Preslaysa

word wednesdays: recording our actions, pt 5

September 14, 2011 By Preslaysa Leave a Comment

Here’s our continuation on the Wednesday series “Recording Our Actions” We’re looking through every instance where we find the word “book” in the Bible. In these Old Testament passages, I’ve found the lives of many kings were recorded. Some of the rulers were godly, others were…eh.

Here are more passages for you to ponder:

And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years. And the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? How they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem: and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish, and slew him there. (2 Kings 14:17-19, KJV)

And the LORD said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven: but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash. Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did, and his might, how he warred, and how he recovered Damascus, and Hamath, which belonged to Judah, for Israel, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel; and Zachariah his son reigned in his stead. (2 Kings 14:27-29, KJV)

And the LORD smote the king, so that he was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house. And Jotham the king’s son was over the house, judging the people of the land. And the rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? So Azariah slept with his fathers; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead. (2 Kings 15:5-7, KJV)

And Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and smote him before the people, and slew him, and reigned in his stead. And the rest of the acts of Zachariah, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. This was the word of the LORD which he spake unto Jehu, saying, Thy sons shall sit on the throne of Israel unto the fourth generation. And so it came to pass. (2 Kings 15:10-12, KJV)

Question for You: If you died and a book were written about your life, what would it say? How were you as a spouse, a parent, a friend or a co-worker?

Guest Blogger Mary Manners

September 12, 2011 By Preslaysa 11 Comments

Marathons, Manuscripts and Mothers

What do the three M’s…Marathons, Manuscripts and Mothers have in common? Well, as a former marathon runner, I’m convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that the countless hours of running and training during my marathon days prepared me for the other two.

Marathon running is a solitary endeavor that requires 100% dedication, commitment, follow-through and sacrifice. You have to run when you don’t feel like it…when your legs ache and your heart feels like it will leap right out of your chest, when the weather is hot, humid, cold, rainy or just plain dismal. You run in the light, in the dark, and when a strong north wind tries to sweep you right off the path. You keep your focus, and stay true to the goal. There’s no turning back…only looking forward.

The same can be said of writing. It’s a mostly-solitary endeavor that requires 100% dedication, commitment, follow-through and sacrifice. After all, what reader would enjoy a book that has no ending…no plot, direction, or character arc? What publisher would pay for such a book? So you write even when you don’t feel like it…when your friends are going to the movies or out to dinner, when you’d rather read than plot, when warm rays of sunshine beckon from your office window and your heart longs to run and play. You write early in the morning when the rest of the world is sleeping and late at night when the rest of the world is sleeping. You write when the refrigerator beckons you to have just one more snack. And when writer’s block strikes you push through it instead of pushing away from the desk, no matter how painful.

Being a mother…well, sometimes it’s a solitary endeavor that requires 100% dedication, commitment, follow-through and sacrifice. Saying no to a child has never made any mother popular. You overlook your own needs to care for your child. You mother early in the morning, late at night, and every hour in between. You stay strong when the storms of terrible two’s and the teenage years rage, when you see your life flash before your eyes while teaching your teen to drive or your toddler throws a tantrum in the grocery store check-out line. Along the way, you enjoy and savor rays of sunshine that peak through the chaos. You mother when you’d rather take a warm bubble bath or curl up with a book instead of cooking dinner or playing the hundredth hand of Old Maid or Go Fish.

My life’s journey has been a blend of the three M’s. My daughter will enter college next August. We’re in a period of countless changes. The child I once drove to basketball practice and choir rehearsal now chauffeurs me. I have learned, depending on the day (sometimes even the hour), that I know nothing…and everything. Recently, a college friend of mine sent a photo that was snapped our sophomore year (1982). Looking at the photo, I thought my daughter was staring back at me. Was I ever that young, thin and…unwrinkled? My daughter took one glance and gasped, “Mama, is that really you?” as if I could have never—possibly—been that smiling young woman in the picture. And, after a good laugh, I thought about the passage of time and how happy and truly blessed I am to have experienced the three M’s…Marathons, Manuscripts and, especially Motherhood.

About Grace’s Gold

Brent Peterson returns to Mount Ridge, Tennessee with a single goal—to win back Grace Spencer. He’s loved her since kindergarten, and should have told her how he felt, but Dan Turner swooped in and stole Grace away before Brent had the chance. Now Grace is a widow with a young son, and while it’s been three years since her husband’s death, Brent isn’t sure he should make his feelings known.

When Brent comes around the family bakery, Grace longs to restore their friendship, but the thin gold wedding band on her finger—and memories of Dan—stand between them.

Can Brent’s gentle patience coax Grace to let go of her memories…and the ring, or is it time for Brent to move on alone, and leave Mount Ridge forever?

Excerpt from the First Chapter

Brent couldn’t pull his gaze from Grace as she spooned lemon‐scented batter into a greased bread pan. Blonde hair spilled over her neck in a sassy blunt cut that kissed her shoulders as she moved gracefully between the counter and oven. Blue eyes sparkled in sunlight that cascaded through the front window of the bakery, but a hint of sadness lurked beneath. Brent knew she still thought of Dan, the husband she’d lost in a construction accident three years ago—Adam’s father.

And he aimed to change that. A pre‐dawn ride through cool mountain air in the Cove had cleared cobwebs from his head and strengthened his resolve. As the sun had risen over the horizon to kiss a clearblue morning sky, a need intensified that could no longer be denied.

He wanted Grace.

He’d had a thing for her since the first day of kindergarten, when he saw her across the story circle. Her blonde hair and blue eyes had captivated him, even though he didn’t know what the odd tugging in his belly meant at the time. And that “thing” had roared into much, much more over the years they’d spent hanging out together, swapping lunches and swimming in the creek that bisected his horse farm. Theirs was an easy friendship that had grown into something deeper…at least for him.

He’d taken things slow during all the days they’d spent together roaming the pastures that fit together like giant puzzle pieces spanning the farm, assuming he had forever to make his feelings known. Their friendship grew strong as the roots of the old oak that stood as a sentinel behind his parents’ barn. But when Brent was with her, beside her—watching the sun glint off her huge blue eyes as she laughed at a little joke he shared—and he thought of taking it to the next level…of kissing her…his gut squeezed so tight he grew lightheaded and couldn’t seem to gather a breath.

As days eased into months, then years, Grace traded ball caps and pigtails for makeup and a sleek hairstyle, and something else—something wonderful—changed, also. The way she wrapped her arms around him, pressed a warm cheek against his neck while they rode one of his parents’ prized black racing mares through the Cove, told him she felt the same. Yet a little voice niggled…what if he pushed too hard—too fast? Would it ruin everything?

Fiction Saturdays: Guest Blogger Dora Hiers

September 10, 2011 By Preslaysa 5 Comments

Dora Hiers is our guest blogger today. Her latest novel Journey’s End is available now!

Here’s Dora!

Are your scales tipped in the right direction? by Dora Hiers

“Bye, sweetie. Be careful driving back.” I plant a kiss on my youngest son’s cheek through the open car window, the smell of freshly washed clothes drifting my way.

He rolls those twenty-year-old eyes. “Mom, you don’t need to remind me. I’m a big boy.”

“Not too big to let your mom do your laundry.” Smiling, I watch him drive away, headed back to his dorm, then race to my desk.

With a quiet house and the scene that had eluded me all week finally fleshed out, my fingers blaze across the keyboard…

“Oh!” Delaney slipped, only a couple of inches, but enough that now her hips dangled over the edge of the building. She clawed the concrete floor with fingers, scraping, grasping, clinging, unable to gain a grip.

She panted, short frantic breaths, not willing to risk sucking in a huge gulp. Afraid that much oxygen would disturb what delicate balance she had left.

“Hang on, sweetheart.” Sage’s frantic tone carried from way across the room. A world away.

Teeth clenched in a pallid face, Sage’s arm snaked out and his leg extended, but his movements appeared stiff, surreal, like a movie playing out in slow motion. Determination steeled his jaw. Blood soaked his shirt.

Their eyes connected. For a second. Long enough for her to convey what was on her heart. Long enough for him to see clear through to her soul. I love you, Sage.

She couldn’t hold on much longer. The wind tugged at her legs, and she couldn’t grab onto anything. Delaney closed her eyes and braced—

The ringing of a cell phone rips me from the scene. My fingers still as I stare at my oldest son’s smiling face.

Not now, John.

But I knew better. If I didn’t answer my cell, the house phone would ring next. I glance at the time. Four o’clock. “Hey, John.”

“Hi Mom. Are you busy?”

“Yes.”

“Doing what?”

I shake my head. Does he think a book writes itself? “Writing.”

“Can you pick up Mason from daycare? I’m working overtime.”

Overtime? What about me? I need to answer blog interviews, design blog posts, answer readers, catch up on social networking. And I wanted to finish this scene while it was still fresh in my head.

I glance at my grandson’s picture. A smile tugs at my lips.

“That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God.” (Eccl 3:13 NIV)

And what a gift!

A job that I enjoy and the flexibility to make time for my family when they need me. How could I complain?

Work or play? Today that’s a no-brainer.

Are your scales tipped in the right direction?

Fiction Fridays: Sarah Sundin’s Blue Skies Tomorrow

September 9, 2011 By Preslaysa Leave a Comment

About Blue Skies Tomorrow:

Helen Carlisle is recovering from the death of her war hero husband in Sarah Sundin’s, Blue Skies Tomorrow (Revell (Baker), August 1, 2011, ISBN: 0800734238, $14.99). Healing from the year, she runs into Lt. Ray Novak-a childhood crush. She has been surviving her loss through copious volunteering, but deep down she is troubled. How much longer can she do this? Is she living a lie? Was her dead husband a hero? How can she live with the past?

Lt. Novak faces his own life uncertainty as a dedicated officer who has postponed his calling to be a pastor for the duration of the war. His secondary passion to fly is quenched as an instructor, until he is deployed to Europe for a combat mission just as a romantic relationship with Helen is building.

As Helen tries to make ends meet back home and begins to confront the past, Ray encounters a deadly enemy of his own. Will they find the courage to face their challenges? Will the truth come out? Will hope and redemption ring true for Helen?

Sure to live up to the high praise of the previous books in the Wings of Glory series, Blue Skies Tomorrow completes the story of the U.S. Eighth Air Force in World War II, covering the infamous Port Chicago Explosion, which occurred close to Antioch, Calif., where Helen and the Novaks live, to victory in Europe.

About Sarah:

Sarah Sundin received the 2011 Writer of the Year Award from the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, and her second novel A Memory Between Us is a finalist for an Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award. Her stories are inspired by her great-uncle who flew with the U.S. Eighth Air Force in England during World War II.

Sarah lives in California with her husband and three children. Visit with Sarah online at www.sarahsundin.com.

Contest Alert!!

To celebrate the release of Blue Skies Tomorrow, the final installment of the Wings of Glory series, Sarah is giving one lucky winner A Vintage Kindle Prize Package!

Read what the reviewers are saying here.

One winner will receive:

* Kindle with Wi-Fi

* Handmade vintage apron for you and a friend (see a photo here)

* Blue Skies Tomorrow (for Kindle)

To enter just click one of the icons below. But, hurry, giveaway ends on 9/10. Winner will be announced on 9/12 at Sarah Sundin’s blog. Details and official rules can be found when entering the contest.

Word Wednesdays: The Book You Have Written

September 8, 2011 By Preslaysa Leave a Comment

(A repost from February 2, 2011)

“But now, please forgive their sin – but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.”

(Exodus 32:32, NIV)

God wrote a book and it has you in it. That’s an awesome thought. To know the God of the universe has ordered your lives and planned it in such detail that He wrote it in a book. This scripture demonstrates God is not a God of randomness or chance. The best corrolation I can use is my own experence of writing a novel.

I’ve heard it said there are two types of novelists: pantsers and plotters. ‘Pantsers’ are those who fly by the seat of their pants, writing the story as it comes to them without any planning or forethought. ‘Plotters’ are those who plan their story ahead of time and, to varying degrees, follow the plan they set forth. No matter whether a writer is a ‘pantser’ or a ‘plotter’, at some point during the creative process, they’ll have to sit down and clearly delineate their story’s progression, i.e. plot it out.

I think God is a plotter. Psalm 139:16 (NIV) states: “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

He planned your life before you were even formed. He wrote all of your days in His book. From day to day, you may not know the details of that plan and that’s where faith comes in. Seeking Him and relying on Him daily enables you to fully live out the plan He plotted out for you beforehand.

Till next Wednesday…

“But now, please forgive their sin – but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.”

(Exodus 32:32, NIV)

How to Balance Writing Life with Family Life by Penny Zeller

September 5, 2011 By Preslaysa 1 Comment

Hey everyone!

I’m super excited about having novelist Penny Zeller as our guest blogger on today’s Marriage & Motherhood Mondays. Penny’s latest release, Hailee, is available now!

Here’s a brief summary of Hailee:

For years, orphan Hailee Annigan was just a ragamuffin in the Cincinnati streets, stealing food to keep her two younger brothers fed. Her thievery landed her in a home for delinquent youngsters, where her life was changed, thanks to her teachers. Now, nineteen-year-old Hailee excitedly heads to Montana to be a teacher, yet she’s still plagued by her shameful past and the fear of never seeing her brothers again.

Based on his upbringing in high-society Boston, no one would have guessed that Nate Adams would attend seminary and become a church pastor in rugged Montana. Even now, Nate’s parents refuse to put aside their own plans for his future and accept his calling.

When their paths converge, an immediate attraction draws Hailee and Nate together, even as the pressures and demands of others pull them apart. Can the unlikely pair come to terms with their pasts and face the future together?

Here’s Penny…

When I was asked to write a post about balancing writing life with family life, I had to give that topic some heavy-duty thought. After all, I’m still working on figuring out how to prioritize and fit in all the duties of being a wife, mom, and author, especially since there is no such thing as a typical day.

When I first began my career as a writer, I started by writing magazine articles so I could stay home with our daughters, supplement our income, and gain valuable work experience. But how was I to do that with little ones?

A few years ago, I was preparing to interview a prominent professional for a major magazine article. My two daughters were toddlers then, and the concept of working from home as a writer was an adventure in itself. “Now girls, Mommy has a very important phone call to make. Can you sit nicely and watch Angelina Ballerina and after I’m finished, we’ll go to the playground and Mommy will go down the slide and play on the swings with you.”

After a pinky promise, I called my source, who a pleasant man with so much knowledge that I could have written a dozen articles just based on his expertise alone. The phone connection was good, I was keeping up with what taking notes, and my girls were quietly watching Angelina Ballerina.

I glanced down to write an answer to one of my interview questions, when from out of nowhere, my two-year-old sprang from the playroom, her short stubby legs sashaying around, as she danced in circles in the living room, giggling. It wasn’t the dancing, giggling, or the joyful grin on her face that alarmed me. No, it was the loud and continuous eeeeeee-aawwwww, eeeeeee-aawwwww sound of the toy accordion in her hand as she played what she called “bootiful music, Mama!”

I gasped. “No, no, sweetie,” I mouthed.

She smiled and continued her presentation of “How to Make Mommy Panic in One Easy Step.”

“Mrs. Zeller?” My source asked, “Are you there? I am hearing some interference. I think we have a bad connection.”

“Um, yes, sorry about that.” I wondered how to tell my source the truth about the interference and still maintain my professionalism. Besides, he was 2,500 miles away, so it could be a bad connection…

So, how do you balance the demands of motherhood with the demands of writing? I’ve narrowed it down to five steps that I have found helpful –

Pray. Each morning before I climb out of bed and face a day of mothering, chauffeuring kids to after-school events, housecleaning, volunteering, and writing books, I ask the Lord to prepare my heart. I ask that He guide my day, that I would use my time wisely, and that I would get accomplished only what He would have me do that day.
Get your priorities straight. Children grow up so fast and I don’t want to regret the time I spent on things that weren’t important. What is really important are those eternal differences we make in the lives of others, particularly our family members. My husband and my children are my main ministry, and I have to remember who comes first (after the Lord) in this life of busyness. But then, how do I make time for my career?
Be deliberate. I have to be deliberate about putting aside time for my writing. I work while my children are in school and then quit for the day when they come home.
Don’t get sidetracked. So many things to do on the computer and so little time! Emailing, Facebooking, tweeting, blogging, Linking in – who has time for it all? And I can get sidetracked at the drop of a hat! I have to keep my focus or I’ll look back on the day and realize nothing of consequence was accomplished. I have found that making a list of things I need to do for the day in order of importance is helpful.
Make a poster. I taped a homemade “office hours” paper to my office door and try hard to adhere to those writing hours when my children are in school. I have posted these writing hours, not so much for visitors, but for myself. It reminds me that if I don’t set aside time for my writing, it will be spent doing a host of other “unnecessary” things (see point #4).

So, there you have it. And now, I must tend to those dishes in the sink. Ah, balancing writing life and chores. Now that’s a topic for another time!

I love to connect with my readers at –

My website: www.pennyzeller.com

My blog: A Day in the Life of a Wife, Mom, and Author: www.pennyzeller.wordpress.com,

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Penny-A-Zeller/96391560959?ref=ts

About Penny:

Penny Zeller is the author of several books and numerous magazine articles in national and regional publications. She is also the author of the humor blog “A Day in the Life of a Wife, Mom, and Author” (www.pennyzeller.wordpress.com). She is an active volunteer in her community, serving as a women’s Bible study small-group leader and co-organizing a women’s prayer group. Penny devotes her time to assisting and nurturing women and children into a closer relationship with Christ. Her passion is to use the gift of the written word that God has given her to glorify Him and to benefit His kingdom. Hailee is the final book in the series, which began with McKenzie and Kaydie in Montana Skies, her first series with Whitaker House. When she’s not writing, Penny enjoys spending time with her family and camping, hiking, canoeing, and playing volleyball. She and her husband reside in Wyoming with their two children. Penny loves to hear from her readers at her website, www.pennyzeller.com.

fiction fridays: guest blog by sandra orchard

September 2, 2011 By Preslaysa 2 Comments

Hey everyone, it’s Preslaysa!

I’m happy to welcome debut author, Deep Cover the first novel in Sandra’s Undercover Cop series with Love Inspired Suspense hits bookstore shelves September 6^th

To celebrate the book’s release, she’s giving away an Amazon gift card! See details at the end of this post.

Please welcome Sandra as she blogs about how she balances motherhood and her writing dream. Here’s Sandra…

Children Learn What You Live by Sandra Orchard

Thank you Preslaysa for inviting me to share a little about my writing journey as a homeschooling Mom. After the birth of my first child, my days soon revolved around feedings and naps and trips to the park, and I quickly realized that I needed a creative outlet to regain a sense of balance.

I’d always loved writing so I signed up for a correspondence course. Then baby two came along and soon after baby three. Before long my creative outlet became designing crafts and curriculum for my growing brood and journaling in my children’s scrapbooks. And I loved every minute of it.

Okay…not the sleep deprivation or the temper tantrums. But I digress…

By the time I dusted off my dream of writing a novel, my children were twelve plus. I’d read that it can take years, and many manuscripts, and many more rejections before a writer’s work is published, so for the first few months I didn’t tell anyone that I’d started writing a novel.

Of course my family soon found me out, but I swore them to secrecy.

I’m not sure what I was trying to protect myself from—the well-meaning “So have you sold your book yet?” questions or the fear of what others would think if they knew how much time I poured into the pursuit…for naught.

It wasn’t long, however, before I realized that even if I was never published, persevering was not for naught. God opened doors for me to minister to others through my writing (my ultimate dream) long before I ever signed a contract. Some were people I likely would never have met if I wasn’t part of a writer’s group. The most important were my own children.

Our children are always watching us.

My children saw me spend hours each day writing and revising and studying writing craft and taking online classes and reading. They saw me choose to sit down and write whether I felt like it or not. (Although I hasten to add spending time with family always came first.) They saw me reveling in learning new things. They saw me enthusiastically share what I was learning with others through critiques and meetings.

They saw me risk being criticized and crushed by putting my work “out there” by entering it in contests and sending it to critiquers. They saw my frustration with negative feedback and my determination to learn from my mistakes. They shared in the excitement of editor requests and the disappointment of rejections.

They saw me persevere.

They saw me rewrite the same story again and again until it was as good as I could possibly make it. And then rewrite it again when I’d learned more.

They learned that pursuing your dreams is hard work. They learned that there is joy and purpose in the journey, that God uses your obedience on each step of that journey to not only grow you, but to encourage and teach and inspire those around you. They learned that it’s okay to fail.

They dared to dream.

In fact, my youngest became a paid freelance writer and published poet and short story author before she was eighteen, before I ever signed a contract!

So if you’re feeling a little guilty about indulging your dream of writing, remember that our perseverance in whatever dreams we pursue teach our children valuable lessons.

Your turn: What dreams are you pursuing?

About Sandra:

Sandra Orchard was the 2009 Daphne DuMaurier Award of Excellence winner in the unpublished category and sold to Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense the following year. Her newly released debut novel, Deep Cover
is the first book in her series, Undercover Cops: Fighting for justice puts their lives—and hearts—on the line. From Southern Ontario, Canada, Sandra has a Bachelor of Arts and Science with a math major from McMaster University. She’s taught high school math, homeschooled her three children, is a bookkeeper, and enjoys doing a variety of crafts and construction projects. (everything from siding and roofing to putting in a corner bathtub.) She’s a member of ACFW, RWA, and several of its chapters, as well as The Word Guild.

CONTEST ALERT!!

To celebrate the launch she’s giving away an Amazon gift card to one lucky fan selected randomly on September 20^th from her newsletter subscribers (hyperlink: http://bit.ly/OrchardNews), Facebook fans (hyperlink: http://www.facebook.com/SandraOrchard), and blog commenters (hyperlink: http://www.SandraOrchard.blogspot.com).

To learn more about Sandra and her books, visit her website at www.SandraOrchard.com

About Deep Cover and the Undercover Cops Series:

Maintaining his cover cost undercover cop Rick Gray the woman he loved. Sweet Ginny Bryson never really knew Rick. He never gave her the chance. Not then, and not now, when he’s back with a new alias to gather evidence against Ginny’s uncle. The man’s crimes led to Rick’s partner’s death, and Rick wants justice to be served. But his investigation is stirring up trouble, and Ginny is smack-dab in the middle. Someone wants Ginny to pay the price for what her uncle has done. But how can Rick protect her without blowing his cover, jeopardizing his assignment…and risking both their lives?

Deep Cover is the first book in the series, Undercover Cops: Fighting for justice puts their lives—and hearts—on the line.

Book 2 ~ Shades of Truth ~ March 2012

A compassionate youth worker fighting to preserve her dying father’s legacy battles the justice-driven detective who threatens her mission and her heart.

Book 3 ~ Dose of Deception ~ TBA (title tentative)

A nurse. An undercover cop. A killer who’ll stop at nothing to avoid being caught.

What reviewers are saying about Deep Cover:

“4 Stars. Great job…a good mystery, interesting characters and a satisfying ending.” ~ Romantic Times

“5 stars. A fast-paced, exciting, romantic story and awesome, fresh writing…” ~ Goodreads reader

a special word wednesday: Amish Values for Your Family

August 31, 2011 By Preslaysa 1 Comment

If you read Suzanne Woods Fisher’s guest post a few weeks ago. You learned about her latest book: Amish Values for Your Family In it, she talks about how the non-Amish can incorporate simple and lasting Amish principles in their modern lifestyle.

This book was a great read. My favorite Amish value is “We don’t prepare our children for the future, we prepare them for eternity.” I remember praying about the best way to raise our children while pregnant. I remember God leading me to a similar precept. I wrote in my journal one day: “When you look at your child, don’t see them as a child. See them as the man/woman you want them to become and base your present decisions from this viewpoint.” I was amazed at the wisdom of this statement and knew it could only come from God.

Fisher also writes of thinking long term while parenting in Amish Values for Your Family The concepts she covers are timelesss and will benefit any family who struggles with balancing family unity amidst our hectic, fast paced lifestyle.

I am giving away copies of this book to two lucky readers. Leave your name and email in the comment box for a chance to win!

Also, Suzanne is hosting a big giveaway of her own. Read about it below!

Read the reviews here.

To celebrate the release of Amish Values for Your Family Suzanne has teamed up her publisher Revell Books to giveaway a Kindle, and with Bill Coleman (the amazing photographer used on Suzanne’s book covers) to give away a signed Bill Coleman original.

One Grand Prize winner will receive an Amish Values Prize Package (valued at over $200) and includes:

* A brand new KINDLE
* A Signed Bill Coleman original
* Amish Values for Your Family (for KINDLE)

Click on one of the icons to enter. Winner will be announced on 9/2 at Suzanne’s blog. Be sure to stop by the blogs on Suzanne’s blog tour – many have copies of Amish Values for Your Family to give away.

But, wait there’s more! Suzanne is running a Bill Coleman caption contest during the month of August on her blog. Title one of Bill’s gorgeous photos for a chance to win a print from Bill’s Amish Photo site and/or a copy of Amish Values for Your Family

word wednesdays: recording our actions, pt 5