TIME FOR THE HAPPY DANCE

Look what just arrived!

My name may not be on the cover, but I have 13 stories on the inside. I feel so blessed to have my dream of being published in book form come true. I’m looking forward to reading each and every story.

This inspirational book is a collection of true stories laid out in a daily format; one per day for 365 days. Each story will tell about a work of God in the lives of those who have experienced some aspect of prison. A single scripture verse will accompany each writing, pointing to the hope and truth found in God’s word.

While incarcerated, many inmates spiritually hit bottom and come face-to-face with the choices they have made. Thankfully, God uses Christian volunteers, prison chaplains, family members, outside friends, Christian pen pals, and other inmates, to share His love and truth with the lost behind bars. Regardless of how they are offered hope, inmate’s testimonies, along with their daily walk challenges, are moving and inspirational.

You will read amazing stories including Brandon, a prisoner who had a prayer warrior mother, and was also visited by a Christian volunteer. Brandon came to Christ while incarcerated, and witnessed constant gang activity behind bars, including preying upon the youth on the outside. Since his release, Brandon often risks his life in his ministry of intervening in the lives of youth who are at risk to become involved in gang activity.

The battle for the souls of inmates is fierce. One female prisoner said, “When I first arrived at prison in 2002, Christianity was openly practiced and Satanic practices were underground. Now it is just the opposite.” This inspirational book will remind Christians of their admonishment by Jesus to visit the imprisoned, to pray for them, and to share the gospel with them (Matthew 25:36). These collective, true stories will especially touch those who are uncomfortable with prison ministry, helping them to develop compassion for the shunned souls of society.

You can purchase a copy on Amazon, or an autographed copy on Connie Cameron's website, http://conniecameron.com/,

WELCOME AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATER SUE V DALY

I started seriously drawing around the age of 5 when I began making my own coloring books.

I dabbled in drawing & painting in various mediums and found pen & ink to be my favorite. I concentrated on detailed sketches in ink until I mastered the technique using Rapidograph pens.

Sue graduated from the U of PA, Kutztown in Advertising/Art. She worked in the advertising field for over 15 years. During this time she continued to draw homes for people, usually to be given as gifts. Soon Sue was illustrating for builders, architects and Realtors all over the United States. She's been at it now for over 25 years winning several awards for my pen and inks at various art shows.

Sue has exhibited in N.J., VA, CA & IL in the past but now only participate in art shows in the Chicago area. She will post listings of my shows in this site. I hope you will stop by & say hi sometime.

Visit Sue's website at, http://illustrationsbysuedaly.com/



Dude attempts to be a brave and heroic hunter alongside an experienced beagle hunting pack but soon finds he would much rather make friends with his prey than hunt them!

'Dude the Hunter' is the first in a series of fun-loving books for children about a sweet, ordinary beagle who lives a tremendously adventurous life - if only in his dreams.

Friendship, kindness, compassion, understanding, reassurance, humor, and just plain old fun are all in here!

Note to Parents. This book has a concentration on first to third grade vocabulary words. It will help guide your children through important learning experiences with antonyms, synonyms, homonyms, and compound words.

For a chance to win an autographed copy of DUDE THE HUNTER:

For each of the following, your name will be entered into the drawing:

1) Leave a comment with your email address or check back later for the winner. If you won, you’ll need to email me your information.
2) Become a follower on this blog.
3) Leave a comment on my Youtube video.

Make sure to let me know with your comment what you’ve done.

I can only ship in the US. Drawing will be done on November 29th, 2012. Please check back to see if you've won if you didn't leave your email address. If I don't have your email address and haven't heard from you by the December 4th, 2012, I'll draw another name

HEART TO HEART WON MY HEART

Title: Heart to Heart
Author: Lurlene McDaniel
Publisher: Ember; Reprint edition (March 13, 2012)
Pages: 224

I didn’t fine HEART TO HEART by LURLENE MCDANIEL, it found me. Due to receiving a gift card to a bookstore I typically don’t shop at - way too expense – I searched for a book to purchase. My oldest daughter introduced me to several YA books. Each one I’ve loved. So much so that I’ve thought of one day writing a YA book myself. So it wasn’t a surprise to find myself searching the YA books at the store.

After reading the back cover of HEART TO HEART, I decided to give it a try, though I’d never read any of MS. MCDANIEL’S Books before. I was immediately drawn into the story. The writing was wonderful, the characters real to life, and the storyline unique and well thought-out.

Kassey Messecheck and Elowyn Eden are close friends. Kassey thought she knew everything about her best friend, so after a fatal car crash, Kassey was surprised to discover Elowyn had checked the donor box on her driver’s license.

Arabeth ST. Clair has lived the latter years of her life lonely and isolated. But all of that was about to change when she receives a call that a donors heart is available. The last thing she expected was to meet the loved ones of the girl who donated her heart.

I highly recommend HEART TO HEART to kids and adults of all ages. There’s a great lesson to be learned from this wonderfully written story. It will tug at your heartstrings and bring you to tear.

WELCOME AUTHOR MOLLY NOBLE BULL

Molly Noble Bull, Christian novelist, is a native Texan, and she is a graduate of Texas A&M University at Kingsville. Molly's father and maternal grandfather were ranch managers, making them real Texas cowboys, and she spent part of her growing up years on a 60,000 acre cattle ranch. She and her husband have three grown sons and four grandchildren, and all three of their sons are involved in ranching in Texas today.


Molly is a monthly contributor to a blog for readers of western fiction called Bustles and Spurs. She also writes a monthly column "Books That Inspire" for South Texas Living magazine--www.southtexasliving.com

Her novel, Sanctuary, won the 2008 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence in the inspirational category and tied for first place in the 2008 Winter Rose contest also in the inspirational category.

Cinderella Texas is the retelling of a famous fairy tale complete with a shoe problem for the lovely heroine, twenty-two year old Alyson Spencer, and a cowboy who is prince-like for a hero, Robert Lee Greene IV—called Quatro. Quatro is a handsome rancher, an oil baron and one of the riches men in Texas, and he is also a widower with two school age children. How could Alyson have guessed that when she couldn’t find a teaching job in Dallas, she would eventually accept a position home schooling Quatro’s children and be paid a tremendous salary for doing it?


Alyson likes historical novels, antique furniture and city life and never cared for rural settings. However, she expects life on the huge Greene Ranch in South Texas to be idyllic. She will be living in Quatro’s home along with his children, his parents and his grandfather, and she visualizes a majestic mansion surrounded by well-tended gardens—a swimming pool, a tennis court, perhaps a private movie theater and servants at her beckon call.

What she actually finds causes her to want to fly back to Dallas, immediately. Quatro and his family believe that modern technology corrupts, meaning that the rundown two hundred year old house they live in is without electricity and all other necessities of normal American life. Alyson tries to get out of her teaching contract, but it is unbreakable. How is she expected to do her job as a schoolteacher without a computer and a working telephone? And why is Quatro so pig-headed?

It was more likely that an attraction would develop between a country coyote and a city poodle than Alyson Spencer and Quatro Greene, and yet somehow it does.

To learn more about Molly and her books, please visit her website. www.mollynoblebull.com

A GREAT LESSON IN WRITING CHRISTIAN FICTION

Title: The Marriage Bargain
Author: Jennifer Probst
Publisher: Gallery Books; Original edition (August 17, 2012)
Pages: 212

I’m certainly not lacking in words when it comes to THE MARRIAGE BARGAIN by JENNIFER PROBST. First thing you need to know, I’m an aspiring Christian fiction writer. I primarily read Christian fiction. I’ve read my share of secular books, and have loved many of them, despite the lack of faith, and added content I could do without.

Alexa KcKenzie needs money … and fast.

Nicolas Ryan needs a wife …. and fast.

When Alexa agrees to marry Nick, she does so because she needs his money to save her family home. He asked her to marry because he’s in need of a wife to seal a business deal. What Nick doesn’t realize is Alexa never really stopped loving him, though she won’t admit to it.

THE MARRIAGE BARGAIN by JENNIFER PROBST is the first book I’ve read by this author, and most likely will be the last. But that’s not for lack of good writing or storytelling. Whenever I encounter a book that has me divided between loving it and having issues with it, I typically lay it out in pros and cons.

THE PROS:
-Amazing writing.
-Wonderful, three-dimensional characters.
-Great plot.
-Great lines.
-Great tension between characters.

THE CONS:
-Foul language – Though not what I call the worst of words, and not so much that I’d have to stop reading it.
-The sexual content – Yes, that was too much/over the top … though it could have been worse.
-The ending – After such an amazing story, and great writing, the author dropped the ball the last few chapters. It just sort of fizzed out, or maybe “rushed” would be a better word. Very disappointing after such a great read. If you kill the ending of a book, you pretty much kill the book. The reader is left with the bad taste, taking away from all the previous good you read.

I really loved the story, and thought the writing to be outstanding. Though there was foul language, it was tolerable. What I didn’t like was the sexual content. I don’t regret reading THE MARRIAGE BARGAIN, because it reiterated what I already knew, but needed to be reminded of …

WHY I WRITE CHRISTIAN FICTION.

The books I read sit around in plain sight so I can read them whenever I have the opportunity to sneak in a chapter or two. I don’t think much about it in regards to my kids because I generally read Christian fiction or basically “clean” secular books.

You can image my surprise when my sixteen-year-old pointed to THE MARRIAGE BARGAIN sitting on the kitchen table and said, “Wow, nice Mom,” in a sarcastic tone. I was both embarrassed and pleasantly surprised by her comment. Embarrassed because of her knowledge of what was inside such a cover, and surprised that she cared. That she HAD noticed what I read. Noticed enough to recognize that THE MARRIAGE BARGAIN was not the kind of book I typically read.

In the past my youngest daughter would pick up the current book I was reading and start to jokingly read it. I never flinched. That would not be the case if she had picked up this particular book and just happened upon a sensual scene between the two main characters.

It saddens me that I won’t be purchasing MS. PROBST books in the future, mainly due to the sexual content, when she is such a wonderful writer and storyteller. I guess there is always hope that one day she’ll decide to write a “clean” story.

WORTH GETTING UP FOR

I am so not a morning person, yet thankful I have a reason to get up early in the morning.

Look what I would have missed.

And this ...

And this ...

And this ...

And this ...

And this ...

And this ...

Just one of Gods many creation.  

IS IT POSSIBLE TO FALL IN LOVE WITH A FICTIONAL CHARACTER …

Title: Against the Tide

Author: Elizabeth Camden
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (October 1, 2012)
Pages: 368

AGAINST THE TIDE by ELIZABETH CAMDEN is not the first book I’ve read by her, nor will it be the last. The first was THE ROSE OF WINSLOW STREET, which was amazing. I immediately placed MS. CAMDEN on my list of favorite authors. When I was offered a chance to read and review AGAINST THE TIDE, I didn’t hesitate. I was both honored and excited.

Lydia Pallas has carved out the perfect life for herself after surviving childhood struggles. A nice place to call home, a job she’s proud of, everything in neat order … or so she thinks.

Alexander Banebridges, known as Bane, has a mission in life. And right now that mission requires the help of a beautiful female translator working for the U.S. Navy, and a friend of his.

As Bane and Lydia embark on a mission propelled by Bane’s past, he becomes painfully aware that the very thing he’s trying to stamp out has its grip on the woman he’s falling for. But Lydia if off limits. Bain’s doesn’t deserve happiness, much less a woman to share his life with. Not after what he had done ….

What I love about MS. CAMDEN’S books, aside from the amazing writing, great pace, wonderful lines, well thought-out, three dimensional, likeable characters, is her plots are intriguing, educational, and meaningful. Her stories stir up emotions, and leave you feeling as though you were right there, living beside the characters, fighting their battles. After reading the last word, I was intrigued to learn more about what I just read, along with a new understanding of the situation that occurred in the past.

Bane and Lydia seeped into my heart. I loved both characters. How often are you left feeling as though you personally know the characters and are greatly sadden when you flip over the last page? I was excited to discover Bane’s is in CAMDEN’S first novel, THE LADY OF BOLTON HILL. I can’t wait to get a glimpse into Bane’s earlier life.

If you want a great read, filled with a touch of mystery, intrigue, suspense, light, yet powerful romance, with just the right amount of faith woven in so naturally you don’t realize it’s there, then you’re sure to love, AGAINST THE TIDE.

A HEART MADE NEW by KELLY IRVIN

Title: A Heart Made New
Author: Kelly Irvin
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (October 1, 2012)
Pages: 336

A HEART MADE NEW by KELLY IRVIN is for those wanting a story about the life of a devoted Amish family, with a mix of faith, romance, suspense, and a few twists and turns.

Annie Shirack wants more than anything to marry David Plank, despite what he's going through. But David isn't so eager. He's been fighting cancer, and isn't willing to let Annie get too close. He fears hurting her if he were to die an untimely death, leaving her a young widow.

The characters in A HEART MADE NEW struggle with their faith, as often we do. Though bad things happen to good people, it's important to trust God through our trials and tribulations. A message worth hearing.

*Please see my disclaimer for more information on this review.

ACFW NOVEMBER 2012 NEW RELEASES

More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website.

A Wild Goose Chase Christmas by Jennifer AlLee -- An heirloom quilt, secret messages, a hyper dog, and a possible treasure make for an unforgettable Christmas. (Contemporary Romance from Abingdon Press).

Freefall by Jodie Bailey -- A soldier teams up with a retired commando, an undercover agent, and her ex-husband to uncover a drug smuggler, and while one man wins her love, another tries to destroy her. (Romantic Suspense from Love Inspired).

Christmas Stalking by Margaret Daley -- Bodyguard Ellie St. James has one objective : protect her client without letting her know, but there's an expected complication--Colt Winfield. They must trust each other to guard Colt's grandmother, but someone wants to stop them. (Romantic Suspense from Love Inspired).

The Greenfield Legacy by Amanda Deed , Paula Vince, Meredith Resce and Rose Dee -- How can one decision cause so much pain? Can it also bring hope? Four women. One story. (Contemporary Women's Fiction from Even Before Publishing (Wombat).

Treacherous Skies by Elizabeth Goddard -- A test pilot turned Learjet recovery man retrieves a jet only to find the kidnapped daughter of a Colombian drug lord concealed inside. (Romantic Suspense from Love Inspired).

Betrayal by Robin Lee Hatcher -- It's the turn of the twentieth century and drifter Hugh Brennan is a man well acquainted with betrayal. Hugh finds himself drawn to the attractive widow, Julia, yet when he looks into her eyes, he recognizes the same hurt that haunts him. Julia Grace has little reason to trust men, but she's going to have to trust someone if she's to keep her ranch from the clutches of her dead husband's half-brother. Is it possible God had a hand in bringing Hugh to her door? (Historical Romance from Zondervan).

Christmas Countdown by Vicki Hinze -- FBI profiler, Maggie Mason and friend, Dr. Ian Crane, set out to catch a serial killer who's trapped them in a deadly game of cat and mouse. (Romantic Suspense from Love Inspired).

Legacy of Love by Christine Johnson -- An unemployed housekeeper searches for a lost fortune in the home of the mysterious man who first of all evicted her from her childhood home and then gives her a job. (Historical Romance from Love Inspired).

Judge by RJ Larson -- Biblical Fantasy Adventure: Kien Lantec struggles to fulfill his Creator's commands, and to save his love, Ela of Parne, from a deadly vision. (High Fantasy/Spec Fiction from Bethany House (Baker).

Parrish the Thought: A Christine Sterling Mystery by Catherine Leggitt -- The Golden Years have never been so dangerous! Unlovable people plague Christine Sterling's world. Most difficult of all is Amanda Colter, a surly Goth teenager accused of murdering prominent Nevada City matron, Bessie Parrish. (Cozy Mystery from Ellechor Publishing House ).

Love Will Find a Way by Pamela S. Meyers -- Someone doesn't want Lovin' Spoonfuls from April Love Catering to open and will go to any measure to stop it -- including murder. (Cozy Mystery from OakTara Publishers).

Prophetess by Keven Newsome -- One act of violence is not enough to fulfill Xaphan's plans. One near escape does not justify Winter's growing gift. There is more. She can feel it. The warnings swell within her. He's searching for someone. A person of promise...a person of prophecy. And Winter must find her first. (Supernatural Suspense from Splashdown Books).

The Return of Miss Blueberry by Rachael Phillips -- Callie Creighton ditches her Chicago lifestyle to be her hometown best friend's bridesmaid during Plymouth's Blueberry Festival. A decade after Callie fell off the Miss Blueberry float, will she fall for the gifted bad boy of her high school class who now claims he has turned to Christ? (Contemporary Romance from Heartsong Presents.

Soul's Gate by James L. Rubart -- What if you could send your spirit into other people's souls to fight for their freedom? (Supernatural Suspense from Thomas Nelson).

Snowflake Sweethearts by Carrie Turansky -- Bringing her daughter to the one place she feels safe, single mother Annie Romano returns to Fairhaven, Washington. Though hoping to start a new life as a personal chef, Annie accepts a different job. Alex Jameson, the handsome man she secretly loved as a teenager, needs a live-in caregiver for his ailing grandmother. A big-city workaholic in town temporarily, Alex doesn't seem to realize how much he needs family, faith or love. (Contemporary Romance from Love Inspired).

A Bride Sews With Love in Needles, CA by Erica Vetsch -- As Harvey Girl Meghan Thorson waits on doughboys at the El Garces Hotel in Needles, California, she meets Caleb McBride, a local horse breeder whom the townsfolk have branded a coward and profiteer. Will threads of love unite this couple, or will pride keep them forever apart? (Historical Romance from Barbour).