Category Archives: Fiction

Family Affair by Debbie Macomber

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Lacey has been hurt, badly. Her husband had an affair, ending their marriage so that he could marry his mistress. After her divorce, Lacey relocates, and Jack, her handsome next-door neighbor in her apartment complex, has been after her for a date. She can’t go out with him – she’s not over her ex, plus, she doesn’t trust men. Besides, Jack is a womanizer, right? She hears him arguing through the wall with his girlfriend, who always leaves his apartment in tears. No way can she trust her heart to her womanizing neighbor, right?

This story takes a nice surprising turn when she discovers Jack’s true nature. I also loved the role that the cats played in the romance. It added a cute twist to the story. Overall, I really enjoyed this, just as I usually enjoy Debbie’s books!

Mr. Miracle by Debbie Macomber

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Mr. Miracle by Debbie Macomber

Have you ever seen an angel?

Addie has returned home for Christmas. She’s been gone for six years – she quit high school and now she’s back, taking a literature class at the local college to earn her GED. Her father has recently died and her widowed mom is planning to take a cruise with her friend. Addie will be alone for Christmas, but, when she learns that Erich, her nemesis and next-door-neighbor, needs her help over the holidays, she finds herself busy being Erich’s caregiver.

Erich is distressed about his accident and now he needs to lean on Addie for support. Both Addie and Erich have old feelings that are rekindled over the holidays.

You also see a quirky cast of characters in Addie’s college class, in addition to Harry Mills, her teacher/angel. Harry’s mission is to make sure Addie and Erich fall in love. Will he be successful?

This was a simple, lighthearted read that’s enjoyable for the holidays. You can probably finish this holiday tale in one day. Overall a nice read.

So, have you ever seen an angel? Have you ever met someone whom you thought may have been a heavenly being?

The Rancher Next Door by Darlene Mindrup

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The Rancher Next Door

Have you ever fallen in love with your next-door neighbor?

Jenny is struggling to raise her twin siblings, alone. Orphaned, the small family moves into a cabin inherited from Jenny’s relative. At first, their new home appears a mess, but, Jenny is optimistic about fixing up their new abode and finding a job. However, her mood is altered whenever Mitch, the rancher next door, is around. This tall, good-looking man becomes a father figure for her siblings.

But, Jenny’s been hurt before, and Mitch has had his share of pain, too. Can both of them learn to love again?

I enjoyed this novel. I especially liked Jenny’s courage – taking care of two teenagers, alone, is a lot for a young woman to do. I also liked how she was determined to make a home out of their small cabin. Overall, a very nice read.

So, have you ever fallen in love, or had a romantic relationship with somebody who lives next door (or near your house)? What happened between the two of you?

Hope In My Heart – A Collection Of Short Stories

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Hope In My Heart by Alexis A. Goring

This was a nice book of heartwarming short stories. Most of the stories focused on finding love. There were three tales in this collection and each of the characters had to overcome some sort of obstacle as they searched for romance.

In Love Unexpected, a car crash surprisingly brings two lovebirds together. In spite of her animosity, Chandra sees potential in Sebastian.

In The Best Gift, Christina wants to lose some weight to fit into the bridesmaid’s dress for her sister’s wedding. Meanwhile, Jordan’s mom is desperate for her to get married, and gives her an ultimatum: bring a new beau home for Christmas, or, get sent to Sweden. When she re-encounters her old boyfriend (Brian), old sparks are rekindled. Meanwhile, Joshua is shocked when his girlfriend breaks up with him. She doesn’t like that Joshua’s life centers upon her. Joshua realizes he needs to strengthen his relationship with God – God needs to be the center of his life.

In Peace and Love, another Christmas-themed story, three people are seeking some kind of joy over the holiday season. Elle is an unemployed artist and she’s searching for the perfect job. Eric, a divorce attorney, is still reeling from the pain of his parents’ divorce – his parents split when we was a child and he’s never forgiven his mom for abandoning him. Kristine was adopted and before she gets married to Derek, she’s determined to find her birth mother. She’s hired a private investigator to help with the search.

These wonderful stories would make good reads during the holiday season! You can finish a story in one sitting. Such a nice treat for the holidays!

Sunday Brunch! Joseph – The Favorite Child!

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Have you ever felt that your parents favored one child over the others? If so, have you ever wondered why they loved one child more than the other(s)?

In Genesis, Jacob (Israel), favored Joseph over all of his other sons. The Bible states that Jacob loved Joseph more because he had him in his old age. However, I kind of feel like he may have favored Joseph more because he was Rachel’s child. Jacob obviously loved Rachel – he worked fourteen years just to have her. He’d also been tricked into marrying Rachel’s homely sister, Leah.

Also, initially, Rachel was barren. I felt she desperately wanted to have a child, which was why she asked Leah for some mandrakes. Jacob probably thought his favored wife would never have children, so, when she surprisingly had Joseph, Jacob was probably joyous. Due to his deep love for Rachel, he favored Joseph over his brothers, causing deep animosity between the siblings.

So, have you ever felt that your parents favored one child over the other? If so, have you ever figured out why?

Genesis 37:3Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. 4But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.

A Love Discovered by Jennifer Johnson

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A Love Discovered

Ben practically feels like a failure. Due to his massive gambling debt, he’s had to relocate to his parents’ farm and work in the family business.

This was not the way he wanted to live his life. He was supposed to be in a good job, using his engineering degree.

But, beautiful Maggie moves in next door. She keeps popping into his mind, but, he’s not ready for a relationship. After all, his life is still in shambles as he tries to resist his gambling addiction.

Maggie is dealing with problems of her own. She’s attracted to Ben, but, her elderly aunt warns her that Ben is bad news.

If he’s so bad, then, why is she so attracted to him, why does she think about him so much? Maggie’s husband died in Afghanistan four years ago, and she’s a single mother, raising her young son alone. She’s moved in with her aunt to help out, try to save the family consignment business.

I thought this was a sweet, heartwarming story that teaches us about faith. Ben leans on God to help battle his addiction and Maggie leans upon the Lord as she struggles with financial woes, and tries to save the family business. Overall, this was a good read.

Deadly Communications by Lillian Duncan – Author Interview

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I’d like to welcome author Lillian Duncan to my blog! I found the premise to her story interesting because her heroine is a speech pathologist! My son stutters and he had to go to speech and language pathologist for over a year to help him with his stutter. Her story sounds intriguing and I encourage you to purchase a copy to read!

Deadly Communications

Blurb:

Improving communication skills is never easy. In this case, it could be murder!

Maven Morris is a speech-language pathologist on medical leave–or as she likes to put it: out to pasture.

When she’s offered a lucrative position by one of the community’s most powerful men to help his traumatic-brain-injured daughter improve her communication skills, Maven discovers deadly secrets behind the iron gates of the mansion.

Now, she must find the courage to seek justice no matter who gets hurt–even if it’s her.

BIO:

Lillian is a multi-published author who lives in the middle of Ohio Amish country with her husband, two parrots, one Jack Russell, and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel she’s thinking of renaming Clifford since he keeps growing and growing and….

As a speech pathologist in the public schools for over thirty years, she worked with students of all ages with a wide variety of conditions, but especially with deaf and hard-of-hearing children. Whether as an educator, a writer, or a speech pathologist, she believes in the power of words to transform lives. especially God’s Word.

Lillian writes the types of books she loves to read—fast-paced mystery and suspense with a touch of romance that demonstrates God’s love for all of us. To learn more about Lillian and her books, you may visit her at www.lillianduncan.net or www.lillian-duncan.com. She also has a devotional blog at wwwPowerUpWithGod.com.

DEADLY COMMUNICATIONS INTERVIEW:

Tell us about DEADLY COMMUNICATIONS.

Deadly Communications features Maven Morris, a speech-language pathologist (SLP) who gets a little too involved with her clients. Okay, a lot too involved. When a client she’s working with leaves abruptly, Maven is suspicious and she won’t rest until she finds her.

What’s the setting for DEADLY COMMUNICATIONS?

It takes place in the city of Wooster, Ohio. Coincidently, it’s a city I’ve lived near most of my life. But, of course, the story is fictional and not based on reality!

How did you come up with the title for DEADLY COMMUNICATIONS?

How could that not be the title? When a speech-language pathologist (SLP) gets involved in a murder mystery, what else could you name it?

Is DEADLY COMMUNICATIONS the first book you published?

No, I’ve been blessed to have several books published in the past few years. My last release was BETRAYED in January of this year. It was the second in my Sisters By Choice series. The third, REDEMPTION, will be released in September.

Why did you write DEADLY COMMUNICATIONS?

Three things happened within a few days of each other to inspire DEADLY COMMUNICATIONS.

First, my brother asked why I didn’t write a story featuring a speech-language pathologist. To which my answer was that it would be difficult to come up with a suspense story and an SLP.

Secondly, a few days later I was talking with someone whose daughter had been involved in an accident and was now experiencing communication difficulties.

Thirdly, as writers are prone to do, I was sitting daydreaming and had a vision of a young woman running through the woods and into ongoing traffic.

That’s all it took! My writer mind took over from there and DEADLY COMMUNICATIONS was born.

So, then it sounds as if you were a speech-language pathologist. Tell us a little about that job.

I retired as an SLP from a large city school district in Ohio, then spent several more years working part-time in smaller, rural districts near where I live. Between the two jobs, I don’t think there is any type of child I haven’t worked with at least once.

I loved my job and still miss it. Mostly I miss the children, not the paper work involved. If it weren’t for serious health issues, I would still be working.

What do you want readers to take away from DEADLY COMMUNICATIONS?

Before the story starts Maven has experienced a series of life-changing events that have led to depression. Maven chooses to get out of bed and keep moving. It’s not easy when life throws us a curve ball or two. It may not seem fair, but how we react to those things will determine the quality of our future.

As the story moves forward we see Maven struggle with her spirituality as she faces some difficult circumstances in her life. I want readers to know they can do the same.

Was it difficult to write a character with communication problems?

Not at all. In fact, that was part of the fun of writing DEADLY COMMUNICATIONS. In the scenes where Maven is working with her client, all I had to do was close my eyes, imagine the interaction, then open my eyes, and write it.

What is your writing process?

I am not an outliner. I wish I were—it seems easier to me. But my mind doesn’t work that way. I never know what is going to happen in my story on any given writing day. It’s as if my mind is a movie screen and I watch that day’s events and then I write it.

When I start a new story I usually have a clear picture of the main character in mind and what obstacle he/she will face, but anything goes after that. If I’m writing and start to feel bored—then I kill someone or blow something up. And that way it’s a surprise to me and to my readers.

Do you know who the bad guy is when you begin your story?

Not usually. Most of the time I have several characters who it might be and as the story comes to a conclusion, I’m surprised right along with my readers. DEADLY COMMUNICATIONS was no exception. I wasn’t sure who the culprit was until the very end. Maven and I suspected one person, but we were wrong!

Most people don’t think of murder mysteries and suspense novels as Christian Fiction. What do you say to them?

I can certainly understand their point of view. And for some readers my stories might be a bit too graphic or edgy and that’s okay, I would say my readers are those who like traditional suspense and mystery novels but are tired of all the explicit language and sex scenes that aren’t necessary to a good story.

I don’t promote or glorify violence in my stories and show characters experiencing the natural consequences of their bad choices and bad actions. My characters are usually on a spiritual journey as well—but some are further along than others.

Then what makes your stories Christian Fiction?

I don’t promote or glorify violence in my stories in any way. My characters experience the natural consequences of their bad choices and bad actions.

My stories always have an element of faith in them. How that plays out depends on the individual plots of each specific story. My main characters are always on a spiritual journey, though some may be further along than others.

One more word about Christian Fiction, it has changed dramatically over the past ten years. Other than erotica, readers can find their favorite genre as Christian Fiction as well as mainstream fiction. There are Christian Fiction books out there for every book lover—historical; romance; regency; science fiction; even horror novels.

What are you working on now?

I have a devotional blog POWER UP WITH GOD’S WORD: Secrets For a Better Life at: www.PowerUpWithGod.com. I was diagnosed with bilateral brain tumors two years ago and so many of the devotions focus help others who are facing a crisis—physical or spiritual.

The third book in The Sisters By Choice series (REDEMPTION) will be released in September. Along with that that I’m working on the second in the Deadly Communications series. As of now, its title is Nowhere to Belong.

HOW CAN READERS FIND YOU ON THE INTERNET?

My website is www.lillianduncan.net and I have a devotional blog at www.PowerUpWithGod.com My blog is TIARAS & TENNIS SHOES at www.lillian-duncan.com. I’m also on Twitter as @LillianDuncan and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/lillian.k.duncan

Thanks for being on my blog, Lillian! I’ve enjoyed this!

Tempest’s Course

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Tempest’s Course

When Kelly Frost, a textile conservator, is hired to restore an old quilt, she’s surprised when she’s gets the bid for the project. Having to temporarily relocate to a new town, she meets Tom Pereira, the groundskeeper for her new home. Tom has been discharged from the military, and he’s dealing with a lot of problems. He makes a living tending the gardens and doing odd jobs, but his father thinks he’d do better by getting a college education. He is attracted to Kelly and Kelly is attracted to Tom. A foster kid, she can barely recall having a real family. Kelly’s on her own as she attempts to restore the quilt, however, spooky things are happening in her temporary house. She’s not sure why someone is lurking around, causing trouble.

I enjoyed this romance. I also liked reading about the heroine’s occupation as a textile conservator. It’s not a profession that I read about often. I’d recommend this book as a nice, heartwarming read.

Sunday Brunch – Noah’s Ark!

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Did Noah take two of each kind of bird, or did he take seven of each kind of bird into the ark?

In Genesis 6:20, the Lord told Noah that two of every kind of animal would come to him to be kept alive:

Genesis 6:20

New King James Version (NKJV)

²⁰Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.

Later, in chapter seven, the Lord states that Noah should take seven of every kind of clean animal and two of every unclean animal. The clean animals included the birds:

Genesis 7:2-3

New King James Version (NKJV)

²You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; ³also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth.

Why did the Lord specify two, and then seven later, for some of the animals. I’m thinking that initially, two of every kind of animal, regardless of clean or unclean, came to Noah to get onto the ark. Later, somehow, he obtained five more of each clean animal to take onto the ark as the Lord commanded. I’m not sure if Noah had to catch these other five unclean animals, or, if they came to him freely.

Why do you think the Lord initially specified two of each kind of creature? Why is Noah later told to bring seven of each of the clean animals?