story ideas I’d pitched to my editor actually written, chapter after chapter, from the beginning through the middle to the end. I was in writer heaven. I didn’t mind deadlines. Deadlines were good because that meant somebody, that loving editor, was waiting for me to get a book written with the promise of publication if I could tell the story I had proposed. It had taken me a lot of years to get in that position, but I liked finally being able to say I was a writer with a certain confidence.

But isn’t it the way, that just when you think things are going smooth, life throws you a curve or two? My mother began to have declining health when she reached her late eighties. At first, it wasn’t too noticeable. Just little things. But then it became obvious she was suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s. She could no long stay alone but needed 24/7 care. I have two sisters and my mother had resources. So we hired a couple of caretakers and split up the rest of the hours. Then both my sisters lost their husbands, one to cancer and the other to congestive heart failure. We had to fire one of the caretakers, but the Lord brought two other wonderful women with caring hearts to help care for Mom. One of my sisters was unable to handle the way dementia was stealing our mother’s mind and also had health problems that kept her from sitting with Mom. So, the other sister and I filled in the hours. It was like having a full time job. But I still had my deadlines too. I didn’t want to give up writing at this point in my life when I finally had achieved a small measure of success. So I found time to write.

At first I could do some writing while I sat with Mom, but as she steadily declined and became more agitated, I could only fire up my computer if she happened to fall asleep. As I was generally there in the afternoon when sundowner’s came into play, that didn’t happen often. Those deadlines loomed as the days slid past without enough hours. All my life, I’ve been one of those people who think they can do it all. Cook, clean, keep the grandkids, garden, write, take care of whoever needs taking care of. I found out that wasn’t true. I wasn’t Superwoman. One year, my beautiful, loving daughter came home and stayed a week with Mom in my place to let me finish one of my books. Other times, my editor gave me deadline extensions.

But my daughter couldn’t come to the rescue at every deadline crunch. My editor had to meet deadlines herself so couldn’t extend my deadline forever. So, as each new deadline neared with not enough words written, I had to figure out priorities. I had to take care of Mom. No choice there. I had to cook meals for my husband. No choice there. I had to have time for the grandbabies because grandkids grow up so fast and they are too wonderful a blessing to not take time to enjoy them. But I also had to write. Sleep, optional. Dust didn’t matter. Spot cleaning works on floors. I did keep canning beans and freezing other vegetables from the garden, but thankfully that was usually in the summer after I met my deadlines which generally fell in July. I had a new deadline but in July the next July seems far away.

My mother moved on up to heaven this summer right after I met one of those July deadlines. With her resources running low after more than three years of hiring part time caretakers–there are a lot of hours in a week–we finally moved her to a memory care home. She adjusted well, but steadily declined during the six months she was there. She was ready to go home. She had wanted to go “home” to see her mother and father for years. But I miss her. It was hard giving up her care when she moved into the facility. It was hard giving her up when she died.

I’m still thankful for deadlines. I’m still thankful that I’m able to live my dream of writing stories that find a way into reader’s hands. But I do know that writing is not just a dream. It’s hard work and life happens to sometimes make that work even more difficult. 

Without challenges, we don’t get stronger. And without life happening to us, maybe we wouldn’t be able to write about life happening to our characters. While all my Rosey Corner books are about family and life happening, Love Comes Home perhaps focuses around how the unexpected in life can change what we do and how we feel even more than the other two Rosey Corner  stories, Angel Sister and Small Town Girl. My characters face challenges. Good things happen. Bad things happen as they do in every life. But what stays constant with my Rosey Corner characters is how they trust God and depend on their family for support.

My journey with Mother was that way too. I had to lean on family and trust God to give me the strength for the journey. In Philippians 4:13, Paul says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” That verse often came to mind when I was staying with Mom and wondering how I would make it through some of the hard days. The Lord answered my prayers and helped Mom be calmer and helped me be stronger. And who knows? Maybe the hard journey made my stories stronger too.

Thank you for reading. I know many of you have walked similar caretaking roads with your loved ones. How did you find strength for the journey?

Bio:

ANN H. GABHART, the author of several bestselling novels, has been called a storyteller, not a bad thing for somebody who grew up dreaming of being a writer. She keeps her keyboard warm on a farm in Kentucky. She and her husband have three children and nine grandchildren. To find out more about Ann’s books visit www.annhgabhart.com. Check out her blog, One Writer’s Journal, www.annhgabhart.blogspot.com or join her on Facebook. www.facebook.com/anngabhart

Scenes from Shakertown visit with Ann H. Gabhart

In preparation for Ann H. Gabhart's guest blog and giveaway next Monday I wanted to post some pics we took in June when our Book Club from Unity Christian Church took a guided tour with Ann. We have all read and loved many of her books, both those set in Shakertown and other places.

We were late arriving because the road out of Lexington to Harrodsburg was closed for repair, so we had to take the LOOOONG way around, but the trip was fun and well worth the extra drive!

Hope you enjoy the pictures, and hope you will stop by again next Monday, August 25th for Ann's guestblog and giveaway!

We first ate lunch with Ann in the Shaker dining room. Ann and Jean Fowler ate the Shaker lemon pie. Ellen Whitaker and I shared a dessert. And Ellen Kipela was so sweet already she didn't even order a dessert!

Then we took a pic of us all on the famous steps!

Book Review--While Love Stirs by Lorna Seilstad

Another delightful book by Lorna Seilstad--While Love Stirs

This is the second book in the Gregory Sisters historical series. The main character is Charlotte, the middle sister whom we met in the first book, When Love Calls.

Sparks fly when Charlotte Gregory meets Doctor Joel Brooks and they disagree over nutritious diets for pregnant and nursing women. Joel never learned much about it at medical school, and Charlotte just graduated from Fannie Farmer's School of Cookery, so knows a lot about cooking nutritious meals.

In fact, she finds a job doing cooking demonstrations for the gas company to promote gas stoves. Anytime they are together, Charlotte and Joel clash, but an attraction is also growing. Can their mutual attraction outweigh their strong personalities? Read the book to find out!

Although this is the second book in the series, you can read this one without reading the first, but I would suggest reading about Charlotte's older sister in When Love Calls, then reading this one, because I love to read series books in order!

This book was a gift from the publisher, but this review is my own opinion.

Book Review--Love Comes Home by Ann H. Gabhart

What a treat!

I have enjoyed both of Ann Gabhart's other books set in the fictional town of Rosey Corner, KY, so couldn't wait to read this latest adventures of the Merritt family. The main love interest of this story is the third daughter, Victoria, who was widowed at the end of the second book in the Rosey Corner series. But we also get to catch up on Jay Tanner and Kate, the second daughter and the gal he married at the end of the second book, right before shipping out overseas at the beginning of WWII, and Preacher Mike and Evie, the oldest daughter who married at the beginning of the second book. So, we also see their struggles with rebuilding love after long separations and after the traumas of war. Since my husband spent two tours in Thailand during the Viet Nam War, this book brought back many memories.

This book does deal realistically with the effects of war on a family, but it is not doom and gloom, but rather very uplifting how God can work to overcome hardships by working through the members of a family who love each other and their small community which almost seems like part of the family.

If you have not read any of these books, I definitely suggest you buy them all (Angel Sister, Small Town Girl, and Love Comes Home) and start at the beginning. You are in store for a treat!

And, my readers have another treat in store. Ann Gabhart will be my guest blogger on August 25, and will be giving away a copy of Love Comes Home to one winner, so be sure to come back then and enter by leaving a comment. Also, anyone who leaves a comment on any post this month will be entered in the drawing for a copy of Jennifer Johnson's latest book--A Love Discovered, so we will have two winners this month!

August Giveaway--A Love Discovered by Jennifer Johnson

It will be four weeks tomorrow since I last posted. I haven't been writing on my blog page, but I am writing--on another novel project to send off to my agent!

Since I set goals in my other writing, I decided it would help to set goals for my blog. This month I will post at least 4 times!

Today will be this post and tell about my book drawing for the month.But keep reading for another book drawing later on this month!
Tomorrow will be my review of Ann H. Gabhart's newest novel--Love Comes Home, another book set in Rosey Corner where I love to visit!
The third post will be on pictures I snapped while Ann took my book club and me on a tour of Shakertown, KY where many of Ann's books are set, and...
The fourth post will be a guest blog by Ann Gabhart telling what her life was like while she wrote Love Comes Home and she will do a giveaway of the book! So be sure to stop by on August 25th to read a post from Ann Gabhart and how to win a copy of Love Comes Home!

So, I hope you will stop by each week and leave a comment to win Jennifer Johnson's book A Love Discovered. It is about Ben Jacobs who was the little brother in A Heart Healed and A Family Reunited. This book was the drawing prize for last month, but I had no comments so it will be carried over to this month.

It was my fault we didn't have any entries, because I failed to blog more, so I owe Jen and all my readers a big apology for letting my blog go silent for almost a month, so please forgive me, and come back to visit and leave comments to be entered in the drawing for A Love Discovered. US mailing addresses only! I will post September 1 with the winner. The more comments you leave, the more times you will entered, and the more chances you will have to win!

Book Review of What Follows After by Dan Walsh

I have read and reviewed all of Dan Walsh's books. This one is another winner!

What Follows After has many dramatic elements--runaways, a kidnapping, a faltering marriage. But the emphasis is not just on the drama, but on the changing emotions of all the characters as they live out this true-to-life story.

You will feel like you are a part of this story as it is told, not just reading it, and you will be trying to read as fast as you can to find out how it ends, then slowing down to notice the details the author shares. Dan Walsh does a great job of getting into all of the character's heads from the young boys to the parents and grandparents and even the hired help.

I would recommend this book for all those who like to read dramatic stories that take you into the minds of the characters. It is a stand-alone book, but he has several other stories out, so if you haven't read any of them, check them out as you buy this one. They are all so good it is hard to pick a favorite, so mine is the one I am reading or just finished. So, until a new book comes out by Dan Walsh, this is my current favorite!

This book was a gift from the publisher for review purposes, but all opinions are mine alone.

June winner and July book giveaway--A Love Discovered by Jennifer Johnson

June's book winner is Norma Gail, and this month's book to win is also by Jennifer Johnson--A Love Discovered. Everyone with a US address except for Norma Gail is eligible, so leave a comment with your email addy to be entered by July 31 to win this great read!

Here's the back cover blurb to whet your appetite: Ben Jacobs has big plans. None of them involve moving back home to his family's Tennessee farm after college. But when he plunges into a web of gambling debt, he has no other choice. Until beautiful single mom Maggie Grant comes into his life.

Widowed Maggie works tirelessly to make a better life for her young son. A relationship with a troubled soul like Ben is a risk she can't afford to take. Can Ben convince Maggie he's a changed man, willing to do whatever it takes to win over the two loves of his life?

June book giveaway--Game of Love by Jennifer Johnson

Jennifer Collins Johnson is one of my best writer buddies, and I love all her books, but Game of Love is extra special to me--the hero's last name is McCauley, and the book is dedicated to me! So leave a comment with your email address anytime between today and June 30th to be entered in the drawing.

I have several other posts featuring Jennifer and her books, so search with her name in the box at the top left hand corner of my blog and you will find them and a bunch of pics of her and her family and even some with me.

Winner to be announced on July 1st. Must have a US mailing addy to win.

And the winner of Until I Found You by Victoria Bylin is...Peggy Trotter!

Peggy has been contacted, and the book will be on its way to her as soon as she sends me her mailing address. Happy reading, Peggy, and for those of you who didn't win, I hope you will buy it in paperback or ebook. And check back next month for another giveaway.

Victoria Bylin Interview and giveaway of Until I Found You

I am so happy to introduce you all to a fellow KY writer--Victoria Bylin, who is giving away one autographed copy of Until I Found You to someone who leaves a comment on this post. Drawing to be in one week, so check back on May 28th to see if you won! 

Welcome, Victoria. So glad to have you stop by. Please tell us about your favorite book as a child and your favorite book as an adult. Can you see a connection between those books?

 I was ten years old when I discovered The Black Stallion by Walter Farley.  My grandmother gave it to me along with several others in the series. I loved them all but especially that first one where Alec and his horse are stranded on a desert island. At its heart, the book is about courage and love. My favorite book as an adult is harder to pick. When I think about it, though, one title shoots to the top. That’s Jane Eyre.  A classic!

These two book don’t have much in common on the surface, but I can see how they both influenced my writing. The Black Stallion  is full of risk and adventure, while Jane Eyre is a classic romance.  My writing has both of these elements.

Jane Eyre was one of my faves, too. What is your favorite Scripture? Do you also have a favorite Scripture that encourages you in your writing?

 I just love Isaiah 50:10:  

“Who among you fears the Lord
    and obeys the word of his servant?
Let the one who walks in the dark,
    who has no light,
trust in the name of the Lord
    and rely on their God.

It’s my favorite verse because it talks about trusting God even in the dark. The Christian life is full of challenges.  This verse reminds me that God is with us always.  

When it comes specifically to the writing, I don’t have a specific verse that encourages me (they all do!), but I often recall something I heard in a sermon. It was just three words: “Don’t Limit God.”  When life gets a tad bit crazy, it’s good to remember that God is bigger than all of it.

Amen! If you could go to any place in the world to research/write a book, what setting would you choose?

 I’d go to central California and hang out at the beach, then I’d drive all over the state. It’s home and I miss it.  My current book for Bethany House is set in the Los Padres National Forest in a town where my family and I lived for eight years.  It would be great to visit!

Hope you make it back there soon, Victoria, but I am very glad you live in KY now! I often wonder if I would write if I had to do it the old-fashioned way without computers and spell-checks and email. Is there anything about technology that you don't like? Or anything about it that you feel enhances your writing?

 I’m with you completely, Rose.  If I had to write by hand or even on a typewriter, I don’t think I could finish a book.  I’m more of an editor than a writer, which means I construct books out of dozens of drafts.  I usually end up with several files called “trash” because I’m constantly rewriting. I couldn’t do that on an old IBM Selectric, or even older, that blue Smith Corona I used in college.

I love the convenience of technology, and it’s tons of fun to interact with readers on Facebook and Twitter.  At the same time, technology has depersonalized our world in frightening ways. We tend to stare at computer screens instead of chatting with our neighbors. At the same time, I love being in touch with writers and readers around the globe.  It’s a huge blessing to me.

I agree that technology is a mixed blessing. It is only as good as we make it. As a writer how have you had to grow and stretch out of your comfort zone?

 I stretched big-time with Until I Found You. When I made the decision to jump from writing westerns for Love Inspired Historicals to trying my hand at a single-title contemporary, I felt like someone in a Star Trek movie traveling to a distant planet. Until I Found You is longer than my westerns, and the plotting is more complex.  It also includes a first-person diary, something I’d never done before. 

Until I Found You sounds great! Can't wait to read it. What advice would you give to a beginning writer that you wish someone had given you?

 Study the craft!  Inspiration is a gift from God. Discipline is a choice. But technique can be learned.  My life changed drastically when I discovered section 808.00 in the Fairfax Co. Public Library in northern Virginia.  That’s where the writing books are shelved.  I particularly latched on to Jack Bickham’s  “38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes.”  It gave me a solid set of tools for building a book and taught me how a novel is structured.

Do you want to add anything about your book such as how to order it?

 Just one thing . . . As much as I love Nick and Kate, the couple in Until I Found You, my favorite character just might be Kate’s grandmother, Leona Darby. She can’t speak because of a stroke, so she writes her own story in a journal.  Until I Found You is primarily a romance, but it’s also about family, faith, and taking chances.  I hope readers enjoy it!  It’s available now at Amazon , B&N, Christianbook.com, and just about everywhere Christian fiction is sold.

Thanks for having me, Rose! 

 Amazon:   http://www.amazon.com/Until-Found-You-Victoria-Bylin-ebook/dp/B00GHXRPCU/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1398882944&sr=1-1&keywords=victoria+bylin

B&N:    http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/until-i-found-you-victoria-bylin/1117107072?ean=9781441264077&itm=1&usri=9781441264077

Christianbook.com :  

 http://www.christianbook.com/until-i-found-you/victoria-bylin/9780764211522/pd/211523

Book Review of Lorna Seilstad's When Love Calls

I've read and enjoyed several of Lorna Seilstad's books in the Lake Manawa series, so was happy to read this book which begins a new series by her called The Gregory Sisters. The first one is entitled When Love Calls, and is the story of the oldest sister, Hannah, who drops out of college where she is studying law to become a switchboard operator in order to support her two younger sisters after the death of both their parents.

Life can be hard in the early 1900s for those without support, so she is happy to find this job as a "Hello Girl" even with the strict rules. Little does she know that the hardship of losing the home their parents raised them in will cause her to meet a lawyer who does care for justice and the poor.

This book has it all--history, family relationships and a love story, too. A delightful read, and I can't wait for the next book in this series. This book was supplied by the publisher for a review, but these thoughts are all my own.

Book Review--Through the Deep Waters by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Kim Vogel Sawyer's latest book was something I may not have chosen to read from the back cover blurb if I hadn't read all of this author's others books and knew I could trust her writing.

Blurb: "Born to an unloving prostitute in a popular Chicago brothel...Dinah feels more worthless than ever, based on a single horrible decision she made to survive." The short beginning section was difficult to read because Dinah Hubley lived a difficult life in Chicago, but it also made me even more sympathetic to the heroine, and left me cheering on her and the hero, chicken farmer Amos Ackerman, as they encounter the bumps along the way to finding their true happiness.

Like Dinah, give yourself a chance to experience God's love and the love of a good man in this novel.

This book was a gift from the publisher, but this review is my honest opinion.

Guest Interview with Sandy Nadeau, author of Red Gold

Hi Sandy, love the beautiful mountain backdrop! I'm so glad to have you visit here to tell us a little about yourself and I'm excited to hear more about your just released novel, Red Gold. Let's start off with some fun questions:

Please tell us about your favorite book as a child and your favorite book as an adult. Can you see a connection between those books?

I loved the book The Cay when it came out in the late 60's. I was in elementary school. It was a powerful story about a black man and white boy getting stranded on an island. Prejudice had to be overcome in order to survive. It's an incredible book. I'm not sure I can name one favorite book as an adult. There are so many. But the theme of overcoming seems to speak to me most.
What is your favorite Scripture? Do you also have a favorite Scripture that encourages you in your writing?

I guess Proverbs 3:5,6 is my most favorite. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path." That and 1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your cares on Him for He cares for you." They both speak to me in so many aspects of my life including writing. I have to trust God in all I do, and try not to worry, since He'll work it all out.
If you could go to any place in the world to research/write a book, what setting would you choose?

That's a tough one. I'm fascinated with Norway (with my Scandinavian heritage) and Ireland. But I would choose The Grand Cayman because it is so incredible. Then it would have to be an underwater story since the snorkeling is so amazing there.  

We went to Ireland last year, and I have a story idea brewing that takes place there. And I can't wait to read your Grand Cayman book! 

I often wonder if I would write if I had to do it the old-fashioned way without computers and spell-checks and email. Is there anything about technology that you don't like? Or anything about it that you feel enhances your writing?

I started out *cough, cough* thirty years ago using a Smith Corona typewriter to learn writing on. White Out was my friend. I love how easy computers make this, especially when editing time comes along. I don't like when my computer acts up, since I don't know how to fix it. I especially hate computer viruses. Why do people have to do such mean-spirited things?! Now I'm so used to writing on the computer and all the advantages, so that alone enhances the process. 

As a writer how have you had to grow and stretch out of your comfort zone?

As you know, most writers are introverts. I'm very happy alone in my office writing. So talking to groups is definitely getting out of my comfort zone. Meeting with agents and editors at conferences is nerve wracking.  

What advice would you give to a beginning writer that you wish someone had given you?

Funny you should mention that. I met Tracie Peterson at a conference many years ago. Follow advice from a pro!! She was so encouraging and told me I should join this new writers group. I had no self-confidence in writing back then. I didn't join. *slapping forehead* Kept slogging along in my writing. Fast forward several years, and I met Colleen Coble who encouraged me to join the same group, now called the American Christian Fiction Writers. I finally did. What a tremendous difference it made in my level of learning the craft, networking with people doing the same thing, meeting with others that help me along the path. I met a gal at the Denver conference and we became very close friends and help each other with our writing. Get with other writers somehow. Learn all you can on the craft of writing and understand that the learning never stops. Ever. 

Joining ACFW was one of the best things I ever did for my writing, too. I remember meeting you at that Denver conference and you offering me and some others a ride to the airport. Do you want to add anything about your book such as how to order it?

Red Gold is a story that will take you on a mind tour of the Colorado mountains. I think you'll enjoy the ride along as characters face challenges, dangers and fun all rolled into a mystery surrounding the High Country Safaris guest ranch.

Check out Red Gold by Sandy Nadeau on www.barnesandnoble.com www.pelicanbookgroup.com or www.amazon.com and you can find more real life stories of our Colorado adventures on my blog: www.SandyNadeau.blogspot.com

I'm also on Facebook, Sandy Nadeau, author   and Twitter @SandyNadeauCO  and my website is www.SandyNadeau.com

Go find some adventures. Life is full of them!

Sandy Nadeau loves to go on adventures, photograph them and equally loves to write about them. She and her husband do a lot of four-wheeling in the back country of Colorado and share those experiences with others by taking them up in the mountains. With a background in writing a column about her community for a local newspaper, she also has had several magazine articles published. She loves to write novels about adventure, mystery, romance, but most importantly sharing God’s love. She is currently a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and Vice President of the ACFW South Denver Chapter. Married for 37 years, she and her husband are loving life as grandparents to their nine month old grandson. Travel is their favorite thing to do and they don’t get to do it as often as they’d like. Adventure awaits around every corner, over every hill and mountain.

Book Review of When the Morning Glory Blooms by Cynthia Ruchti

Let me tell you all about a book I just finished a couple weeks ago that is already on my "Best Books I've Read in 2014" list!

I love Cynthia Ruchti's fiction and non-fiction alike, but this book and its characters grabbed me and won't let go. And that is the way to tell a great book--one that the characters stay with you, and you keep thinking about them and wondering about them after you close the covers!

I don't know how she did it, but in When the Morning Glory Blooms, the author managed to blend the many stories of characters from the 1890s with some from 1951 and the present, then tie them all together so beautifully at the end. Each character is not only from a different decade, but at different places in their lives and faith journeys.

Although fiction, this is a true-to-life story with sin and its consequences mixed with God's mercy and grace. It shows how our lives are affected by those around us, and more importantly, how our lives can affect so many others whether we are aware of it or not.

So, run out and buy, beg, or borrow a copy of this book so you can meet the woman who runs a home for unwed mothers, a grandmother taking care of her teen-age daughter's baby, and a nurse's aid who is carrying the child of a man fighting overseas. Since this book is about mothers and daughters and all the women who love and nurture us, it would make a great gift for Mother's Day in a few weeks, so buy one for yourself and for some women who are special to you!

Sorry I haven't posted for so long, but I have Great News!

Tamela Hancock Murray of The Steve Laube Agency signed me as her client a few weeks ago. 

Since then I have finished up and sent her three proposals which she promptly sent off, so we are praying to hear from one or more of them soon. I am so blessed and thankful to have her in my corner!

Now that things are somewhat back to normal (at least as normal as it can ever be for a writer!) I'll be blogging more often, and posting more book reviews and book giveaways, so  hope you'll check back soon.

I'd love to hear what you have been reading/writing during all the snow this winter so please leave a comment here or on my Facebook pages--www.Facebook.com/rose.mccauley.58 or https://www.facebook.com/RoseAllenMcCauley?ref=hl

Book Review of Small Town Girl by Ann Gabhart

If you love historicals and/or romance, you will love this book! When I tell others about Kentucky author Ann Gabhart's books I used to say that Angel Sister was my favorite. I now have a new favorite--the sequel to Angel Sister--Small Town Girl.

In the early 1940s, all the inhabitants of Rosey Corner, KY,  are influenced in some way by the war already taking place in Europe. Will America get drawn in, and how will their lives change?

We see the events from September, 1941 to the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941 and its aftermath through the eyes of Kate Merritt, small-town girl, and Jay Tanner, drifter extraordinaire.

Kate longs to see the world, but also wants to be around her family and all she has ever known in Rosey Corner. Jay surprises himself by settling down in this small town for a few weeks. Can they both overcome hangups from their pasts and admit the love that is growing between them? Can that love overcome an accident and a misunderstanding and a war?

You will have to read the book to find out, and you are in for a treat, because Ann Gabhart is a master at writing the emotions of the characters in a way that makes them seem like your best friends sharing all their secrets with you. I bet you'll have a new favorite novel and author if you do!



 

Best book ever by Kim Vogel Sawyer! Echoes of Mercy

If you have been reading my blog for very long, you know that Kim Vogel Sawyer is one of my favorite authors. She writes romances in both contemporary and historical genres. With Echoes of Mercy, she has also added romantic suspense to her categories so you get two stories for the price of one--her always sweet romance plus a second thread of suspense and danger. But if you are a member of the "Big Honkin' Chickens Club" as I am, you don't have to worry that the suspense will be of the Stephen King variety, but it does add another exciting element to the story, and I hope she will continue along this line.

This story covers child labor laws and reformers in the early twentieth century in Kansas, but this info is shown as part of the story in such a natural way that you learn about it without feeling like you are in school. 

Caroline Lang's undercover work at Dinsmore's World Famous Chocolate Factory is as in investigator for the Labor Commission. She meets Ollie Moore who is working as a janitor there. They disagree on child labor laws, but soon both bond with a family of young children in need.

The ending is one of my favorites, too, but I won't reveal more about it except to say it shows how God works everything out even better than we could have imagined. (Ephesians 3:20) This book has just been released, so hurry and buy or order a copy!

A review copy was sent to my by the publisher, but all comments are solely my own.

Rose's Book Review of With Autumn's Return by Amanda Cabot

Just finished another great historical book this past week--With Autumn's Return by Amanda Cabot. This is the third book in a series, and I hadn't read the other two, but there was enough info to cue me in that this book was about the third sister. For those who read the first two books, there is a reunion in the epilogue. But, you can definitely enjoy this book if you haven't read the others, although you may want to because Ms. Cabot has an engaging way of writing historicals.

This book has romance and much more.  The heroine, Dr. Elizabeth Harding moves to Cheyenne, Wyoming, to open her medical practice. The hero, Jason Nordling, is a lawyer with his office right next door to hers. In spite of their contrary opinions on several things, they grow in admiration for each other. You'll enjoy the twists and turns of their romance.

The story starts with one murder and ends with another that almost leads to a third death. Read this book to find out who the murderer and the one who is almost murdered is. Highly recommend!

Although this book was sent by the publisher as a review copy, these comments are all my own.

Book Giveaway--A Christmas Homecoming by MaryAnn Diorio

Sorry I am late posting this month's book giveaway. I read this book over a year ago, and the author MaryAnn Diorio sent me an extra copy a couple weeks ago to use as a giveaway. I am sharing the review I wrote last year to explain that even though it has a Christmas setting, this story of forgiveness and love is good any time of the year. I hope you will read the review then leave a comment before February 1st when we will pick a winner. Then you can read the book now or wait til next Dec., and maybe even give it away as a gift. To be eligible you have to leave a comments with an email address and have a US mailing address.
Review:
I started A Christmas Homecoming one evening and finished it the next morning by lunch because I couldn't wait to find out how it would end! Although the beginning of the story is filled with quite a bit of drama and angst, I was pleased to find a happy ending since that is the kind of books I love to read and write. This heart-warming story overflows with forgiveness--both giving and receiving it.

Think of it as a Hallmark movie with so much conflict you are not sure how the author can pull it all together that then culminates with an ending so happy your eyes are filled with tears of joy. And all wrapped up in a nice holiday package on Christmas Day.