FAITH AND HOPE ~ Amy Anguish

This post was supposed to be live here on Whispers in Purple yesterday, April 7, but guess who dropped the ball? This whole week has been turned upside-down and inside-out. My apologies to my special guest AMY ANGUISH. This post will remain at the top of this page until Friday morning.

And 5 ...4 ... 3... 2 ... 1 ... GO, Amy!

What would you do if you were forced to leave the town and state you loved and move in with a sister you can barely tolerate in a state you swore you’d never live in? 

Hope finds herself in just such a predicament. In one day, she’s lost her job, her car, and her boyfriend. When she agrees to her mom’s plan to spend the summer with her older sister, Faith, she wonders if she’s maybe lost her mind, too. After all, what could possibly be worse than moving to the middle of Texas?

A little backstory from Amy:

Two years after my husband and I were married, I found myself moving to a state that I at one time declared I never wanted to live in. Texas. I had only visited the Lone Star State once but had met several people from there. They all came across as very arrogant. When my husband got a job down in Austin, I swallowed my “I’ll never” and packed our things, ready to start the new adventure, hoping against hope that not everyone down there was like the few I’d based my reasoning on.

We lived in the great state of Texas for eleven years, five in the Austin area, and six in Tyler. Can I just tell you right now that even though I love living in Tennessee, I miss Texas? The people there are friendly and loving, the springtime hills are covered in a blanket of bluebonnets, and there is no other place to get Whataburger.

When I wrote my new book, Faith & Hope, I based some of Hope’s feelings about spending the summer on my preconceived notions before we moved there. And I helped her overcome them, just like I overcame my own. Hope and Faith don’t only have to overcome preconceived notions about their location or each other, though. There are a few other twists and turns before you can get to the happy ending.

Two sisters. One summer. Multiple problems.

Younger sister Hope has lost her job, her car, and her boyfriend all in one day. Her well-laid plans for life have gone sideways, as has her hope in God.

Older sister Faith is finally getting her dream-come-true after years of struggles and prayers. But when her mom talks her into letting Hope move in for the summer, will the stress turn her dream into a nightmare? Is her faith in God strong enough to handle everything?

For two sisters who haven't gotten along in years, this summer together could be a disaster ... or it could lead them to a closer relationship with each other and God. Can they overcome all life is throwing at them? Or is this going to destroy their relationship for good?

Amy R Anguish

Author of An Unexpected Legacy

Amy R Anguish grew up a preacher's kid, and in spite of having lived in seven different states that are all south of the Mason Dixon line, she is not a football fan. Currently, she resides in Tennessee with her husband, daughter, and son, and usually a bossy cat or two. Amy has an English degree from Freed-Hardeman University that she intends to use to glorify God, and she wants her stories to show that while Christians face real struggles, it can still work out for good.

Follow her at http://abitofanguish.weebly.com or http://www.facebook.com/amyanguishauthor

Featuring Author Misty M. Beller's Latest Work

A delightful transport through time, The Rancher Takes a Cook brings history to life with realistic characters, a colorful setting, and comfort food that teases your appetite!

~ Melody Carlson,

author of 200+ books

About the book:

When their South Carolina home burns to the ground, Anna Stewart’s only choice is to move with her younger brother to the wilds of a Texas ranch.

Their prospects are beginning to look better, until the rancher’s son, Jacob O’Brien, shows up with his alarmingly blue eyes to put a kink in Anna’s well-controlled plans.

When danger escalates in the form of a band of cattle thieves with deadly intent, can Anna learn to release control to God’s capable hands…and those of the blue-eyed cowboy who’s stolen her heart?

PURCHASE

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

 

About the author, Misty M. Beller:Misty M. Beller was raised on a farm in South Carolina, so her Southern roots run deep. Growing up, her family was close, and they continue to keep that priority today. Her husband and two daughters now add another dimension to her life, keeping her both grounded and crazy.God has placed a desire in Misty’s heart to combine her love for Christian fiction and the simpler ranch life, writing historical novels that display God’s abundant love through the twists and turns in the lives of her characters.

You can find her on her website, reader blog, marketing blog for authors, Goodreads, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest. Or check out her books The Lady and the Mountain Man, The Lady and the Mountain Doctor, or The Lady and the Mountain Fire. Or her latest book, The Rancher Takes a Cook.

Misty's favorite Scripture and prayer for readers:

For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy. (NKJV)

 

"In Firefly Valley" Takes the Crown!

A NOTE TO PUBLISHED AUTHORS:

If you had a novel release any time in 2014, you're invited to submit to Clash of the Titles' Laurel Award.

SUBMISSION DATES: June 1-July 3, 2015

Novels participating in the Laurel are judged by their audience—readers who are well-versed in Christian fiction yet not a part of the CBA industry. The Laurel judges the first two chapters (or 3,500 words) of published novels. Any genre of Christian novel (30,000 words or more) is eligible, including indie.

Subscribers to our quarterly newsletter will be entered into a drawing to receive a refund of their $15.00 submission fee! Subscribe HERE. Learn more about the Laurel Awards HERE.

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And now for our latest Clash winner...!
I know, technically Summer just started, but...

Thank you all for participating in our special May releases Clash of the Titles. We appreciate the efforts of all of our fans, and particularly our authors this month: 

Rachel James, Jennifer Rodewald, Heather Day Gilbert, and Sarah Loudin Thomas

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Some of the very encouraging words from our readers include:

--Love reading your books. Can't put them down.

--Great looking reads. All new authors to me. So, looks like I have great TBR pile for the rest of the summer.

--Love all of Amanda Cabot's books. I have Firefly Valley here ready to read.

--I love Heather Gilbert's books. She writes in such a fresh and wonderful way, I feel I'm right there with her characters. I especially love Tess's character!

--Sarah Loudin Thomas, I have loved both of your books! Keep 'em comin'!

--Trial by Twelve is a masterful suspense novel. I love that it is set in West Virginia and has a married couple as main characters. I hope there is a sequel! Bravo, Heather Gilbert!

--Blue Columbine is a favorite and can't wait for more of Jen's books to come out.

--Rachel James is an exciting new author of engaging historical characters.

And the champ of this clash is...

Amanda Cabot, In Firefly Valley

 

She’s lost her dream job—but has she found the man of her dreams?

Devastated by a downsizing, Marisa St. George has no choice but to return to the small Texas town where she grew up. Though it means a giant step backward, she accepts a position as business manager at the struggling Rainbow’s End resort. The only silver lining: Blake Kendall, a new guest who might make her believe in love at first sight. But will Marisa’s dreams of happily-ever-after be turned upside down when she discovers Blake’s real identity?

This warm and witty story of dreams deferred and mistaken identity will have you believing in second chances.

Buy the book on Amazon, Barnes and Noble

A NOTE FROM AMANDA

My heartfelt thanks go to everyone who helped make In Firefly Valley the winner of this month’s Clash of the Titles. Your support means so much to me! I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: you’re the reason I write. Thank you for your belief in me and my writing.

I’ve been delighted with the response to this book. A number of you have told me you think it’s even better than the first of the Texas Crossroads stories, At Bluebonnet Lake. Since I hope that my writing improves with each book, hearing that has been the encouragement I need to work even harder on the next book.

I’ve also been pleased with the praise reviewers have given In Firefly Valley. RT BookReviews rated it a page turner and said, “Cabot’s heartfelt storytelling rings true as she addresses the pains of bitterness and resentment, as well as the hard fight to love again and forgive all hurts. ...Charming secondary characters and the beautiful Texas Hill Country setting cap off a story that is a delight to read.”

Blogger Trudy Shiroma Koeffler had the following to say: “To say I have a new favorite author is an understatement! This book was absolutely fantastic on so many levels! First of all it brought deep spiritual truths into the story naturally and realistically. The love story was the sweetest one I’ve read in a long time, but it was not a predictable love story at all. It had twists and turns, and nail biting episodes that had me guessing till the end. I was impressed with the mature way love was displayed in this story on all fronts with the various characters. This book is not some fairytale romance but rather a tale of characters with real issues, fears, heartaches and hang-ups. The author deals with each issue in a detailed, emotionally healthy and spiritual rich way. The description of landscape, cabins, cooking and friendships will make you wish you could take a little trip to Dupree and visit Firefly Valley yourself!”

Thank you again for your support. I’m excited, overwhelmed and more pleased than I can ever say at having In Firefly Valley win this award. And, for those of you who’ve asked “what’s next?” the third of the Texas Crossroads books, On Lone Star Trail, will be released in February 2016. If you’d like to learn more about that and my other books, I invite you to sign up for my online newsletter. It’s simple: just send me an email. You’ll find the address on my web page. I look forward to hearing from you.

About Amanda: Amanda Cabot is the bestselling author of more than thirty novels including the Texas Dreams trilogy, the Westward Winds series, and Christmas Roses. A former director of Information Technology, she has written everything from technical books and articles for IT professionals to mysteries for teenagers and romances for all ages. Amanda is delighted to now be a fulltime writer of Christian romances, living happily ever after with her husband in Wyoming.

Visit her website and Facebook page Twitter  Blog