Lorena McCourtney Book

When you leave a comment on THIS post by 6 p.m. CT Tuesday, August 5, 2014 you'll be entered in the DRAWING for a copy of the book 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 have a U.S. mailing address to receive a paper book. You can read details about my book giveaways at Disclaimers. 

Death Takes a Ride by Lorena McCourtney

Lorena McCourtney is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of dozens of novels, including Invisible (which won a Daphne du Maurier Award from Romance Writers of America), Dying to Read, and Dolled Up to Die. She resides in Oregon. Learn more at www.lorenamccourtney.com.

From the book’s back cover

Cate Kinkaid arrives at H&B Vintage Auto Restorations to give a friend a ride. But, as usual, trouble finds Cate even there—this time in the form of one dead man, one wounded man, and what appears to be a pretty obvious case of self-defense.

Despite having been merely an unfortunate bystander, Cate finds herself sucked into the case. And the deeper she gets, the more she begins to suspect that the shooting in the H&B office may not have been as cut-and-dried as it appeared.

Bestselling and award-winning author Lorena McCourtney takes you on a wild ride in this clever cozy mystery that will keep you guessing.

From Jo

Cate Kincaid, Assistant Private Investigator, steps into a crime scene when she goes to H&B Vintage Auto Restorations to give someone a ride. This crime scene involves murder, which Cate hasn’t investigated before. She works for her uncle who has assigned her cases of mundane things like serving papers and doing background checks. Not believing this is a cut-and-dried shooting, Cate begins snooping around and follows the clues. McCourtney writes a fast-paced story laced with humor and tension to keep you turning pages.

Remember: leave a comment on THIS post by 6 p.m. CT Tuesday, August 5, 2014 and you'll be entered in the drawing for a copy of Death Takes a Ride by Lorena Courtney. Please, please remember to leave your email address. I'll need your email address so that should you be the winner I can get in touch with you. I'll announce the winner in next Thursday’s blog.

The winner of last Thursday’s blog post for a copy of A Mother’s Secret by Amy Clipson is Karen G. I’ll email you. Thanks all for commenting. Watch for more book giveaways.

Till next time … keep on smiling.

Amish Novel

When you leave a comment on THIS post by 6 p.m. CT Tuesday, July 29, 2014 you'll be entered in the DRAWING for a copy of the book 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 have a U.S. mailing address to receive a paper book. You can read details about my book giveaways at Disclaimers.

A Mother’s Secret by Amy Clipston

Our guest today is Amy Clipston. Amy has been writing for as long as she can remember. Her fiction writing "career" began in elementary school when she and a close friend wrote and shared silly stories. She has a degree in communications from Virginia Wesleyan College and is a member of the Authors Guild, American Christian Fiction Writers, and Romance Writers of America. She is the author of the bestselling Kauffman Amish Baker series with Zondervan, which is part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. Amy works full-time for the City of Charlotte, NC. She lives with her husband, two sons, mother, and four spoiled rotten cats.

If you could have dinner with one person from today or history (except Jesus) who would it be?

I would love to have dinner with my paternal grandmother (my nana), who passed away in 1990 when I was a junior in high school. My grandparents immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1929 when my father was an infant. While I was close to my nana when I was growing up, there are so many questions I wish I had asked her when I had the chance. I also would enjoy telling her about my sons. I know she’d be proud of them!

Please tell us a little about your novel, A Mother’s Secret.

My new book, A Mother’s Secret, is the second in my Hearts of the Lancaster Grand Hotel series. In this book, Carolyn Lapp dreams of marrying for love. But will the errors of her past destroy this dream forever? Carolyn Lapp longs to have a traditional Amish family. But she lives on her brother's farm with her parents and her 15-year old son, Benjamin. Carolyn has never revealed the identity of Benjamin's father and lives daily with the guilt and shame of her youthful indiscretion. Her brother simply will not forgive her. His answer is to arrange a practical marriage for Carolyn to Saul, a widower with a little girl. But Carolyn isn't convinced that Saul really loves her and believes he is simply looking for someone to help raise his daughter. When Benjamin causes trouble at a local horse auction, horse breeder Joshua Glick decides that he must be taught a lesson. Carolyn and Joshua are unmistakably drawn to each other, but Joshua mistakenly assumes that Benjamin is Carolyn's brother. Carolyn fears that if he discovers the truth, her past will destroy their budding romance. After years of shame and loneliness, Carolyn suddenly has two men vying for her attention. But which of them will give her the family---and the unconditional love---she's longed for?

I think readers will enjoy seeing Joshua Glick in this book since he was a minor character in book 1, A Hopeful Heart. Readers will also have the opportunity to find out what happened to Hannah, the main character in the first book.

What takeaway value do you want your readers to have?

I often feature stories about second chances and I believe my stories help readers find hope. 

Where can readers find you online?

Readers can find me on my website at AmyClipston.com, as well as on Facebook and on Twitter: @AmyClipston.

Where can readers purchase A Mother’s Secret?

You can find A Mother’s Secret anywhere that books are sold. I also have links to book websites on my website.

Any parting comment?

I am an advocate for organ and blood donation since I donated a kidney on June 14, 2011, at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Through my donation, my husband, Joe, received a second kidney transplant. My husband and I matched another couple and swapped kidneys with them. My memoir, A Gift of Love, details our journey with Joe’s kidney disease and his two kidney transplants.   You can find my memoir here: http://amyclipston.com/giftoflove.html

Amy, thank you for visiting with my readers and me. One of the commenters will win a drawing for your A Mother’s Secret, which you graciously offered.

Remember: leave a comment on THIS post by 6 p.m. CT Tuesday, July 29, 2014 and you'll be entered in the drawing for a copy of A Mother’s Secret by Amy Clipston. Please, please remember to leave your email address. I'll need your email address so that should you be the winner I can get in touch with you. I'll announce the winner in next Thursday’s blog.

The winner of last Thursday’s blog post for a copy of Truth Be Told by Carol Cox is Maxie. I’ll email you. Thanks all for commenting. Watch for more book giveaways.

Till next time … keep on smiling.

Carol Cox Book

When you leave a comment on THIS post by 6 p.m. CT Tuesday, July 22, 2014 you'll be entered in the DRAWING for a copy of the book 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 have a U.S. mailing address to receive a paper book. You can read details about my book giveaways at Disclaimers.

TRUTH BE TOLD by Carol Cox

Author of thirty novels and novellas, Carol Cox has an abiding love for history and romance, especially when it’s set in her native Southwest. As a third-generation Arizonan, she takes keen interest in the Old West and hopes to make it live again in the hearts of her readers. A pastor’s wife, Carol lives with her husband and daughter in northern Arizona, where the deer and the antelope really do play—within view of the family’s front porch.

From the book’s back cover

When Amelia Wagner takes over her father’s newspaper in 1893 Granite Springs, Arizona, she vows to carry on the paper’s commitment to reporting only the truth. But Amelia soon learns that even the truth can have serious consequences. Her father’s revealing articles about the Great Western Investment Company have caught the attention of the wrong people, and pressure mounts for Amelia to retract her father’s statements.

Determined to find out the real story, Amelia begins her own investigation. She’s joined by Benjamin Stone, a Western employee who’s been assigned to keep tabs on her for the good of the company, a man Amelia finds both perplexing and intriguing.

What they uncover stuns them both—and has far-reaching implications for not only Ben and Amelia but all of Granite Springs. Can they reveal the truth before the enemy finds a way to silence them for good?

From Jo

When her father dies, Amelia Wagner becomes the owner and operator of his newspaper in 1893 Arkansas. Her father had instilled in her that a newspaper writer always told the truth. The Great Western Investment Company wants her to retract statements her father published. After small incidents don’t scare Amelia enough to retract the statements, the company assigns one of their employees, Benjamin Stone, to get close to her and convince her to retract the statements. Instead of doing that, Benjamin recognizes her bravery and helps her to uncover proof to back up her father’s articles. Cox writes memorable characters, vivid settings descriptions, and emotions of the heart. This book has ample tension to keep the reader turning pages.

Remember: leave a comment on THIS post by 6 p.m. CT Tuesday, July 22, 2014 and you'll be entered in the drawing for a copy of TRUTH BE TOLD by Carol Cox. Please, please remember to leave your email address. I'll need your email address so that should you be the winner I can get in touch with you. I'll announce the winner in next Thursday’s blog. Did you leave your email address?

The winner of last Thursday’s blog post winner for a copy of A WEDDING FOR JULIA by Vannetta Chapman is Melanie. I’ll email you. Thanks all for commenting. Watch for more book giveaways.

Till next time … keep on smiling.

Vannetta Chapman book

When you leave a comment on THIS post by 6 p.m. CT Tuesday, July 15, 2014 you'll be entered in the DRAWING for a copy of the book 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 have a U.S. mailing address to receive a paper book. You can read details about my book giveaways at Disclaimers. 

A Wedding for Julia by Vannetta Chapman

Vannetta Chapman is the author of several novels, including A Promise for Miriam and A Home for Lydia. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather’s birthplace in Albio, Pennsylvania. Vannetta is a Carol award winner and a multi-award-winning member of Romance Writers of America. She was a teacher for 15 years and currently resides in the Texas Hill country.

From the book’s back cover:

Julia Beechy is so stunned, she can hardly breathe. The announcement that she must either marry or move from the family home on her mother’s imminent death catches Julia completely by surprise. How can she leave the only home she has ever known? What about her dream of opening her own Plain café?

Quiet Caleb Zook thought his time for marrying was long past, but he feels a stirring in his heart he cannot shake for this beautiful, forlorn woman. When he offers support, comfort, and a solution, Julia is afraid to accept it. Can she marry someone she barely knows? Is that the right thing to do? Is this God’s plan for her future? For his?

As Julia and Caleb work through the consequences of their life-altering decision, the people of Pebble Creek weather the worst storm to hit Wisconsin in the last hundred years. Where will Julia and Caleb be on the other side of it?

From Jo:

Vannetta Chapman writes excellent Amish novels. Julia Beechy, approaching the age of forty, lives with her mother in the house Julia has lived all her life. After her mother’s death Julia will not be allowed to stay in the home alone, dashing her hope of having a café in the house. Though a quiet man, Caleb Zook asks Lydia why she is sad. Lydia pours out her heart about the café to Caleb although she does not know him well. Caleb is forty years old and never married. Their friendship grows and Caleb wants to do something so she wouldn’t have to move. Vannetta Chapman gives the reader real characters and situations that challenge their strength.

Remember: leave a comment on THIS post by 6 p.m. CT Tuesday, July 15, 2014 and you'll be entered in the drawing for a copy of A Wedding for Julia by Vannetta Chapman. Please, please remember to leave your email address. I'll need your email address so that should you be the winner I can get in touch with you. I'll announce the winner in next Thursday’s blog.

The winner of last Thursday’s blog post for a copy of Into the Whirlwind by Elizabeth Camden is Britney. Thanks all for commenting. Watch for more book giveaways.

Till next time … keep on smiling.