Well, if you got my newsletter yesterday, you've already seen this awesome new cover. This is for the book I'm CURRENTLY writing entitled, Surrender the Night. Without giving too much of the story away, I've posted a very brief description. Thoughts on the cover?
When Rose McGuire nurses a wounded British Naval officer back to health in the barn on her Baltimore farm, she hardly expected to fall in love with him, especially since his countrymen murdered her father. Nor did she expect, after their profession of love, that she would meet him again as enemies when British troops invaded Washington DC in an attempt to burn the American capital to the ground.
Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. Colossians 1:22
Do you know what I see when I look in the mirror? I'll be honest with you. I see a middle-aged woman who's lived a hard life and who struggles with judgement, criticism, my mouth, jealousy, selfishness, eating too much, and trust issues. Sometimes I wonder why God chose me at all to write novels!
So when I came across this verse in Colossians the other day, it hit me like a slap in the face--a gentle Godly slap. And one I needed badly. God spoke so clearly to my heart that day. He told me that this is how He sees me. Holy, blameless, without a single fault.
It took a minute for it to sink in. But yes. That's how He sees me, and how He sees you. Not because we are those things, but because Jesus is standing before us and God sees us through the veil of His Son.
Jesus' blood cloaks our sins and faults, erases them in fact, so that when we come before God in prayer and approach the throne, we can do it boldly as Paul says in Hebrews 4. Not cowering, not timidly, not guilt-ridden, but strolling boldly up to the throne like sons and daughters, princes and princesses (with all reverence, of course)
Because when God Almighty looks down upon us, He sees us as perfect, and His precious children.
How can we not believe that He will hear and answer all our prayers?
So try and remember this the next time you enter the throne room and maybe, just maybe, you'll ask for some pretty huge things. Because we serve a pretty Huge and Amazing God!
Last Sunday, my eldest daughter got married! My entire family flew in from Florida and I had a houseful of guests (some sleeping on the floor!) We had a blast! The wedding was so beautiful. The dinner reception was marvelous and we danced the night away until a stretch limo took my baby and her new hubby off to San Francisco to catch a plane to Hawaii. I know God's hand was on the entire day because everything was far better than we expected, and that's just the way God works. Here's a couple pictures for you to enjoy.
My sweet angel and her new hubby!
Me and my daughter
My family "getting down" on the dance floor!
I'll have some more to show you after we get the "Professional" ones back from the photographer. Anyway, it was a great time! Thank you for sharing it with me online.
In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use. If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work 2 Tim 2:20-21
Do you want to have a full, rich, exciting life? Who doesn't? If you lived long enough like me, you've probably discovered that NOTHING in this life satisfies. At least not for very long. Nothing fulfills and gives our lives meaning aside from God. Don't believe me? Just look closely at the people in this world who have everything: money, fame, beauty. Do they behave like they're fulfilled?
If you belong to God, He wants to use you for a grand purpose. He's desperately seeking people He can use to fulfil his plan for this world The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. 2 Chronicles 16:9
But I have a feeling He doesn't find very many. I think many of us will get to Heaven and be shown the things that God had for us here on earth to do, the excitement, the adventure.. and we'll crumble in shame and regret.
Don't be an ordinary vessel that God uses everyday for ordinary things.
Be an extrordinary vessel that God will use for those special occasions when He wants to do something HUGE. So how can you be an extraordinary utensil?
The answer is found above in the two verses I gave you. Keep yourself pure Those whose hearts are fully committed to him.
Virginia for Sworn to Protect
Diana S for Highland Blessings!!!
Congratulations, Ladies!!
My daughter is getting married this Sunday!! And my entire family is flying in from Florida over the next few days. So, I'll be pretty busy for awhile. I'll post some pictures of the wedding in a couple weeks... or as soon as I have time. It is my eldest daughter who is now 28 years old! Yes, that makes me ancient! But I feel young at heart. I think that's because I know I'll live forever and this life is only the beginning.
TRAVEL NEWS:
I'll be in St. Louis for the International Christian Retailers' Conference June 27th - 29th. If any of you will be attending, I'll be signing my next release Surrender the Heart at several locations during the conference. Please drop by and say HI! I'd love to meet you.
Here's some of the more recent headlines. I'm hoping to gather these each week and just give you a one or two sentence highlight. As Christians we need to be aware of what's going on in the middle East because it is in that part of the world where most of the final prophecies of the Bible take place. We should read the signs of the times and prepare ourselves for the second coming of Christ!
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday Israel could not do a "damn thing" to stop the Islamic state's nuclear program, which the West suspects is a front to build bombs. The Zionist regime (Israel) and its (western) backers cannot do a damn thing to stop Iran's nuclear work," Ahmadinejad said in a televised speech in the central city of Isfahan.
Ahmadinejad rejected on Wednesday as "illegal" a UN nuclear watchdog resolution over the country's disputed nuclear activities, state television reported.
"Under pressure of a few superficially powerful countries ... the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) passed an illegal resolution against the Iranian nation," Ahmadinejad said in a televised speech in the central city of Isfahan.
From: http://prosemiteundercover.phpbbnow.com/viewtopic.php?t=21914&sid=66691cba00832bd1b7b963ca0fa37902
haaretz
WASHINGTON - Syrian President Bashar Assad is pursuing dangerous policies that could unleash war on the Middle East, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned on Thursday night.
In a speech to the American Jewish Committee in Washington, Clinton said that Syria's transfer of weapons to Hezbollah militants in Lebanon risks throwing the region into instability.
From: http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3878088,00.html Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has approved the sites for new uranium enrichment plants in Iran, a close aide said on Monday, despite growing world pressure to stop the sensitive nuclear work.
Ahmadinejad's senior advisor Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi told the ILNA news agency that the hardliner had "approved the locations of the new nuclear sites" and the "construction at these sites will start with his order."
Reuters .. New York--Iran and Egypt are gearing up for battle against the United States and its allies over Israel and developing countries' rights to atomic technology at a major meeting on the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
http://www.isria.com/pages/2_May_2010_8.php Iran - US, Israel mastermind all terrorist activities in world: President President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad here on Saturday stressed that Washington and Tel Aviv mastermind all terrorist activities in the world. He made the remarks while addressing a ceremony commemorating the International Labor Day. The US and Israel are the root-cause of terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan, he added. All world dictators are supported by Washington, he said, adding that the US and its allies oppose all democratic governments across the globe.
UN Conference 05/03/2010 Ahmadinejad denies the Holocaust, denies there are homosexuals in Iran, and denies the existence of Iran's nuclear weapons program. To this list of lies he added another – that the U.S. and Israel pose a nuclear threat to Iran
05/05/10- The associated Press
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran on Wednesday kicked off new war games and military maneuvers in the strategic Persian Gulf waters, the country's second military show of force in less than a month.
The exercises reflect Iran's desire to flex its military muscle at a time of a deepening standoff with the West over Tehran's controversial nuclear program. The war games, held annually since 2006, also act as a warning, should U.S. or Israel consider a military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.
05 May 2010 11:40:18 GMT
Source: Reuters
WASHINGTON, May 5 (Reuters) - Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday his country would "definitely continue" its nuclear program despite Israeli threats of military action.
"Iran will definitely continue its path. You should not even doubt that we will continue our path. We'll definitely continue our path," Ahmadinejad said in an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" program.
Asking if that meant Iran was playing with fire in light of Israel's threat of a possible military strike, Ahmadinejad said it was not. "They're not a factor, in our defense doctrine, we don't even count them."
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
***Special thanks to Anna Coelho Silva | Publicity Coordinator, Book Group | Strang Communications for sending me a review copy.***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Andrea Kuhn Boeshaar has been writing stories and poems since she was a little girl and has published articles and devotionals as well as 31 novels and novellas. In addition to her writing, Andrea is a certified Christian life coach and speaks at writers’ conferences and for women’s groups. She has taught workshops at such conferences as: Write-To-Publish; American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW); Oregon Christian Writers Conference; Mount Hermon Writers Conference and many local writers conferences. Another of Andrea’s accomplishments is co-founder of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) organization. For many years she served on both its Advisory Board and as its CEO.
List Price: $10.99
Paperback: 291 pages
Publisher: Realms; 1 edition (May 4, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1599799855
ISBN-13: 978-1599799858
AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:
New Orleans, December 1861
Raindrops splattered against the garden’s cobblestone
walkway, forming puddles in low-lying areas.
Above, the heavens seemed to mourn in tearful shades of gray.
Staring out the floor-to-ceiling window, Valerie Fontaine realized
she’d forgotten the dreariness of the season. She’d been back
in New Orleans only a week, arriving Christmas Eve, but now
she questioned her decision to leave Miss C. J. Hollingsworth’s
Finishing School for Young Ladies, a year-round boarding school
in Virginia where she’d studied for the last sixteen months. She
let out a long, slow sigh. Life here at home was—well, worse than
the weather.
Closing the shutters, she stepped away and hugged her knitted
shawl more tightly around her shoulders. She strolled from the
solarium to the parlor, steeling herself against her father’s continuing
tirade. But at least they were talking now. He hadn’t said more
than six words to her since she’d been home. “You should have
stayed at school.” She had thought Father would be glad to see
her, given that it was their first Christmas without Mama.
But such wasn’t the case. Instead of spending the holiday with
her, he’d been at his gentlemen’s club almost continuously. His
actions hurt Valerie deeply. Nevertheless, he was the only family
she had left now.
“You should have stayed at school,” Edward Fontaine muttered
as he poured himself another scotch. His third.
“Yes, so you’ve stated. But isn’t it obvious why I came home?
I’m grieving, and I need the love and support of my father.” She
gave him a once-over, from the tip of his polished shoes to his
shiny, straight black hair. “And it might not seem like it, but I
think you need me too.”
“Need you? I should say not!” He teetered slightly but caught
her reaction. “And don’t roll those pretty blue eyes at me either.”
Valerie turned toward the roaring hearth so he wouldn’t see
her exasperated expression.
Holding out her hands, she warmed them by the fire. Although
temperatures registered well above the freezing mark, the cold and
dampness had a way of seeping into her bones. She shivered.
“I told you, ma fille, your efforts, as you call them, aren’t
needed.”
She flicked him a glance. “I think perhaps they are.” She
sensed her father mourned Mama’s death too. However, drowning
himself in scotch would hardly help, and he’d lose his good
standing in society if anyone found out about his . . . weakness.
Did neighbors and friends already know?
“Bah!”
Valerie turned to watch as he seated himself in a floralpatterned,
Louis XV wingback chair.
“You were to stay in Virginia and complete your education.”
Father gave a derisive snort. “I doubt Miss Hollingsworth will
give me a refund on your tuition.”
Valerie placed her hands on her hips. “How can you value
money over my well-being?”
“This is not a question of one or the other. These are
ous times . . . there are plans that you know nothing of . . . ”
“What plans?” Curious, Valerie tipped her head.
Silence.
“Father?”
He lifted his gaze to hers, and she saw a flicker of something
in his eyes—regret perhaps? Then his face hardened. “My plans
were for you to stay in school and marry a young man from an
established family.”
Valerie groaned. Running her hands down the wide skirt of
her black dress, she gathered the muslin in clenched fists of frustration.
How could she make him understand? She simply had
to follow her heart and come home. Otherwise, she surely would
have stayed at Miss Hollingsworth’s, as many students did. On
most holidays, like this one, time constraints restricted travel.
School let out the Friday before Christmas and began next week,
on the sixth of January. However, Valerie didn’t plan on returning,
and her reasons to leave boarding school ran deep.
She lifted her fingertips to her temples as a headache formed.
“Father, school proved too much for me after Mama’s untimely
death. I tried to make it, stayed all last summer, but after the war
broke out I had to come home.”
“Silly girl. You risked your life traveling through that part of
the country. Did you think I wanted to bury a daughter too?”
“No, of course not. But I thought you would have wanted to
see me at Christmastime.”
He didn’t comment on her remark. “So, what am I going to do
with you? I can’t very well send you back. It’s too dangerous.”
“It’s not as if I need a nanny.” Indignation pulsed through
Valerie’s veins. “I’m almost nineteen, and I can take care of
myself—and manage the household for you too.”
“I manage my own household.”
Hardly! she quipped inwardly. Thankfully for him, Adalia,
their precious and loyal maid, had seen to almost everything
since Mama died.
But Valerie wouldn’t tell her father that. She’d learned neither
retorts nor reasoning did much good when he’d been imbibing—
which was frequently of late.
She watched as he swallowed the dark golden liquid, emptying
the crystal tumbler in his hand. He made a sorrowful sight, to
be sure. And yet Valerie knew her father was an honorable man,
a capable man who owned and operated a large business. Her
grandfather had started Fontaine Shipping when he had come
from France. Father grew up near the docks and learned everything
about ships and cargo, importing and exporting, and then
he took over the business after he had finished his education at
Harvard. Grandpapa had been so proud. And now Father secured
his importance among the international shipping community as
well as in New Orleans’s society.
Or at least that’s the way she had remembered him.
“I see I’ll have to marry you off myself.”
“Oh, Father, I’ll marry when I’m good and ready. Right now I
can’t think of a single man I’m even remotely interested in.”
“And what of James Ladden?” Father asked
“James is . . . a friend. That’s all.” Valerie moved to the
burgundy-colored settee. Gathering her black hoop skirts, she sat
down. Her fingers played across the rose-patterned, embroidered
armrest. Her father’s gaze seemed troubled. She shifted. “Perhaps
I should ask Chastean to bring you some coffee.”
He gave her a blank look, as though she’d spoken in a foreign
tongue.
“Our cook . . . will bring you some coffee.”
He held up his empty scotch glass and said, “I’m fine with this.”
Valerie sighed when he rose to pour another drink. His fourth.
How she wished she could hide that scotch bottle!
“We’re having a houseguest tonight,” he said.
“What?” Her jaw slacked at the surprising news.
“You heard me.” He eyed the amber potion glistening in his
glass. “A houseguest.”
“Who is it?”
He lifted his slim shoulders and wagged his dark head. “Last
name’s McCabe. Don’t know his first. He’s the son of an acquaintance.”
He looked her way. “I extended the invitation before I
knew you would burst in from school unannounced.”
Valerie chose to ignore the slight. “Where did you meet him,
or rather, his father?”
Father’s gaze met hers. His brown bloodshot eyes watered
slightly, and his Adam’s apple bobbed several times as if he were
struggling to contain his emotions. “I met him,” he continued in
a pinched voice, “just after your mother passed away.”
Valerie swallowed an anguished lump of her own. He’d so
rarely spoken of Mama since her death.
Her mind drifted back to that terrible day she’d received the
news. She’d been at school, getting ready to paint with the other
girls when a telegram had been delivered. The weighty sorrow
that descended then returned now as she recalled the words:
Your mother took ill with a fever on 23 June 1861 and
has died. You have our sympathies and our prayers. The
telegram was signed Mrs. Vincent Dupont, the doctor’s wife.
Upon returning home, Valerie learned that a tropical storm
had detained the family physician when her mother had taken
ill. He hadn’t been able to reach Mama in time to help her.
Valerie had never gotten a chance to say good-bye or even
attend Mama’s funeral.
“I miss her too.” Valerie whispered the admission, hoping this
time it wouldn’t fall on deaf ears.
But Father drained his glass and poured another. Number five.
“Our guest will be arriving sometime tonight. I’ll be out. I’ve
left instructions with Adalia.”
“You won’t be here to greet him?” Valerie swiped away an
errant tear and squared her shoulders.
“Not tonight.” He suddenly hollered for his coat, hat, and
walking stick.
“Where are you going?” Stunned, Valerie strode toward him.
“The club. For supper.”
“Again? But I had so hoped you’d come to the Donahues’
tonight and celebrate the coming of the New Year with me.”
“You should know right now, ma fille, that hope is a useless word
in the English vocabulary. All of mine died with your mother.”
Valerie’s breath caught at the admission, tears obscuring her
vision as the portly British maid, who’d been part of the family
ever since Valerie could recall, entered the room carrying Father’s
belongings. He donned his winter coat.
“I hadn’t planned to stay home to entertain a houseguest.”
“I don’t expect you to.” He moved into the foyer and adjusted
his black top hat. “Adalia will show him to his room, and you
can go to your party.”
“But—” He swung open the front door and disappeared, closing it
behind him before Valerie could speak again. All she could do
was stand there, stunned.
At last she exhaled, her lower lip extended so the puff of air
soared upward and wafted over the strands on her forehead. “Oh,
this is a fine mess.” She folded her arms.
“You needn’t worry. I’ll be sure to tidy the gentleman’s room.”
“I know you will.” Valerie smiled at the good-natured woman.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, dearie. But here now—” Adalia bustled
across the room and slipped one arm around Valerie’s shoulders.
“Don’t look so glum.”
“I can’t help it.” Valerie’s bottom lip quivered as she peered
into the maid’s bright green eyes. “My father has no room in his
life for me, Adalia. I’m a burden to him.” She paused. “Maybe I
always have been, but I never noticed because of Mama.”
Adalia patted her shoulder.
When the moment passed, Valerie straightened. “Well, Father
said I can go to the party. I’ve been looking forward to it.”
“Go. I’ll take care of Mr. McCabe. Now you’d best be getting
yourself ready.”
Valerie gazed down at her dark skirts. “And another thing. I’m
tired of this dreary mourning garb. It’s been six months.”
“That it has, and you’ve fulfilled your societal obligations and
behaved as any good daughter would.” Holding her by the shoulders,
she turned Valerie so they stood face-to-face. “I don’t think
I’m out of place to say that y’ mother’d want each of us to go on
with our living. So go and have fun tonight. As for y’ father’s guest,
he can occupy himself in the library. Plenty o’ books in there.”
Valerie sighed, remembering some of Father’s former houseguests.
“He’s probably some eccentric old geezer who’ll just want
to read and go to sleep anyway.”
Adalia snorted. Her eyes twinkled with amusement. “We’ve
seen our share of those over the years, now haven’t we?”
“Yes.” A smile crept across Valerie’s face. “We certainly have
at that.”
****
Beneath the bright glow from her bedroom’s wall sconces, Valerie
studied her reflection. She selected a sapphire-blue silk gown
with satin trim around its off-the-shoulder neckline. The flouncy
creation matched the color of her eyes and complemented her
pale complexion. Adalia had expertly swept up Valerie’s dark
brown hair into a becoming chignon, although several tendrils
rebelliously escaped and curled around her face.
“Pretty as a princess, y’ are. Just like y’ mother.” Adalia stood
back to admire her. “You look just like her.”
“Thank you.” Valerie took the compliment as high praise. “But
do you think I seem a bit pale?” She pinched her cheeks until
they turned a rosy pink.
“Not anymore.” Adalia placed her hands on her hips. Valerie
smiled, then chuckled. Adalia turned and folded an article of
clothing on Valerie’s four-poster bed. “Now, you be sure to catch
the latest gossip, dearie. Chastean and I are dependin’ on you.”
Valerie whirled from the full-length mirror in a swish of silk.
“Why, Adalia, I don’t listen to gossip.”
“’Tis such a pity. We’ll be needin’ something to talk about
while we stir our soap.”
“Mama’s soap.” Valerie’s grin faded as wistfulness set in. She’d
almost forgotten how she and Mama used to create the specially
scented soaps from garden herbs and the essential oils that Father
had shipped in from around the world. The practice had started
with a church bazaar for which Mama had to bring something
she’d made, something unique.
She called her little square bars “Psalm 55 Soap” after her
favorite passage of Scripture. Mama gave them to friends or
left them near the basin in the guest room with a handwritten
portion of that psalm. Feeling a sudden deep determination to
hang on to the memory, Valerie decided to somehow keep her
mother’s custom alive.
“We’ll make a new batch soon,” she said.
“Good, ’cause we’re down to the last few bars of the lavender
rose.”One of Valerie’s favorites. “They’re from the last batch Mama
made?”
Adalia replied with a remorseful bob of her gray-blonde head.
That weighty sorrow descended again. Valerie’s shoulders
sagged.
Several long, reverent seconds ticked by, and finally Adalia
picked up where she’d left off. “I’m particularly interested in
hearing if Mrs. Field’s wayward daughter married that sailor she
ran away with.” She fidgeted with Valerie’s dress. “So listen up.”
“I’ll do no such thing. Besides, James told me yesterday that
Nora Mae married the man in a private ceremony.”
“Y’ don’t say!”
Valerie turned to her. “I shouldn’t have even repeated that,
except there’s nothing wrong with saying a wedding took place,
right?”
“Right.”
Valerie narrowed her gaze. Maybe she had succumbed to
gossiping after all.
“Now you’d best get downstairs.” Adalia wisely changed the
subject. “Mr. Ladden’ll be here soon, and you know how impatient
that one gets if he has to wait even a minute.”
“You go on down. I’ll be there in a bit.” Valerie wanted to
check her reflection one last time.
“Don’t tarry.”
“I won’t.”
The maid left, and Valerie checked her reflection once more. It
felt good to shed those black mourning clothes. She thought of all
her friends she hadn’t seen in the almost year and a half since she’d
been away at Miss C. J. Hollingsworth’s. They’d always been such
fun-loving girls. Valerie smiled, thinking about how they used to
laugh together with chatter of balls and beaus and fashion.
Would it be the same when they saw each other again tonight?
Sadness spilled over her when she thought things might have
changed. She felt so removed from those subjects now. They
seemed trite, considering her present circumstances. She’d
never imagined her life without Mama. But here her future lay,
stretched out before her in grim uncertainty.
Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee . . .
Valerie smiled as part of Mama’s favorite psalm waltzed across
her mind. Drawing in a deep breath, she plucked her satin shawl
from where it lay on her canopy bed. She pulled it around her
bare shoulders, admiring its ivory softness, and fixed her mind
on the gala. She’d laugh and dance, and maybe some semblance
of joy would return to her life.
Leaving her bedroom, Valerie made her way down the stairs to
the parlor. As it happened, she turned out to be the one who did
the waiting. It seemed forever before she heard James’s carriage
pull up in front of the house.
At long last he entered the foyer, looking dapper in his overcoat
with its fur-trimmed collar. He shed it and handed the garment,
along with his hat, to Adalia. Valerie noted his foggy-gray dress
coat, waistcoat, and matching trousers. The flame-red curls on
his head, usually unruly, were combed neatly back.
“Why, James Ladden, don’t you look handsome!” She held out
her hand in greeting, and he took it at once.
“Thank you, honey. I’ll have you know this suit is cut from the
best cloth money can buy.”
“It’s quite . . . nice.” Valerie felt a bit wounded that he didn’t
remark on her gown or the style of her hair.
Instead James puffed out his chest and smiled. “We have some
time before we have to go.” He ambled across the parlor’s large
Persian carpet. “Perhaps a drink to warm the blood would be
appropriate.”
“Yes, of course. I’ll call for Adalia.” She flicked a glance at him,
hoping he didn’t imbibe like Father. This was, after all, their first
public outing together. A moment later she decided to serve hot
cider in spite of the fact he hinted at something stronger.
She looked at him again. James had been a childhood friend,
an auburn-headed prankster who annoyed her by putting twigs in
her braided hair and calling her names. He threw slimy, creepycrawly
creatures at her and laughed when she screamed in terror.
But then James matured into a dashing young man, and when
he discovered that she’d come home from school, he offered to
escort her to every social event in New Orleans beginning this
New Year’s Eve. She’d accepted because . . . well, it was a kind offer,
and James seemed to have transformed into a gentleman.
“Is your father home?”
“No, he chose to ring in the New Year at the club.”
“He won’t be at the Donahues’, then?”
Valerie shook her head.
“I had hoped to speak with him tonight about an important
subject.” His frown turned to a smile. “You.”
“Me?”
“I have courtship on my mind.”
His news surprised her. “I thought we were just friends, James.”
“We are. But the way you look tonight makes me wish we were
more.”
So he’d noticed. That was something anyway. However, his
backhanded flattering didn’t change her feelings for him. But
unwilling to hurt him, she chose her words with care. “I am fond
of you. It’s just—”
“Y’ father’s houseguest just arrived.” Adalia poked her head into
the room. “What would you like me to do with him, dearie?”
Valerie grimaced. “Oh, yes . . . ” She’d almost forgotten about
the man. “Show him in.” Looking back at James, she said, “Excuse
me for a few minutes.”
“What’s this?” He stepped forward, frowning his displeasure.
“What houseguest?”
“Forgive me. My father only told me at the last minute.” She
moved toward the door. “I must see to him. It won’t take too
long.”
Putting on her best hostess’s smile, Valerie strolled into the
foyer in time to see a tall but shadowy figure of a man coming
down the hallway. He must have entered through the back way.
Over his shoulder he carried a large satchel and, in the opposite
hand, a valise. As he neared, she saw that he was soaked to the
skin. Rain dripped from the wide brim hat.
“Good evening.” He set his burdens down with a thunk onto
the tiled floor. “Name’s Benjamin McCabe.”
“Valerie Fontaine.” She held out her hand to him. He took
it politely, and Valerie felt how cold he was. He also appeared
young, in his midtwenties. Hardly the old codger she and Adalia
had envisioned.
“Miss Fontaine, I must say you look . . . lovely this evening.” He
spoke in a velvet baritone, and yet Valerie heard a hint of a twang
in his voice.
“Why, thank you.” It had been more of a compliment than
what she’d received from James.
He shifted his stance. “The liveryman is seeing to my wagon.”
He gave a backward nod. “I trust it will be safe in the stables.
Most of my equipment—”
“Your wagon will be just fine,” Valerie assured him. “Willie is
a very capable attendant.”
An awkward moment passed as Valerie tried to get a better
view of the man standing there in the dim, candlelit entryway.
“I apologize for dripping rain on your floor.” Mr. McCabe
glanced down at the puddle forming beneath him. “That last
downpour caught me.”
Unfortunately, I just received this book a few days ago, so I haven't been able to read and review it. I hope to do that in the future. For now, I hope you'll read the first chapter and if you like it, purchase the book from this outstanding author!
Remember the story of Lazarus in John 11? Lazarus was a friend of Jesus's who had become very ill and died. He'd been in his grave for 3 days by the time Jesus arrived. Everyone had lost all hope. The man was dead, afterall. Gone, cold, finished. Death is the end, right?
The Bible says that before we became followers of Jesus, we were dead in our sins. Death is described as a force, a by product of evil. Instead of being something that just happens to us, it is actually something that controls us, that reigns in our life. Death is the snake that bites us with a venom for which there is no anecdote.
For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, Romans 5:17 just as sin reigned in death Romans 5:21 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 1 Cor 15:56
Did you ever see that movie, The Night of the Living Dead? There's a bunch of zombies wandering around eating people's brains. Lovely thought, I know. But it reminds me so much of who we were before we met Jesus. Dead people walking around who didn't even know we were dead. We were wrapped in grave clothes all around us, even around our faces. Blinded and wandering about. Already dead and just waiting for the grave to open and swallow us.
So what are the grave clothes? I think they represent all the things Satan has used to trap us--to keep us blind and dead. Here's some ideas:
Love of money
Possessions
Youth
Beauty
Lust
Addictions
Love of power, fame
Vanity
Self-love
Laziness
Dishonesty
Anger
Hatred
Immorality
Jealousy
As we seek after these things and give into their temptations, Satan keeps wrapping more and more grave cloths around us until we can barely move through life and can't see where we are going at all. I know many people like this. They lumber about through life, craving this and craving that and are never satisfied. All the while they don't know they are being continually wrapped and bound for their ultimate burial.
That's why I love the story of Lazarus! Jesus is the only one with the power to save us from death. When Martha told him he was too late, Jesus replied "Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying." He went on to call Lazarus out of the grave. Out came this mummy-like figure of a man, all wrapped up in his grave clothes. But Jesus didn't leave him like that. Death would have still had a grip on him. No, he told the people to "unwrap him and let him go"
But I've noticed some people whom God has called out of the grave are still wearing their grave clothes! They still live the same old lives they used to. They never make progress. They never get better. They still struggle year after year with the same old problems and sins. Can you imagine walking around in your grave clothes after you've been given eternal life? Or worse yet, taking them all off and then allowing Satan to bind you again? For one thing, you'd smell pretty bad. For another, how can you live your life all bound up like that?
What is hindering your God-given destiny? What is stopping you from becoming the man or woman God wants you to be? From being victorious? More than a conqueror?. Empowered by the same Spirit that raised Lazarus, that raised Jesus? Why are so many Christians living lives of defeat?
Because they are still bound with their grave clothes. If you ask God, He'll reveal to you what exactly are your particular grave clothes and then He'll help you to take them off. He won't do it without your cooperation, but He will empower you to shed them, layer by layer.
Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"
Tell everyone about your journey to publication. Was it difficult, long, miraculous?
Long and difficult. I started writing novels for publication in my mid-twenties. Thirteen years later, I had accumulated over 122+ agent rejections. Actually, I stopped counting at that point. I even quit writing for three years and starting. I started writing again in 2006, but I switched from secular to Christian fiction. Then in 2007, two of my manuscripts won awards in the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Genesis Contest, and I signed a contract with Terry Burns at Hartline Literary Agency. One year later, I finally received my first contract offer for Highland Blessings. By then, I had written seven novels.
Is there a message in Highland Blessings and if so, what do you hope readers will take away from reading the book (other than a very enjoyable time!)
Regardless of past wrongs and long-held grudges, God can mend any relationship, even clans of people—whole nations.
Do you believe God called you to write? If so, how do you know?
Yes. I tried to write secular romances for years and I got nowhere. Now that I look back, I see where God was trying to show me a different road, a better journey that He had planned for me. I remember sitting at an RWA National Conference at a luncheon table with Tyndale editors and being disappointed that I wasn’t with Berkley or Penguin and Putnam. An editor asked me what I wrote and all I could say was, “I don’t write Christian fiction.” A difficult period happened in our lives that changed me forever. I stopped writing for 3 years and during that time my relationship with God grew. I studied the Word a lot. A friend prayed for me—that God would give me the desire to write again. He did.
Six months later I discovered Kathleen Morgan’s Scottish Medieval, Embrace the Dawn. I couldn’t believe there was such as thing as a Christian Scottish Medieval. I rushed home and tried to retrieve my old Scottish Medieval, but I had deleted all my files and threw all my hard copies away. I finally found a Windows 95 disk with the old version of that manuscript and had to reformat it line by line. In 2006, I converted 2 secular manuscripts to Christian fiction. In 2007, I wrote 2 new manuscripts, completing a total of 7 manuscripts. Two of them won awards in the ACFW Genesis Contest that year and I signed with Terry Burns at Hartline Literary Agency. I wrote secular novels for more years than I wrote Christian fiction and it wasn’t until I switched to writing for God that things started happening for me.
What would you tell someone who asks you how to find God's will for their life?
Ask Him and then read his Word every day and keep asking Him until things start happening that give you peace and inspire you.
And now a bit about the book
Highland warrior Bryce MacPhearson kidnaps Akira MacKenzie on her wedding day to honor a promise he made to his dying father. When he forces Akira to wed him, hoping to end a half-century feud between their clans, she struggles to overcome her anger and resentment. . .Yet her strength in the Lord becomes a witness to Bryce. But there is a traitor in their midst . . . and murder is the ultimate weapon
My Endorsemenet:
Jenni fer Taylor has a winner with her debut novel, Highland Blessings. What’s not to love about battling Scottish clans, a lady kidnapped, romance, intrigue, and a mystery that will keep you turning pages to the very end? This is the kind of book you can curl up with on a rainy day and forget all your troubles as you plunge into the adventure and romance of 15th century Scotland . Highly recommended.
Leave a comment with your email address and I'll draw a winner next Friday, the 14th!
Nothing deepens a stream like a good rain . . . or makes it harder to cross.Jenny Lucas swore she’d never go home again. But life has a way of upending even the best-laid plans. Now, years after she left, she and her five-year-old daughter must return to her sleepy North Carolina town to face the ghosts she left behind. They welcome her in the form of her oxygen tank-toting grandmother, her stoic and distant father, and David, Isabella’s dad . . . who doesn’t yet know he has a daughter.
As Jenny navigates the rough and unknown waters of her new reality, the unforgettable story that unfolds is a testament to the power of love to change everything—to heal old hurts, to bring new beginnings . . . even to overcome the impossible.
“Gina Holmes explores the beauty, tenderness and tenacity of mother-love in Crossing Oceans with marvelous skill and insight. An outstanding debut from a gifted storyteller. Bravo!
Have you noticed how dark the world is becoming? I don't mean physically, but spiritually and emotionally. If you're under 30, maybe you haven't seen much change, but for those of us who have been around for awhile, alot has changed since we were kids. If you're a follower of Jesus, then you've probably felt the darkness growing. You see it on TV, hear it on the news, experience it in the lives of those around you. There is a prevading sense of fear and despair in our world today. This isn't caused by war or crime or immorality, although those are symptoms. This is caused by the powers of darkness and evil and by the leader of those powers, Satan.
In fact, if you look up all the references of darkness in the New Testatment, you'll see that darkness and Satan's kingdom are synonymous. Also hell is also referred to as a place of great darkness. Darkness is where God called us out from before we knew him (Col 1:13)
But now we walk in the light. What is the light? The light is Jesus himself. He is the light and the light giver (John 1:9 If you're a follower of Jesus, you are now a light, and from the looks of this world, you are a light shining in a very dark place. But it is possible to lose your light. You may not even do it purposely by some conscious bad act or by turning your back on God. It's possible to lose your light by doing nothing at all. Yes Nothing at all.
Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going. John 12:35
This verse really struck me. It gives a command and a warning. You must follow the command or the warning will happen to you. In other words if you aren't moving forward in your walk with God, then you'll probably end up back in the darkenss. Being a follower of Jesus isn't a one time decision and Sunday church and then you do nothing. If you aren't moving, if you're standing still or loitering by the side of the road, look behind you... the darkness is coming! And it will catch you.
So, how do we avoid this? Jesus tells us in the very same chapter
Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me. John 12:35-36
Stop loitering, stop standing still and face forward. You'll see Jesus ahead of you, his arms spread wide, waiting for you to catch up to Him. Follow Him and keep following Him and the darkness will never catch you.
