The Winners Are....

I have two winners today!

The winner of My Soul to Keep is WindyCindy.

And

The winner of A Mending at the Edge and Clearing In the Wild is Carole.

Thanks everyone for entering and come back for more! More giveaways are coming up soon!

Be Blessed,

The Big Picture by Jenny B. Jones

This book was such a fun read! I wish that my daughters were old enough to enjoy it with me! If you are looking for wholesome, fun, and God-filled fiction for your teenage daughters, check out this book by Jenny Jones and the others that she has written. You will not be disappointed!

About this Book:

Sometimes there’s a fine line between comedy and tragedy—and Katie Parker is walking it.

School is winding down for the summer but Katie Parker is having a bad day. After leaving the drive-in, where her imploding love life was the main attraction, Katie arrives home to a big surprise on the Scott's front porch. Her mother, Bobbie Ann Parker, a former convict and recovering addict, wants to take Katie away from her family, friends, and church. Now Katie's life will be changed by a series of dramatic choices as she struggles to understand what family and home really means.

Katie is forced to walk away from In Between, leaving behind a family who loves her, a town drive-in to save, and a boyfriend who suddenly can’t take his eyes off his ex. When the life her mother promised begins to sink faster than one of Maxine’s stuffed bras, Katie knows she needs to rely on God to keep it together. But where is he in all this? Can Katie survive a chaotic life with her mother—and one without the Scotts? And if God is there, will he come through before it’s too late?

A Katie Parker Production series offers teen girls real-world fiction balanced by hope and humor. The The Big Picture helps us realize that the difficult chapters in our journey are only part of God's big story for our lives.

You can read the first chapter HERE.

About Jenny:

Jenny B. Jones is the author of A Katie Parker Production series. The other books in the series are In Between and On The Loose. Though now an adult, she still relates to the trauma and drama of teen life. She is thrilled to see her writing dreams come true, as her previous claim to fame was singing the Star Spangled Banner at a mule-jumping championship. (The mules were greatly inspired.)

Jenny resides in Arkansas, where, as a teacher, she hangs out with teens on a regular basis.

To purchase this book for your favorite teenager, click here.

Be Blessed!

The Winner of Do the Hard Thing Is....

WindyCindy!

Thanks to all who entered! Next giveway is later this week!

Blessings!

Janis

Winter Haven by Athol Dickson

About the Book:

Boys who never age, giants lost in time, mist that never rises, questions never asked...

on the most remote of islands off the coast of Maine, history haunts the present and Vera Gamble wrestles with a past that will not yield. Will she find refuge there, or will her ghosts prevail on...Winter Haven

Eleven years ago, Vera Gamble's brother left their house never to be seen again. Until the day Vera gets a phone call that his body has been found...washed ashore in the tiny island town of Winter Haven, Maine. His only surviving kin, Vera travels north to claim the body...and finds herself tumbling into a tangled mystery. Her brother hasn't aged a day since last she saw him.

Determined to uncover what happened in those lost years, Vera soon discovers there are other secrets lurking in this isolated town. But Winter Haven's murky past now seems bound to come to light as one woman seeks the undeniable and flooding light of truth.

About the Author:

Athol Dickson's university-level training in painting, sculpture, and architecture was followed by a long career as an architect then his decision several years ago to devote full time to writing.

Athol Dickson’s writing has been favorably compared to the work of Octavia Butler(Publisher’s Weekly), Daphne du Maurier (Cindy Crosby, FaithfulReader.com) and FlanneryO’Connor (The New York Times).

His They Shall See God was a Christy Award finalist and his River Rising was a Christy Award winner, selected as one of the Booklist Top Ten Christian Novels of 2006 and a finalist for Christianity Today's Best Novel of 2006.He and his wife, Sue, live in Southern California. Visit AtholDickson.com for more information.

To check out this book for yourself, click here.

Be Blessed! Janis

A Mending At the Edge by Jane Kirkpatrick

Let me tell you how much I love the writing of Jane Kirkpatrick. Historical fiction is my favorite and she writes this so well! The Change and Cherish series that this book is part of is full of stories of God's love. I have so enjoyed reading each one of these books and am looking forward to more!

*****Guess what? Yes, it is ANOTHER giveaway! This giveaway is for the 1st and 3rd books in the series! Leave me a comment telling me what your favorite type of fiction is and you will be put into the running for these books! Drawing will be on Cinco de Mayo (May 5th). Don't miss a chance for free books! Other giveaways are in progress now, so check the earlier posts!

About the Change and Cherish Series:

A Clearing in the Wild
Spirited young Emma Wagner chafes at the constraints of her 1850s religious community, which values conformity over independent thought, especially in women. Skeptical of the colony’s growing emphasis on preparing for “the last days,” Emma clashes with their increasingly autocratic leader—and faces the unexpected consequences of pursuing independence.

A Tendering in the Storm
This lyrical novel, based on an historical figure of the 1800s, follows the spirited and intelligent Emma Giesy, who achieves her goal of separating her family from the repressive religious community in which she grew up. But unexpected and dire consequences leave her family—and her faith—struggling to survive.

A Mending at the Edge
This richly textured novel, the third in the acclaimed Change and Cherish series, follows the historical figure of Emma Wagner Giesy, who chafes under the restrictions of her 1860s religious colony. When her bid to belong in her unique way unravels her most precious relationships, she seeks new ways to stitch meaning into her life.

About Jane:

Jane Kirkpatrick is the best-selling author of two nonfiction books and fourteen historical novels, including the popular Kinship and Courage series. Her award-winning writing has appeared in more than fifty publications, including Sports Afield and Decision. She’s won the coveted Western Heritage Wrangler Award, an honor shared by such writers as Larry McMurtry and Barbara Kingsolver. Jane is a licensed clinical social worker as well as an internationally recognized speaker. She and her husband, Jerry, ranch 160 acres in eastern Oregon.

To win this book, see the above instructions. If you would rather purchase it than try to get it for free (are you sure?) or if you just cannot wait to begin this wonderful series, then click here!

Be Blessed! Janis

A Bride So Fair by Carol Cox

As I have been blessed to have reviewed the second book in this series, Fair Game, and enjoyed it, I was really excited about picking up this third book to review. It was just as fun and interesting as book #2. I enjoyed the unique love story of Emily and Stephen and found myself rooting for them until the very last page of the book. Carol is truly talented in creating a story that sucks you in and keeps your interest from the first to the last page. What a gem!

About this Book:

After growing up in an orphanage, Emily Ralston loves being around children and thoroughly enjoys her job at the Children's Building at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. As the receptionist, she helps check in the children and ensures that they are afe and well cared for while their parents view the fair. She could not have known what God had in store for her...

When Columbia Guard, Stephen Bridger, drops off a three-year-old named Adam as a lost child, her life irrevocably changed. While the sparks of attraction are undeniable, Emily tries her best to ignore them as she and her best friend, Lucy, scheme to keep Adam safe and happy, far away from the orphanages they both know too well.

Soon Stephen learns about Adam's mother while both the mystery and his relationship with Emily deepens. As they learn bits of truth, danger and deception now threaten to undermine their growing relationship. Why is a young woman murdered while surrounded by thousands of fairgoers? What secrets could a sweet, abandoned little boy possible hold? Can Emily and Stpeh solve the deadly mystery before time runs out?

About Carol:

Award-winning author of twelve novels and eleven novellas, Carol shares her love of history, mystery, and romance in the books she writes. A pastor's wife, Carol makes her home with her husband and young daughter in Northern Arizona. To learn more about Carol and her books, visit her website at http://www.carolcoxbooks.com/.

To purchase this book for yourself, click here.

Don't forget my two giveaways that are going on! To enter them, scroll down!

Be Blessed! Janis

My Soul to Keep by Melanie Wells

From the first page until the last page, I was kept mesmerized by the action of this book. Suspenseful twists and turns will keep you wanting to read. If you have been looking for a fast-paced, action-filled read, then you need look no further!

**Multnomah/RandomHouse has sent me a copy to give away! Don't forget to leave a comment to win your own copy of this wonderful book! Or you can purchase it here.

About this Book:

As nasty as I knew Peter Terry to be, I never expected him to start kidnapping kids. Much less a sweet, funny little boy with nothing to protect him but a few knock-kneed women, two rabbits and a staple gun…It’s psychology professor Dylan Foster’s favorite day of the academic year…graduation day. And her little friend Christine Zocci’s sixth birthday. But the joyful summer afternoon goes south when a little boy is snatched from a neighborhood park, setting off a chain of events that seen to lead nowhere.

The police are baffled, but Christine’s eerie connection with the kidnapped child sends Dylan on a chilling investigation of her own. Is the pasty, elusive stranger Peter Terry to blame? Exploding light bulbs, the deadly buzz of a Texas rattlesnake, and the vivid, disturbing dreams of a little girl are just pieces of a long trail of tantalizing clues leading Dylan in her dogged search for the truth.

About Melanie:

A native of the Texas panhandle and the child of musicians, Melanie Wells attended Southern Methodist University on a music scholarship (she's a fiddle player), and later completed graduate degrees in counseling psychology and Biblical studies at Our Lady of the Lake University and Dallas Theological Seminary.

She has taught at the graduate level at both OLLU and DTS, and has been in private practice as a counselor since 1992. She is the founder and director of LifeWorks counseling associates in Dallas, Texas, a collaborative community of creative therapists.

When the Day of Evil Comes is her first published work of fiction, and the first of a three-book series. The second work, The Soul Hunter was released in May, 2006. Melanie lives and writes in Dallas.

Don't forget to leave a comment to be put into a drawing to win My Soul to Keep. If you don't win, you can purchase it here.

Be Blessed! Janis