Claiming Annie’s Heart – Behind the Story – Judythe Morgan - Giveaway Extended (Details below)

Claiming Annie’s Heart – The Story Behind the Story - 

by 

Judythe Morgan 

Cliff of Moher, Ireland. Courtesy Pixabay.com

With a paternal grandmother who was an Irish Callahan from County Clare and a maternal grandmother whose family immigrated through Ellis Island during the Potato Famine, authoring a story set in Ireland might seem predictable. But I never set out to plot such a book. Too many other story ideas floated in my head.

That is ... until I went to Ireland and those family roots came to life.

The joy sparkling in the eyes of the Irish people I met danced with the bubbling in my veins. Ireland is magical. The sights and sounds call to deep kinship and connections. If you have even a drop of Irish blood and ever go to Ireland, you'll understand what I mean.

Until my visits to the island, I never realized there were two very different Irelands. Talking with the old timers, I quickly learned the Irish history of how two separate countries came to be.

The cliff note version is the island started as a single entity with its own parliament. After bitter fighting and political maneuvering with the United Kingdom, the island was partitioned into Northern Ireland, which is still a part of the UK, and the Irish Free State or Republic of Ireland in 1920.

Violence erupted again in the 60s and continued through the 90s. The ceasefire of 1994 and the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, along with the rebranding of the Orangemen parades in Belfast and Northern Ireland counties, helped reduce flare-ups.

Still, the history remains fresh for those personally affected and, after a few pints of Guinness, discussions about The Troubles can become heated.

My husband’s job often took him to Northern Ireland, and I tagged along. I soon realize how deeply The Troubles touched Irish lives. The seed of an idea for a future story began to grow.

Whenever we went to Belfast, Northern Ireland, we’d always make a stopover in Ireland. On one visit, we toured an Irish girl's boarding school in County Connemara. Wandering the grounds and talking to the girls, I had one of those writer moments where a character sprang fully formed into my head, commanding me to tell her story.

With her consent, I blended what Annie wanted told with a suspense element based on The Troubles to create Claiming Annie's Heart.

Annie and I are pleased with the final product. I hope you’ll enjoy reading Claiming Annie's Heart as much as we did creating it.

About Claiming Annie’s Heart:

Annie Foster remains in Ireland after boarding school to nanny a widower’s infant daughter. Five years later, she accepts the widower’s marriage proposal.

Her first love Chad Jones, whom she believed deserted her, arrives on an undercover assignment weeks before the wedding investigating her Irish fiancé’s connection with an IRA terrorist organization. Chad’s determined to change her mind, and her heart, because he’s never stopped loving her.

Annie is torn between the man she'll always love and the young daughter of her fiancé whom she’s promised never to abandon. Who will claim Annie’s heart?

About Judythe:

Award-winning author Judythe Morgan was an Air Force daughter, then an Army wife and a one time-Department of Army Civilian employee. She's seen a lot of this big world.

She’s mommy to an Old English sheepdog named Finnegan MacCool and his Maltese brother, Buster. Finn’s named after the legendary Irish character, Fionn mac Cumhaill, of Giant's Causeway in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Also, a mother to three/grandmother to twelve, she’s been an antique dealer, teacher, mayor's wife, and sometimes-church pianist. Recently, she's ventured into Sacred Harp singing of early 17^th and 18th-century hymns.

She writes a weekly blog, View from the Front Porch with her daughter, Chicken Wrangler Sara. You can follow their adventures at www.judythewriter.com

Sign up for her free newsletter to learn about her latest news and get subscriber-only sneak peaks at www.judythemorgan.com All her books are available on Amazon.com in digital and print format. Links for other digital formats – Nook, Kobo, iBooks - are available on her website.

Where to find Judythe:

Visit Judythe’s website 

 Read Judythe’s award-winning blog

Friend Judythe on Facebook and Goodreads

Follow Judythe on Twitter

About the Giveaway:

Question for readers: Have you ever been to Ireland or Northern Ireland? Would you like to go? Why or why not?

Leave a comment with your answer and your contact information for a chance to win a free print (US only) or eBook version of Claiming Annie’s Heart.

This giveaway has been extended for another week ending on Thursday, March 28, at Midnight, Central. Winner will be drawn on Friday, March 29 and notified via email.

A Tender Hope ~ Amanda Cabot ~ Behind the Story ~ Goveaway

A Tender Hope – The Story Behind the Story

by Amanda Cabot

Blame it on my readers.

Ever since Paper Roses was published, readers have asked me what happened to Thea, the heroine of that book’s little sister. At the time, I had no answers, since I was busy working on other stories, but I didn’t forget how easily Thea had caught readers’ imagination and how intrigued they were by her. It took ten years, but at long last, I’ve been able to answer their questions and tell Thea’s story.

Thea’s grown up now, and while I’d like to say her life has been as happy as her sister’s, that’s not the case. She’s had more than her share of tragedy, which is why she’s eager to leave Ladreville and build a new life as Cimarron Creek’s midwife.

If you’re wondering why I made her a midwife, it’s because I knew that this story would have an abandoned infant in it, and I wanted Thea to be the logical person to care for the baby, even if it was the last thing on Earth she wanted to do. Plus, if you’ve read A Borrowed Dream – and of course I hope you have – you know that the town, and in particular Lydia, needs a midwife.

And so Thea Michener comes to Cimarron Creek, hoping to escape her past only to discover that it’s harder to outrun the past than she ever dreamed possible.

Then there’s Jackson Guthrie. While he himself might question his motives for becoming a Texas Ranger, there’s no doubt that he’s a good one and one who’s determined to bring the Gang of Four to justice. As you might have guessed, he’s the man who finds the abandoned baby and insists that Thea care for the infant. What makes the whole situation more complex is that – for very good reasons – Jackson suspects Thea of being part of the Gang. And, as if that weren’t enough, the sight of the abandoned baby touches chords deep within him, reminding him of the single most painful event of his life.

What made me decide that my hero would be a Ranger? Besides the fact that Rangers are inherently heroic, I firmly believe in the line from an old Peter, Paul, and Mary song, “Justice will somehow prevail.” As an author, I enjoy creating plots where the good guys win, where justice does prevail, and – since I write romances – where the hero and heroine surmount seemingly insurmountable obstacles to reach their happily-ever-after.

It’s not an easy road for Thea and Jackson, but if I’ve done my job well, when you turn the last page of A Tender Hope, you’ll have a smile on your face and the knowledge that this seemingly mismatched couple has found their happy ending.

Back Cover Copy

As far as Thea Michener is concerned, it’s time for a change. With her husband murdered and her much-anticipated baby stillborn, there is nothing left for her in Ladreville. Having accepted a position as Cimarron Creek’s midwife, she has no intention of remarrying. So when a handsome Texas Ranger appears on her doorstep with an abandoned baby, Thea isn’t sure her heart can take it.

Ranger Jackson Guthrie isn’t concerned only with the baby’s welfare. He’s been looking for Thea, convinced that her late husband was part of the gang that killed his brother. But it soon becomes clear that the situation is far more complicated than he anticipated—and he’ll need Thea’s help if he’s ever to find the justice he seeks.

About Amanda:

Amanda Cabot’s dream of selling a book before her thirtieth birthday came true, and she’s now the author of more than thirty-five novels as well as eight novellas, four non-fiction books, and what she describes as enough technical articles to cure insomnia in a medium-sized city.  Her inspirational romances have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists, have garnered a starred review from Publishers Weekly, and have been nominated for the ACFW Carol, the HOLT Medallion, and the Booksellers Best awards.  A popular workshop presenter, Amanda takes pleasure in helping other writers achieve their dreams of publication.

 Social Media Links

www.amandacabot.com

https://www.facebook.com/amanda.j.cabot

https://twitter.com/AmandaJoyCabot/

http://amandajoycabot.blogspot.com/

Buying Links

Amazon 

Barnes & Noble 

Christian Book Distributors

About the Giveaway:

Amanda is offering to giveaway one free print copy of A Tender Hope to US residents. Entering is easy ... Just leave a comment in the section below with your name and contact information to be included in the drawing. Amanda is requesting a minimum of 7 comments before drawing a winner. So, to increase your chances of winning, get your reader-friends to come on over and leave a comment, too.

Giveaway ends one week from today, Wednesday, March 13, at MIDNIGHT, CDT. 

Looking forward to interacting with you.

New Beginnings ~ Jude Urbanski ~ Story Behind the Story ~ Giveaway

Please help me welcome author Jude Urbanski as she shares the story behind her new release "New Beginnings." I searched for an appropriate header picture to go along with this post and found this. What better symbol of "new" could there be? Besides, it's purple :)

Crocus - courtesy pixabay.com

  Hi Peg, thanks for having me on your blog. We talked about my writing ‘the story behind the story’ and here goes! 

My newly-released novel is called New Beginnings and wouldn’t you know, whenever I plug the title in on Amazon, Debbie Macomber’s New Beginnings pops up. First, of course, but I feel in very good company. Had to laugh though.

After many title considerations, the words new beginnings said it all for my heroine Savannah, who was left at the altar. This title also has become my article of faith as I have adjusted to my dear husband’s death and began my new, unexpected journey.

This book, that I consider my best, had a long birthing process. I started, I stopped. I almost had an agent. She died. I had a publisher, but they went MIA. I became weary of submitting.

I know I am preaching to the choir, but I am glad I slugged it out, glad other writers encouraged me. Sounds familiar I’m sure. The story moves me every time I reread. I write stories of men and women who spin tragedy into triumph with God’s help.

Here is a very brief synopsis of New Beginnings:

           

Nurse Practitioner Savannah Banks is betrayed at the altar. When she discovers her reluctant groom’s departing gift is an unexpected pregnancy, only God’s mercy and a platonic friendship with an ill-and-aging artist bring faith to hope and trust again. Once healed and healthy, excitement propels Savannah as she carts special-needs Baby Gabriel and Alberto to her new job at a Jamaican clinic.

Idyllic island life rapidly turns complicated and threatening. Conflict comes in the form of two, handsome doctors and turn-of-life events for both Savannah and Alberto. Caught between romantic feelings for Khenan and terror of Anders, Savannah is pressured by her best friend to tell Gabriel’s father, Judson, he has a son. Judson and his wife arrive on the island and surprise abounds when Alberto discovers in Judson the lost family for whom he’d been searching.

The truth about Anders’ behavior evolves from unlikely sources, clearing Savannah’s name, but snagging Anders cold. When she’s on the verge of leaving the island, thinking all is lost, Khenan proclaims his love.

An endorsement for the book: “New Beginnings” touches all the reader’s emotions and stays long after the last page is turned. A five-star novel with great characters and timeless themes. Highly recommended.” – JoAnn Durgin, USA Today bestselling author of The Lewis Legacy.

About Jude:

Jude Urbanski, pen name for Judy Martin-Urban writes women's fiction featuring inspirational romance. She invites you to stories of heroes and heroines who spin tragedy into triumph with help from God. She was first published in nonfiction, and still enjoys that genre, but writing inspirational romance is her passion. Jude currently guest blogs and was a former editor. She has a Master’s Degree in Nursing, taught nursing, and worked as a nurse practitioner in women’s health. She is a member of national and area chapters of American Christian Fiction Writers and NonFiction Authors Association. Beautiful ancestral Tennessee is now home and when not writing, Jude enjoys her large, blended family, travel, church work, genealogy, painting, volunteering, and popcorn.

*Find Jude*

www.judeurbanski.com

https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/profile

https://twitter.com/judeurbanski

https://www.facebook.com/jude.urbanski

mailto:urbanski4u@aol.com

The Giveaway: Jude says, "I am happy to give away an electronic copy of the book New Beginnings. Just leave a comment and if you are led, an honest review on Amazon is appreciated." (Amazon link:  https://amzn.com/B07K5KS7Q1)

To enter, just leave a comment below with your name and contact information so we can contact you if you're the winner. Giveaway ends one week from today on December 27, 2018, at MIDNIGHT, CST.

Thank you, Jude, for being my guest today. Blessings, and best wishes for a MERRY CHRISTMAS, and a HAPPY, HEALTHY, PROSPEROUS, and PRODUCTIVE NEW YEAR!

Back in His Arms Again ~ Teresa Ives Lilly ~ Behind the Story

Back in His Arms Again 

A novella by Teresa Ives Lilly. 

This story had been long dreamt of in my mind and finally given the perfect opportunity to blossom into a full novella. The truth is, I’ve always dreamed of moving to Colorado, although I’ve only been to visit there one time.

But as the Holidays draw near each year, the yearning to find a lovely lodge to visit comes to my mind.  When I did visit Denver, there was hardly any snow. In fact, to even get a picture with snow, I had to find an old pile behind a building. But I hadn’t seen snow in over twenty years, so even that dirty snow was wonderful.

Anyway, when I was offered the chance to write in the Hotel Amore Collection, which takes place in Colorado, I immediately agreed to join the group and of course, chose the Christmas Season in which to place my story.

Now, don’t try to read too much into the story, even if some of the wishes in the book are wishes I have had. Instead, relax by a nice Christmas fire and imagine yourself snow-bound in the lovely Hotel Amore…. Maybe finding a new love… or an old, true love.  

Back in His Arms Description: 

Paris has come to the Lodge at Confluence to work as the event’s coordinator and fulfill her desire to see the beautiful state of Colorado. The last thing she expected to find was her high school sweetheart Paul Gordon, the only man she ever truly loved.

Will the Lodge’s reputation of being the Hotel of Love (Hotel Amore) stand true when Paris finds herself back in Paul’s arms again?

 Follow Teresa Ives Lilly at:

www.teresalilly.wordpress.com    (Please sign up for Teresa’s monthly newsletter and chances to win free books and other items)

Back in His Arms is available on Kindle at  https://www.amazon.com/Back-Arms-Teresa-Ives-Lilly-ebook/dp/B07DSY399F

About Teresa:

Teresa Ives Lilly has been writing most of her life, although her career began in magazines such as Turtle, Corvette Fever, and several others. She soon began writing novellas, which have become her true love. 

Teresa has written over 25 novellas, published through Lovely Christian Romance Press and Forget Me Not Romances. Her books are all available on Amazon.   She lives in San Antonio, Texas… and enjoys having her family all close by.

    

Behind the Story ~ The Cumberland Bride ~ Shannon McNeer ~ Giveaway

The Cumberland Bride

Behind the Story

By Shannon McNear

 Thank you so much, Peg, for hosting me today! I’ve been asked to do the “story behind the story” of my new release, The Cumberland Bride, #5 in the Daughters of the Mayflower series, but I’m choosing a slightly different telling than I’ve done elsewhere.

This part of the story begins, oh, several decades ago, with a bright-eyed, story-obsessed fifteen-year-old who, at the encouragement of her mother, launched into writing her first novel. She worked hard at it, finished a draft, started right in on revising it, was encouraged to enter a contest by one of her mother’s close friends. After being blessed with an honorable mention, the young writer wondered what next? Submission to various book publishers, of course. So she applied herself to yet more editing and revising, then submitting her work, and … waiting.

Back then, a writer had to send the entire manuscript by mail (REAL mail, carried by actual people) and wait for several months for a reply, oftentimes upward of a year, depending upon the publisher. But I was reconciled to the wait. It was hard, of course—and anytime I walked into a bookstore, the longing to see my name up on there on the shelves with everyone else would grab me by the throat.

Months of waiting stretched into years. I grew up, married, kept writing, started having babies, still kept writing. When my oldest children were all very little, conviction led me to set my fiction writing aside, but the writing came out in other ways, and just after my next-to-youngest was born, I felt the nudging to pick up my fiction again. Was God finally opening the door for me to be published, after all this time? I hardly dared hope, but applied myself afresh to editing, revising, and learning the writing craft. God provided the way for me to attend my first writer’s conference, where I received some extremely encouraging feedback from a highly respected and well-known author.

But the waiting would continue. And even though we’d officially entered the digital age by this time, once again months stretched into years.

Understand, during this time I continued to get a lot of positive feedback. Did I think I had nothing more to learn? No, I knew that even bestselling authors never really “arrive” craft-wise, and I’m so grateful to those who, while they encouraged me, didn’t hesitate to call me on what they saw I could improve. Among other things, I learned that I had huge issues with what we writers call GMC—goals, motivation, and conflict—basically, why our characters do what they do, and what gets in their way. I could see it, but somehow failed to translate that to the reader. So I worked hard to learn how to do that. Set aside my first, reworked-to-death novel, started new ones.

Years stretched into a decade, and about that time God opened the door for my first contract, a historical romance novella. A second novella contract followed shortly after. And then, more waiting. I was doing my best to come up with new story ideas, but life was still crushingly busy—more so than ever, especially while I devoted several months to caring for my mother in the middle of managing my own household.

But when the time was right, God opened the door again … and this time in a way I could never have dreamed, as a close friend recommended me for a particular project.

During all those waiting years, though, I struggled hugely with having to watch so many people in the writing industry get their first contract way before me. Some of those were my own close friends—and while I desperately treasured getting to share that journey with them, it was hard. Hard not to ask why, what I was doing wrong. Hard not to feel “left behind.” Hard not to feel just plain—let’s say the ugly word, here—jealous.

I had to take that struggle back to the Lord so many times. Had to trust, over and over, that He really is God, and if I believed He was the one leading me on this road, then He had a plan and purpose. Even in the long, long waiting.

Along the way, I learned to focus more on the privilege of sharing my friends’ joy as God opened doors for them. Learned to choose gratitude for all my other blessings. To not dismiss the encouragement people might offer as just “being nice” because they knew I was struggling. To simply appreciate the friendships God had surrounded me with, and the unique perspective He was giving me of that phase of the writing journey, so I might learn it wasn’t all sunshine and roses after publication, either.

Being published is amazing, but it’s also a higher level of responsibility. There’s an increased visibility that a fragile soul can find terrifying. And it’s distressed me to discover that for all those years I struggled with envy, I’m now the focus of other people’s envy. I want to tell them … don’t! Don’t be jealous of me. You don’t want the wait I’ve endured!

But of course they can’t see that. They only see the blessings—and aren’t we all guilty of that at some point or another? We can only see the end result of something in other people’s lives, or something God has blessed them with … we can’t see the trials they suffered, getting there. And suffering is something nobody enjoys, but God often uses it to prepare us for what He has for us—or simply to conform us more to the image of Christ.

So my encouragement to you, the reader, is this: trust God with your journey, whatever that might look like. Your journey isn’t mine. God only gives you the grace you need for the trials He calls you to endure—not for my trials, and vice versa. In the same way, embrace the joy in whatever blessings He offers, even if they aren’t the particular blessings you think you want at the moment.

Just—trust Him. He’s worthy of your trust!

 About the story:

In 1794, when Kate Gruener’s father is ready to move the family farther west into the wilderness to farm untouched land, Kate is eager to live out her own story of adventure like he did during the War for Independence, and to see untamed lands. And she sets her sights on learning more about their scout, Thomas Bledsoe. Thomas’s job is to get settlers safely across the Kentucky Wilderness Road to their destination while keeping an ear open for news of Shawnee unrest. But naïve Kate’s inquisitive nature could put them both in the middle of a rising tide of conflict. Is there more to Thomas’s story than he is willing to tell? Is there an untapped courage in Kate that can thwart a coming disaster?

Buy links:

Amazon (both paperback and Kindle)
Christianbook.com (both paperback and ebook)
Barnes & Noble (both paperback and Nook)

AUTHOR BIO:

After more than two decades in the South, Shannon McNear now makes her home on the windy northern plains with her husband, four of their eight children, two German Shepherds, three cats, several chickens, and a noisy flock of guinea fowl. She serves in worship and youth ministry, and has been writing novel-length fiction since age 15. Her first novella, Defending Truth, from A Pioneer Christmas Collection, was a 2014 RITA® nominee. She’s a member of ACFW and RWA and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. When not sewing, researching, or leaking story from her fingertips, she enjoys being outdoors, basking in the beauty of the Dakota prairies.

 Social media links:

·  Facebook

·  Pinterest

·  Goodreads

·  Twitter

·  BookBub 

Giveaway:
Shannon is offering a free copy of The Cumberland Bride to one of my readers. To enter, just leave your name and contact information in the comment section below. Giveaway will run for one week, ending Thursday, October 11, at Midnight, Central Time. Thank you.

Breaking News ~ Susan Page Davis ~ Giveaway

Breaking News

by Susan Page Davis

Image courtesy pixabay.com

 What inspired this book?

In the 1920s, Judge Joseph Crater owned a summer cottage in Belgrade, Maine, my hometown. Judge Crater’s disappearance in 1930 was considered the missing persons case of the century.

After reading about Judge Crater’s case, I considered writing a book about it. Instead, after much thought, I decided to write a novel instead. The story is not about Judge Crater but was inspired by his story.

Writing about fictional characters is always easier than writing about real people. You can make them act and speak any way you wish. And you can resolve a mystery in any of several ways, rather than sticking to history.

Rather than confine myself to the facts of the judge’s true case, I decided to place a later disappearance in the same location, this time making the person who vanished a senator.

By moving the event to 1968, I was able to tell the story in a contemporary setting through the eyes of middle-aged people who remembered the event. I created a family, the Fairmonts, who lived near the senator’s cottage, and a pair of kind neighbors—news editor Kurt Borden and his wife, Janet—to get involved.

Kurt sees the mystery unfold from the official perspective when his reporter, Mick Tyler, goes to write a story about the senator and ends up missing, too. Kurt deals with the police and the news staff covering the story. Janet sees it from a more personal angle. She gets to know the elderly neighbor’s children—adults now, but boys and girls when the senator vanished. Piece by piece, Kurt and Janet solve the mystery of the two disappearances.

My main characters in this book have deep faith in God. Because of this, I was able to bring the story to a much more satisfying conclusion, in my opinion, that Judge Crater’s story.

In real life, we don’t always see the solution to mysteries we encounter. I hope you will enjoy Breaking News and the ways Kurt and Janet find to help their friends, neighbors, and coworkers with the problems they suffer because of an old crime.

When news editor Kurt Borden sends his star reporter out to do a story on a senator who disappeared more than 40 years ago, the reporter goes missing too. 

Kurt’s wife, Janet, finds an elderly neighbor ill in his home. The old man begs her to give a cryptic message to his grown children. Could the two mysterious events in small-town Maine be connected? 

To help unravel the mystery, Kurt and Janet must rely on their faith and use all their wits and diplomatic skills.

Susan Page Davis is the author of more than 80 books, in the mystery, suspense, and historical romance categories. She is a past winner of the Carol Award, the Faith, Hope, two Love Readers’ Choice Awards, and two Will Rogers Medallions. A Maine native, she now lives in western Kentucky with her husband Jim.

Contact Info/Social Media Links:

·       Website: www.susanpagedavis.com

·       Twitter: @SusanPageDavis

·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susanpagedavisauthor

Giveaway: Susan will give either a paperback (US only, please) or an ebook copy of Breaking News. To Enter, simply leave a comment below with your contact information. Giveaway ends one week from today on Thursday, September 6, 2018, at Midnight Central Time.

Peg here: For an extra chance to win, simply become a follower of this blog (see left sidebar) and mention it in your comment. 

Behind the Story: USAF ~ Carrie Daws ~ Giveaway

Story Behind the Story: USAF

by Carrie Daws

Image courtesy pixabay.com

About four years ago, I had a new book idea: God speaking hope into desperation. Okay, so I didn't say it was a unique idea.

At first, it intrigued me. I had a couple of real-life stories from two families that were willing to share them with the world. They had drama and tension perfect for good fiction. As I thought about the details, I was filled with an incredible awe of what God was willing to do to rescue His own. I thought the stories would inspire, encourage. Challenge.

God and I talked, He fine-tuned the idea like only He can. In other words, He made it bigger. Much bigger. Slowly, my not-so-unique idea turned into, well, somewhat of a unique idea. After all, I agree with Solomon that there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9, NIV).

You see, I was born into an active duty Air Force family. Dad retired, entered the seminary, and then served bi-vocationally as a pastor of small churches and a civil servant with the Air Force, which continued to keep us moving around a lot. I grew up, married, and my husband soon joined the Air Force. From those early days with our young daughter on my hip, I experienced the sacrifices of a military wife and family. Over the years, I've listened to a lot of military spouses tell stories of their own sacrifices ranging from similar to mine to very, very different.

The stories I've heard piled in my heart. They became a part of who I was, what the American flag and the Star Spangled Banner represented to me. And the deeper I plunged into writing, the more some of these stories clamored to be told. Home Front Heroines was born.

The books are really quite simple: How God loved five desperate families, one from each branch of the Department of Defense, through some of the roughest days of their lives. Spiritual growth, emotional healing, and deep heart change. What could be more inspiring?

Home Front Heroines: More Than Meets the Eye.

Deployment changed him, and she doesn’t know if she can live with it. After her husband returns from a deployment to Saudi Arabia, Lori Braxton begins noticing little differences in his behavior. He’s withdrawn, moody, and can’t sleep. Could it be the stress of military life after the 9/11 attack on New York? Maybe it’s the new assignment in Montana or the financial problems he ignores. Perhaps it’s forces she can’t see and doesn’t know how to fight, or maybe she’s a bigger part of the problem than she wants to admit.

Lori tries to attend church and do what God asks, but the truth is she doesn’t really hear Him speak. Between money strains, pregnancy hormones, and young ones underfoot, Lori spirals into depression. What good could God possibly bring from the mess surrounding her?

Home Front Heroines: Not My Ways.

The long-awaited first grandchild is born, yet it quickly becomes clear that she may not survive more than a few hours. When she does, further tests reveal that she will require life-long care. The young family adapts, but the husband soon understands God wants him to go back into the military career that he left when he got married. How can the family thrive in the face of multiple hospital visits and long deployments?

Home Front Heroines: United States Army, Marines, and Coast Guard.

While the titles are still to be determined, the stories are no less heart-wrenching and life-changing than the situations above. Pornography and infidelity. Miscarriage. Severe PTSD. Isolation from family.

The good news is that all these stories have a happy ending—not because that's how I write them but because in each circumstance the family allowed God to intervene. They worked with the Holy Spirit to change them, to correct their attitudes, to heal their hearts, to look for God's perspective.

They are beautiful stories of hope and redemption, even in the midst of terrible loss. I hope you'll join me for this up close, personal look into the lives of some of our American military families. 

More Than Meets the Eye: United States Air Force (Home Front Heroines book 1)

Deployment changed him, and she doesn’t know if she can live with it.

After her husband returns from a deployment to Saudi Arabia, Lori Braxton begins noticing little differences in his behavior. He’s withdrawn, moody, and can’t sleep. Could it be the stress of military life after the 9/11 attack on New York? Maybe it’s the new assignment in Montana or the financial problems he ignores. Perhaps it’s forces she can’t see and doesn’t know how to fight, or maybe she’s a bigger part of the problem than she wants to admit

What is God doing? Is He even paying attention?

Lori tries to attend church and do what God asks, but the truth is she doesn’t really hear Him speak. Between money strains, pregnancy hormones, and young ones underfoot, Lori spirals into depression.

What good could God possibly bring from the mess surrounding her?

Options to Buy: http://carriedaws.com/my-books/fiction/home-front-heroines-book-1/

AUTHOR BIO:

God rewrote Carrie’s dreams to include being an author. With a background in weekly devotions, a mentor and several friends encouraged her to try fiction. The writing monster that she now barely keeps contained was born. Since then, she’s completed several books including her new romantic suspense, The Embers series. 

To learn more about her books, click HERE. 

Website: http://carriedaws.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarrieDaws/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/carriedaws/

ABOUT THE GIVEAWAY:

Carrie is offering copies of More Than Meets the Eye to TWO of this blog’s readers. To enter, just leave a comment and your contact information in the section below. Giveaway will run one week from today, ending at midnight on Wednesday, September 5, 2018, Central Time.