Last Interview of 2013 with Author Amber Schamel

Hope y'all had a very Merry Christmas and are looking forward to the New Year. Today, I get the privilege of interviewing a new friend over on our group blog, Stitches Thru Time: Last Interview of 2013 with Author Amber Schamel. Come check it out and leave a comment for a chance to win a free book. :)

Merry Christmas!

Amidst the hustle and bustle may we not forget that Jesus is the reason for the season.

Don't know the true story behind Christmas? Read Matthew 1 & Luke 2.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." ~ John 3:16,17 (KJV)

What've You Been Up To?

I know this is a busy time of year for everyone--me included. :) On top of the hustle and bustle, God also helped me finish the rough draft of my latest story. Couldn't have done it without Him. It needs a bit of editing, but I'm loving this new story.

So what's been keeping you hopping? Are you ready for Christmas? Have you finished all your shopping?

My Turn on Stitches Thru Time

Howdy y'all! I decided to host a meet-n-greet today with a new friend of mine, Mary Hamilton. Drop by Stitches Thru Time and leave a comment for a chance to win her newest release, Hear No Evil. We look forward to you joining us. :)

Dead Reckoning---A Review

Every had one of those days where you just want to escape reality? Well, after burying my cousin on Monday, that's what I wanted, so I went in search of a book that I could disappear in. I picked up Ronie Kendig's Dead Reckoning. Not the title you'd have thought I'd pick, huh? Well, I'd heard good things about Ronie, and I needed a story that would draw me in. Needless to say, I started on page one and I was hooked.

Shiloh's story is fast paced and full of twists and turns. I read it in about a day. I was transported to India and even Paris and England. That's definitely far away from home. :) The book has deep-sea divers, spies, terrorists, Green Berets, and even Navy Seals. I loved it, but I will admit that after about three-quarters of the way through the deaths, threats of death, and tactics of the enemy got to be a bit much for me. That might've been linked to all I've dealt with the past week, so take that with a grain of salt.

Honestly, I think if you like a good romantic suspense, you'll enjoy Ronie's Dead Reckoning. Oh, and by the way, "dead reckoning" is actually a navigational/diver term that means "the process of estimating one's current position based upon a previously determined position or fix, and advancing that position based upon known or estimated speeds over elapsed time and course." I wish I'd known this sooner in the story. I found this definition in the discussion questions at the end of the story. :)

So have you disappeared in any good books lately? If so, which one(s)?

More than One Way to Sk---Knit a Scarf

I know. You thought I was gonna say a cat. :) But really, did you know there is more than one way to knit by hand? A way where you're not having to release one needle to move your yarn? Well, there is.

Drop by the Stitches Thru Time blog and check out my post for today to learn more. 

Forgot How Much I Enjoy Suspense

Until this weekend, I'd forgotten how much I enjoy a good, well-written suspense story. Rene Gutteridge's Misery Loves Company was such a great reminder of how Christian Suspense should be written.

Believable characters. Gripping Plot. Well-Woven Message.

The woman in the story is an avid blogger. Jules Belleno posts a book review of her favorite author's newest book saying, "Don’t tell me it’s terrifying. Terrify me." The next day she awakens in a strange room with those words in blood-red striped across the ceiling. The story that follows keeps you glued to the page until the very end.

I look forward to reading more of Rene's books. Grab your copy.

ACFW Conference Fun

Thought I'd share a bit of the fun from this past weekend at the ACFW conference.

 Got to meet my critique partner, Jodie, and one of my new sweet friends, Joy. :) This pic was from the genre dinner.

Got to see Mary Connealy too. :) Such a sweet lady and one of my favorite authors.

 This was the view outside my window--an old theater. :) There was even a sun dial on the front of it.

This was the view going up the glass elevator. So cool :)

 And I can no longer say I have never been on a plane. I've now done it twice . . . and I survived! :D






I'll be posting more pics on my Facebook author page. Stop by to see more. :)

How did you enjoy your weekend?

Live @ ACFW 2013

Check out how the ACFW conference started for me over at Stitches Thru Time today. :)

A Chicken Guarding Chickens - Part II

 So you thought that was it for yesterday's chicken snake experience? Yeah, well, so did I. That is until I went out to close up the chickens last night. The chicken house door was only 6 to 9 inches from being completely closed even though I'd left it wide open earlier. Why was it that way, you ask? Oh, because the chicken snake that I'd shot was dangling part in and part out of the doorway.

Yeah, you guessed it--I did a Texas two-step in the opposite direction. :) I went and found another shovel. (One was leaning by the chicken coop door and much too close to that snake.) There would be no doubt in my mind that snake was completely and thoroughly dead before I came any closer to it. And trust me, if I could've left it there and gotten away with it, I would've, but then some other critter could get to my chickens and the carcass would've drawn them besides.

So what do I do? I throw a chunk of wood at the snake. It didn't move. I inched closer, squeezing the shovel handle in my grip. I closed the chicken house door on the snake. It still didn't move. Yep, it was dead. Using my shovel I scooped up the long critter and chucked it's sorry carcass near the creek.

Laying in bed that night, reflecting on my day's experiences, I came to realize that there is some very freeing and exhilarating about facing and overcoming something that nearly paralyzes you with fear. I also experienced firsthand that when Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" --He really means ALL. :)

Do you have any fears that God has helped you face and overcome? How did it feel to be the victor?

A Chicken Guarding Chickens

Ever seen a woman streak out of a chicken house like her britches were on fire? Well, you would've if you'd seen me this morning. I'd just gone in to check for eggs and lo and behold ... guess what I found? A 3 to 4 ft long chicken snake curled up in the last nest. Ladies and gentlemen, this is why you always, always look before you stick your hand inside a hole of any size in Texas.

Boy, I squealed and took off like a greased pig in a hog scramble. That was so not the way I expected to start my morning. I went inside, called my mom whose only advice was to get the gun... so I did. Still shaking and almost to the point of tears, I grabbed my rifle, and after many moments of peeking in and out at the snake, I finally gathered up my nerve and rid myself of the unwanted critter. My ears rang as I hurried out of that hen house. It took me a few moments to regain my hearing and my courage to go back and see if the job was done. When I finally did, the snake moved--guess what? Yeah, he ate another bullet. :)

To be sure, this event will probably end up as a scene in a book one day.

So how did your morning go? Was it more or less eventful than mine?

130-year-old, Hidden Treasure

What's 130 years old, less than four inches high, and filled with a plethora of things? No clue? Stop over at Stitches Thru Time today and find out. It's my turn on the group blog, and I'm excited to share with you what my grandmother found in a box of possessions that had belonged to her mother. Come on by, and be sure to leave a comment. Every comment this month enters you in the drawing for multiple prizes. Can't wait to see you there. :)

It's My Turn on "Stitches Thru Time"

Hey y'all, it's my turn on the new group blog 24 other writers and I launched just yesterday. :) We have another round of "Guess Who?" going so drop by and see if you can at least guess who's me. We've got a load of great prizes and every comment left puts your name in the hat! So don't wait; come on by and bring a friend. :)

Stitches Thru Time: Guess Who?

Swept Away by Mary Connealy's "Swept Away"

Who doesn't love a feisty, red-headed heroine and a determined, eye-catching cowboy? Well, Mary Connealy's Swept Away has them both, plus plenty of page-turning, action-packed drama.

Luke Stone, brother to Callie Kincaid from Connealy's Over the Edge, is out to reclaim the stolen family ranch. When Ruthy MacNeil is swept away from her troublesome "family" by a flash flood and into his path, he has no choice but to bring her along. She'll have a better chance surviving the rugged, Texas land with him . . . if his father's killers don't get him first.

Mary has given us another story to enjoy again and again. Can't wait for the next book of the Trouble in Texas Series. Grab your copy today.

Robin Lee Hatcher's "Betrayal"--Review and Giveaway

Howdy y'all! I'm so excited to be hosting my first giveaway, and I get to start it out with a bang--I get to give away, not one, but TWO books in Robin Lee Hatcher's Where the Heart Lives series. Each book of the series handles a different sibling of the Brennan family and their life after going west on an orphan train as children. Book one is called Belonging and deals with Felicia. It is a wonderful story with a very appropriate title that keeps you flipping pages until the very end.  

Betrayal, in case you didn't guess, is book two and deals with Hugh. This novel is a mite slow at the get-go but picks up speed once you get farther into it. Hugh's and Julia's story is one of gaining victory over the chains of the past and realizing the freedom Christ brings.

I hope you'll enjoy both of these stories regardless of whether you win the drawing or not. Now, I'm sure you're wondering, "how do I win these free books?" I'm so glad you asked. :) You can get your name in the pot in couple of ways:

1. Leave a comment on this blog post with your email address included. (I want to be able to contact you if you win. :) )
2. Leave a comment on my facebook page.

A week from today--that's May 1st--I'll draw and announce a winner!

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Zondervan's Product Description Page

What's Better Than One Free Book?

Two! :) Both of these books are currently free on Kindle and are by wonderful authors.

Mary's book is free until the end of April, and I highly recommend you read it, or better yet, read the whole series. :) I reviewed Book 2 and Book 3 on my blog last year.

To download Out of Control...
        ~ From Amazon, click here.
       ~ From Christian Book Distributors, click here.

Tracie and Judith's book just came out free today on Kindle and is free until the end of May. You can't go wrong with these authors.

To download Distant Dreams...
       ~ From Amazon, click here.
       ~ From CBD, click here.


If you'd like me to keep posting things like this, please let me know with a quick comment. Thanks. :)

Captivating -- Spring Meadow Sanctuary

Lynette Bonner's Spring Meadow Sanctuary was released back in November of last year, and Lynette was wonderful enough to let me have a free copy to read and review. Now that I've read this story I wish I'd had the time to read it sooner. Lynette is a wonderful storyteller that keeps you captivated to the very end. She even managed to pull in characters from the three previous books in this series--books I'll have to go back and read now. ;) I already have two of them on my kindle. :)

Cade and Sharyah's story is full of flawed characters, conflict, and wonderful plot twists, if not a tad more descriptive violence than I'm used to. There was one sentence that gave my eyebrows rise, but if you like a western with outlaws and undercover lawmen, you'll enjoy this story.

Here's the amazon link should you want to buy it.

Reasons for January Silence + Upcoming Reviews

Howdy, everyone! If you've wondered what I've been up to this past month, this badge testifies to the reason why. I set a goal to write 31,567 words in the month of January, and I exceeded my goal by 306 words. Woohoo!

Now, what's ahead? Somehow, I'm going to try to work in time to pick back up on my reviews. I'd like to get at least one new one posted each month, or Lord willing, more often than that.

Some up coming reviews include Lynette Bonner's Spring Meadow Sanctuary, Robin Lee Hatcher's Betrayal (with 2 book giveaway :) ), and Pamela S. Meyers's Love Finds You in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

What's on your to-be-read list?

Happy New Year, Y'all!

As this new year dawns, a verse my pastor shared with us on Sunday rings in my head.
"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." ~ Psalm 90:12
Oft times, people make so many plans and resolutions for the new year they forget the value of today. My desire for this new year--take each new day the Lord supplies, live it to the fullest, and remember we're not guaranteed tomorrow. Only then will we learn not to take what we've been given for granted and use what we have and who we are for His glory.