Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Alexis Goring Love in Pictures

Love in Pictures

Alexis A. Goring

About the Book
Wedding photographer Michelle Hadley has a passion for diversity and believes that love comes in all colors. So, she’s working hard to convince editors to feature her clients’ images on the covers of the mainstream bridal and wedding magazines.
Despite having a career that focuses on celebrating forever love, Michelle has never actually been in a romantic relationship, and she’s not looking for love, until she meets the one man she cannot forget. 
Since his fiancée broke his heart, Logan Emerson’s focus has been on his career. He’s won awards for his work as a print journalist and dreams of greater success on television as a broadcast journalist. But his personal struggle presents many challenges that might prevent his dreams from coming true.
Michelle doesn’t date often, and since his heartbreak, Logan has shied away from the dating scene. But something about Michelle awakens Logan’s desire to love again.

Forget Me Not Romances, June 2018
eBook $2.99
Print $8.49
Buy on Amazon


A Brief Interview with the Author



Alexis, what do you love about this book?

I love that I was able to explore my passion for wedding photography, broadcast journalism, good food, and Italy in this book!



Introduce us to your hippest side character.

Cameron is the “hippest side character” in this story. He’s Logan’s best friend and he calls it like he sees it. He doesn’t shy away from giving Logan honest answers when it comes to conflicts that Logan is experiencing in his quest to win Michelle’s heart and the approval of Michelle’s family.



Best of all, Cameron is a true friend. He’s good for Logan and very helpful.



What do you hope readers will tell others when they’re finished with the book?

I hope that readers will tell others that this is a good book that both challenged the way that they may have thought about different real-life issues like interracial dating, and encouraged their heart.



What are your favorite types of stories to read during the holidays?

My favorite type of stories to read during the holidays is Christmas stories by my favorite authors! Even better, I love watching Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel!



What’s next for you?

I’m working on book number four which is a story that focuses on food, forgiveness, Paris (France) and romance.




About the Author

Alexis A. Goring is a passionate writer with a degree in Print Journalism and an MFA in Creative Writing. She loves the art of storytelling and hopes that her stories will connect readers with the enduring, forever love of Jesus Christ.






“God is Love” blog: http://capturingtheidea.blogspot.com

Monday, December 10, 2018

Karen Cogan holiday treat new romance



Made For Each Other, Grandma Mandy Book 1
Karen Cogan
Contemporary Inspirational Romance series
Karen Cogan Books, release: December 1
E-book $2.99

Buy on Amazon 

About the Book:
When Lissa arrives in Farmington, Grandma is recovering from a mild illness. Her artist friend, Jason, picks Lissa up from the airport. Though their attraction to one another is immediate, Lissa refuses to be tempted into romance with a man in Jason’s occupation. She has been influenced by her mother to believe anyone in a creative job has the potential for ruin and starvation. These childhood teachings drove Lissa to actions for which she now carries a guilty secret. Although Jason is handsome and considerate, Lissa is wary and feels it is better to have a husband with a secure job than one who is at the mercy of public trends.

Jason is determined not to fall for another committed career woman, and risk the pain of breaking up, as he did with his former fiancé. Taking second place to his wife’s work is not what he wants in a marriage. In addition, he takes his faith seriously and worries about Lissa’s ambivalent relationship with God.

Will past experiences stand in the way of their relationship or will they grow together to find true love?

A brief interview with the Author:
Karen, what do you love about this story?
In MADE FOR EACH OTHER, I love how the romance develops over the course of the story to resolve the trust issues of Jason and Lissa.

Share one or two things you learned about the subject.
You can’t force romance to develop. It has to come naturally from the needs and character traits of the characters.

Introduce us to your most influential sidekick.
My most influential sidekick is my little dog who lies on the floor sleeping near my feet. He always trusts I’ll come up with and answer for anything. Such unconditional trusts spills over to everything, including an answer when I get stuck in a plot.

What do I want readers to tell others when they’ve finished?
I want them to tell others that God has a plan for every life and He will lead us into the right decisions if we wait and trust.

What are you reading right now?
I am reading Dean Koontz’s The Crooked Staircase because I love his way with words and his exciting plot twists.

What’s next?
I will be working on releasing the second book in the Grandma Mandy Series. MADE FOR EACH OTHER is the first book. LANDSCAPE OF LOVE is the second and will be a free download.

About the Author: 
Karen was born and reared in Houston, Texas. While still loyal to her home state, she enjoys the beautiful scenery of New Mexico, where she now lives with her family and a myriad of pets. http://karencogan.com/

Saturday, December 8, 2018

Holiday Read Mistletoe Melody



Mistletoe Melody
Stacey Weeks
From White Rose, an imprint of Pelican Ventures LLC
A Christmas Holiday Extravaganza novella
$2.99
Buy on Amazon
Buy on Barnes and Noble

About the Book
A former musician, Melody Staff, spends Christmas at a bed and breakfast in the village of Mistletoe Meadows. While everyone sings familiar carols of Christ drawing near, Melody stumbles over misplaced notes. Her recent diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis has scared off her fiancé and thrust her life into a grand pause. Will her heart ever sing again? Quentin Oxford has endured a devastating year. His preteen daughter suffered a stroke, and they’ve grieved his wife’s sudden death, but the Lord coaxes a surprising refrain from Quentin’s heart as God rewrites his and Melody’s score into a love song.

From the Author:
Tell us why Mistletoe is part of your Christmas story.
Every business in the tourist town of Mistletoe Meadows uses Mistletoe in some way. The town website highlights things like The Mistletoe Mile: a mile walk that winds all around the quaint Christmasy town. The trail leads followers through stores and businesses decked out with various kinds of mistletoe and holiday decor. Each one offers some trivia on mistletoe, some samples to take home for Christmas decorating, or berries to plant in your own in a host tree. One even serves Mistletoe Tea. The Mistletoe Mile ends at the bed and breakfast, Mistle Manor, in a giant gazebo built from tree trunks covered in vines and mistletoe. The website claims it is famous for Christmas proposals. Other events and business names included in this story are Mistletoe Teas and Mistletoe Talks. 

What would you like your readers to know about Christmas after reading your story?
I hope readers come away with a fresh understanding that Jesus came to us that first Christmas so He could later take care of our greatest need, finding forgiveness through His death and hope in His resurrection. Melody Staff struggles with God's role in her pain. Eventually, she comes to this conclusion: “I had never thought of it that way before.” Melody picked up the conversation as soon as he clicked his seatbelt. “About God, speaking from afar, then sending messengers, then finally, Jesus coming to reach me, to give me the courage and desire to reach out to him." ... “Jesus came to me. Not to make my life perfect, but to walk with me through the pain.”

What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
I love our tradition of staying in our jammies on Christmas and having a big family dinner. We stay home, allowing our children a day of relaxation and play. But every one in our extended family is invited to join us if they desire. 
 
About the Author
Stacey Weeks is the multi-award-winning author of Glorious Surrender (2016), inspirational romances The Builder’s Reluctant Bride (2016), Mistletoe Melody (2018), and inspirational romantic suspense novels In Too Deep (2017), and Fatal Homecoming (2019). Stacey lives in Ontario where she speaks at women’s conferences, teaches writing and Bible study workshops, and writes about the things of the Lord. www.staceyweeks.com


Friday, December 7, 2018

Christmas Extravaganza with Annette O'Hare



About the Book
Will Margaret’s prayers for a child of her own be answered this Christmas or does God have something else in store? After five years of marriage, Margaret’s prayers for a baby have gone unanswered. When she and her husband, Thomas travel to Boston to help his ailing father, Margaret happens upon a desperate young woman, sick and lying in the street heavy with child. Unable to simply ignore the woman, Margaret makes the decision to take the woman in. Condemned for her decision to help a woman of ill repute, Margaret does what she knows is right—even if doing the right thing sometimes has life-altering consequences.

$2.99 eBook
Buy on Amazon

My review:
Child of Light is a precious tale of a woman who gives everything of herself to others, yet is denied her heart’s desire for a child of her own. In the harshness of rebuilding society after America’s Civil War, Margaret, a southern girl, spends fall and Christmas of 1870 with her Yankee husband’s family in Boston, helping them in ways that tear her heartstrings. Her father-in-law was injured on the job and reluctantly, if cheerfully, accepts her help, only to remind her of the happy home she left in Texas. Her sister-in-law is expecting a fourth child and accepts Margaret’s help caring for the household. Though happy to help, her nieces and nephew remind her of the emptiness of her cradle. Even the news from home hurts when Margaret learns her younger newly married sister is going to have a baby.

When Margaret, unlike others on the street, can’t bring herself to step over a woman obviously in need, she risks her job and the health of everyone around her with potential contagion by rendering aid. Margaret’s compassion in offering their home is rewarded in ways she never thought possible.

This sweet novella is told from Margaret’s point of view, and is a well-painted picture of historic Boston with its shortcomings and luxuries. Child of Light is just the right size for a quick holiday reading break.

A brief interview with the Author
      Introduce us to the Christmas holiday tradition in your book’s community.
Child of Light takes place in Boston, MA during the Christmas of 1870. Margaret and her husband, Thomas moves to Boston from South Texas after Thomas’s father suffers an injury. Everything about Boston is foreign to Margaret, including the frigid temperatures there. While in Boston, Margaret and Thomas follow the week-by-week celebration of Advent. I would like my readers to see that when we face uncertain times in unfamiliar places, especially during the holidays, keeping up with the traditions we are accustomed to can be a soothing balm and also helps us to remember to keep Christ first. And by praying for the hope, love, joy, and peace of advent, we allow God an opportunity to reveal himself in our lives at Christmastime.

      What would you like your readers to know about Christmas after reading your story?
After reading Child of Light, I would like my readers to believe that miracles really can and do happen, especially at Christmas. What better time for a miracle to take place than during the celebration of the birth of the Christ Child, the King of Kings!

What is your favorite family Christmas tradition?
Three years ago my family started a new Christmas tradition of choosing a theme for our celebration. Our first year’s theme was The Reindeer Games and consisted of fun games, contests and competitions, including each family member creating their own elf name. The following year we celebrated Christmas in Mexico. We adorned our home with colorful Mexican decorations and ate tamales and guacamole with all the works. Last year’s theme was A Cajun Christmas. Family members wore overalls, and we enjoyed eating delicious boudin balls and seafood gumbo. I can hardly wait for this year as we celebrate A Hawaiian Christmas. So…Mele Kalikimaka y’all!

About the Author
Annette O’Hare is an award-winning author of inspirational historical romance. Her love for history shines through in her novels. As a member of the Christian Author Network, American Christian Fiction Writers and ACFW The Woodlands, Annette desires to reveal God’s love to her readers while hopefully giving them a laugh or two. Annette and husband Dan of thirty-three years live in Porter, Texas and enjoy fishing on the Texas Gulf Coast and spending time with their two sons, a daughter, a daughter-in-law, two lovable rescue dogs, three grand-dogs, and a Russian tortoise named Frankie.



Thursday, December 6, 2018

Holiday Read Mistletoe MixUp



Mistletoe Mix-Up
Jody Day
From White Rose, an imprint of Pelican Ventures LLC
A Christmas Holiday Extravaganza novella
$2.99
Buy on Amazon 
About the Book
Mistletoe Mix-up - Evan Edwards faces another lonely Christmas in the dorm. His mom is on her fourth, or maybe it's her fifth, honeymoon. A rain-soaked ad promises free room and board in exchange for holiday decorating. Evan jumps at the chance to spend Christmas in a cozy home. The owners won't even be there until Christmas Day, so he'll have plenty of time to practice their piano for his graduation recital. He heads for Candle, Tx. Across the street, Rise' Larkin, also home from college for the holidays, has some bad news for her widowed father.

As Evan and Rise's friendship grows, Evan wonders if he might have a future with a family of his own. Evan realizes, nearly too late, that he's been living in, and decorating the wrong house! Will this crazy mistletoe mix-up ruin his Christmas, or possibly, even his future?

From the Author
Tell us why Mistletoe is part of your Christmas story.
Honestly, the theme of this story is a super crazy mix-up at Christmas time, and with a hint of romance, Mistletoe was the logical choice.

What would you like your readers to know about Christmas after reading your story?
Evan has retreated into his music to hide from his sad life. Music is the only thing that has never let him down. His one experience with church was a disaster. I hope readers will learn through Evan's experience in this book that God loved him all time, even when Evan didn't know him, and that God has a purpose for his life.

What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
Our family has a tradition of coming over to decorate my tree. Even though all six children have their own households now, they still come, along with 14 grandchildren, to deck the halls. My husband serves his special red hot punch, and jalapeno cheese roll. One day we'll have decorations above the bottom half of the tree, but in the meantime, it's so much fun.

About the Author
Jody Bailey Day writes inspirational fiction from her home in West Texas. She is the author of the
Washout Series from The Pelican Book Group. She enjoys her job at the local library, and when not working or writing, can be found crocheting candy corn action figures to go with her children's book Yellow Bottom Bob, spending time with her grandchildren, or watching silent movies with her husband of 33 years.

Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Christmas Passed Holiday Read with Anita Klumpers



About the Book
Dinah loves Christmas. She loves history, the old Wagner House, and the elderly women working to preserve its heritage. She loves almost everything except Mick Wagner, her childhood nemesis.

But if they want to save the Wagner House and solve a mystery that's been hiding in the attic for almost eighty years, they'll have to join forces. And they have to do it quickly, before one of them dies trying.

$2.99
Buy on Amazon 

A brief interview with the Author:
Introduce us to the Christmas holiday tradition/festival in your book’s community.

            The Wagner House Winter Wonderland celebration is at the center of “Christmas Passed.” Meant as a fundraiser for a neighborhood historical society in Milwaukee, the extravaganza takes place in the Wagner House, a catalogue home built the early 20th century.
            As Dinah, our bookish heroine says, “Everyone does Victorian Christmas, but I’ve never seen one decorated as it would have been in the thirties.”
            The opening night party features foods that would have been popular in those years just before World War Two. Plum pudding and stuffed olives, sweet potato puffs and spiced applesauce, marmalades and mince pies—does that make your mouth water? I’m in the fence
            Dinah has grand ideas to pipe pre-war Christmas carols through the old kitchen radio, let guests string popcorn and cranberries to decorate the enormously spindly tree, and outfit the wait staff in serving uniforms from the 1930s.
            Dinah’s grand ideas don’t always turn out as she planned. Will the Winter Wonderland celebration be another failure? Maybe…

My Review:
The bane of Dinah Braun’s childhood holds the keys-literally-to a fascinating neighborhood secret two generations old.

Combining two of her passions, Dinah agrees to photograph her favorite local historic home being outfitted for a rare Christmas open house fundraiser. Along the way, she and the grandson of the neighbors she knew, now grown-up college professor Mickey Wagner, realize their teenage misconceptions of each other and maybe themselves are easily overcome by simply taking a step back and not jumping to outlandish convictions.

Mick is in for big surprises, both internal and familial, as he reacquaints himself with his family heritage through the eyes of the girl he once considered an annoying Miss Know-it-all. Realizing Dinah has some rather important qualities he lacks is humbling.


This short, sweet holiday read has a lot of twists amid the sweet sense of discovery. Fun especially for those who enjoy romances and mystery and a little history, Christmas Passed is a single point-of-view tale for the reader of quirky, believable Midwestern sensibilities.

About the Author
            Anita Klumpers is Midwest born and bred, except for a brief and exhilarating few years in Denver when she was small. She received a teaching degree sometime in the previous millennium and used it mostly to homeschool her three sons. These days Anita chases her grandchildren around, waving books at them and suggesting everyone cuddle up for a good story.
            Good stories are her passion, especially if they are well-written, have a dose of humor, just a tickle of romance, and a decidedly non-gory mystery. On the other hand, she lists “Frankenstein” and “Fahrenheit 451” as two of her favorite books. Go figure.
            Creating skits was Anita’s first foray into writing. Always up for a challenge and a reason to postpone defrosting the freezer, she tried her hand at a full-length novel. It only took five years, but she did it!
            Daily (honestly) she marvels at how much she loves coffee and her husband; her family, friends and church. Even more, she is astonished at how much she is loved by her Lord and Savior.
            Her blog is “The Tuesday Prude” and she’s had two books published by Pelican/Prism Books (“Winter Watch” and “Hounded.”)
“Christmas Passed” is due December 2018 and “Buttonholed” is contracted with Pelican/Prism Books.

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Lillian Duncan I LOVE CHRISTMAS 12 days giveaway

It's Holiday Extravaganza Week
Welcome Lillian Duncan!

*******

I Love Christmas!
I love Christmas!
At my house, we clear off the enclosed porch and put up Christmas trees and other decorations. We’ve had as many as 14, but never fewer than 8 or 9. It’s a lot of work but it’s also a lot of fun.
I love Christmas!
Which is probably why I have published several Christmas novels. It’s so much fun to come up with a plot that involves romance, suspense, and Christmas along with a Christmas message. This year, I got really inspired and actually have two new Christmas stories available—A Rock & Roll Christmas and A Christmas Stolen.
A Rock & Roll Christmas features a rock & roll star, of course. Someone wants megastar, Johnny Rocker, dead. It’s Maddie Cotton’s job to make sure that doesn’t happen. Even under Maddie’s protection the threats continue. As Christmas approaches the danger escalates. This was a really fun story to write.

On a more serious note, A Christmas Stolen is about a newborn baby that’s abducted and the search to find the baby. But don’t worry too much—I believe in happy endings, especially at Christmas!


Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway!

To celebrate Christmas, I’m having A Twelve Days of Christmas celebration on my blog, Tiaras & Tennis Shoes at www.lillian-duncan.com. On 12 different days during December, I’ll be giving away a gift. Leave a comment for each day to win that day’s gift as well as be entered for the grand prize. If you leave a comment each day, that gives you 12 entries for the grand prize!
Grand prize will be a $25 Amazon gift card plus your choice of one of my e-books! So hop on over to www.lillian-duncan.com for your chance to win.

A Christmas Stolen 
Christmas is the best time of the year until evil comes knocking.


Danica Jordan's is looking forward to her first Christmas with her newborn niece, but when she arrives home, she finds an open door and an empty crib. Searching the house, she discovers her sister asleep in her room. Panic sets in when the two sisters realize Baby Angelica’s been abducted. 

With the baby abducted, Christmas stolen, and an investigation in full swing, Danica comes face to face with the two men who ruined her life. 

This Christmas could be ruined, or Danica could realize that Christmas isn’t a thing but a symbol of God’s love that can never be stolen—no matter the circumstances.

Review by Lisa Lickel:
Lilian Duncan’s contemporary Christmas romance showcases the best and worst of people. Forgiveness has been long withheld between Danica Jordan and her high school love, Connor McDonald. When Danica returns to her Ohio hometown years after a graduation night fiasco, she finds life has gone on without her, and shockingly for the very-much better. She’s come home reluctantly from Florida to meet her miracle niece, only to find her sister Leah and darling Angelica have been victimized.

Worse yet, in her nightmare reality, all the bad guys from high school have turned into super knights in shining armor—bearing the armor of God. And she thought she’d left all that behind her.

On a personal hunt to help her sister, Danica realizes she’s not the only one who’s been fleeing from her past. While she’s run physically across the county, Connor has stayed to work out his own demons. When the two of them unite to help Leah and her family, old sparks are reignited…but for the best? Or worst?


Bad guys, babies, and Santas make this Christmas the most memorable miraculous Christmas ever for the Jordan sisters. Readers of bite-size inspirational holiday romance will adore this tale of true love, faithfully changed lives, and forgiveness.
$3.99

Buy on Amazon
A Rock & Roll Christmas

Someone wants mega rock & roll star, Johnny Rocker, dead. It’s Maddie Cotton’s job to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Johnny Rocker believes he’s doesn’t need anyone or anything—especially God because after all he is a rock & roll god. When the floor beneath his feet crumbles—literally—he hurtles toward a different truth.
Since the death of Maddie Cotton’s family, she’s run from life and love. With God’s help, she’s ready to step out of her comfort zone and into a different life. But when her boss asks—no begs—her to take on one last job, she finds it hard to refuse.
Even under Maddie’s protection the threats continue. As Christmas approaches the danger escalates—someone doesn’t want Johnny Rocker to celebrate A Rock & Roll Christmas.
$2.99
Buy on Amazon

About Lil
Lillian Duncan…turning faith into fiction.

Even though her books cross genres, they have one thing in common, faith-based stories that show God’s love and lots of action. OK—that’s two things. She believes in the power of words to change lives, especially God’s Word.