Preslaysa

Fiction Fridays: Interview and Contest w/ Laura Hilton

April 8, 2011 By Preslaysa 7 Comments

Hey Readers!!

Laura is giving away an autographed copy of her latest release, Patchwork Dreams, to one lucky person who comments on this blog post between now and Thursday, April 14th. For a chance to win, you must comment on this blog post with your email address. To prevent trollers from accessing your address leave it in this format: yourname(at)email(dot)com

If you prefer not to leave your email but still want to participate, email me at preslaysa(dot)c(dot)williams(at)gmail(dot)com any time between April 8-14th.

Winners will be announced on April 22nd.

And now, the interview…

I’m excited today to host author Laura Hilton today on The Literary Mama. Laura’s book, Patchwork Dreams, releases this month by Whitaker House.

Welcome Laura, tell our readers a little about yourself.

I make their home in Horseshoe Bend, Arkansas along with my husband, Steve, and our five children. I am a pastor’s wife, a stay-at-home mom and home-school my children. I am also a breast cancer survivor.

My publishing credits include Hot Chocolate and Shadows of the Past from Treble Heart Books; a devotional in a compilation from Zondervan; and the first book “Patchwork Dreams” in her Amish of Seymour series from Whitaker House releasing in April 2011, the second book, “A Harvest of Hearts” in September 2011, and the third in April 2012. I have my business degree from Ozarka and am a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. I am a professional book reviewer for the Christian market, with over a thousand book reviews published at various online review sites.

How long have you been writing?

For as long as I can remember. I started writing when I was in kindergarten – and always dreamed about writing books. I didn’t try to write for publication until about ten years ago now.

What is Patchwork Dreams about?

Becky Troyer has committed the ultimate sin, and finds herself on the edge of her Amish community. Jacob Miller believes he was sent to the Old Order Community in Missouri to help out a distant cousin. Instead, he discovers he was part of an arranged swap–sending men from his Pennsylvania district to the Missouri district to bring new blood into the Amish community. Becky dreams of marriage, but doesn’t dare hope that anyone would choose her–not with her history. Can God use the lies that have affected Becky and Jacob to bring them together? Or will Jacob rebel and head home to his first love?

Do you have any favorite characters in the novel?

Oh, Jacob. I love him. I also love Becky’s father, Daniel. And Becky.

What are your hobbies?

Reading. Traveling around on mini-vacations. Lighthouses.

Do you have any other books coming out soon?

A Harvest of Hearts Book 2 of the Amish of Seymour series, September 2011

Here’s the blurb:

Matthew Yoder volunteered to be part of the swap of Amish men from his Old Order Pennsylvania Amish Community, to the Amish community in Seymour, Missouri. There is nothing for him in Pennsylvania, as the youngest of twelve children, and the lack of farmland around Lancaster County, he felt he could make a better future in another district. Shanna Stoltzfus has been raised Amish, and couldn’t wait for her rumspringa so she could pursue her education. She hated having to quit school in the 8^th grade to stay home and learn everything that makes a home run smoothly. But now she has earned her GED and is taking college courses, but her family is begging her to come home; her little sisters miss her. And there’s something about newcomer, Matthew Yoder that draws her attention. But is it enough to give up her dreams of education and join the Amish church?

How can readers get in touch with you?

I’m on Facebook – right now I’m Laura Vernet Price Hilton. I’m at http://lauravhilton.blogspot.com/ and http://lighthouse-academy.blogspot.com/

Thanks for chatting with us today Laura!

Thank you for having me.

If you prefer not to leave your email but still want to participate, email me at preslaysa(dot)c(dot)williams(at)gmail(dot)com any time between April 8-14th.

Winners will be announced on April 22nd.

Word Wednesdays, Meditating on His Book

April 6, 2011 By Preslaysa Leave a Comment

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. (Joshua 1:8, KJV)

This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. The key to success and prosperity is obedience to do everything written in His Word. But, as Janet Pope writes in her awesome book “His Word in My Heart,” there were two things Joshua had to do to ensure obedience.

1) God’s Law should always be in Joshua’s mouth.

2) Joshua should meditate on God’s Law day and night.

God’s law must be on our lips, not on the coffee table!

In addition, Pope writes that: “The outcome of Joshua’s obedience to His Word would be prosperity and success. In today’s culture, prosperity and success equals power and material wealth. But this was not what God was referring to when He spoke to Joshua. The Hebrew word for prosperous indicates “to push forward” (Strong’s Concordance #6743).The Hebrew word for success means “to be circumspect, be prudent” (Zodhiates, Complete Word Study: Old Testament entry # 7919). The outcome of Joshua’s obedience was the advancement of God’s program in a careful and circumspect manner. In other words, Joshua would know what to do in a given situation to further God’s agenda. A pattern of obedience makes us wise in our choice of action” (Pope, 94).

With this in mind, we can’t afford to listen to the world or to those entangled in the world. Constantly talking about and meditating on His Word day and night helps us obey.

So, if God tells us to meditate on His Word, what does it mean to meditate? Our common understanding of meditation involves thinking deeply about something, pondering or contemplating something.

But we have to mine the riches of the Old Testament for an accurate definition. The Hebrew word for meditation is “haghah”. It means to “mumur, mutter, growl, sigh,moan, roar, meditate, muse, speak, whisper.” (Zodhiates, Complete Word Study Old Testament entry # 1897). Meditation involves making vocal utterances, speaking words quietly to yourself.

Thus the importance of memorizing scripture and reviewing the verses you’ve memorized by constant verbal repitition.

Cool stuff huh? When I heard that true prosperity and success means advancing God’s program in a prudent and circumspect manner, it changed my way of thinking. I started turning to His Word to sees His view of things. Today, I’m on a journey of renewing my mind so that I will “push forward prudently and circumspectly” to advance His agenda – not mine.

buying time pt 3

April 4, 2011 By Preslaysa Leave a Comment

I’ve been blogging these past few weeks about buying time. In our fast paced, dot com world, it’s easy to fritter our lives aways on the non-essentials. But we cannot recover a minute, an hour or a day spent in unfruitful pursuits. Unlike money, once lost, time cannot be recouped.

So here this week’s list of three activities we can do to make use of those minutes we spend engaging in the daily tasks of life: driving, folding laundry, cooking dinner, exercising, etc.

#1) For Moms: While cooking dinner, you can teach math at the same time. Do simple counting and measuring activities with your younger child. For older children, you can have them measure out fractions of ingredients you need for cooking.

#2) For Writers: Carry around a small notebook, like a steno notebook, and write portions of an outline, a scene or an article. By doing this ten to fifteen minutes a couple times a day, you can easily get up to an hour of extra writing in your day.

#3) For Moms: Take quick pictures and videos of your children. When you hve more time later on, put them in a memory book. (I’m doing good on the pictures and videos. Not so good on the memory book!)

If anyone has any other ideas, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll include your idea in next week’s posts (giving credit to you of course!). Also, if you leave an idea along with a blog link, I’ll include that in a future post as well.

Fiction Fridays: Interview & Giveaway with Stephen Bly

April 1, 2011 By Preslaysa 19 Comments

Stephen is giving away a copy of a book to one lucky person who comments on this blog post between now and Thursday, April 7th. For a chance to win, you must comment on this blog post with your email address. To prevent trollers from accessing your address leave it in this format: yourname(at)email(dot)com

If you prefer not to leave your email but still want to participate, email me at preslaysa(dot)c(dot)williams(at)gmail(dot)com any time between April 1-7th.

Winners will be announced on April 15th.

Now, for the interview…

Today’s author interview on The Literary Mama is with Stephen Bly. Stephen is a Christy award winning novelist. He has authored and co-authored over one hundred books with his wife, Janet. His latest novel Throw The Devil Off The Train will be released in May. I’m pleased to welcome Stephen to The Literary Mama.

Stephen, thanks so much for taking the time to chat with The Literary Mama. Tell us a bit about yourself.

After several decades working family farms and ranches in central California, I’ve been a pastor for over 30 years. My wife and I mentor writers for Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild. She & I met in high school and have been married almost 48 years. We live in north-central at 4,000 ft. elevation on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation. I collect and restore antique Winchesters; love history of all eras, especially the Old West; and play a par game of golf. Our three sons and their families live down the mountain in Lewiston, Idaho. We have three grandchildren with one on the way, and one great-granchild.

Where did you get the inspiration for Throw The Devil Off The Train?

I don’t have a clue. Sometimes plot ideas seem to fall out of the sky for me. When I find one I like, I pick it up and run with it, to see where it leads. This one is a road story inside a train headed west. The grandeur of the West from a train window. The very slow journey, compared to modern transportation.

I tossed two cats into a burlap bag, then watched to see how they’d survive. . .or not. After a few gouges and bites between Catherine Draper and Race Hillyard, I could see the trail and markings of their story.

What theme did you explore while writing Throw The Devil Off The Train? What do you hope readers walk away with knowing?

The main theme: that people are much more complex than first meetings reveal. . .the hurts and pains, the victories and defeats of the past form a part in acts and responses in challenging situations. Readers should be reaffirmed about God’s grace in imperfect people’s lives. He can work out all the complications and bad breaks to a good end.

How did you manage to author so many novels?!

High motivation, for one thing, to get all the story ideas rumbling around in my mind out and developed. Then we packed up from a busy life in southern California to a slower and cheaper lifestyle here in Idaho. Also, self-discipline. I plodded at the computer a certain amount of hours every day. My prime working hours are usually in the early morning. Of course, I work long hours into the evening when a deadline looms. I also believe the help and support of my wife’s feedback and editing skills went a long way to helping me produce publishable works and get them ready for an editor on time.

Do you have any other projects in the works?

I’ve just signed a contract to do a novel featuring one of my favorite characters, Stuart Brannon, from one of my earliest projects, The Stuart Brannon Series. The former lawman and rancher will be older in 1905 when he’s asked by his friends, Lord & Lady Fletcher, to be one of the celebrities for their Oregon coastal charity golf tournament. The working title is Stuart Brannon’s Last Shot.

How can readers get in touch with you?

They can e-mail at StephenandJanetBly@connectwireless.us or send me a letter at P. O. Box 157, Winchester, ID 83555

They can also get more info about us and our books at our website or blog: http://BlyBooks.com or http://BlyBooks.blogspot.com

Thanks so much for chatting with us today Stephen.

You can order Throw The Devil Off The Train through Amazon or http://BlyBooks.com/store.htm

If you prefer not to leave your email but still want to participate, email me at preslaysa(dot)c(dot)williams(at)gmail(dot)com any time between April 1-7th.

Winners will be announced on April 15th.

Preview of April 2011 on The Literary Mama

March 31, 2011 By Preslaysa

Here’s our line up for April!!

Contests:

Our first contest, a chance to win a Stephen Bly novel, is being held from April 1-7th. Click here for details.

The second contest, held from April 8-14, is for a chance to win a copy of Laura Hilton’s Patchwork Dreams

The third contest will be held from April 9-14, Louise Gouge will be giving away a copy of one of her novels.

We have a few more contests in April so check in regularly.

Blog Topics:

On Marriage & Motherhood Mondays, we’ll continue our discussion on Buying Time.

On Word Wednesdays, we’ll look at selected passages in Deuteronomy for the word “book.”

On Fiction Fridays, we have many author interviews, all of whom have recent book releases.

On April 1st, we’ll chat with Stephen Bly on his latest release Throw the Devil Off the Train

On April 8th, Laura Hilton talks about her latest release Patchwork Dreams

On April 9th, Louise Gouge talks about her latest Love Inspired Historical release At the Captain’s Command

On April 15th, Eddie Snipes chats about his novel I Called Him Dancer

On April 16th, Travis Perry & Mike Lynch talk about their book The Crystal Portal

On April 22nd, Margaret Daley talks about her latest Love Inspired suspense release Trail of Lies

On April 29th, Deanna Klingel chats about her YA novel Avery’s Battlefield

On April 30th, Delia Latham talks about her inspirational romance Kylie’s Kiss

Happy April!!

word wednesdays: the book as a witness

March 30, 2011 By Preslaysa 2 Comments

And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee. And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, that Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying, take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.

(Deut 31:23-26, KJV)

With all different versions of the Bible around my house (the KJV, the NASB, the NIV, the Message, the NLT), I can never plead ignorance with God. He’s given me His Word and, as a disciple of Jesus (I like to call disciples “disciplined ones”!!), it’s my responsibility to search out His Words for how I’m to live my life.

Someone recently told me: “I wish I had read the Bible earlier in my life. If I did, I wouldn’t have made the choices that I had made.” I’m often led to feel the same way but I know condemnation and guilt over the past is from satan. We cannot change our past choices. We have a fresh start every day. His mercies are new every morning.

So this morning, I’m opening His Book. This morning, I’m going to find a principle from His Word. And this morning, I’m praying for the Holy Spirit’s strength to live it out.

(Deut 31:23-26, KJV)

fiction fridays: book review of yesterday’s tomorrow

March 25, 2011 By Preslaysa 2 Comments

Book Summary: It’s 1967 and Kristin Taylor wants to go to Vietnam to report on the war, and honor her father’s memory by becoming an award-winning journalist like he was. But no editor will send her. So she strikes out on her own and steps into a world more terrifying than she’d imagined.

As she encounters the horrors of war, Kristin struggles to report the truth while desperately trying to keep tabs on her only brother who enlisted some time ago, but both tasks seem impossible. When she meets photographer Luke Maddox, Kristin knows she’s found a story. The mystery beneath his brooding eyes triggers her curiosity. She’s convinced he’s hiding something and determines to discover his secrets. The only trouble is, he won’t let her within three feet of him.

In an unexpected twist, Kristin and Luke are forced to work together. With war raging all around them, they engage in their own tumultuous battle of emotions. Headstrong and willing to risk it all for what they believe in, they’ll do whatever it takes to fulfill their own private agendas. Kristin is after a story that might get her the Pulitzer. Luke wants retribution from the enemy that took away his family. In the face of death, Kristin and Luke must decide if they’re willing to set aside selfish ambition for the love that seems to have ambushed them and captured their hearts.

My Review: Catherine West has succeeded in moving me with this deeply emotional account of love amidst war. Her poignant writing tugged at my heart as it took me on a journey of fear, worry and hope. This is a great debut novel from an author who will definitely make a wonderful impact on the world of story. A wonderful read.

Visit Catherine West at www.catherinejwest.com

Read an interview I had with Catherine here.

word wednesdays: turning with all your heart and soul

March 23, 2011 By Preslaysa Leave a Comment

^“if you obey the LORD your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and soul.”

(Deut 30:10, NASB)

It’s very easy for me to get caught up in the motions of religion yet have a heart and mind that’s far from Him. I’ve believed the lie that if I just continue attend church and volunteer in ministry activities, then I’d be a “good Christian.” But that’s just outward behavior.

God looks at the heart.

He wants me to turn to Him with all my heart and soul. He wants my mind, my thoughts, my words, my emotions…my inner and outer life. One way, I’m learning to give my inner life, my heart and soul, to Him is by incorporating the Words in His book throughout my day (see Monday’s post). By doing this, I can then set my will on Him. This enables me to live for His glory, and not my own.