About the Book

From the Ashes, Spring Will Rise

On the run from the brutal Sage and his army of Legions and Cormorants, seventeen-year-old Cera Marlowe knows the only place strong enough to protect her is the Alliance Council Estate.

Cera’s introduction to the Estate is far from welcoming. As a Blight, her dueling powers of light and darkness make her a half-breed threat to the Alliance’s sacred powers. Cera’s ability to decipher hidden messages in classical artwork buys her shelter temporarily, but the clock is ticking as she’s faced with a daunting choice that could cost her everything.

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts

About the Author

More from Sandra

What if there was an unseen war affecting our everyday world, but only a few could see the battle? And what if the secrets to this other realm and winning the war were embedded in classical art and literature?

These questions led me to the ideas that formed the Colliding Line duology, and final installment in the series, Realms of Light—the story about a select group of emerging artists called the Awakened that are given unique powers to help combat the forces of evil.

The protagonist, a young girl named Cera Marlowe, quickly took the lead in the first draft of the story. On a quest for her identity, she steps into her destiny by joining a community of unlikely warriors who would need to overcome great odds, learn to work together, and battle their past in order to defeat the enemy.

The story took more than five years to write and the first draft was over 180k words. The use of classical art emerged slowly over that time. But the verses from John Milton’s Paradise Lost fit seamlessly from the start, paralleling the fight for truth, identity, and war in our fallen world.

At its core, the story is about embracing the past to help shape our future. My hope is that readers see classical art and literature in a new way, and find their own creativity as a much-needed gift to the world.

Blog Stops

Rebecca Tews, April 29

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 29

Texas Book-aholic, April 30

Inklings and notions, May 1

Woven by Words, May 1

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 2

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, May 3

Genesis 5020, May 3

For the Love of Literature, May 4

For Him and My Family, May 5

Wishful Endings, May 6

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, May 7

Through the Fire Blogs, May 7

deb’s Book Review, May 8

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 9

Blogging With Carol, May 10

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, May 10

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, May 11

April Hayman, Author, May 11

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, May 12

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Sandra is giving away the grand prize package of $40 Christianbook.com gift card, custom Bookmark, custom signed bookplate, custom Realms of Light notebook, and library book pattern book / tablet sleeve!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/10b5d/realms-of-light-celebration-tour-giveaway

About the Book

A new life coming into the world disrupts Susan’s quiet life.

Susan Montgomery is used to a quiet, peaceful life managing her apartment building, where the hardest problem is her grouchy neighbor’s leaky faucet. She soon finds herself dealing with a pregnant teenage niece, a mysterious briefcase left behind by a tenant, and two very different men vying for her heart.

A near-death experience gives Mac a new outlook on life.

Christopher “Mac” MacAllister is trying to figure out how to “do the Christian thing.” As a new convert, he’s drawn to Susan’s love for life and for God. She’s nothing like the women he used to date; but can Mac compete with the guy who’s come out of nowhere and knows all the right things to say?

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts

About the Author

Karen is an author of Christian fiction. She lives in Southeastern Pennsylvania with her husband and two sons. She works full time as a scientist, but enjoys writing in her spare time. When not writing (with her left hand), she enjoys camping, hiking, playing board games, and especially reading! She loves reading faith-based stories, because we can all use a happy ending.

More from Karen

Follow your heart or your head?

In my early days in college, I dated a young man who wasn’t a Christian, but that didn’t stop my attraction to him. My heart wanted to be with him, but my head knew better. Later, another young man entered my life who was perfect for me on paper. He was kind, intelligent, taught Sunday school… We went out one time, but there wasn’t a spark. I decided I had to find the guy who captured both my heart and my head.

Fast forward to the summer before my junior year, and a third young man entered the picture. He was fun to be around, made me laugh, and believed in Jesus. We became friends and spent a lot of together before I finally admitted my attraction to him. Having been hurt before, I vowed not to get involved unless God was in it. I prayed about it, felt God’s blessing, and we’ve now been married over 20 years.

In A Second Chance for Grace, Susan finds herself in a similar situation. Mac instantly captures her heart, but circumstances cause her to doubt whether he’s the right man for her. When she meets Sam, she finds he checks all the boxes on paper, but she can’t seem to convince her heart he’s right for her. Having been in the same situation, it was easy for me to write about Susan’s dilemma.

Susan navigates many twists and turns throughout the book, from her pregnant niece moving into her apartment, to dealing with a mysterious briefcase left behind by a tenant, to trying to solve the dilemma of which man to choose. Through it all, she tries to follow God’s will for her life.

A Second Chance for Grace is the second book in the Pine Springs series. Mac and Susan meet in the first book, Following the Sparrows. To learn more about them (and their good friends), you’ll want to read Following the Sparrows first, but it isn’t necessary, as A Second Chance for Grace is a standalone novel.

Just like in real life, the characters in the novel have difficult decisions to make. Sometimes they make the right ones, sometimes they do not. Through it all, God proves He is the God of second chances!

Blog Stops

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, May 6

For Him and My Family, May 7

Kayem Reads, May 7

Texas Book-aholic, May 8

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, May 9

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, May 10

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 11

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 12

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, May 13

Batya’s Bits, May 13

Cultivating Us, May 14

deb’s Book Review, May 15

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 16

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 17

Inklings and notions, May 18

Vicky Sluiter, May 19

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Karen is giving away the grand prize package of an eBook copy of the first book in the series, Following the Sparrows, along with a journal and necklace that go with the theme of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/10bab/a-second-chance-for-grace-celebration-tour-giveaway

 

About the Book

On the outskirts of Laurel Cove, North Carolina sits a quiet lake tucked into gentle mountains carpeted with the brilliant colors of autumn. Grief binds the lake’s only residents into an unlikely family, where old and new love build a bridge between loss and hope.

For years, best-selling author Cora Bradford has worked tirelessly to tread the unrelenting waves of grief in solitude. That is until a new neighbor moves in down the road and threatens to disrupt what she’s carefully preserved of the life she once knew. Will God ever answer her prayer for peace and calmer waters?

Following a scandal, Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Luke Bassett escapes to the one place in the world he’s ever experienced peace—his mother’s cabin on the lake where he spent childhood summers. But the memory of her and the mistakes he made are hardly peaceful. To make matters worse, he gets off to a rocky start with his bitter, but breathtakingly beautiful, neighbor. Was running away from the life he’s always known the biggest mistake of all, or the beginning of something he never knew he wanted?

Spunky, opinionated, and recently widowed Ina McLean is alone for the first time in over ninety years. When Cora and Luke come together to care for their only other neighbor, Ina’s belief in God’s goodness through life’s ups and downs works to restore their hope in learning to live—and love—again.

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts

What can I say about this book!? I absolutely LOVED it!! I had a feeling I would, even though in the back of my mind I was a bit scared it wouldn't live up to my standards.I fell in love with Teresa when I read her first book in the Laurel Cove Series "Someplace Familiar". (Like I totally stalked her on Facebook and on Instagram to find out when her next book would come out type of love!!) I was super excited to make it as part of her street team. That was just icing on the cake for me! She is a fantastic and lovely person to know and work with.

This book touches you on so many levels. Definitely tissues must be on hand when reading this story. The three main characters are Cora, Luke and Ina. They are going through different stages of grief which binds them together and they form a peculiar family unit. I loved the relationships they develop with each other. Cora and Ina already knew each other so when Luke comes in the mix it becomes interesting. The relationship between Luke and Cora is beautiful and hard at first. When someone has held on to grief for that long it is hard to let go and you definitely can feel that pain and struggle to let go as you are reading their story. At times it is hard for Luke and you definitely feel for him and goodness he is so patient!! A perfect gentleman and hunky one at that!! 

I absolutely loved Ina. She is the spunky neighbor who becomes like their grandmother. She has been through her share of ups and downs in life and dealt with grief a lot longer so she can share a lot more insight to the heartaches that Luke but especially Cora have. She makes you laugh, cry and you really can't help falling in love with this character. 

Teresa did an outstanding job at dealing with the rather difficult subject of grief.  She made you feel the characters pain but also that in the midst of all that we must cling on to the One who will sustain us and continually be with us no matter what happens. It was lovely to return to Laurel Cove, North Carolina and even see some of the characters from the first book. This is can definitely be read as a stand alone book... but seriously you just need to get both because they are equally amazing!

My Rating: 5 Stars/ Loved it SO much!! Can't rave about it enough! 

Favorite Quotes/Musings: 

" There is nothing you can't endure with God as your rock."

"The past is not something to give up or to hold on. It just is the past, child. Nothing you do from this day forward can change or replace the wonderful life you had with Christopher." 

" The Bible tells us that the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it. God is fighting for your healing, child. Believe and have faith."

"And sometimes, in order to survive, one had to let the current lead them away from where the wreckage lay below. To calmer water. To where friendly winds blew. To solid ground. Where living could continue beyond survival and thrive. 

I received a copy of this book through Celebrate Lit. I was not required to post a positive review. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

About the Author

Teresa Tysinger is an author of Southern Contemporary Romance inspired by grace. She writes on the fringes of being a wife, mom, and full-time communications and public relations professional. Teresa is a member of ACFW, the Association for Women in Communications, and the Religion Communicators Council. She loves coffee, traveling, and prides herself in knowing and loving almost every genre of music. Born in Hawaii, raised in Florida, and educated in North Carolina, she now resides in Texas with her husband, daughter, and dog.

More from Teresa

Hi Readers!

As an author, I love each of my stories. There’s no denying, though, that Suddenly Forever holds a special place in my heart. I think it always will. The second in my Laurel Cove Romance Series, Cora and Luke’s story came together differently than any other I’ve written.

Most often, a new story of mine begins with a simple notion or seed of an idea. I brainstorm and fit pieces together until a more complete idea begins to take shape. The process usually takes weeks and sometimes months. Suddenly Forever was completely different! One night I could not fall asleep. I tossed and turned for what seemed like hours. Characters’ faces sprang to mind like snapshots. Their personalities, fears, and desires sort of just clicked into place. Scenes played out from start to finish. The “noise” of this waking dream was so vivid that I eventually reached for my phone on my nightstand and punch out the ideas in my Notes app.

By the time I finally fell asleep that night, the entire story was clear in my mind. The next day, I sat down and began drafting Cora and Luke’s story. It was the fastest first draft I’ve ever written! The story just poured out of me. By the time I finished just over a month later, I felt as though I’d ran a sprint, getting the scenes down as fast as they’d come to me so I could get to the next. It was exhilarating and exhausting and super rewarding.

More than once, I wondered why this story had come to me so quickly and clearly compared to others. After some reflection and prayer, I believe it’s because this story isn’t mine at all. It’s God’s. I’ve always approached my writing with a prayerful heart that God would meet me on the pages and fill it in with His truths so readers might see Him. But this felt different. This felt as though God simply needed someone with fingers to type.

And so, my prayer as you read Suddenly Forever is that God’s messages come through loud and clear. To the reader who, like Cora, grieves a lost loved one, may you see God’s healing hand and feel His peace. To the reader who may one day encounter someone grieving, may you see the lessons of patience and compassion cultivated in Luke. May you all be reminded of God’s ever-present love for you!

I hope you’ll join me this summer as I invite you again to visit Laurel Cove. The third book in the Laurel Cove Romance Series, Someone Found, releases in May! Blessings and happy reading!

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 30

Books and Everyday Life, April 30

Texas Book-aholic, May 1

Inklings and notions, May 2

For Him and My Family, May 3

Remembrancy, May 3

deb’s Book Review, May 4

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 5

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, May 6

Blogging With Carol, May 6

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, May 7

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, May 8

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, May 9

Britt Reads Fiction, May 9

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 10

Through the Fire Blogs, May 11

Pick A Good Book, May 11

CarpeDiem, May 12

Labor Not in Vain, May 13

Godly Book Reviews, May 13

Giveaway

To celebrate her, Teresa is giving away the grand prize package of a Zippered Book Sleeve (8×10), a “Library” Candle (4 oz), a Suddenly Forever Book Quote Card (4×6), and a $10 Amazon Gift Card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/10b5f/suddenly-forever-celebration-tour-giveaway

About the Book

Darkness. Utter blackness. Was this why his mother had refused to let Jack unlock his father’s old trunk? It had been two years since his dad had died, and all Jack could think about was examining whatever treasures were stored inside the beloved trunk. But when he finally lifted the lid, he didn’t just fall in—he fell through it into a pit of rattlesnakes!

Trying to recall his mother’s stories about “the Breath of All Good Things”—anything to shed light on his current situation—Jack wishes he’d paid better attention rather than mock the tales as childish myths…and that he’d waited to enter the trunk with his sister, Lilly, so they could at least face this together.

Like L. Frank Baum’s Oz and C. S. Lewis’s Narnia, M. M. Allen brings to life the fantastical world of Wishapick—a land of courageous animals ruled by a cruel rattlesnake king who has condemned the villagers to live without light. Chosen as the reluctant hero to save the villagers, Jack must face terrifying creatures and overwhelming odds if he wants to help his new friends—and return home himself.

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts

About the Author

Mary Martha Allen, children’s author, and Deborah Wynne singer, songwriter, collaborated in producing the fantasy/fairy tale book, & music Wishapick, Tickety Boo and the Black Trunk. This Middle Grade book and CD won the Moonbeam Gold Award for book & theatrical. Wishapick also won the 5 Star Readers Favorite Award.

MM Allen the author of the acclaimed children’s picture book Let’s Play Ball,   is the mother of two adult children, and aunt to twenty three nieces & nephews, including twelve great nieces and nephews. She was a former teacher. She worked extensively in marketing and communications with varied businesses, including Walt Disney’s Buena Vista Records, as well as several non-profits. MM lives in a picturesque northern California town were she enjoys writing, tending to her rose garden and caring for her West Highland Terriers, Peaches, Pip and Daisy.

Mary Martha Allen along with Deborah Wynne produced a podcast in 2020 called; Wishapick – Prayer, Creativity and the Divine.  The podcast, hosted by MM, tells the story of God’s work behind the writing of the book and music. MM Allen weaves the back story of Wishapick into a thoughtful message of how prayer, creativity and the Divine gently coexist in our lives.  MM believes Prayer is intimate, Creativity is fearless, and the Divine is always giving. MM shares the story along with Deborah’s insight and music in a reflection of love. The podcasts are geared towards, parents, youth ministers, young adults, teachers, aunts and uncles, and all those working with children teaching them about God’s love. These generous back stories about the making of Wishapick confirm her belief that God is good and each of us is an extension of the Divine’s Goodwill. MM believes that each of us will remember we are loved, and then intimate, fearless giving will unfold into our lives.

MM learned to pray at a young age practicing thoughtful traditional, repetitive prayers. She has been a participant and leader of prayer groups, practicing intentional prayer, meditative prayer, lectio divina (scriptural readings & meditation), and contemplative walking prayer, along with the rosary and prayer beads from other cultures. She was an early member and still a participant of Mom’s In Prayer International.  MM believes your communication with God is personal and establishing a relationship with the Divine brings peace and enjoyment into your life.  This communication with God awakens the goodwill within each of us, which has been there since the beginning of time.

Deborah Wynne created a CD of songs to accompany the novel. Deborah’s extensive talents lie in choral singing, and song composition. Her musical projects include the 2013 album Strands of Gold and 2007 musical Moment of Truth, which she co-wrote and co-produced. For many years Deborah was a member of the well know a cappella ensemble, Quire of Voices. She also sang with the female quartet, Champagne. She continues to sing and compose in Santa Barbara, CA, where she lives with her husband and Sheltie, Gracie, a dog who loves to sing and is particularly inspired by renaissance vocal music.

Deborah was born into a musical, religious family.  Music, adoration and holiness were woven together into her heart starting at a very young age.  Over the years music has become a form of prayer for Deborah.  Whether it be through listening, singing, playing or writing music, she feels deep gratitude for the gifts music offers.  For her, music is God breathing love into our hearts. She perceives the creative process as a part of our spiritual ground of being and a delight to access, for within that Holy space where God lives, we touch an aspect of the Divine that is pure beauty.  Creativity is a gift from and collaboration with the Divine, an offering of gratitude to God and a prayer of deep thanksgiving.

More from the Authors

Peach Pie In Wishapick

When Deborah and I spoke about Wishapick and the light returning at the end of the story, we acknowledged it was the Garden of Eden reawakening for all the animals in the village of Wishapick. But one small pleasure inserted into the story, brought us much enjoyment.  If it was the Garden of Eden what would the animals enjoy eating?

Deborah sang her song that everyone feasted on fresh peach pie. I wrote about the delicious peach pie Mrs. Tumalum had made and how Mr. Tumalum nicked a huge slice of the warm pie. To this day we cannot remember who came up with the idea first, yet the villagers in Wishapick enjoy peach pie. There is no competitiveness or argument about who came up with the idea first or how it happened, neither of us bested the other – it just came about. I cannot credit myself nor does Deborah feel she is responsible for peach pie being in the story of Wishapick. We each have a backstory about peach pie and our enjoyment is sharing the stories between us. Again & again, we find it miraculous and we are thankful.

There is no competition when we pray; there are no best ways to pray, there is no responsibility on how the prayer is to be answered, nor do we need credit for answered prayer. Being human we seek credit, being in enjoyment we move to thanksgiving. When we pray -giving thanks to God is most enjoyable.

Deborah Wynne’s Favorite Peach Crisp Recipe

CINNAMON-OAT PEACH CRISP

Ingredients

• • 5 lb. medium peaches (about 12), peeled, sliced 1/2″ thick
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. plus 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
  • 4 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 2 pints vanilla ice cream

Preparation

Toss peaches, granulated sugar, and 2 Tbsp. flour in a large bowl to combine. Let sit, tossing occasionally, 30 minutes.

Place a rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°F.

Meanwhile, whisk oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and remaining 1 cup flour in a large bowl to combine. Using an electric mixer on low speed, gradually add butter. Once it has all been added, increase speed to medium-high and beat until dry ingredients are incorporated (there should be no dry bits left in the bowl), about 3 minutes.

Scrape peaches and any juices into a 13×9″ baking dish. Evenly scatter oat topping over peaches and bake crisp until peaches are soft, fruit juices are bubbling, and topping is a deep golden brown, 60–70 minutes. Transfer baking dish to a wire rack and let crisp cool 1 hour.

Divide among bowls and top with large scoops of ice cream.

Chocolate Pudding in Wishapick

Our protagonist Jack faced the most dangerous rattlesnakes in Wishapick. With inspiration from the “Breath of All Good Things,” a little Jiggery Pokery and adding some Chocolate Pudding Jack implements his plan to return the light to the village of Wishapick.

My fun loving, grandmother, had a motto “let’s enjoy good food.” She was known for her famous chocolate pudding.  She and my grandfather made pancakes, chocolate pudding & tea when the cousins gathered together for dinner at their home. A yummy dinner ending with her chocolate pudding – such happiness!

Lilly, Jack’s sister, implemented his idea & carried out the plan.  The Magical Crimson Tray was helpful to Lilly, it moved about on its own, pouring the chocolate pudding into the mouths of the dangerous snakes which turned their nasty behaviors – nice.

When I finished writing this chapter, about the chocolate pudding, I took a ride into the country to a little community store, where I had never been before.

I went into the old-fashioned country store and ordered a sandwich. I opened the self -serve fridge to get some water and in front of me was several cups of chocolate pudding. Individual cups of chocolate pudding topped with whipped cream, were lined up right in front of me.  I learned later the adorable country store was famous for their chocolate pudding.  Full of praise, thanksgiving and joy I had my lunch full of the niceness of God’s surprise. Prayer is calling out to God and listening for the answers. When Jack called out to the “Breath of All Good Things” in Wishapick everything became okay. In our lives when we include God and call out to him, everything will be okay. God can turn the nasty to nice & Christ is always with us.

In memory of my grandmother –

My Grandma Glady Reese’s Famous Chocolate Pudding Recipe.

Combine

1 cup sugar

4Tbls Cocoa

4TBLS four or 3TBLS corn starch

Add

1 large egg (or 2 small ones)

2 cups milk

½ tsp salt

Cook over low heat stirring constantly till it thickens (this can take a while) until it boils, keep stirring.

Add

1 tsp vanilla.

Pour into individual serving dishes or a bowl, let cool to room temperature. put in refrigerator. Serve cold plain or with whipped cream on top.

Taken from the backstory about God working through our lives while we wrote Wishapick, you can listen to all 10 episodes of this backstory of my prayer life & Deborah’s music, on Wishapick youtube – Prayer-Creativity & the Divine.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 1

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 2

Simple Harvest Reads, May 3 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

deb’s Book Review, May 3

The Write Escape, May 4

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, May 4

Through the fire blogs, May 5

For Him and My Family, May 6

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, May 7

Guild Master, May 7

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, May 8

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, May 9

Inklings and notions, May 10

Blogging With Carol, May 10

Texas Book-aholic, May 11

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 12

Lights in a Dark World, May 13

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, May 13

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, May 14

Giveaway

To celebrate their tour, Mary and Deborah are giving away the grand prize of a Kindle!!
(May be different than one pictured.)

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/10b60/wishapick-celebration-tour-giveaway