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Welcome to the 1st John 3:16 Giveaway Blog Hop! As one of the members of this great network of Christian Authors, I am excited to participate in this event! We have come together this week to showcase our books and to give you, our readers, a chance to win some great prizes as you "hop" from blog to blog. A different prize is offered at each blog site (no purchase necessary), however if you want to have a chance to win one of two Kindles the network is giving away, the only requirement is that you sign up for the John 3:16 ezine newsletter. (Located ABOVE and at the top right side column of the John 3:16 blog site.)

(See official rules here.)

At the other blogs, each author will require that you leave a comment (and a valid email address) so they may contact you if you win a prize offered on their blog site. May I also suggest that you show your love and appreciation to each blog host by either following them on Twitter, or "liking" them on Facebook or even subscribing to their blog. It won't help your odds of winning a prize but I know each author would be thrilled and very encouraged!

BLOG PARTICIPANTS : (If you leave a comment here and please join my blogger network if you'd like, I'll enter you in a drawing for a $10 Starbucks card. I only need a follow-up e-mail (name-at-address.com). 

So tell your friends about the John 3:16 Giveaway Blog Hop! It's going to be a great week of fun! Just click on the links below to go from blog to blog! Happy hoppin'! Blog Hop Participants:

Blog Hop Participants:

1. Lorilyn Roberts (John 3:16 Blog) – http://john316mn.blogspot.com/
2. Lynn Dove – Word Salt (Host blog) - http://wordsalt.wordpress.com/
3. Laura J. Davis - http://interviewsandreviews.blogspot.com/
4. Paulette Harper - http://www.pauletteharperjohnson.blogspot.com/
5. Carol A. Brown - http://connectwithcarolbrown.blogspot.com/
6. April Gardner - http://www.aprilwgardner.com/
7. Sue Russell – http://www.suerussellsblog.blogspot.com/
8. Thomas Blubaugh - http://tomblubaugh.net/
9. Susan F. Craft – http://historicalfictionalightintime.blogspot.com/
10. Heather Bixler – http://heatherbixler.com/
11. Joy Hannabass – http://splashesofjoy.wordpress.com/
12. Deborah Bateman - http://www.DeborahHBateman.com
13. Kimberley Payne - http://www.fitforfaith.blogspot.com/
14. Rose McCauley – http://www.rosemccauley.blogspot.com
15. Lisa Lickel - http://livingourfaithoutloud.blogspot.com/
16. Alice J. Wisler - http://www.alicewisler.blogspot.com/
17. Amanda Stephan - http://www.thepriceoftrust.com/
18. Saundra Dalton – http://gracetolivefree.blogspot.com/
19. Tracy Krauss - http://www.tracykraussexpressionexpress.com/
20. Ashley Wintters - http://ashleyschristianbookreviews.blogspot.com/
21. Deborah McCarragher - http://www.godmissionpossible.blogspot.com/
22. Lorilyn Roberts - http://lorilynroberts.blogspot.com/
23. Anita Estes - http://anita-thoughtsonchristianity.blogspot.com/
24. Martin Roth – http://www.military-orders.com
25. Kenneth Winters – http://www.lostcrownofcolonnade.com/
26. Eddie Snipes – http://www.eddiesnipes.com/
27. Diane Tatum - http://tatumlight-tatumsthoughts4today.blogspot.com/
28. Janalyn Voigt - http://janalynvoigt.com/
29. Alberta Sequeira – http://www.albertasequeira.wordpress.com/
30. Tammy Hill – http://tammyhillbooks.blogspot.com/p/blog-hop.html
31. Marcia Laycock – http://www.writer-lee.blogspot.com/
32. Nike Chillemi - http://nikechillemi.wordpress.com/
33. Elaine Marie Cooper - http://wp.me/PVo1a-1vM
34. Sidney W. Frost - http://christianbookmobile.blogspot.ca/2012/05/welcome-to-john-316-giveaway-blog-hop.html
35. Jairus B. King – http://ministerjking.blogspot.com
36. Bill Burt - http://kotbooks.blogspot.com/
37. Kathy Eberly - http://authorkathyeberly.blogspot.com/
38. Bob Saffrin - http://bobsaffrin.com/
39. Theresa Franklin - http://theresa-lifesjourney.blogspot.com/
40. Ray Lincoln - http://blog.raywlincoln.com/
41. Lilly Maytree - http://www.lillymaytree.blogspot.com/
42. Yvonne Pat Wright - http://www.spicetoeternity.co.uk/1/post/2012/05/come-blog-hopping-with-john-316-marketing-network-members-for-gifts-and-prizes.html
43. Pauline Creeden - http://fatfreefaith.blogspot.com/
44. Katherine Harms - http://livingontilt.wordpress.com
45. Brenda Wood - http://heartfeltdevotionals.wordpress.com/
46. Deborah Malone - http://deborahsbutterflyjourney.blogspot.com/
47. Melissa Main – http://www.mainwriters.com/
48. Kevin Main - http://mainchristianbooks.com/
49. Sandy Humphrey - http://www.kidscandoit.com/blog/
50. Felice Gerwitz - http://www.writingandpublishingblog.com/
51. Hallee Bridgeman - http://www.bridgemanfamily.com/hallee
52. Lisa Mills - http://www.authorlisamills.com/blog/

What's New At AllWriters'?

Want to write fiction? Want to write memoir? Want to write poetry? Learn how at AllWriters’ – in one day! WAUKESHA – Amazing author and teacher Jesse Lee Kercheval comes to AllWriters’ and does the impossible! Kercheval herself writes it all – fiction, memoir, poetry – and in one day, she’s going to teach you how as well! In Miniature Madness: A One Day Workshop in Three Genres, Kercheval encourages writers to do it all! This workshop uses in-class exercises to write miniature, but whole short-short stories, memoir pieces and poems. Designed to be supportive, productive and helpful for every level of writer, beginner to advanced, this one-day class is especially suited to writers who want to explore a new genre or to shake up and revitalize their writing by taking on new challenges. A one-page writing assignment (along with a helpful set of examples to read and inspire) will be sent in advance so students can hit the ground running (and writing). Be prepared to have your writing take off! Miniature Madness will take place on May 12, 2012, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This event has a fee of $85, which includes lunch, catered by Café de Art! You can register by calling 262-446-0284, or going online at www.allwriters.org., click on Celebrity Saturdays. AllWriters’ is located at 234 Brook St., Unit 2, in Waukesha. JESSE LEE KERCHEVAL is the author of eleven books of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Her most recent books include the short novel Brazil, winner of the Ruthanne Wiley Novella Memorial Contest; the poetry collection Cinema Muto, winner of a Crab Orchard Open Selection Award; and The Alice Stories, winner of the the Prairie Schooner Fiction Book Prize. Her first story collection The Dogeater won the Associated Writing Programs Award in Short Fiction. Space, her memoir about growing up near Cape Kennedy during the moon race, won an Alex Award from the American Library Association. Her other books include The Museum of Happiness, Dog Angel, World as Dictionary and the writing textbook Building Fiction,. She is the Sally Mead Hands Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she was the founding director of the MFA Program in Creative Writing. AllWriters’ Workplace and Workshop offers on-site and online writing courses in all genres and abilities of creative writing, as well as coaching, editing, and marketing services. Kathie Giorgio Director, AllWriters' Workplace & Workshop LLC Author, "The Home For Wayward Clocks" 234 Brook St., Unit 2 Waukesha WI 53188 Phone: (262) 446-0284 AllWriters' Website: www.allwriters.org Kathie's Website: www.kathiegiorgio.org

Book Review: The Discovery by Dan Walsh

The Discovery
By Dan Walsh
Contemporary romance
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group
April 2012
ISBN: 9780800719814
$14.99

The best of contemporary and historical blend

Michael Warner’s family history goes no further back than famous author grandfather Gerard Warner. That fact never bothered Michael until his sister, Marilyn, makes a scene at the reading of Gramps’ will.

Then he was exasperated. When Gramps’ literary agent offers a ghost-written book deal for an exclusive biography, Michael gets nervous. He’d grown up both loving and in awe of Gramps, and it seems disrespectful trying to pry information out of the grave. Marilyn says their grandfather promised the secret of their family tree would come out after his death. But do they really want to know?

Michael’s bride, Jenn, suggests he use their inherited wealth and new home in Charleston, Gramps’ estate, to look around, see if there isn’t something he can find about the family while she’s away packing up their Florida apartment. Michael doesn’t need much encouragement and not long after he discovers Gramps’ typewriter case is more than what it appears. Gerard Warner’s life and reputation is left in Michael’s hands. Will he do the right thing?

The Discovery reveals a little-discussed, little-known case of espionage and terrorism in the United States during World War II. Mind-control, loyalty, fear, espionage and collusion would win Hitler new territory, or fail the Third Reich. But which part did Gerard Warner take? Hero to the Reich, or Hero to the US? And why?

An Impossible Love, Gramps’ last unpublished manuscript, can either bond the family or ruin the beloved image of long-time internationally-best-selling author, along with Michael’s dreams and desires to follow in his beloved Grandfather’s writing footsteps.

This is my favorite book of Dan Walsh’s. His style has matured to the point where he can wrap his readers in a soft old comforter and set us in front of a fire and weave a mesmerizing tale of the love of a good woman able to turn the world on an edge. Walsh has become comfortable in his ability to let his characters speak for themselves, even when they’re telling someone else’s story. “Say you’re going to make something of your life. Do something meaningful. Cure some disease. Break some work record. But don’t do it as Ben Coleman or Gerhard…whatever your last name is.”

Good advice for anyone in any age. Walsh is always spot-on with research and life during the era. This book felt less like a report and let us live his characters and their discoveries. Both a contemporary love story and historical, Walsh blends today and yesterday in luscious southern charm.

This post originally appeared on Bookshelf on Tilt


Meet Marcia Lacock, author of newly-released novel A Tumbled Stone
Posted on April 25, 2012

Katherine was thrilled to introduce her readers to Marcia Laycock, winner of the Best New Canadian Christian Author Award for her novel, One Smooth Stone. As her newest book, A Tumbled Stone is released, she took the opportunity to ask her a few questions.

 

Katherine: Marcia, both of your books examine a major contemporary cultural issue. One side of the issue calls it “A woman’s right to choose.” The other side of the issue calls it “The human right to life.” It is a prickly subject both politically and socially. Why do you want to write about this subject?

Marcia: I believe this subject is close to the heart of God. He is always concerned about those who cannot speak for themselves or defend themselves. An unborn child is the epitome of this demographic. Unfortunately it is a subject that is too often swept under the rug, to use a cliché, and the innocent continue to suffer. I also wanted people to try to understand the stresses and difficulties a person with an unwanted pregnancy feels. I hope that after reading A Tumbled Stone the reader will have more compassion for these women.

Katherine: How did you come to be a writer?

Marcia: I started writing short stories and poems for my dolls. They didn’t complain so I kept it up. Then my aunt gave me a copy of Emily of New Moon for my eleventh birthday. I discovered you could call yourself a writer and determined that someday that’s what I’d be. It took many years but I published my first short story in 1990 and began writing articles for a local paper about that same time. I self published a compilation of my column in 2002 (a second edition was recently released), a second devotional book in 2005 and then my novel, One Smooth Stone won me the Best New Canadian Christian Author Award and was published. The sequel, A Tumbled Stone was just released by Word Alive Press.

Katherine: Tell us how you come up with characters. 

Marcia: Characters often grow out of something I hear or see. For instance, the main character in One Smooth Stone developed after a woman asked me a profound question – “Can you imagine what it would be like for someone to discover that his mother had tried to abort him?” I did imagine and the character of Alex Donnelly emerged. He’s very much a composite of many people I knew while living in the Yukon, in Canada’s western Arctic.

Andrea, the main character in A Tumbled Stone, developed slowly as the book unfolded. She too is a composite of many people I’ve known, young women in search of their own identities who struggle to make the right choices in their lives.

Katherine: Where do you write?

Marcia: I share an office in our home with my husband who is a pastor. We’re church planting right now, so we don’t have a church building where my husband would ordinarily go to work each day. It’s been an interesting adjustment and a challenge for us both as we sit back to back at our computers.

Katherine: What accomplishment(s) are you most proud of, writing-related or not?

Marcia: I’m probably most proud and humbled of the fact that my husband and I, in spite of all our flaws somehow managed to raise three wonderful daughters who are a joy to us in many ways. God’s grace is evident in their lives and I’m very thankful for them. There was a time when I believed I would never have children (see my website for the story) so to have three beautiful daughters and now two great sons-in-law continues to amaze me.

Katherine: In your opinion, what is the greatest danger or pitfall in the life of a writer?

Marcia: Believing that it’s your talent that changes lives. I’ve had many people tell me amazing stories about how something I wrote changed them in some way. It’s important to remember that only God can do that. He uses our words to affect His purposes. We’re just being obedient in putting the words on paper. It’s an incredible privilege and blessing to be used in that way.

Katherine: Why did you choose to write this book?

Marcia: To be honest, initially it was because I had to write a sequel! But then as the book and the main character began to take shape in my head I got excited about what I could do with it. I wanted to write a book about a young woman struggling with an unwanted pregnancy and this gave me the opportunity.

Katherine: What one thing about writing do you wish other non-writers would understand?

Marcia: That writing is a ministry. It’s a hidden ministry that takes hours of sitting in a room alone but the end result can be lives changed for Christ.

Katherine: Tell me a little about A Tumbled Stone.

Marcia: Andrea Calvert had to run away. She couldn’t stay on the farm, shaming her parents. She couldn’t face being pregnant and alone. She would take care of this on her own. As she struggles to make life-changing decisions, Andrea discovers a diary and the wrenching story about her family’s dysfunction.

Katherine: How does this book minister to readers?

Marcia: I hope A Tumbled Stone will prove to be a healing book both to those who may have had an abortion or are considering one, as well as to those who feel passionately about this topic. I hope the readers will come to a deeper understanding of God’s grace and mercy that is extended to all of us.

Katherine: If I met you in an airport where we shared coffee over a table in a crowded food court, what would you want me to remember about you as we hurried to our separate gates to board our flights?

Marcia: I guess I would hope that you would remember me as a gracious person willing to listen and understand.

+ + +
The more I learn about the author of A Tumbled Stone the more I see the way scripture shapes her work. Marci’s favorite scripture is “Let us consider therefore how we may spur one another on to love and good deeds.” (Hebrew 10:24) This verse inspired the name of her blog and much of the direction of her books.

Learn more about Marcia at her website www.vinemarc.com or email her at Marcia@vinemarc.com

View the book trailer for One Smooth Stone: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iz1VG59-Aiw

                                       
You can purchase Marcia’s books at www.vinemarc.com or go to http://tinyurl.com/7xun8nv where you can also purchase any of her books.

Read other Interviews here:
http://connectwithcarolbrown.blogspot.com/
http://lorilynroberts.blogspot.com/2012/04/tumbled-stone-by-marcia-laycock.html

Free Kindle Book: Moses, Steps to a Life of Faith

Having trouble viewing this email? http://www.amazon.com/Moses-Steps-Life-Faith-ebook 
 Get your free Kindle ebook Thursday, April 26, through Saturday, April 28.

     



Free Kindle book by a John 316 Marketing Network author for your new Kindle reader

To join the John 316 Marketing Network as a reader, click on the link. There will be future free offerings just like this one for subscribers.

Location: To submit application or learn more, click here


Moses, Steps to a Life of Faith 
by  Bob Saffrin

...traces Moses' life showing how God used an ordinary man and shaped the events of his life to bring him to the place where he could be mightily used to accomplish God's purposes. This book is about how God built faith into a man.

God is a dreamer. One day He had a dream and then He thought to Himself, "Who will I get to fulfill this dream?" And then He made you. He created you to fulfill a dream. You are made for a purpose. 

Moses, Steps to a Life of Faith, is about knowing God's dream for your life and believing Him to accomplish it in you. This could be the most exciting thing that's ever happened to you. To enter into God's plan for your life is to become the person He made you to be and to finally find the fulfillment and joy that you have been seeking your whole life.

MOSES, Steps to a Life of Faith 
Treat yourself, you deserve it, and don't miss out on this one-time offer!

Our Price: $00.00 Thursday to Saturday, April 26 to April 28, at Amazon

Get your Free Copy by Clicking on this Link!

I invite those who read the book to post a review on Amazon.

You can reach me by email at bobsaffrin@gmail.com and on my blog 

~Bob Saffrin

About the Author:
Bob Saffrin lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with Barb, his wife of 45 years and their beagle Rocky.  Bob and Barb have two children and four grandchildren. Bob loves the outdoors and has been on many backpacking trips in the rugged Boundary Waters area of Minnesota including winter camping. 
In his 20s, Bob began a fascination with the Bible.  After reading the New Testament several times and convinced that God had died on the cross to save him, Bob asked Jesus into his life and began a wonderful lifelong relationship.  His fascination with the Bible became a love for God and for his word. 

Bob has been teaching and preaching for over 35 years as a Bible teacher and pastor. He has also lead teams to India for short term missions trips for 10 years. Retired from pastoring now, Bob's passion now is to share the insights that God has given him over the years with a broader following using the written word.

 BONUS OFFER

Taste and See, A Sampling of First Chapters 

 free on KINDLE! I can't guarantee for how long, but check it out before it is too late!

Get $2.99 Nook ebook of Taste and See
Get free Kindle ebook of Taste and See
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A Visit With Diana Brandmeyer

Christian author Diana Lesire Brandmeyer writes historical and contemporary romances. She’s also written We’re Not Blended-We’re Pureed, A Survivor’s Guide to Blended Families. Once widowed and now remarried, she writes with humor and experience on the difficulty of joining two families.

Visit her blog

and Twitter @dianabrandmeyer

Facebook 

A Bride’s Dilemma in Friendship, Tennessee

Heaven’s Stolen His Heart

After witnessing the ravages of the Civil War, Travis Logan vowed to give up doctoring. But when fellow steamboat passenger Caleb Wharton collapses at his feet, Travis knows he must lend his aid. As the old man lies dying, he makes Travis promise to take care of his land and find Heaven. Travis can’t help but wonder what Heaven has to do with a real place, so he heads to Caleb’s farm to fulfill his promise.

Weeks of facing marauders and caring for her father’s home have finally taken their toll on Heaven Wharton. When an unknown young man charges the house, Heaven attempts to fire a warning shot but ends up shooting the man instead. Shocked, she and her sister, Angel, drag a semi-conscious Travis into the house and nurse him back to health.

As Travis and Heaven both struggle to control their destinies, will they learn that only a heart that follows God can ever find peace on earth? - Book coming this spring.

We’re Not Blended, We’re Pureed A Survivor’s Guide to Blended Families

By Diana Lesire Brandmeyer and March C. Lintvedt

Can two families learn to cohabitate? In peace? Ever?

Combine:
One widowed mom with two sons.
One widowed dad with one son.
Blend for 20 seconds until right consistency.
But hit the wrong button, and this family is not blended-we’re pureed!
Are you terrified that you’ve turned into a vision of the fairy-tale wicked stepparent?
Do you paste on a smile and pretend your family is a vision of 1950s Main Street America, while at home the battle lines are etched in the driveway and signed with the kid’s initials?
Don’t dismay. God is with you. This engaging, readable book is held together with humor, liberally peppered with informative commentary, and includes clinically sound information and proven communication tools. Find real-world advice to help you when your own words fail.

Holy Humor, Batman!

April is Holy Humor Month 

 

By Deborah DeArmond

 

The month of April is in fact, the time set aside to celebrate a good chuckle, a guffaw or a hearty laugh as part of a faith-filled life. It’s Holy Humor Month!

 

The Bible is clear that God believes humor should be on the agenda as a healthy habit. Proverbs 17:22 NKJ “A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.”

 

The word “laugh” or “laughter” is mentioned in the Bible approximately 200 times. Much of that laughter falls into some categories that do not feed our hearts like medicine. Consider if you will:

• The laugh of unbelief. Sarah, who laughs at the idea of having a child in her 90’s. (Gen 18:11-12, 15)
• The laughter of a fool. God compares the laughter of a fool to the thorns afire beneath a pot – he is so foolish he laughs and doesn’t even see his end coming. (Ecc 7:6)
• The laughter of derision. Often this is related to God’s amusement at the foolishness of man in spiritual things. (Ps 2:1-4, Prov 1:24-26)
• But the fourth type of laughter is a healthy expression and brings to our lives richness, like medicine. He has given us many reasons to laugh! Here are a few good examples of why God’s people can have a good laugh:
• Lack of fear. “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.” (Prov 31:25 NLT)
• Happiness and connection. “Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down.” (Rom 12:15 MSG)
• Joy. “God will let you laugh again; you'll raise the roof with shouts of joy.”  (Job 8:21 MSG)
• Relief. “Good people will watch and worship. They’ll laugh in relief.” (Ps 52:6 MSG)
• God is acting on our behalf. “When the righteous see God in action they'll laugh, they'll sing, they'll laugh and sing for joy.” (Psalm 68:3 MSG)
• Good fortune. “We laughed, we sang, we couldn't believe our good fortune. We were the talk of the nations—'God was wonderful to them!' ” (Ps 126:2 MSG)
• It is a gift to God. “Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence.” (Ps 100:2 MSG)
• There is a time for laughter, according to the Ecclesiastes 3:4 “A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.”

 

In other words, while life here on this planet is no joke, there are times when laughter is appropriate, healthy and pleasing to God. 

 

So tune up those vocal chords and let loose a giggle or guffaw, a chortle or chuckle, a snicker, a snort or a shout. Let it fly and exclaim to the world the JOY of the Lord!

 

Bio: Deborah DeArmond is an experienced and sought-after coach, trainer and speaker, having worked with audiences at all levels. She has 30 years of expertise, training and teaching in the areas of relationship, communication and conflict resolution. Known for her dynamic style and ability to engage her audiences with a sense of fun along with her direct style, Deborah mixes creativity, humor, and insight and delivers her message on point every time.

 

Deborah is co-founder and featured author at MyPurposeNow.org, an online site for Christian women 50+. Additionally she is a featured author for two online magazines, Destiny in Bloom and Living Better at 50. She is a CLASSEMINARS, Inc. graduate.