The winners of the Raspberry Kisses book giveaway are:
Erika Echols
FELISSA CLEMENT
Paula R. Cadwell
Congrats, Ladies! Merry Christmas!
Raspberry Kisses – Kindle Ebook Winners!
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Category Archives: Fiction
Raspberry Kisses – Kindle Ebook Giveaway
I’m giving away three Kindle ebook copies of my novel, Raspberry Kisses! To enter the drawing, you need to answer the following question: What’s your favorite Christmas memory? You must leave your email address to enter the drawing! I need a way to contact you if you win! Merry Christmas!
Her Gifts by Linda Beed
Do you pray for your husband/wife/significant other daily?
Treva Scott is ready to be a business owner. She’s a unique woman who loves to create dolls, plus, she’s an ex-military expert markswoman. However, while trying to fulfill her dream, she comes across some obstacles. Some of her familial relationships are shaky – dealing with her sister’s attitude proves trying on Treva’s nerves.
Treva is in a relationship with an amazing man, Brian Chin. But, she’s unsure about their future together. Brian prays for Treva everyday, which I thought was so sweet! They’ve been dating for awhile, but Treva wants more from their relationship.
This was a nice, sweet Christian story that I highly recommend. The characters were so real and vivid, and I believe most people can relate to the family issues that the characters faced.
Do you pray for your spouse/significant other every day?
Raspberry Kisses – Available Now!
Raspberry Kisses is now available for order!
Facing eviction, Rhea Morrison, a young grieving widow, must save her failing bakery. Her recently-injured twin sister, Raven, loans her money – stipulating Rhea attend a singles retreat to spy on Martin Lane, Raven’s new love interest. Disgruntled, Rhea attends the retreat and is attracted to Martin. She discovers that Martin can help save her bakery.
Pastor Martin laments over his secret, traumatic past mistakes. He’s destined to lead his father’s church, despite blatant rejection. He can’t love Rhea – he’s yet to forgive himself for his past, and if Rhea knew how he used to be, she would have no interest in pursuing a relationship with him. In spite of their shared attraction, he helps Rhea form a plan to save her business. Martin, a former successful bakery owner, can expertly create delicious pastry recipes.
Rhea feels torn about her attraction to Martin – he’s a pastor, and after her husband’s death, she vowed to never get involved with another pastor. Plus, her twin sister, Raven, has strong feelings for Martin. Can Rhea let herself have romantic feelings for Martin – knowing it would hurt her sister?
Can Martin and Rhea overcome their past so that they’re free to love again?
Pics!
I got my pictures taken at ACFW last September!
Waking Up Joy by Tina Ann Forkner
Waking Up Joy by Tina Ann Forkner
Do you remember your first love? How long did it take you to get over the pain after the breakup?
Joy, a forty-something spinster in a small town, falls into a coma because of a freak accident. While unconscious, she hears conversations by her somewhat dysfunctional family. Jimmy, her love interest from twenty plus years ago, attempts to kiss her while she’s unconscious.
This book was deep. Told in the first person, you learn all about Joy’s life, how she’s pined after the same man for twenty-plus years. Her old beau, Jimmy, ended up marrying someone else. But, their love was shattered one day and a dark secret haunts Joy, and initially, she can’t get over her pain.
But, this book is about Joy’s journey, as she learns to deal with her pain. You also see her interacting with her weird family, as well as her ex, Jimmy. Sparks still fly between Joy and Jimmy, and Joy wonders why Jimmy has not made an attempt to befriend her since his wife died five years ago.
This book also shows that we can’t rely on charms, magic apple trees, and superstitions for happiness. We need to rely on our Heavenly Father for happiness.
So, do you remember your first love? How long did it take you to get over the pain after the breakup?
Promise To Cherish
Have you, or anybody you know, ever worked in a mental hospital?
Christine works as a nurse in a mental hospital during World War II. She meets Eli, an Amish conscientious objector. Initially, there’s animosity between them since Christine has lost her brothers in the war, yet, Eli does not have to fight because it goes against his faith. This story takes a traumatic turn when Christine dates Jack, a handsome man who was a friend of one of her deceased brothers.
I enjoyed this novel because it’s not your typical Amish book. Since the story takes place in the thirties, and deals with war, it gives the book a different flavor than most Amish stories. It also shows how Christine deals with pain and grief. Reading about a mental hospital in the 1930’s also gave this novel a unique feel. A mental hospital was a terrible place to be, and we see how Christine and Eli deal with the patients. You see the horrific conditions to which the patients are subjected. It’s a really good, realistic read.
Have you, or anybody you know, ever worked in a mental hospital? If so what was it like? Were you close to any of your patients?
Raspberry Kisses – Seeking Beta Readers
Are you willing to read my novel, give feedback, before I publish it? All I ask is that if you enjoy the novel, you leave a review on Amazon, or some other commercial website (like Goodreads, Barnes and Noble, etc.) once the book is released. I plan on releasing the novel later this year. Email me at dowdywriter (at) aol (dot) com if interested! It’s a Christian contemporary romance novel! Here’s a summary of Raspberry Kisses:
Facing eviction, Rhea Morrison, a young grieving widow, must save her failing bakery. Her recently-injured twin sister, Raven, loans her money – stipulating Rhea attend a singles retreat to spy on Martin Lane, Raven’s new love interest. Disgruntled, Rhea attends the retreat and is attracted to Martin. She discovers that Martin can help save her bakery.
Pastor Martin laments over his secret, traumatic past mistakes. He’s destined to lead his father’s church, despite blatant rejection. He can’t love Rhea – he’s yet to forgive himself for his past, and if Rhea knew how he used to be, she would have no interest in pursuing a relationship with him. In spite of their shared attraction, he helps Rhea form a plan to save her business. Martin, a former successful bakery owner, can expertly create delicious pastry recipes.
Rhea feels torn about her attraction to Martin – he’s a pastor, and after her husband’s death, she vowed to never get involved with another pastor. Plus, her twin sister, Raven, has strong feelings for Martin. Can Rhea let herself have romantic feelings for Martin – knowing it would hurt her sister?
Can Martin and Rhea overcome their past so that they’re free to love again?
Redemption – A Devotional
For a change, I thought I’d post the following devotional on my blog. My online writing friend, Lillian Duncan, tells us that our faith in God is all we need for salvation – works, being good people, serving others, etc. does not guarantee your salvation. Read on:
REDEMPTION—A DEVOTION
Romans 3: 22-24
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
The title of my newest book is REDEMPTION so it seemed to me a good topic to write about in a devotion. Dictionary.com defines redemption as an act of atoning for a fault or a mistake; deliverance or rescue; deliverance from sin; salvation; atonement for guilt.
The title came about as a result of Jamie, the main character being ashamed of things she’s done in her past as a consultant to the FBI. As a result she feels God can’t love her the way she is. So she seeks redemption by putting herself in dangerous situations to help other people.
But the redemption part of the story doesn’t stop there. Enrique, the tall, dark, and handsome FBI agent seeks redemption as well. From Jamie. Then there’s the bartender Jamie meets on her quest to find a friend’s missing child. He’s trying to overcome a lifetime of criminal acts. More redemption.
And then there’s the father of the kidnapped child—who is the kidnapper! Talk about needing redemption. No wonder this book is named REDEMPTION!
That makes for a good plot in a suspense novel, but it’s important to know that we can’t save ourselves through good acts, through helping others, or even being really good people. There is only one way to receive redemption: meaning salvation; meaning going to heaven to live with God forever!
We are saved through our faith in Jesus—and only through our faith in Jesus.
No amount of good works can earn us a ticket to heaven! It doesn’t matter how “good” we are, how much money we give to good causes (including the church), or how kind we are to others.
Only our belief in Jesus as the Son of God can save us.
And the reverse is true as well as Jamie discovers in my novel, REDEMPTION. Your past doesn’t matter. God loves you just the way you are. He won’t turn his back on you because of your past, present, or even your future mistakes.
And that is more awesome than I can say, but 2 Corinthians 9:15 says it best: “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”
To celebrate the release of REDEMPTION, I’m giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card. So hop on over to TIARAS & TENNIS SHOES at www.lillian-duncan.com to enter. Leave a comment on the post entitled REDEMPTION and you’ll be entered to win.
BLURB:
Others may think Jamie Jakowski is a hero, but she knows differently.
Haunted by her past, she seeks redemption by helping others in spite of the danger to herself. However, after almost orphaning her daughter, Jamie opts to retire. When a friend needs her, Jamie agrees to one last undercover operation.
She is determined to reunite a heartbroken mother with her kidnapped son. Used to working alone, Jamie’s not happy when she’s assigned a partner. And after a failed operation and their failed romance, Enrique Rodriguez is the last person she wants to work with—ever.
To succeed, Jamie must confront her past as well as the people who want her dead.
BIO:
Lillian Duncan: stories of faith mingled with murder & mayhem!
Lillian is a multi-published writer with several Amazon bestsellers, including The Christmas Stalking and Betrayed. Lillian writes the types of books she loves to read—fast-paced suspense with a touch or two of romance that demonstrates God’s love for all of us
Whether as an educator, a writer, or a speech pathologist, she believes in the power of words to transform lives, especially God’s Word.
To learn more about Lillian and her books, visit: www.lillianduncan.net. Tiaras & Tennis Shoes is her personal blog at www.lillian-duncan.com.
Chasing Hope by Kathryn Cushman
Chasing Hope by Kathryn Cushman
Have you ever had a dream that was lost? Did your faith suffer because of your lost dream?
Sabrina has transferred colleges because it’s hard for her to stay at her former school. A former star runner, she finds it hard to be around others who excel at sports, and since her dream has been shattered, she’s unsure about how to put the pieces back together in her life.
Her faith has dwindled, and her life drastically changes when arrangements are made for her to coach a Brandy, a juvenile delinquent/talented runner. Brandy’s off-putting attitude makes Sabrina cringe, plus, it’s initially hard for her to embrace the role of coach.
Chasing Hope is about trying to strengthen your faith after your dreams have been lost. I liked how the theme of running played throughout the story. The characters were real and vivid and Koen, Sabrina’s boyfriend, sounded like a really nice, good-looking guy! The romance was not the main focus of the story, but, it hovered in the background.
So have you ever had a dream that was lost? How did you deal with it?