About the Book

Book:  The Dating Charade

Author: Melissa Ferguson

Genre: Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Romantic  Comedy

Release Date: December 3, 2019

Cassie Everson is an expert at escaping bad first dates. And, after years of meeting, greeting, and running from the men who try to woo her, Cassie is almost ready to retire her hopes for a husband—and children—altogether.

But fate has other plans, and Cassie’s online dating profile catches the eye of firefighter Jett Bentley. In Jett’s memory, Cassie Everson is the unreachable girl-of-legend from their high school days. Nervously, he messages her, setting off a chain of events that forces a reluctant Cassie back into the dating game.

No one is more surprised than Cassie when her first date with Jett is a knockout. But when they both go home and find three children dropped in their laps—each—they independently decide to do the right and mature thing: hide the kids from each other while sorting it all out. What could go wrong?

Melissa Ferguson’s hilarious and warmhearted debut reminds us that love can come in very small packages—and that sometimes our best-laid plans aren’t nearly as rewarding and fun as the surprises that come our way.

Click here to get your copy!

Guest Review from Mindy Houng

About the Author

Melissa Ferguson lives in Bristol, Tennessee, where she is an adjunct professor at King University and pens books that make her laugh and grow. She used to have hobbies like running and backpacking the Appalachian Trail outside her door. Now she and her husband are outnumbered, and her hobbies include diaper changes, chasing toddlers in parking lots, and admiring the Appalachian Trail out her minivan window while singing “Winnie the Pooh.” She survives by Jesus, rom coms, and roughly two espresso shots a day. The Dating Charade is her first novel.

Read an Excerpt

Read an excerpt of The Dating Charade here.

Blog Stops

A Baker’s Perspective, December 16

Genesis 5020, December 16

Kat’s Corner Books, December 17

Robin’s Nest, December 17

EmpowerMoms, December 17

Reflections From My Bookshelves, December 18

All-of-a-kind Mom, December 18

For Him and my Family, December 18

Carla Loves to Read, December 19

CarpeDiem, December 19

Cultivating Us, December 19

Quiet Quilter, December 20

Through the Fire Blogs, December 20

Christian Chick’s Thoughts, December 21

The Christian Fiction Girl, December 21

SusanLovesBooks, December 21

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 22

Texas Book-aholic, December 22

A Reader’s Brain, December 23

janicesbookreviews, December 23

Just Your Average reviews, December 23

Emily Yager, December 24

Vicky Sluiter, December 24

Hallie Reads, December 25

Remembrancy, December 25

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, December 26

Just the Write Escape, December 26

Simple Harvest Reads, December 26 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)

Locks, Hooks and Books, December 27

Mypreciousbitsandmusings, December 27

Pause for Tales , December 27

As He Leads is Joy, December 28

A Rup Life, December 28

Batya’s Bits, December 29

With a Joyful Noise, December 29

Inklings and notions, December 29

 About the Book

Book: Daybreak

Author: Beckie Lindsey

Genre: YA Fiction

Release Date: July, 2019

Every girl has a secret she hopes the light will never find—

but the demons already have.

Krystal, Mackenzie, Tammi, and Sadie fight a spiritual battle between unseen forces of good and evil that reaches deadly proportions.

When Krystal’s relationship with lifelong friend, Bryce, turns romantic, she is faced with the most important decision of her life. No matter her choice—everything will change forever.

As the friends rally to help Krystal, they each face their own battles against the forces of darkness and within themselves.

When tension between the group and members of a rock band continue to escalate, only time will tell which bonds will grow stronger and which will break.

“The thief comes only to kill, steal, and destroy.”

Click here to get your copy.

About the Author

Beckie Lindsey is an award-winning author, poet, blogger, and the editor of Southern California Christian Voice, a division of One Christian Voice, a national news syndicating agency. She is a major coffeeholic and enjoys a good book with a cat on her lap. She also loves to hike and hang out with family and friends. Beckie and her husband, Scott have three adult children, two adorable cats and live in California.

More from Beckie

Why I write YA and the BFA series

I believe a teenager still exists inside each of us.

We hear a familiar tune from our “glory days” and are instantly tapping our toes. Mentally, we’re back in high school —poofy bangs, scrunchie, neon off-the-shoulder sweatshirt — and all. Oh, wait. That’s me back in the ‘80s!

Ah, yes. There is something wonderfully awful about those coming-of-age years.

From the first kiss to the first breakup, there are memories we cherish and some we don’t care to ever revisit. Being a teen can be exciting, confusing, painful, joyous, or even all of those things at once!

No matter how different your teenage experience was from mine, one thing is true for us all: these years have an enormous impact on who we become as adults. We can all sympathize with the plight of puberty and the longing for independence and acceptance. Yeah, there’s still a teenager in all of us!

These are the reasons I write YA.

My hope is to use the power of storytelling to move past barriers and open hearts to accept how much God loves and desires a personal relationship with us.

At every age, we all need the grace and love of Jesus.

In the Beauties from Ashes (BFA) series, I write about relatable characters with difficult issues and traumatic pasts to enlighten readers about the unseen spiritual battle referred to in Scripture. Each character has a secret that has left them vulnerable to the battle in an invisible realm where demonic creatures fight to keep them chained to their pasts and angels of light work to free them.

The characters and their issues are complex, just like real life. In fact, some of the topics are often considered too taboo to talk about openly. But what is left in the dark, festers and grows. It is only in the light that we can be free. In the BFA series, readers experience the character’s quest for truth, love, grace, and freedom while hopefully finding the same for themselves.

Blog Stops

Genesis 5020, December 23

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 24

Simple Harvest Reads, December 24 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, December 25

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, December 26

Emily Yager, December 27

Through the Fire Blogs, December 28

Where Christ & Crisis Collide, December 29

Blogging With Carol, December 30

For Him and My Family, December 31

Artistic Nobody, December 31 (Author Interview)

Remembrancy, January 1

Locks, Hooks and Books, January 2

janicesbookreviews, January 3

A Reader’s Brain, January 4

Inklings and notions, January 5

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Beckie is giving away the grand prize of a $20 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/f37e/daybreak-celebration-tour-giveaway

About the Book

Book:  Finding Joy

Author: J.C. Lafler

Genre: Christian Fiction, Generational Fiction

Release Date: November, 2019

“No matter what complications life throws your way, search until you find something to be joyful for.”

Elisabeth Davis has lived by these words for most of her eighty years. Through good times and bad, this mindset has served her well, and she hopes and prays that her grandchildren will carry this sentiment forward when she is gone.

But Max has heard his grandmother say this so many times, he is almost oblivious. And while he understands her point, putting it into action is not always easy.

When his girlfriend demands he make a choice between her and his best friend—in the same week his grandmother has a stroke!—Max struggles to find joy anywhere. He is forced to reexamine his life, his relationships, and even his faith in this heartwarming story of coming of age and leaving a lasting legacy.

Click here to get your copy.

About the Author

J.C. Lafler has always enjoyed writing and dreamed of being published, but it wasn’t until she retired in 2015 that she realized her dream. J. C. and her husband, David, live in Battle Creek, Michigan—except in winter, when they escape to sunny Texas. Along with writing, she enjoys public speaking, reading, puzzles, traveling, and spending time with her children and grandchildren.

Finding Joy is J. C.’s fifth novel to date. Her other books, also released through Redemption Press, include Lost and Found, Amazing Grace, Hope Everlasting, and Leap of Faith.

More from J.C.

“Finding Joy” by J.C. Lafler is a story about the challenge of finding joy in life’s most trying circumstances, and corresponding verses in the Bible that lead us to choose joy. This story came about because of a comment made by one of my children, who’s middle name just happens to be Joy. She (Lynsey) made the comment to me one day that her middle name reminded her that every day it is up to her to choose joy. Jokingly telling her that “Choosing Joy” would be a great title for my next novel, I let it go for a couple of months. While preparing to began said novel, I wrote “Choose Joy” at the top of the page and started writing. During editing I changed the title to “Finding Joy,” but the whole story developed around the idea of choosing to find a bit of joy every day, no matter what is happening in your life.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, December 9

Inklings and notions, December 10

A Reader’s Brain, December 11

Reading Is My SuperPower, December 12

janicesbookreviews, December 13

Texas Book-aholic, December 14

Artistic Nobody, December 15 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, December 15

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 16

Lighthouse Academy, December 17 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)

For the Love of Literature, December 18

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, December 19

Aryn the Libraryan 📚, December 20

CarpeDiem, December 21

Simple Harvest Reads, December 22 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, December 22

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, J.C. is giving away the grand prize package of a signed copy of her book with a matching mug!!

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/f23c/finding-joy-celebration-tour-giveaway

 About the Book

Book:  The Wedding Dress Christmas

Author: Rachel Hauck

Genre: Romance, Christmas

Release Date: October 22, 2019

December covers quaint Heart’s Bend, Tennessee with a blanket of white and the glitter of Christmas lights.

For JoJo Castle there’s no place like home. It’s her safe place. Her one-time love of adventure ended when life in the big city shattered her hopes and dreams. Now that she’s returned to Hearts Bend, she never wants to leave again.

Buck Mathews, the biggest country singing sensation in decades, has the world on a string – his guitar strings, to be exact. However, when news of his mother’s illness sends him back to Hearts Bend for the holiday season, he remembers how good it can be to live among family and friends.

Working with her cousin Haley in The Wedding Shop, JoJo has no aspirations of love. Leaving home, surrendering her heart again, is just too risky.

When she runs into her friend and high school crush Buck Mathews, she discovers Love might have other plans for her[BV1] .

Buck’s career is on the verge of an momentous leap. But seeing JoJo awakens feelings he’d buried long ago. Falling in love is easy, but winning her heart will take more than one of his melodic tunes and clever lyrics.

JoJo and Buck want opposite things for their lives, leaving no room for compromise. Can love, especially the kind that touches hearts at Christmastime, overcome her fears andhis quest for greatness?

When a very special gown – the wedding dress – begins to make its presence known, JoJo and Buck’s hearts bend in a way neither ever thought possible.

Click here to get your copy.

Guest Review from Mindy Houng

About the Author

Rachel Hauck is an award winning, New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author.

Her book The Wedding Dress was named Inspirational Novel of the Year by Romantic Times Book Reviews. She is a double RITA finalist, and a Christy and Carol Award Winner.

Her book, Once Upon A Prince, first in the Royal Wedding Series, was filmed for an Original Hallmark movie.

Rachel has been awarded the prestigious Career Achievement Award for her body of original work by Romantic Times Book Reviews.

A member of the Executive Board for American Christian Fiction Writers, she teaches workshops and leads worship at the annual conference. She is a past Mentor of The Year.

At home, she’s a wife, writer, worship leader and works out at the gym semi-enthusiastically.

A graduate of Ohio State University (Go Bucks!) with a degree in Journalism, she’s a former sorority girl and a devoted Ohio State football fan. Her bucket list is to stand on the sidelines with Ryan Day.

More From Rachel

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Rachel is giving away a print copy of the book and a Visa gift card for $25. Swag!!

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/f1fe/the-wedding-dress-christmas-celebration-tour-giveaway

About the Book

Book:  Crown

Author: Nancy Kaser

Genre: Christian Non-Fiction, Biblical Marriage

Release Date: August 20, 2019

Whether you’re in the honeymoon stage or celebrating your fiftieth anniversary, you have never before been in this season of your marriage. Your family dynamics, finances, health, emotional state, location, ministry, employment status—all the factors of your life—are in a perpetual state of transition. As a married woman, you are continually wife-changing. The Scriptures never change, but they can always be freshly applied to every season of marriage.

Crown is a resource that combines solid Bible teaching, humorous and humbling tales from the author’s own marriage journey, and dozens of compelling stories from real women just like you. Based on Proverbs 12:4, “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,” Crown includes concrete Scriptural truths and real-life examples that will equip you to be the excellent wife God created you to be. Complex issues such as biblical roles within marriage, physical intimacy, communication, forgiveness, and home management are all addressed with candid honesty, encouragement, and biblical substance. In thirty wife-changing lessons, you will be instructed, challenged, and motivated to walk in obedience to God’s beautiful design for marriage.

Click here to get your copy.

My Thoughts

My review is coming; I have been unable to put my review together due to health issues. Thank you for your patience and understanding!

About the Author

Nancy Kaser is a passionate pastor’s wife and veteran missionary. For over twenty-five years, she has taught women’s Bible studies, provided biblical counseling, and been a dynamic women’s conference speaker. Based in Southern California, Nancy teaches literature and history classes at The Writtenburg Door. She and her visionary husband also lead short-term mission trips with the Calvary Chapel movement and run a child-sponsorship organization.

More from Nancy

Closing the church door after my seventh counseling appointment that week, I was overcome with the realization that every appointment had been relatively indistinguishable. The women I counseled from our congregation were generally unsatisfied, disappointed, and disillusioned with their marriages, and some were downright rebellious in their role as wives. The same anxieties, the same troubles, (and the same sins creating the anxieties and troubles) came up in almost every meeting. Though these church ladies may have been well-versed in the scriptures, no one had taught them how to live out biblical principals in their everyday lives.

As a pastor’s wife, I wished I could meet with every married lady in my church and offer practical discipleship with this hope: that a glorious, fulfilling, and God-honoring marriage—to the same guy she is married to right now! —is absolutely possible through obedience to God’s word.  

Crown – 30 Wife-Changing Lessons is a resource that combines solid Bible teaching, humorous and humbling tales from my own marriage journey, and dozens of compelling stories from real women just like you. Based on Proverbs 12:4, “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,” Crown includes concrete, scriptural truths and real-life examples that will equip you to be the excellent wife God created you to be. Complex issues such as biblical roles within marriage, physical intimacy, communication, forgiveness, and home management are all addressed with candid honesty, encouragement and biblical substance.

Whether you’re in the honeymoon stage or celebrating your fiftieth anniversary, you have never before been in this season of your marriage. Your family dynamics, finances, health, emotional state, location, ministry, employment status— all the factors of your life—are in a perpetual state of transition. As a married woman, you are continually wife-changing. The scriptures never change, but they can always be freshly applied to every season of marriage. In thirty wife-changing lessons, you will be instructed, challenged, and motivated to walk in obedience to God’s beautiful design for marriage.

Blog Stops

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, December 13

Mary Hake, December 13

Inklings and notions, December 14

Artistic Nobody, December 15

All-Of-kind Mom, December 16

Just the Write Escape, December 17

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 17

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, December 18

Texas Book-aholic, December 19

janicesbookreviews, December 20

Simple Harvest Reads, December 21

For Him and My Family, December 21

A Reader’s Brain, December 22

As He Leads is Joy, December 23

Lots of Helpers, December 24

Quiet Workings, December 25

Godly Book Reviews, December 26

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Nancy is giving away the grand prize package of 2 copies of Crown and a $50 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/f23e/crown-celebration-tour-giveaway

About the Book

Book:  Building a Ridiculously Great Marriage

Author: Gil Stieglitz

Genre: Christian Non-fiction

Release Date: November 2019

Click here for your copy.

About the Author

Dr. Gil Stieglitz is a prolific author, engaging speaker, and insightful pastor who has spent thousands of hours helping, coaching, and strengthening marriages. Gil has written over twenty-five books on marriage, parenting, soul development, and spiritual warfare, including top-seller Becoming a Godly Husband, God’s Radical Plan for Wives, and Marital Intelligence. He speaks to thousands of people each year about the wonders of God’s principles. Gil now serves as Discipleship Pastor at Bayside Church, a dynamic multi-site church near Sacramento, CA. He is on faculty with Principles to Live By, a nonprofit organization that helps people connect to God’s principles in everyday life. He and his wife, Dana, enjoy a ridiculously delightful life in Northern California. For more information, visit ptlb.com.

More from Gil

Mindy Houng’s Interview with Gil Stieglitz

What inspired this book?

There is a stark contrast between people who have great marriages and people who have lousy ones. I find that couples just don’t know what to do to create a great relationship in marriage. I am amazed that a few simple routines and habits can make a sensational relationship. Yes, it is some work to add some new things to your day, week, and month, but the payoff is huge. The more I interview couples who have great marriages, I find they know exactly what I am talking about regarding these routines and habits. Couples who are only enduring their spouse and marriage have never heard of or thought about doing most of these.

I tend to make the most progress in my life when I admit what I don’t know and find ways to do whatever it is that needs fixing. It doesn’t matter whether it is finances, leadership, career, family, church, God, or marriage; there are things you need to do to be successful in each area. If you admit you don’t know, and you want to learn, you can find the changes you need to make to get really good at the thing. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. I offer this book as a cheat sheet to have a ridiculously great marriage.

Which chapter was the most difficult to write?

I found the chapter most difficult to write was on the habit of Scheduling Sex, which is something great couples do. They have some system in which sexual intimacy becomes expected and regular, so both spouse’s needs are met. This needed to be said so couples can get out of the notion to wait until both of them are in the mood, which always leaves one spouse frustrated and one feeling put upon.

I didn’t want to try and become a sex therapist, but there are some rudimentary ideas and solutions that couples need to talk about in this area of sexual intimacy…the three kinds of sex, the physiological sexual cycles that exist in both men and women specifically. If this crucial arena of married life is going to be a source of delight and true intimacy, then in some form it must be scheduled and communicated. I refer to a few books on the subject that go into much more detail on the issue of sex in marriage; I do not want to be seen as an expert on the sexual dysfunctions in marriage—I do want people to get the help they need.

What would you like your readers to get out of this book?

I want them to have ah-ha moments—“Oh, I had never thought of that!” or, “You can do that?” I was very pleased as we were recording the audiobook that one of the sound engineers (who was divorced) kept saying at the breaks, “If I had only known this fifteen years ago.” I want people to add these practices to their life and watch their marriage change. These practical actions are like the change in the golf swing that immediately stops the ball slicing. They really do work. I want people’s marriages to be a source of joy, one that is ridiculously great.

My wife and I often say to each other, “Our marriage is not normal; it is so good. Let’s not mess it up.” In other words, we need to keep doing the things that got us here—the things addressed in this book.

Which author influenced you the most?

I have been the most influenced by Gary Smalley, who mentored me out of my lousy relational habits and into a whole new life relationally. His material has been a revelation to me over the years. It changed everything for me. People stopped being the key to meeting my needs and became a goal in themselves. I understood the point of the Scriptures about marriage and relationship because of his mentorship of me. Life Is Relationships. We must learn how to love, or life will not make a lot of sense.

Now, I find myself delighted, surprised, and reinforced by the work of Dr. John Gottman. He has done his work by studying couples in his Love Lab in Seattle, while I found the keys to relationship by starting with the Scriptures. I am so delighted with how these two sources of truth agree. Different sources, same truth.

What is your favorite Bible verse or life verse?

My life verse is Philippians 3:8, “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but rubbish that I may gain Christ.” There have been many times when Christ has asked me to sacrifice what I might think is best to grow my relationship with Him more deeply. It has always been worth it in the long run, even though the short term can be very painful.

I find that Christ asks me to sacrifice what I want in some cases to have a relationship with Him and with others that is priceless. I love Scripture and tremble in front of it when it says, “Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for it.” There is sacrifice needed in great relationships, but it is so worth it to be deeply loved and to love deeply. Selfish people who seek to use people do not create great relationships.

Where is your favorite vacation spot?

I am always the most blown away by Yosemite National Park. I still have to pull over when we pop through the tunnel and glimpse the Valley. I am just stunned by the beauty, wonder, and grandeur. I also love Lake Tahoe, the Redwoods, the Swiss Alps, underwater in Monterey Bay and Lake Louise, but Yosemite takes my breath away every time.

What are you reading right now?

I am reading the Science of Trust by Dr. John Gottman. It is a wonderful compilation of the tests and studies that have quantified how to build and destroy trust in relationships. It’s a compilation of Scriptural ideas sifted through scientific studies and empirical data sets.

What is your most well-loved and well-used house appliance?

Probably the refrigerator. It is a magnet. I love to look into it and see if anything has changed or been added in the last twenty minutes. I love having snacks, fruit, and vegetables that come out of it. I sometimes find myself just staring into it with the door open hoping something new has happened in there.

Describe your view as you’re sitting in your writing chair.

I am surrounded by huge book cases filled with books. On top of the cases are pictures and mementos of our family. Pictures of my girls, family trips, trinkets from my past. When I moved into the smaller office I now inhabit, I had to pare down my books from near 8,000 to only 4,000 of the keepers—it was very difficult. My desk is on my right side piled high with books I am reading or referring to. There is a window on my left that often stays closed because I am in a writing zone, and I don’t want to be distracted by what is happening outside.

If you could have one piece of art or music on a deserted island, what would it be and why?  

I am tempted to say a Yellow Submarine, but I think that evades your question. I would want the Bible, which is a work of art, ageless wisdom, an antenna into eternity to hear from God, lyrics written by inspired prophets, and the beauty of truth.

Blog Stops

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, December 6

Holly Jo Morris, December 7

Spoken from the Heart, December 8

All-of-a-kind Mom, December 9

Mary Hake, December 10

Stories By Gina, December 11

Artistic Nobody, December 12 (Author Interview)

Discipling4Life , December 12

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 13

Texas Book-aholic, December 14

janicesbookreviews, December 15

A Reader’s Brain, December 16

Inklings and notions, December 17

A Diva’s Heart, December 18

Simple Harvest Reads, December 19 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, December 19

Giveaway

About the Book

Book:  All Is Bright (Christmas Lights Collection 2019)

Author: Kari Trumbo, Toni Shiloh, Cathe Swanson, & Chautona Havig

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: October  17, 2019

Four of your favorite contemporary romance authors join festive forces to bring you the fourth-annual Christmas Lights Collection.

Kari Trumbo-  Merry and Dashing: Merry hates Christmas corporate greed. Jacob loves finding the perfect gift for everyone. When Scrooge and Santa volunteer at a local thrift store together, will the mix be Holly Jolly?

Toni Shiloh-  I’ll Be Home: What could be worse than being laid off right before the holidays? For Starr Lewis that would include returning home jobless, single, and, oh yeah, just in time to attend her sister’s wedding on Christmas Eve… to Starr’s ex-boyfriend. In the midst of it all, her brother’s best friend soon has her wondering if she can take another chance on love.

Cathe Swanson- Season of Change:  Charlea’s ready to sell Serenity Hill, but Drew is back in town, 15 years after their dream date ended in disaster, helping her mother and daughter turn the old commune into a commercial Christmas wonderland. Between poinsettias and sleigh rides, angst and romance collide in this Christmas second-chance romance!

Chautona Havig- The 12 Dates of Christmas : When Reagan runs into Alex, her high school nemesis, he is stunned to discover that’s how she saw him. It’ll take twelve dates and a lot of forgiveness on both sides to even hope for a Christmassy-ever-after.

Brighten your day with these four heart-warming novellas today!

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts

About the Author

Kari Trumbo:  Kari Trumbo writes swoony heroes and places that become characters with detail and heart. Kari loves reading, listening to music, singing when no one’s listening, and curling up with a fuzzy blanket, a book, and a hot cup of tea by the wood stove. She loves her make-believe people almost as much as the real thing. You can find out more about her and her worlds at karitrumbo.com.

Toni Shiloh:  Toni Shiloh writes ethnically diverse characters that could be your best friend. She writes to understand the Lord more and shares her lessons with her readers. Visit her at www.tonishiloh.com.

Cathe Swanson:  Cathe Swanson, the author of the Great Lakes and Glory Quilts series, enjoys gardening, sewing, papercrafting, and kayaking on the beautiful Wisconsin rivers. As a child of the 60’s, she’s having fun writing about hippies and the Jesus People movement in her new Serenity Hill series.

Chautona Havig: 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

More From Chautona

 Christmas in “The Christmas City”

I wrote most of 12 Dates of Christmas in Noel, Missouri, otherwise known as “The Christmas City.”  That’s kind of funny, because Noel isn’t pronounced No-ell.  It’s “Nole”—rhymes with pole.  As in North. 😉

By the time I’d finished, it was almost time to leave the little town and head home after nearly six weeks with old and new friends.  I had to say goodbye to memories I might never visit in person again, and it was difficult to imagine.

So, I did the only thing I knew to do.  I wrote a super-short story.  It’s just over seven thousand words (including a bit of history behind different people, places, and things in the story), but it captured things near and dear to my heart—my mother’s house, the church I’ve loved for so many years, town traditions, and now characters I’m not sure I can let go of.

In fact, I am considering writing a full-length novella next year for the fifth-annual Christmas Lights Collection next year!  I think Rob and Lissa deserve to have their full story told.

As my thanks to readers who purchase or read the collection on Kindle Unlimited, I’m offering this short story, “A Noel Christmas,” FREE.  Just send me your receipt or a screenshot showing you’ve completed the collection and it’s yours.  Visit https://chautona.com/bonus for more information or just zip an email to any of the authors in the collection. We’re all happy to send it on.

We all hope you have a very meaningful Christmas this year—one that offers bright spots in your days. May God richly bless you now and in the new year.

Kari Trumbo, Toni Shiloh, Cathe Swanson, and Chautona Havig

P.S.  If you read the short story, do let me know if you think I should turn it into a full-length novella/novel. I’d love to know your opinion.

Blog Stops

Among the Reads, December 6

Texas Book-aholic, December 7

janicesbookreviews, December 8

Through the Fire Blogs, December 9

Mary Hake, December 9

Genesis 5020, December 10

Inklings and notions, December 11

Blossoms and Blessings, December 12

CarpeDiem, December 13

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, December 14

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, December 15

Batya’s Bits, December 16

She Lives To Read, December 17

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 17

Lots of Helpers, December 18

Simple Harvest Reads, December 19

Giveaway

To celebrate their tour, The Christmas Lights Authors are giving away the grand prize of a six-month Kindle Unlimited Subscription!!

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/f2b3/all-is-bright-celebration-tour-giveaway

About the Book

Book:  Brand of Light

Author: Ronie Kendig

Genre: Christian Fiction, futuristic, space opera,

Release Date: December 3, 2019

There’s a price on her head, and it has everything to do with the brand on her arm.

Tertian Space Coalition has blessed every planet in the quadrants with high technology, save one: Drosero. But in spite of their tenuous treaty with the ruling clans, TSC has plans for the backward planet. And they’re not alone.

After a catastrophic explosion, Kersei Dragoumis awakens in a derelict shuttle, alone, injured, and ignorant of the forbidden technology that has swept her into a nightmare. The brand she’s borne since childhood burns mysteriously, but the pain is nothing to that when she learns her family is dead and she is accused of their murders.

Across the quadrants, Marco Dusan responds to the call of a holy order—not to join them, but to seek a bounty. Gifted—or cursed—with abilities that mark him a Kynigos, a tracker sworn to bring interplanetary fugitives to justice, Marco discovers this particular bounty has nothing to do with justice and everything to do with prophecy. One that involves the hunter as much as the hunted.

Click here to get your copy!

Guest Review from Mindy Houng

“He never promised His ways to be easy, only true and freeing – but remember that your perspective is particularly one-sided. You know the pain, but not the plan or what will come to fruition.”

I am absolutely besotted. Yes, I have been a fan of Ronie Kendig’s writing since the Quiet Professionals series and have loved every one of her books I have read so far…. but this book tops the last one I read (sorry, Leif). How does the author continue to rack up more action, adrenaline, and mind-spinning plot twists with every book she writes? Incredible.

Even if you’re not a fan of space operas or fantasy genre, you will be missing out greatly if you don’t read this book. This is book 1 of the Droseran Saga so it spends a good deal of time laying out an entire universe and the ways of different planets and cultures, very reminiscent of the Star Wars movies. The action and plot move quickly and the questions shrouded in suspense that build with each chapter are answered with a big finale at the end….but the ending of this book will also leave you impatient for the next book in the series to release. The complex, passionate, loyal natures of Kersei, Marco, and Tigo will draw you into their worlds and hearts as good fights evil in a galaxy where nothing is as it seems.

Ronie Kendig needs to write faster and release the next books in quick succession!
I received a copy of the book from Enclave Publishing via Celebrate Lit Publishing and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.

About the Author

Ronie Kendig is an award-winning, bestselling author of over twenty titles. An Army brat, Ronie lives a shot train ride from New York City with her husband, twin sons, and two fur-sons, VVolt N629, a retired military working dog, and Benning the Stealth Golden. Described as an empath by her literary agent, Ronie has used her degree in psychology to write books that have won the coveted Christy Award, Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, HOLT Medallion Award, and more. Her books have also hit the CBA Bestseller List multiple times.

More from Ronnie

In November 2005, I lurched into a story that started with one small element—what if a hero could literally smell fear? And so I delved into the story with the characters, and felt like I’d fallen into the vortex. I wrote over 90,000 words in one month, this story just gushing out of me.

But I was a very new writer. And if you saw the first draft that gushed out of me, you’d snicker. I sure have. It’s appallingly bad writing, yet the story’s bones are healthy and intact. So, I teased the story into shape over the last fourteen years. In 2012, I took a hard look at it and tried to shape up the writing. I’d even gotten to know Kathy Tyers, who wrote for the Star Wars franchise as well as the much-beloved Firebird series (*insert reverent pause here*), and I bravely asked if she would take a peek at the first fifty pages or so. Being gracious as Kathy is, she agreed to take a look.

Um, yikes. Haha. Make no mistake—Kathy is a brilliant writer, and I will never write like her, but I learned so much her feedback and took it to heart. Clearly, I still had a long way to go before that story was ready for the world, so I delved into honing my craft and deepening this story. Honestly, I was afraid show Brand of Light to anyone again, because I love this story so much and did not want to see “her” fail. Nore correctly—I did not want to fail this story.

About three years ago, I sensed a deep conviction that it was time to stop hiding and, as an act of faith and obedience to what God had given me, to send Brand of Light out into the world. As I write this, she is still 1.5 months out from the release, and I’m scared. I want this beauty to be loved, but even if it’s not, *I love this story and know I honored God with my writing and sending her out. I can rest here for a long while, reveling in the gift God gave me with this storyworld and its characters. I’m excited to see her launch out into the deep now. As Marco and the hunters always say, For Honor.

Blog Stops

Through the Fire Blogs, December 14

April Hayman, Author, December 14

Hallie Reads, December 14

amandainpa , December 15

Inside the Wong Mind, December 15

Christian Chick’s Thoughts, December 16

Wishful Endings, December 16

Pause for Tales, December 16

A Reader’s Brain, December 17

Faery Tales Are Real, December 17

Simple Harvest Reads, December 18 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 18

Where Faith and Books Meet, December 18

Texas Book-aholic, December 19

Mia Reads Blog, December 19

Adventures of a Travelers Wife, December 20

Betti Mace, December 20

Books, Life, and Christ, December 20

Just the Write Escape, December 21

Britt Reads Fiction, December 21

Blogging With Carol , December 22

A Good Book and Cup of Tea, December 22

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, December 23

All-of-a-kind Mom, December 23

The Artist Librarian, December 23

Emily Yager, December 24

mypreciousbitsandmusings, December 24

Bakerkella, December 25

Worthy2Read, December 25

janicesbookreviews, December 26

Tell Tale Book Reviews, December 26

Just Your Average reviews, December 26

Inklings and notions, December 27

Splashes of Joy, December 27

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Ronie is giving away the grand prize package of a Tinted Prose edition of Brand of Light, Galaxy Tumbler, “Kersei” Dio Adorable Candle, 3 Character Cards (to include Marco, Kersei, Tigo), and 2 Maps (to include Drosero and the planetary map)!!

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/f2e2/brand-of-light-celebration-tour-giveaway

About the Book

Book:  Made for Brave

Author: Alyssa Galios

Genre: Christian Memoir, Widowhood, Cancer

Release Date: November, 2019

From the testimony viewed over 100 million times on the internet:

“I am so sorry I have to deliver such awful news.” Shaking his head, the doctor muttered, “You are both so young.”

A young woman in her twenties with a future and a plan for her life comes up against a tragic nightmare when her handsome and otherwise healthy husband is suddenly diagnosed with a rare inoperable cancer. As her husband’s beliefs grow stronger, Alyssa’s dreams evaporate, and her faith slips away when the worst happens.

Experience soul-searing pain and miraculous moments of joy in this poignant true-life account. Journey with Alyssa as she grapples with life and death, faith and unbelief, disappointment and hope in a search for answers that takes her beyond grief to peace and a surprising new love.

Along the way, you’ll find answers to the questions you may be asking in your own life:

• Where is God when it hurts?
• Why doesn’t God answer my prayers?
• Can God make something good come out of bad?
• Does true love ever strike twice?

Made for Brave is a striking example of how God can create overwhelming good from even the worst of life when we choose to partner with Him.

Click here for your copy.

About the Author

Alyssa Galios is a writer, speaker, social media influencer, and coach. Founder of the #MadeforBrave movement and CEO of the Made for Brave Company, Alyssa is known for helping countless people create better lives through faith, family, and fitness. Her life story has been featured on sites like Yahoo News, Christian Post, Fox News, HuffPost, and Viralized. Alyssa and her husband Jay run their business out of their home north of Seattle, where they happily raise their daughters. For more information, visit alyssagalios.com.

More from Alyssa

Giveaway