Win a Book!

When you leave a comment on THIS post by 6 p.m. CT Sunday, May 19, 2013 you'll be entered in the DRAWING for a copy of the book listed below. If you mention in your comment that you’re a follower (see in the left column “Join This Site” and “Follow by Email”), I’ll add your name a second time in the drawing. You must be eighteen, have a U.S. MAILING ADDRESS, void where prohibited. You can read details about my book giveaways at Disclaimers.


Threads of Love
By Andrea Kuhn Boeshaar

Guest blogger today is Andrea Kuhn Boeshaar. She is a certified Christian life coach and speaks at writers’ conferences and for women’s groups. Andrea is cofounder of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) organization. For many years she served on both its advisory board and as its CEO. Enjoy Andrea’s article, “Catching Your Dream.” Andrea has graciously offered a copy of her latest novel, Threads of Love to one of the commenters to this blog post who has a U.S. mailing address. Thank you and welcome, Andrea.

Catching Your Dream

by Andrea Boeshaar

Do you have a dream, a goal, a vision for your life? Does it seem to be just short of your grasp? I know the feeling.

For those who don’t know me, I’m an author of Christian fiction and nonfiction. My latest novel, a historical romance, is called Threads of Love and it’s book 3 in my Fabric of Time series. Here are 3 ideas that have encouraged me and they might help you catch your dream – and, perhaps, even change your life.

1)           Pray about your dream-goal. If you’re like me, then you have lots of ideas. Not everyone is worthy of your time – or is God’s will for your life.

We can get busied up in all kinds of meaningless things. So begin a journal and write down all the things you’re involved in. Pray over each one and ask God which to eliminate so you’ll have the time to journey down the God-given path for your life.

2)                Practice “planned abandonment.”

In her book Jesus Life Coach, Laurie Beth Jones writes: “Planned abandonment doesn’t mean walking away from something that is difficult or isn’t working anymore. Planed abandonment means choosing between good and great, between better and best. Planned abandonment means that you are able to say no to all that glitters and discern what truly shines.”

Search out all the EWs in your life. EWs are “energy wasters” and we’ve all got them. They’re those things that crowd in on us when we least expect. They can be the meaningless ideas I previously mentioned and they can be people who suck your time, perhaps wanting advice but unwilling to change their behavior or step out in faith. An EW, for example, might be that neighbor who comes over every night to sit on the couch and…bloviate. As you begin to eliminate EWs in your life, that neighbor may have to find himself another roosting place.

3)           Participate in your own life. Don’t just talk about all things you want to do someday – do them!

I recently watched the movie The Music Man and near the end of the motion picture, Professor Harold Hill tells Marian the librarian something quite profound, I think. He says something like, “If you keep putting everything off until tomorrow, all you’ll have is a collection of empty yesterdays.” How true that is!

And just remember, Tomorrow and Someday are days of the week on a planet that doesn’t exist! So quit procrastinating (and I’m pointing one finger at myself too!), turn off the “boob tube,” as my father called TV, and take steps toward accomplishing your personal goals. It doesn’t have to be a leap of faith. Only small footsteps.

Dare to dream – and imagine yourself a part of that vision. It’s attainable! If you’re a believer in Christ Jesus, He has put that power within you. And remember: With God all things are possible!

Remember: leave a comment on THIS post by 6 p.m. CT Sunday, May 19, 2013 and you'll be entered in the drawing for a copy of Threads of Love by Andrea Boeshaar. You must be eighteen, have a U.S. mailing address, void where prohibited. Please, please remember to leave your email address so that should you be the winner I can get in touch with you for your mailing address. I’ll announce the winner in Monday’s blog.

Till next time … keep on smiling.

Meet the Characters

Monday Meanderings

Now that you’ve met several characters from my novel That Summer (see older posts), book 1 in the Caney Creek Series, I’d like you to meet the characters in Beyond the Past, book 2 in the series.  Many of them you will remember from book 1. For the next few Mondays I’ll interview one of the characters and you can leave comments if you want. I think this might help you when you read Beyond the Past to know how these characters feel as they move through the story. If you leave a comment on this blog that is totally related to this interview I'll give you an extra entry in the next Thursday book drawing when you leave a comment there.

Today’s character interview is the first from Beyond the Past, book 2 in the Caney Creek Series, which recently released.

Today I’m talking with Jim Callaway, the oldest of the Callaway family of five grown children. Jim owns and runs the hosiery mill in Newton, Tennessee.

JO: Hello, Mr. Callaway, thank you for meeting with me during your office hours.

JIM: You’re welcome. Please call me Jim.

JO: Happy New Year. Jim, a lot has happened to you since your left the Callaway farm when you were 17.

JIM: Yes, ma’am, it sure has. Some good, some bad.

JO: Please tell me about them.

JIM: I did leave the farm. Poppa treated all us kids unfair and being the oldest, I decided I wouldn’t take it any longer. I hated to leave my brothers and sisters there with my poppa being so mean. And I really hated to leave Momma, but she wouldn’t leave with me. I told myself that the other kids would leave when they got old enough, like I was doing.

JO: Then what happened?

JIM: I did what I set out to do. I got myself to a nearby town, Newton. I got a job at the hosiery mill, had a room all to myself in a widow lady’s house, money in my pocket, and girlfriends. One girlfriend was even the mill owner’s daughter.

JO: Sounds like things really were good for you.

JIM: Yes, ma’am, I thought so but I let everything go to my head. I got arrogant, hard to get along with, didn’t manage my money right. And, mainly, I thought I could do everything on my own, without help from anybody. That’s when I started straying away from God. I was really messed up.

JO: You seem to be a good guy now. How did you get out of your mess?

JIM: My family, my friends, and especially my landlady tried to tell me what all I was doing wrong and how to turn it around. But I wouldn’t listen to them. Till the day one of my girlfriends, Louisa, said I had to pick one of them, that she wasn’t going to share me with Caroline, the mill owner’s daughter. Along about then the Lord started working on me. My conscience wouldn’t let me rest. So I prayed my way back to God and He accepted me. He’d never stopped loving me. It was me that had walked away from Him.

JO: I’m sure glad you got all the bad stuff straightened out.

JIM: That’s not all the bad stuff. At Christmas, Caroline just vanished out of town. She was in college near Atlanta. All my letters to her came back. I didn’t know where she was or why she left. That was about the time Louisa said I had to choose between Caroline and her. Caroline being gone without an explanation and not letting me know where she was, helped me to make up my mind. Louisa and I married.

JO: Were you and Louisa happy together?

JIM: Oh, yes. Yes, we were happy! We had a baby girl. We named her Lynn. That was Louisa’s middle name. Then when Momma and Poppa died with pneumonia that came down from the Carolinas, my baby sister, Emmajean, wouldn’t let anybody else hold her except me. Louisa and I brought her home with us. My other sister, Shirley Ann, married Henry Frank Stevens and they took my two brothers to live with them on Henry Frank’s folks’ farm.

JO: Jim, I’m sorry you lost your parents. After that though it seems things were looking up.

JIM: Maybe it looks that way. But when Lynn was two years old Louisa died of pneumonia . . . . I’m telling you, that was the worst time of my whole life. I wanted God to take me on with Louisa but I knew I had to raise Lynn. I couldn’t have done that without the help of Louisa’s sister, Callie, my sister, and my landlady, Mrs. Hall. My little sister, my baby, and I lived on at Mrs. Hall’s. She put us up in two rooms, side by side.

JO: As you said, that was the worst of your times. Can you please tell me about the good times you’ve had?

JIM: Okay. When the mill owner and his wife were killed in a car accident, their wills left me the mill and their home. You see, for some reason, when Caroline left, her parents disowned her. She never returned. They left everything to me. I own the mill now.

JO: Is that about it for the good things that have happened to you?

JIM: One more thing—I found Caroline and my son.

JO: Are you looking forward to 1951?

JIM: I really was because I wanted to work things out with Caroline and our children, James and Lynn. But on January 1, Emmajean, my baby sister, telephoned me from Atlanta, in some legal trouble.

JO: Why did she telephone you? Did she think you could help her way down in Atlanta?

JIM:  Well, to answer your first question, she and I were very close growing up. She came to live with my wife and me when she was just a young teenager. As for your second question, she left Newton as soon as she graduated from high school. We haven’t seen much of her for the last 12 years. I’m thinking she must not have any friends down there and when she got into trouble, she naturally telephoned me to help her.

JO:  What kind of trouble is she in?

JIM: Well, it’s some kind of trouble with drugs and a friend of hers. I had a lawyer in Atlanta get to her as soon as he could and then I left for Atlanta myself. I’m going back down there tomorrow for her arraignment and I’ll probably know more.

JO: So, as soon as you get Emmajean’s problem taken care of, you can devote your time to Caroline and your children?

JIM: Well, no, not really. My best friend, Arthur, has a son who’s a senior in high school who’s giving him a lot of trouble. Arthur needs my help too even if it is just moral support. So I’m staying close for him and going back and forth to Atlanta to see Emmajean.

JO: That doesn’t leave you much time for your personal plans, does it?

JIM: No, it certainly doesn’t. I’m torn among here and Atlanta and Knoxville, where Caroline lives and the children go to school.

JO: How long do you think it will be before Emmajean and Arthur won’t need your help?

JIM: I really don’t know.

JO: Can’t you put your own personal wishes first for a while?

JIM: I won’t turn my back on my baby sister and my best friend!

JO: Please excuse me, I didn’t mean to offend you.

JIM: I apologize for speaking harsh to you. It’s just that I’m going in so many directions. When I’m in Atlanta, I need to be here for Arthur. Then when I’m here for Arthur and running my mill, I need to be in Knoxville for my children and Caroline. I want to be with Caroline and my children.

JO: I hope Caroline understands the quandary you’re in.

JIM: I think sometimes she does but the situation I’m in also tries her patience.

JO: Is Caroline a patient person?

JIM: I’ll probably be finding out how patient she is before too long.

The winner of last Thursday's blog post for a copy of Florian’s Gate by Davis Bunn is KayM. I'll email you to get your mailing address and get the book out to you. Thanks all for commenting. Watch for more book giveaways.

Till next time … keep on smiling.

Win a Book!

Thursday Thoughts on Reading and Writing

When you leave a comment on THIS post by 6 p.m. CT Sunday, May 12, 2013 you'll be entered in the DRAWING for a copy of the book I review below. If you mention in your comment that you’re a follower (see in the left column “Join This Site” and “Follow by Email”), I’ll add your name a second time in the drawing. You must be eighteen, have a U.S. mailing address, void where prohibited. You can read details about my book giveaways at Disclaimers.

Florian's Gate by Davis Bunn

Davis Bunn has been a professional novelist for over twenty years. The author of numerous national bestsellers, his work has been published in sixteen languages. He and his wife, Isabella, divide their time between the English countryside and the coast of Florida.

From the book's back cover:

The Iron Curtain has come down, setting Poland on the road to democracy. But will true freedom come to those still bound by tragic memories of Florian's Gate?

When American Jeffrey Sinclair starts a new life in London assisting in a high-end antique shop, he discovers that more than good salesmanship to wealthy customers is required. Alexander Kantor, his enigmatic relative and now employer, has a reputation for acquiring priceless antiques under mysterious circumstances. As Jeffrey learns the business and becomes more involved in searching out valuable pieces across Europe, he discovers that their source is not the only secret Alexander is hiding.

Jeffrey learns too that Katya Nichols, the woman he is coming to love also has something to hide. She carefully keeps her own personal “Iron Curtain” in place, separating herself from his love. Will he be able to break down the barriers and win her trust and her heart?

From Jo:

Davis Bunn writes an intriguing story with a blend of contemporary and history. The intrigue comes when Alexander Kantor searches, under the cover of secrecy, for valuable antiques in Europe. His nephew Jeffrey works for him and learns the trade well enough for Alexander to send Jeffrey on searches for antique pieces. That's when Jeffrey learns the truth behind Alexander's trips to Europe. Jeffrey is attracted to his assistant, Katya. This story is strongly steeped in history, geography, and antiques with only a bit of romance. Contains much more narrative than dialogue and, for that reason, moves slowly for me. If you like history and antiques this is the book for you.

Remember: leave a comment on THIS post by 6 p.m. CT Sunday, May 12, 2013 and you'll be entered in the drawing for a copy of Florian's Gate by Davis Bunn.  You must be eighteen, have a U.S. mailing address, void where prohibited. Please, please remember to leave your email address so that should you be the winner I can get in touch with you for your mailing address. I’ll announce the winner in Monday’s blog.

Till next time … keep on smiling.

Meet Gertrude Hall

Monday Meanderings

I want you to get to know some of the characters of my novel That Summer. For the next few Mondays I’ll interview one of the characters and you can leave comments if you want. I think this might help you when you read my novel to know how these characters feel as they move through the story. If you leave a comment on this blog that is totally related to the interview I'll give you an extra entry in the next Thursday book drawing.

Beyond the Past, book 2 in the Caney Creek Series has just released. Today’s interview is the last one with characters from That Summer. Next Monday I'll start with characters from book 2.

Today I’m talking with Gertrude Hall, a widow who rents rooms in her house to young men, most of them working at the hosiery mill. When Jim Callaway comes to Newton, he rents a room from Gertrude.

JO: Hello, are you Gertrude Hall?

GERTRUDE: Yes, ma’am, that’s me.

JO: Do you know Jim Callaway?

GERTRUDE: Oh, yes I do. When I think of Jim I’m both happy and sad.

JO: Why is that, Gertrude?

GERTRUDE: When he was barely shaving, that young man came to my house wanting to rent a room. As we talked I asked who his parents were. I knew of his momma because she sold eggs and vegetables on the courthouse square on Saturdays. His parents are good, solid, honest people.

JO: When you met Jim did you think well of him also?

GERTRUDE: Yes, I did. That boy left the family farm and came to Newton to get a job. Had all his belongings in a burlap sack and his dreams swimming in his head. I’d seen lots of young men come here hoping to work at the hosiery mill but when they weren’t hiring, those young men drifted away. Now, Jim, he had determination. I tried to warn him not to be so sure about his dreams.

JO: Did Jim find a job and reach his dreams?

GERTRUDE: I’ll tell you, that boy was a tough one but a naïve one when it came to girls. He got a job at the mill but he got a heap of trouble when he met the mill owner’s daughter. His best friend and his family tried to tell him that she was above them and he shouldn’t run around with her. I tried to talk some sense into that boy. At the beginning he wouldn’t listen to me or any of the others.

JO: Did you ever get him to listen to you?

GERTRUDE: Yes, but not until he was in trouble over his head. He fell for that mill owner’s daughter hook, line, and sinker. He set him up a credit account over at the department store so he could buy Caroline—that’s the mill owner’s daughter—a Christmas present. She invited him to her parents Christmas Eve party, even bought him a new suit of clothes and overcoat to wear. Poor Jim, over there in that crowd of social upper crusts. He was in way over his head.

JO: Didn’t he realize that?

GERTRUDE:  You know, I don’t think he ever did. Then Caroline disappeared on Christmas Day. Jim moped around here after that. His letters to her came back and her daddy told those who asked that his daughter had married a boy from Texas and moved out there with him. There was this sweet girl, Louisa, who stayed at Miss June’s Boardinghouse that Jim had spent some time with. He started visiting her a lot.

JO: How did that turn out?

GERTRUDE: That Louisa was the sweetest thing and oh, did she love Jim. They married and had a beautiful daughter. About that time the mill was laying people off and all of my young men boarders had left. So I fixed Jim and Louisa up with one of my vacant room. They were so happy. They thought they’d found their happily ever after.

JO: Gertrude, you look sad. What happened?

GERTRUDE: I sorry. I can’t talk about it anymore.  It just breaks my heart to even think about those two young people.

The winner of last Thursday's blog post for a copy of When the Heart Heals by Ann Shorey is Katie J. I'll email you to get your mailing address and get the book out to you. Thanks all for commenting. Watch for more book giveaways.

Till next time … keep on smiling.

Win a Book!

When you leave a comment on THIS post by 6 p.m. CT Sunday, May 5, 2013 you'll be entered in the DRAWING for a copy of the book I review below. If you mention in your comment that you’re a follower (see in the left column “Join This Site” and “Follow by Email”), I’ll add your name a second time in the drawing. You must be eighteen, have a U.S. mailing address, void where prohibited. You can read details about my book giveaways and Disclaimers.      


Where the Heart Heals  by Ann Shorey

Ann Shorey is the author of Where Wildflowers Bloom, The Edge of Light, The Promise of Morning, and The Dawn of a Dream. Ann and her husband make their home in southwestern Oregon.




From the book’s back cover:
Courageous and unconventional, Rosemary Saxon served as a nurse during the Civil War, a service that has caused most women in town to regard her as unfeminine and even downright vulgar. Although she would like to put that part of her life behind her, she needs to support herself. She takes a nursing position with Dr. Elijah Stewart,

but whenever they are together they always seem to do or say the wrong things. When someone threatens Rosemary, will she find the courage to stand, or will she leave town—and Elijah—forever?

With tenderness and grace, Ann Shorey invites you back to the town of Noble Springs, Missouri, for an engrossing story of love’s tentative first steps and fragile future in the face of opposition.

From Jo:

A nurse during the Civil War, Rosemary settles down in a small Missouri town and seeks employment with Dr. Elijah Stewart. Rosemary gets written threats from people who consider her occupation to be “vulgar,” telling her to leave town. An engrossing story with strong characterization and a beautiful love story. The setting is described so well you’ll think you’re there on the pages with Rosemary.

Remember: leave a comment on THIS post by 6 p.m. CT Sunday, May 5, 2013 and you'll be entered in the drawing for a copy of When the Heart Heals by Ann Shorey. You must be eighteen, have a U.S. mailing address, void where prohibited. Please, please remember to leave your email address so that should you be the winner I can get in touch with you for your mailing address. I’ll announce the winner in Monday’s blog.

Till next time … keep on smiling.

Meet Fred Jacob

I want you to get to know some of the characters of my novel That Summer. For the next few Mondays I’ll interview one of the characters and you can leave comments if you want. I think this might help you when you read my novel to know how these characters feel as they move through the story. If you leave a comment on this blog that is totally related to the interview I'll give you an extra entry in the next Thursday book drawing.

Beyond the Past, book 2 in the Caney Creek Series has just released. I have a couple more characters to chat with from That Summer, then I'll start with characters from book 2.

Today I’m interviewing Fred Jacob, father of Caroline. He and his family live in the small town of Newton, Tennessee.

JO: Hello, Mr. Jacob. Thank you for seeing me in your office.

FRED: You're welcome. Please call me Fred.

JO: Thank you. Do you own this Southeastern Hosiery mill?

FRED: Yes, I do.

JO: I've met your daughter, Caroline. She's a lovely girl. Do you have other children?

FRED: No, just Caroline.

JO: Have you lived here in Newton all your life?

FRED: Yes, I have.

JO: You seem a little down. Would you like for me to leave?

FRED: No, you just stay put. I am a little down today.

JO: Can you tell me why?

FRED: Do you know anybody in Newton?

JO: No, sir. I plan to leave Newton this afternoon.

FRED: I don't usually talk to strangers but I'm carrying a lot in my mind and don't have anybody except Mary to talk with about it.

JO: I'm a good listener.

FRED: It's Caroline. And it's mostly my fault. 

JO: What's mostly your fault?

FRED: A few months ago we hired a boy from a farm to work on the loading dock here. Jim is his name. Well, Caroline met him accidentally one day here in the office. She took to him like ants to honey. She was just home from Agnes Scott College after going there one year. Anyway, she got sweet on this Jim and I'd see them in her new Buick I'd given her. She'd drive him all over the place. She'd let her mother believe she wasn't seeing him and I guess I let Mary believe that.

JO: Why is it a problem if she spends time with Jim?

FRED: It's not a problem with me. But Mary thinks Caroline should spend all her time this summer with friends in our income level. My wife's very class conscious. It doesn't matter to me. Mary probably thinks I'm in a lower class than she is. I inherited this mill, so we do have enough money. But her life here is not like it was where she's from in Chattanooga.

JO: Are people in Newton as class conscious as your wife?

FRED: Well, yes, I guess they are--those who have money.

JO: Do you have friends you can talk to?

FRED: No, not about this. All the friends who come to the house are mostly friends of Mary. I'm cordial to them and they are to me, but they're really not my friends. I have friends here at the mill.

JO: What does Mary think about your friends here at the mill.

FRED: She won't invite them to our home when we have her friends over.

The winner of last Thursday's blog post for a copy of one of Linda Rondeau's books is Shelia. I'll email you to get your mailing address and get the book out to you. Thanks all for commenting. Watch for more book giveaways.

Till next time ... keep on smiling.