About the Book
My Thoughts
About the Author
About the Book
Author: Kathleen Neely
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Release Date: October 6, 2021
With each page of the age-old journals, Annie discovers all that unites her with a woman who once lived in her farmhouse. One lived with wealth and one with poverty, but both knew captivity. Both longed to be free.
Miriam yearns to escape her life as a super model. She drops the pseudonym and uses the name she gave up years ago—Annie Gentry. Then she alters her appearance and moves to rural South Carolina to care for her grandmother. Can she live a simple life without recognition? Can she hide a net worth valued in the millions? Love is nowhere in her plans until she meets a man who wants nothing more than Annie Gentry and the simple life he lives.
Charlotte lived in the same farmhouse in the tumultuous 1860’s. The Civil War was over, but for a bi-racial girl, freedom remained elusive. She coveted a life where she wouldn’t bring shame to her family. A life where she could make a difference. As she experiences hope, will it be wrested from her?
The journals stop abruptly with a climactic event, leaving Annie to search for information. What happened to Charlotte? Did her life make a difference? Did she ever find freedom?
Click here to get your copy!
My Thoughts
About the Author
Kathleen Neely is a retired elementary principal, and enjoys time with family, visiting her two grandsons, traveling, and reading.
She is the author of The Street Singer, Beauty for Ashes, The Least of These, Arms of Freedom, and In Search of True North. Kathleen won second place in a short story contest through ACFW-VA for her short story “The Missing Piece” and an honorable mention for her story “The Dance”. Both were published in a Christmas anthology. Her novel, The Least of These, was awarded first place in the 2015 Fresh Voices contest through Almost an Author. She has numerous devotions published through Christian Devotions.
Kathleen continues to speak to students about writing and publication processes. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.
More from Kathleen
I’d like to introduce myself and then share a little bit about my book, Arms of Freedom. I am a retired educator having taught preschool, fourth grade, and then moving into administration as an elementary principal. When I retired, I pursued my desire to write. My first novel, The Least of These, won first place in a contest titled Fresh Voices. That honor renewed my confidence, and since then, I’ve written five novels. Arms of Freedom is my first timeslip (dual timeline) novel.
Arms of Freedom was birthed during a time of racial tension in our nation; a time when social injustice and protests were forefront in the news. Many publishers safely avoided manuscripts with any mention of racial issues—perhaps a wise decision from a business perspective.
However, failure to look at our past denies us the opportunity to learn from history. Our fear of offending can push major historical offenses into a dark closet. I chose to illuminate those offenses by launching this book. Following the Civil War, the period of twelve years known as Reconstruction was perhaps the most brutal period of racial terrorism. The contents may be hard to read. I confess that I often wrote through tears.
In the end, I hope your takeaway is this: Regardless of race and ethnicity, all people are created in the image of God, a one-of-a-kind miracle, loved by Him, and created for a purpose. We are called to unity, to be perfectly one (John 17:23). May we join together in raising our arms of freedom to the Savior who released us from the captivity of sin.
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. — John 8:36 NIV
I hope you enjoy Annie’s story as the life of this contemporary character intersects with Charlotte’s story from 150 years earlier. Both experience a coming-of-age change as they seek to escape from what holds them captive.
Blog Stops
Texas Book-aholic, March 3
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, March 4
The Avid Reader, March 4
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 5
Inklings and notions, March 6
For Him and My Family, March 7
Locks, Hooks and Books, March 8
Miriam Jacob, March 8
deb’s Book Review, March 9
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 10
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, March 11
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, March 12
Bizwings Blog, March 13
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, March 14 (Spotlight)
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 14
Simple Harvest Reads, March 15 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 16
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Kathleen is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
Flipping Hearts by Chautona Havig and Christa DelSorbo ~ Audio Book Review + Giveaway
February 5, 2022
About the Book
Author: Chautona Havig
Narrator: Christa DelSorbo
Genre: Christian Women’s Fiction
When a hurricane rips through Hooper Island, a tidal wave of TV crews follows and upsets the locals.
Brooks Crawforth agreed to volunteer crews helping to clean up and repair things on the island, not a whole home and garden series on the total renovation of several houses and a bit of cleanup on the side. He’s furious, and the show host is spitting nails at the person who blew it in the first place.
His and his father’s jobs are in jeopardy, the islanders are about to kill him, and that crazy show host blames him for her assistant’s last-minute, “you’ve-got-to-sign-this-now-or-we-can’t-come” contract.
One more thing. Did she have to be so cute?
He’s got even more trouble, though. Islanders are starting to blame Mallory Barrows for the invasion. Not only that, there are rumors of dismantling the association and allowing tourism on the islands. How’s he supposed to fix this mess?
They can’t stand each other, but if they can manage to flip off the enemy switch and flip on some cooperation, maybe their hearts’ll get flipped, too.
This “enemies to romance” novel introduces the next island in the Independence Islands Series featuring five islands, six authors, and a boatload of happily-ever-afters.
The Independence Islands Series: beach reads aren’t just for summer anymore.
Click here to get your copy!
My Thoughts
About the Author
Using story to connect readers with the Master Storyteller.
Chautona Havig lives in an oxymoron, escapes into imaginary worlds that look startlingly similar to ours, and writes the stories that emerge. An irrepressible optimist, Chautona sees everything through a kaleidoscope of It’s a Wonderful Life sprinkled with fairy tales. Find her at chautona.com and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.
About the Narrator
Speaking Life into Story
Queen of the one-eyebrow quirk, Christa DelSorbo auditioned for the role of Tarzan’s mom and has the photos to prove she ended up as the only cast member in a literal cast. These days, they keep her stuck in a box with a ball on a stick and only feed her when she reads another chapter of another fabulous book. She loves every minute. Or so they tell her. *eyebrow slowly raises *
Blog Stops
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 26
Texas Book-aholic, January 27
For Him and My Family, January 28
Inklings and notions, January 29
Locks, Hooks and Books, January 30
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, January 31
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, February 1
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, February 2 (Spotlight)
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, February 3
The Sacred Line, February 3
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, February 4
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, February 5
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 6
deb’s Book Review, February 7 (Spotlight)
The Author Reads, February 7
Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, February 8
Giveaway
To celebrate their tour, Chautona and Christa are giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book in winner’s choice of format!!
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/193c2/flipping-hearts-audiobook-celebration-tour-giveaway
About the Book
Authors: Brenda S. Anderson & Sarah S Anderson
Genre: Christian Women’s Fiction
Release Date: December 1, 2021
How do you persevere when you have no more will to fight?
Jennifer and Chad Taylor had dreamed of opening a coffee and cocoa shop since before they said, “I do.” When Chad is sent to prison for murder despite claiming innocence, that dream—along with their family—is shattered.
After years of fighting for Chad’s release, Jennifer finally breaks free from her shame, anger, and hopelessness, and forges ahead with the dream the two of them once shared. With the help of their college-aged twins, she begins to move forward.
Without Chad.
When their lawyer arrives with news of evidence that may prove Chad’s innocence, a strange mixture of emotions overtakes her. Does she want Chad to return home? He isn’t the same man he once was, and she certainly isn’t the same woman. She’s worked hard to piece the remnants of their family back together, and his coming home could fracture the family once again.
It all comes down to one question. She loves her husband enough to fight for his release from prison, but does she love him enough to fight for their marriage?
Click here to get your copy!
My Thoughts
About the Authors
Brenda S. Anderson writes authentic, gritty, life-affirming fiction that shows God at work in people’s messy lives. She enjoys live music and theater, walking the shores of Lake Superior, and sharing hot cocoa with friends and family. She lives near Minneapolis with her newly retired husband. Together, they plan to travel across the United States, checking items off their bucket list, beginning with a bus trip to Niagara Falls.
Readers can learn more about Brenda S. Anderson at www.brendaandersonbooks.com
A former barista, Sarah S. Anderson loves all things coffee, so when her mother asked her to help with a book set in a coffee shop, the answer was an enthusiastic “Yes!” When not creating imaginary coffee shops, Sarah spends much of her time at the theater, either on stage acting, singing, and dancing, or offstage as musical director. She lives near the heart of Minneapolis with her two cuddly kitties.
More from Brenda
Why I Wrote Broken Together
Years ago, I watched a late-night interview with a woman who’d fought to free her husband from prison, and she finally won that fight. Near the end of the show, when the interviewer asked how she and her husband were doing now, she replied that they were divorced. It shocked me that she’d fought so hard for him, but then couldn’t hold their marriage together. I knew then that I needed to explore, through fiction, how that could happen.
I’d put off the idea for years, fearing the topic was larger than I could handle, but the story kept pushing its way through.
My daughter, Sarah, and I had often talked about writing a story together, one that would be set in a coffee and cocoa shop, and Broken Together seemed to be the perfect match. As a former barista, Sarah brought the coffee expertise to the story. As a non-coffee drinker, I insisted equal billing for non-coffee beverages.
Then the legal director for the Great Northern Innocence Project graciously offered to walk me through the many the legal hoops someone has to go through to be released once evidence is found.
With her help, I could no longer avoid writing Jenn and Chad’s story. It was a difficult one to write, but it’s also a story filled with hope.
Chad’s Choco-Latte Recipe
Ingredients
2 shots of espresso
3/4 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons of milk chocolate (chips or sauce)
2 tablespoons English toffee sauce (Chad’s secret recipe)
Whipped cream
Instructions:
- Steam milk with chocolate chips or sauce to 150°F
- Pull 2 espresso shots (Make sure your shots don’t sit longer than 20 seconds or they will expire!)
- Add English toffee sauce to the bottom of your cup or mug
- Add espresso shots to your toffee sauce
- Pour steamed milk into your cup or mug, making sure the milk hits the far side of your mug to help incorporate the ingredients
- Stir if needed
- Top with whipped cream and extra English toffee sauce if desired
Blog Stops
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 5
An Author’s Take, January 5
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, January 6
By the Book, January 7
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, January 8 (Spotlight)
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, January 8
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, January 9
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, January 10
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, January 11
lakesidelivingsite, January 11
Locks, Hooks and Books, January 12
Pause for Tales, January 13
The Sacred Line, January 13
deb’s Book Review, January 14
For Him and My Family, January 15
Spoken from the Heart, January 16
Inklings and notions, January 16
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 17
Texas Book-aholic, January 18
Giveaway
To celebrate their tour, Brenda and Sarah are giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and a paperback 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/1718c/broken-together-celebration-tour-giveaway
About the Book
Author: Susan K Beatty
Genre: Christian Women’s Fiction
Release Date: September 14, 2021
Truly the odd woman out, Army weapons expert Carmen belongs to a family where PhDs are almost a second surname.
Oh, and she’s also persona non grata since that one little incident back in her teens. The one that her Tia Graviella still hasn’t forgiven her for. The one her parents and siblings will never let her forget.
A trip to Mexico City, complete with a bit of groveling at Tia Graviella’s feet, might just be what it takes to gain forgiveness and a fresh start with her family. Not only that, her tia is ailing, and someone needs to check up on her. Carmen can solve two problems with one would-do-anything-to-avoid-it trip.
Something is off, however, and as Carmen investigates, she begins to wonder if there’s more to her aunt’s troubles than ill health.
When Carmen sets her course on making things right, will it repair more than the wreckage from a youthful miscalculation?
Click here to get your copy!
My Thoughts
About the Author
“Courage: The intersection of faith and Grit”
Susan K. Beatty is passionate about finding courage through faith and grit, particularly through the trials of breast cancer. Her daughter is a metastatic breast cancer “thriver” and has been an inspiration for her writing. Susan retired from a full-time job in 2017 and is now pursuing a novel-writing career. Her first novel, “Faces of Courage,” is in revision. Susan is the author of “An Introduction to Home Education” (AKA “California Homeschool Manual”), was the assistant director of the SoCal Christian Writers’ Conference and is the president of her local ACFW-OC Chapter. She is a professional writer/journalist. Susan is proof you can begin a fiction writing career after age seventy.
More from Susan
Have you ever known in your heart you needed to ask someone to forgive you, but the thought scared you so much you were convinced they would reject you? So scared you couldn’t bring yourself to ask?
Sometimes we are more fearful of man than God, conveniently ignoring the responsibility to be right with others and to live in peace. It’s hard to live in peace when that thing, that whatever it was we need to apologize for, is lying like a lump of toxic waste in our hearts.
In Carmen’s Journey of Courage, Carmen ignored her need to ask for forgiveness for years. Well, she didn’t really ignore it, she just kept burying it every time she thought of it. Which was often.
It took an outside force to get her positioned in such a way that she had to face the situation.
Carmen is the odd woman out in her family. Every one of her siblings possesses enough educational degrees to wallpaper a room. But not Carmen. Her two older sisters’ treatment of her pushed Carmen in the opposite direction and toward a desire to find her own way on her own terms. Instead of college, Carmen enlisted and excelled in the army.
As God sometimes does, He uses the exact person Carmen would prefer to avoid—her oldest sister—to get her to Mexico City and their great aunt. Circumstances are not what she expects. She needs to face more than her tÃa and solve a mystery with the aid of her army training.
It’s a journey of courage.
We all face tough decisions. I wrote Carmen’s Journey of Courage to inspire bravery when life is hard.
Find your courage at the intersection of faith and grit.
Blog Stops
Texas Book-aholic, October 1
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, October 2
lakesidelivingsite, October 2
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 3
Inklings and notions, October 4
For Him and My Family, October 5
deb’s Book Review, October 6
Locks, Hooks and Books, October 7
Betti Mace, October 8
Splashes of Joy, October 8
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, October 9
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, October 10
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, October 11
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, October 12
An Author’s Take, October 12
The Meanderings of a Bookworm, October 13
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 14
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Susan is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and copy 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/11dcb/carmen-s-journey-of-courage-celebration-tour-giveaway
About the Book
Author: Jennifer Sienes
Genre: Christian Women’s Fiction
Series: Apple Hill
Release Date: July 13, 2021
Hearts and flowers might pay the bills, but that’s all they’re good for.
Still clutched in the grip of guilt over her youthful indiscretions, Faith Nicholson can’t seem to move past her parents’ disappointment in her—or her disappointment in herself. Determined to make something in her life a success, she focuses on her floral design.
After all, she has quite the past to atone for.
Then her little sister decides to get married, and everyone but Faith chooses her for the job of coordinator. The family florist is the perfect choice. Right? Overruled, Faith agrees.
Enter a widower and his precocious daughter. A friendship with Michael Jacobs becomes more than a refuge in stress of wedding preparations. It becomes a catalyst for her entire life.
Hiding from her past hasn’t worked until now. Perhaps Michael is right. Facing it is exactly what she needs if she has any hope of a real future.
Faith never would have imagined that her grudging agreement to help her sister could become an olive branch between herself and her family—and the Lord.
Click here to get your copy! Also available through Kindle Unlimited.
My Thoughts
About the Author
Jennifer Sienes holds a bachelor’s in psychology and a master’s in education, but discovered life-experience is the best teacher. She loves Jesus, romance and writing–and puts it altogether in inspirational contemporary fiction. Her daughter’s TBI and brother’s suicide inspired two of her three novels. Although fiction writing is her real love, she’s had several non-fiction pieces published in anthologies–two in Chicken Soup for the Soul. She has two grown children and one very spoiled Maltese. California born and raised, she recently took a step of faith with her real-life hero and relocated to Tennessee.
More from Jennifer
Where does inspiration come from? When I wrote Illusions and Providence (books 2 and 3 of my Apple Hill series) it came from real-life tragedies I’d lived through. The characters and stories were pure fiction, but the inspiration was heartfelt and dark—just where I needed my emotions to be in order to write redemption stories. When I wrote Surrendered (Book 1) in the series, the inspiration came from one character that was eventually deleted in the second draft of Providence. Are you confused yet? Just to set the record straight, although Surrendered was the first book published in the series, it was the last one I wrote. Why they were published in the order they were is unimportant.
Saving Faith is unlike any other book I’ve written. It was the first novella I wrote in the series, although it isn’t the first to be published (are you sensing a pattern?) I’ve since written two Christmas novellas, both based on side characters introduced in my novels. All That Glitters released last November starring two characters from Surrendered—Julia and Marty. Wish Upon a Star will release this coming November, and the main characters are Elaina and Ryan from Providence.
But the characters in Saving Faith were created from thin air. Well, mostly. Although Addie Jacobs is a side character, she was inspired by a little girl in my Sunday School class—adorable, precocious, intelligent, and headstrong. Once I had her in place, the rest of the novella came together. It was also the first book I’ve written without plotting it out in advance, which was quite disconcerting for a control-freak like me. It was as if the Holy Spirit introduced me to the story as I wrote it. I’ve heard of those pantsers (they write by the seat of their pants rather than outline the plot), but until Saving Faith, I’ve never been successful at winging it. To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t the main writer; I was just the co-pilot. I believe the story of Faith, Michael, Chloe, and Addie is better for it.
Another first for me was writing a story where romance was the main genre. I write women’s fiction with an element of romance. But Saving Faith is a romance with an element of women’s fiction. This set the bar for my other novellas. It’s these shorter books that allow me to delve into the world of romance, although it’s not the typical boy-meets-girl kind of story. It’s more boy-knows-girl and loves her anyway kind of story. Because truth be told, none of us are loveable without the redemptive work of Jesus Christ.
Blog Stops
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 30
Cats in the Cradle Blog, August 30
Texas Book-aholic, August 31
Inklings and notions, September 1
Reviewingbooksplusmore, September 1
For Him and My Family, September 2
deb’s Book Review, September 3
Locks, Hooks and Books, September 4
CarpeDiem, September 4
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, September 5
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, September 6
Kayem Reads, September 6
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, September 7
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, September 8
lakesidelivingsite, September 9
Mary Hake, September 9
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, September 10
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, September 11
Splashes of Joy, September 12
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Jennifer is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card & a copy 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/11620/saving-faith-celebration-tour-giveaway











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