tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64181648068365408712024-02-19T04:12:00.571-08:00The Yielded QuillMarcia Gruverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563812990616453572noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418164806836540871.post-17261390734648436212013-12-02T20:19:00.002-08:002013-12-02T20:19:32.644-08:00<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Just in Time for Christmas! </h2>
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A Free Cookbook and a Two Book Raffle!</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Pioneer Christmas Collection Cookbook<br />
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A Merry Christmas raffle and a free gift!</h3>
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What could make the season brighter than a chance to win two terrific Christmas Collections and get some new recipes?</div>
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<em>The Pioneer Christmas Collection</em> authors want to celebrate the </div>
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<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advent" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Advent">Advent</a> season</div>
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by giving our readers a FREE <strong>Christmas Cookbook PDF</strong></div>
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featuring recipes connected to our stories PLUS family recipes </div>
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from our own holiday traditions.</div>
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If that’s not enough, we’re offering a raffle for two terrific </div>
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Christmas classics signed by ALL the authors:</div>
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our own<br />
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<em></em><br />
<em>A Pioneer Christmas Collection</em></div>
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and</div>
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<em></em><br />
<em>A Log Cabin Christmas Collection.</em></div>
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"Like" one of us on Facebook, sign up to follow Michelle's or Shannon’s blog, or sign up for Vickie’s newsletter for a chance to win the two books (which will be mailed on Thursday, December 12, so you should get them in time for Christmas!) </div>
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OR ~ leave a comment below to receive a free PDF of the cookbook sent to your email address! Let's talk about Christmas. What are your favorite family traditions? Memories? Since we're talking cookbooks, share your favorite holiday recipe. </div>
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Marcia Gruverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563812990616453572noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418164806836540871.post-29408667952910086102013-09-01T05:53:00.001-07:002013-09-01T05:53:20.838-07:00<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Winners Are Chosen</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5oSPmZYPmWLOIHzkw_5Iz46c1MFyThw9Rcw6pWhV8H5SMdz2rVvS_3RvyOlkNpyTywSnV_Y7RhaA1cHMiyylhFs2T2i030JQjIML8AH7-GseGlI_7S2t6KjW2hutb_hR2CkPOIUaycZm8/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5oSPmZYPmWLOIHzkw_5Iz46c1MFyThw9Rcw6pWhV8H5SMdz2rVvS_3RvyOlkNpyTywSnV_Y7RhaA1cHMiyylhFs2T2i030JQjIML8AH7-GseGlI_7S2t6KjW2hutb_hR2CkPOIUaycZm8/s320/photo.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">The 12 Days of <em>A Pioneer Christmas Collection</em> Contest is over and winners have been chosen at random.</span></strong> </div>
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The winner of an autographed copy of <em><strong>A Pioneer Christmas Collection</strong></em> signed by all nine authors AND an Amazon Gift Certificate valued at $50 is (drumroll please). . .GAIL BORDEN!</div>
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The second place winner of an autographed copy of <em><strong>A Pioneer Christmas Collection</strong></em> signed by all nine authors is. . .SM (Sharon, CA)!</div>
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I will be contacting you later today. Congratulations to both of you, and thank you for supporting the ladies of <em><strong>A Pioneer Christmas Collection</strong></em>!</div>
Marcia Gruverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563812990616453572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418164806836540871.post-43874817996251855892013-08-30T13:46:00.002-07:002013-08-30T13:46:55.735-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">TODAY ON THE YIELDED QUILL: A THREE-FER</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwO7TG_eN3lasb-kxagVzfYgqEjc4UaGNl4aI2hOQps3lY0d7D0v37Bs0aUhPY1R-wkZBp0G6vOrv0GZCbW49Kv4UiA_5_4QnAHblRWzt7JogVBNJVQlMqar3LIukL9HqcAanLnJ9wx9US/s1600/Margaret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwO7TG_eN3lasb-kxagVzfYgqEjc4UaGNl4aI2hOQps3lY0d7D0v37Bs0aUhPY1R-wkZBp0G6vOrv0GZCbW49Kv4UiA_5_4QnAHblRWzt7JogVBNJVQlMqar3LIukL9HqcAanLnJ9wx9US/s200/Margaret.jpg" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Margaret Brownley</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The Urban Dictionary defines a Three-fer as "getting three things for the value of one," so today I'm offering a package deal. Before the 12 Days of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Pioneer Christmas Collection</i> Contest
ends (tomorrow at midnight), I wanted to feature all of the authors represented in the collection.
I’ve rounded up the last three just in time, and I thought it would be fun to
do a Q & A with them on the same questions the rest had to answer (see
posts below). </span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">So press in and say hello to Kathleen Fuller (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Calling</i>), Margaret Brownley (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Pony Express Christmas</i>), and Cynthia
Hickey (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Christmas Castle</i>). </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><u>Ladies, what made you write about your period
in time?</u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivSDwjbi5-uIm7Wa7x5PYHuX9Y0DbEJbeIOm5Ty71S3_zvphNnm0Jw7VWvtJ3dTAgeGj3KCZgojCUUNUZZdOP2asXyTavIRoogs8gDPeYYdDOs9zVZdkZakp2cY-WM56AX_LGFB3MUptj1/s1600/Kathleen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivSDwjbi5-uIm7Wa7x5PYHuX9Y0DbEJbeIOm5Ty71S3_zvphNnm0Jw7VWvtJ3dTAgeGj3KCZgojCUUNUZZdOP2asXyTavIRoogs8gDPeYYdDOs9zVZdkZakp2cY-WM56AX_LGFB3MUptj1/s200/Kathleen.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kathleen Fuller</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Kathleen - I’ve always been fascinated with
history, and in researching Unionville Tavern, I realized what a rich past it
had. I had a couple of time periods to choose from—the early 19<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>th</sup>
century or the time during the Civil War. I chose the early 19<sup>th</sup>
century, primarily because it marked the beginning of the expansion westward.
Northeast Ohio and Western PA/NY were popular destinations for New England
pioneers.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Margaret - I love writing about the 1800s.
The westward migration freed women in ways never before imagined.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Women abandoned Victorian traditions, rigid
manners and confining clothes and that’s not all they did; they brought
churches, schools and newspapers to frontier towns, and helped build
communities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The gun might have won the
west, but it was the women who tamed it.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiksoZ8mFMqDjvv7Vhc586HL6OulgFzhdcNMNAOabim2TRy8mHid9NYai-g9DfYv93iB6a_G-8YICN1jadHcvMjcZGzyqtcs2uSMuzlQymOOi-2Fb5pyb6Te04eMfjHo9Husa5BATa_FlY_/s1600/Cynthia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiksoZ8mFMqDjvv7Vhc586HL6OulgFzhdcNMNAOabim2TRy8mHid9NYai-g9DfYv93iB6a_G-8YICN1jadHcvMjcZGzyqtcs2uSMuzlQymOOi-2Fb5pyb6Te04eMfjHo9Husa5BATa_FlY_/s200/Cynthia.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cynthia Hickey</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Cynthia - I love the 19<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>th</sup> Century.
Always have. Anything to do with pioneers and cowboys, and I’m there. So, when
Barbour asked for pitches for this collection, it was no brainer as to what
time period I would write in.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">How is Christmas celebrated in your family
and what effect did it have on your writing this story?<o:p></o:p></span></u><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Kathleen - We have a very simple Christmas
celebration—usually just my immediate family. We often go to Christmas Eve
service, then open presents on Christmas morning and spend the rest of the day
relaxing or playing games. When my children were small we would celebrate with
a birthday cake for Jesus. But the celebration always centers around family. In
creating the Christmas celebration in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Calling</i>, there is a feeling of everyone being part of one family for one
night. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Margaret - The hero and heroine in my
story celebrate Christmas in an abandoned Pony Express station with a mule. If
they saw my family Christmas extravaganzas they would have thought we belonged
to the royal family.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Cynthia
- Christmas is a very big deal in my family. My husband and I have a “yours,
mine, and ours” family which gave us seven children and five grandchildren. On
Christmas Eve, we have a huge breakfast. Our now grown children and
grandchildren come over to eat and open gifts. On Christmas day, we start off
with a prayer and a toast, then put something in Jesus’s stocking that only we
can give him. Then we start on our own gifts. Later that day, we meet back with
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">everyone for dinner and White Elephant gifts. The
season is a big deal for us as we celebrate the birth of Christ</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: small;">What research did you do to authenticate Christmas
celebrations in your story?<o:p></o:p></span></span></u><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: small;">Kathleen - I’ve written about the 19<sup>th</sup>
century before, so I didn’t have to do much research about the celebrations.
They were simple, and much like what I do now, very family oriented. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Margaret - </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Absolutely none.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted their Christmas celebration to be
simple and rustic given the times and conditions. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: small;">Cynthia - Although I live in the Phoenix
metropolitan area, I had to research the Tucson weather. Even that two hour
drive can change things. Who knew it sometimes snowed in Southern Arizona? I
also had to do some research on dugouts (basically a hole in the ground) since,
thankfully, I’ve never had to live in one.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; margin: 1em 0px;">
<u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: small;">When you dreamed up your
story idea, what came first, the time period, the story, the location? <o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Kathleen - Location—I was very excited to set
the story at Unionville Tavern, which is a real tavern in Unionville, OH.
Unionville Tavern is currently unused, but there has been an effort to “save”
it from further erosion and deterioration. Not only was it a stop on the
stagecoach route from Buffalo to Cleveland (like in my story) but during the
Civil War it was also a stop on the Underground Railroad. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Margaret - </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’ve always wanted to
write a Pony Express story but couldn’t figure out how to make it work. So the
first thing that came to mind was why not have them celebrate Christmas in an
abandoned Pony Express station?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: small;">Cynthia - The abode came first, then the
story around it. I chose the location because dugouts were commonly used as
Arizona was being settled.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; margin: 1em 0px;">
<u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: small;">What was the
"germ" of your story idea and how did you flesh it out? <o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Kathleen - Once I found out about the
stagecoach stop, I immediately came up with the idea of a traveler stopping at
the tavern on a regular basis. Then the idea blossomed to a story of a man who
believed he was called to preach to the western pioneers. Like Jonah, he
questions not only himself, but God. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: small;">Margaret - My heroine is searching for her
brother, a former Pony Express rider. I was surprised to discover how little
information is available on the Pony Express. It was only in service for 18
months and some station keepers didn’t bother to keep records. As a result
little is known about many of the riders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We don’t even know where all the stations were located. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: small;">Cynthia - The germ of the story was
contentment and the reason for the season. Most people today would have a hard
time being content and celebrating while living in a hole in the ground.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Would you like to have
been there?</span></u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Kathleen - Definitely. Even now when I drive
past the tavern, I imagine what it would have been like back in the day. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: small;">Margaret - I was there or at least it seemed
that way when I was writing the story. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: small;">Cynthia - Yes, I think I would. Especially
when the characters discovered that love makes any home a castle.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">What aspects of your
characters are reflected in yours?</span></u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Ka</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">thleen - My characters struggle with doubt,
something I also struggle with. I also wonder if I’m following God’s lead in
the choices I make in my life. I was able to confront some of those issues as I
wrote this story. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: small;">Margaret - Determination and stubbornness. Also,
abiding faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Cynthia - I’ve learned to be content with
where God has placed me. It took a long time, but I have finally arrived </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Have you been to the
locations in which your story is set?</span></u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: small;">Kathleen - Yes, several times. The tavern is
only a few miles from my home. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Margaret - </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My story takes place in
Nebraska and yes, I’ve been there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of
course, it looks nothing like it did in the 1800s.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Cynthia - </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’ve been to Tucson,
yes, but not far into the desert where the ranches are. I visited Old Tucson
once and watched a reenactment of a gunfight. Unfortunately, Old Tucson burned
town quite a while back.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">What surprised you the
most about your story?</span></u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Kathleen - How the theme is threaded through
the story from beginning to end. I rarely know the theme of my books until I’ve
finished them, and that was the same with this story. It’s always cool to see
how everything comes together. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: small;">Margaret - The end surprised me the most
because I had no idea what would happen until I got there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(But then of course I never do.)<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: small;">Cynthia - How much my heroine cared for her
late husband even though she’d never met him.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; margin: 1em 0px;">
<u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: small;">Would you have made a good
pioneer? <o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Kathleen - I’d like to think so, but then
again, I like my comfort zone. Being a pioneer takes a lot of courage and an
adventurous spirit. I do enjoy traveling, so I think I would have been one of
those people who went west once it got too crowded in the cities. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: small;">Margaret - I would have made a great pioneer
providing I had a modern bathroom and good mattress.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: small;">Cynthia - I doubt it. I like my air
conditioning.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; margin: 1em 0px;">
<u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: small;">Were any of your ancestors
pioneers? If so, where and when?<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Kathleen - Not pioneers but immigrants—both
sets of grandparents emigrated from Europe. So they were pioneers in their own
way. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: small;">Margaret - Crossing an ocean to get here
makes them pioneers, right?<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Cynthia - </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My
great grandfather was the first white baby born in Nebraska Territory. His
family owned a stagecoach stop and trading post. Someday, I’ll write a story
based on true historical facts.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; margin: 1em 0px;">
<u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: small;">What spiritual themes did
you deliberately incorporate into your story? Which ones did you discover
later? <o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Kathleen - I didn’t deliberately incorporate
a theme, unless you call the Jonah story a theme. The theme of family
celebration came about at the end of the story—I realized that the people who
were stranded on Christmas Eve had come together as a family to celebrate
Christ’s birth. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: small;">Margaret - The story involves the Chimney
Rock in Nebraska and the spiritual theme is God is my rock. But family love and
loyalty is also a strong theme.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Cynthia - I rarely deliberately put themes
into my stories. I prefer the theme to come naturally. Contentment was the key
to this story. I hope I pulled it off. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span></span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
Thank you, ladies! That was great. <br />
<br />
For more information on Margaret and her books, visit her website at <a href="http://www.margaretbrownley.com/">http://www.margaretbrownley.com/</a>.<br />
<br />
For more info on Kathleen, visit her website at <a href="http://www.kathleenfuller.com/">http://www.kathleenfuller.com/</a>.<br />
<br />
You can find out about Cynthia and her books at <a href="http://cynthiahickey.com/">http://cynthiahickey.com/</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><span>A Pioneer Christmas Collection Giveaway!</span></strong></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></strong></div>
<strong></strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 17.77px;"><span><span style="font-size: small;">Comment below to enter. Every day that you leave a comment is a new entry. At the end of our 12 Days of Christmas Promotion, two winners will be chosen at random. First prize is a $50 gift certificate from Amazon.com. The second prize (but best in my opinion) is an autographed copy of A Pioneer Christmas Collection signed by all 9 Authors! </span></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 17.77px;"></span><span> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-size: small;">Each day you have a new opportunity to enter! You may comment all you like, but only one entry per day will be counted.</span></span></span></b></div>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><u>The contest ends Saturday, August 31 at midnight.</u></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><u></u></strong> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
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Marcia Gruverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563812990616453572noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418164806836540871.post-88128305876231863152013-08-29T09:48:00.000-07:002013-08-31T14:14:08.405-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe4PTQDdmLT3KV-F5zqzAfQtN6OooqLbGxUsWVCuYtmOz0ak_5wqwyXCk5yxy42hNxlFviRvJypy7IUMVsW-dEUoGiFBXbRtpI5EjHmpeRlwr4tlrRQrU4Y3IyfQPspnqKIM0MADWFBaup/s1600/Anna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe4PTQDdmLT3KV-F5zqzAfQtN6OooqLbGxUsWVCuYtmOz0ak_5wqwyXCk5yxy42hNxlFviRvJypy7IUMVsW-dEUoGiFBXbRtpI5EjHmpeRlwr4tlrRQrU4Y3IyfQPspnqKIM0MADWFBaup/s1600/Anna.jpg" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Meet Author Anna Urquhart</h2>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Anna's inspiring debut novella <em>A Silent Night </em>is featured in <em><strong>A Pioneer Christmas Collection</strong></em>. She answers questions about her unconventional love story below. Find out more about her on her website at <a href="http://www.annaurquhart.com/">http://www.annaurquhart.com/</a>.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><u>What made you write
about your period in time?<o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In light of the fact
that we were looking at westward expansion, I wanted to find a focus of heading
west that is often overlooked--travel by water. The Erie Canal opened in the
1830s which brought a flood of people into Michigan Territory and beyond. So
that time period sparked my initial interest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><u>How is Christmas
celebrated in your family and what effect did it have on your writing this
story?<o:p></o:p></u></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Christmas is always
about family gathering, coming home from wherever they are. However, most of
those traveling west didn't have that luxury. They had only each other and
those they've met along the way, those who essentially have become family. So
that is what I tried to capture in the Christmas story--the gathering and
celebration of new-found family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><u> What research did you
do to authenticate Christmas celebrations in your story?<o:p></o:p></u></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Loads of research,
specifically about Michigan Territory, went into this. As previously mentioned,
families were forged on the frontier from more than just blood-ties, and it's
curious to me how that seems to happen in times of struggle. Michigan Territory
was quite wild at the time, with constant threat of weather, Indians, wild
animals, and even trivial accidents that could change a person's life. I tried
to capture that wildness throughout the story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><u>When you dreamed up
your story idea, what came first, the time period, the story, the location?<o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Time period, followed by
location. I had a vague idea of the story, but it grew out of the setting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><u>What was the
"germ" of your story idea and how did you flesh it out?<o:p></o:p></u></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The germ was putting a
woman in the kind of situation most women fear: helplessness. It's an abstract
fear, but on the frontier becomes tangible quite quickly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><u>Would you like to
have been there?<o:p></o:p></u></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A part of me itches to
see what it would be like on the frontier struggling for survival--something I
know absolutely nothing about. Yet I think within each of us is a desire to
know what it is that we're made of, to see the exact boundaries of our strength
and fortitude. However, my husband has assured me that I've not the makings of
a frontierswoman, and I do believe he is right. I am quite handy with duct
tape, though.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><u>What aspects of your
characters are reflected in yours?<o:p></o:p></u></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I think I have my
protagonist's propensity to second-guess herself. Additionally, I think that,
as a result, she continues to drive toward self-reliance, posing an
unwillingness to surrender to the guidance and strength of the Lord. I also
gave my protagonist a daughter--whom I named after my own daughter--and my
character's struggles, as you can imagine, quickly became personal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><u>Have you been to the
locations in which your story is set?<o:p></o:p></u></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The story begins in
Edinburgh, Scotland, where my husband lived for many years and of which I have
plenty of knowledge. Michigan, however, I visited only long ago--long before I
knew I'd be setting a story there. And at my visit it completely lacked the
wildness that Michigan once had.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><u>What surprised you
the most about your story?<o:p></o:p></u></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The ending. It turned
into a completely different kind of love story than even I had anticipated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><u>Would you have made
a good pioneer?<o:p></o:p></u></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Uh, no. Though I'd like
to imagine I'd put on a good show while I lasted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><u>Were any of your
ancestors pioneers? If so, where and when?<o:p></o:p></u></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">At one time my ancestors
pioneered across the Atlantic from Germany and Switzerland, but never made it
beyond Pennsylvania.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><u>What spiritual
themes did you deliberately incorporate into your story? Which ones did you
discover later?</u></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I had no clear spiritual theme as I began the
story because I find that often the story itself has it's own message it wants
to forge. As I dug deeper into the story the theme of surrender seemed
continually to appear, and it became clear that the direction the story wanted
to take was too look at the age old decision faced by every one of us: to hope
that our own strength is enough to sustain us or to surrender to the One
who loves us, pursues us, and calls us by name.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong>* * *</strong></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><span style="font-size: small;">A Pioneer Christmas Collection Giveaway!</span></strong></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong> </strong></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<strong></strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 17.77px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Comment below to enter. Every day that you leave a comment is a new entry. At the end of our 12 Days of Christmas Promotion, two winners will be chosen at random. First prize is a $50 gift certificate from Amazon.com. The second prize (but best in my opinion) is an autographed copy of A Pioneer Christmas Collection signed by all 9 Authors! </span></span><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 17.77px;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Each day you have a new opportunity to enter! You may comment all you like, but only one entry per day will be counted.</span></span></b></div>
</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><br />Marcia Gruverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563812990616453572noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418164806836540871.post-58729022519087527952013-08-28T11:45:00.001-07:002013-08-28T11:45:53.985-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVEhOUiQKqhpYG3RIGlgELeYAXFmf-_BpR-GxhONAV1o_0LGR2nGuXvIz4YX_K2f3Md8F4WQMFgCPuPZOV_B7sfzw1bJl2fzZqtEB3Nc1DK1UytJ5Z2RUoHsmVokn0eTt3OQMv6bXC_t6/s1600/Vickie.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVEhOUiQKqhpYG3RIGlgELeYAXFmf-_BpR-GxhONAV1o_0LGR2nGuXvIz4YX_K2f3Md8F4WQMFgCPuPZOV_B7sfzw1bJl2fzZqtEB3Nc1DK1UytJ5Z2RUoHsmVokn0eTt3OQMv6bXC_t6/s1600/Vickie.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Say Hello to Vickie
McDonough</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seasoned author Vickie McDonough weighs in on her delightful entry in <em><strong>A Pioneer Christmas Collection</strong></em>. Vickie has written 28 novels and novellas including <em>Buckskin Bride</em>, her featured novella. To learn more about Vickie and her wide selection of titles, visit her website at </span><a href="http://www.vickiemcdonough.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #5588aa; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.vickiemcdonough.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><u>Vickie, what made you write
about your period in time?</u> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I love historical novels, and that’s mostly what I
write. I chose 1889 because it was the year of the first Oklahoma land run, and
I wanted my story to take place during the winter after that. My hero won land
in the land run, and that’s the setting for my story, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Buckskin Bride.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_Run_of_1889" target="_blank"></a><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_Run_of_1889" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbTm8GjFlcBzlrX6eplfmQBJIcjt6_HM5UVYZmJkgoGamlVD1JvpQ8PRPPmN0JjXit6_8sGds_Y9ADip7QCFnZyxgqnmziwnnC2S7ic4Cj7cQpqWkThvxio0bpSveiips1yMRhu-VyVN98/s200/Oklahoma_Land_Rush.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_Run_of_1889" target="_blank">Oklahoma Land Rush</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_Run_of_1889" target="_blank"></a><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <u>How is Christmas
celebrated in your family and what effect did it have on your writing this
story?</u> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Even though our boys are all grown now, we still put up a tree and have
lights and decorations all over the living room. I hang stockings on the mantel
but we no longer fill them since our sons are grown. We eat cinnamon rolls for
breakfast on Christmas morning, then open presents, and later, have a big
dinner mid-afternoon with the whole family. Christmas has been even more fun
the past seven years since my granddaughter was born. I don’t know that my
personal Christmas celebrations had any bearing on my story, except that the
families in my novella gather together for Christmas dinner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <u>What research did you
do to authenticate Christmas celebrations in your story?</u></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I didn’t do anything
research since the Christmas celebration in my story focused mainly around the
dinner and it’s set in Oklahoma, a place I’m very familiar with. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <u>When you dreamed up
your story idea, what came first, the time period, the story, or the location?</u> </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’d
have to say the location because I wanted to set my story in the Oklahoma
Territory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <u>What was the
"germ" of your story idea and how did you flesh it out?</u> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Actually, it
was a tipi (teepee). One of the criteria for this novella collection was that
your hero or heroine needed to live in an unusual type of home. I decided on a
tipi and made up a story to fit with that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <u>Would you like to
have been there?</u> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I think it would have been exciting to have ridden in one of
the land runs, just like Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman did in the movie, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Far and Away</i>. There was so much
anticipation and expectations for the families hoping to win free land. Many
did but thousands of people did not get land. I have friends who have family
still living on the land their ancestors won in the land rush.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <u>What aspects of your
characters are reflected in yours?</u> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My heroine, Maddie, has dressed in buckskin
most of her life. She’s comfortable in them, and it makes riding horses,
hunting, and doing chores easier. She has no desire to wear dresses—and neither
do I, although I don’t wear buckskins. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> I don’t care for dresses, and I only own two. One of them is the
one I wore in my son’s wedding, thirteen years ago. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <u>Have you been to the
locations in which your story is set?</u> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I was born and raised in Oklahoma, and
have traveled to much of the state. I don’t know that I’ve been to the exact
spot where my story takes place, though, because I was rather vague about where
it is located exactly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <u>What surprised you
the most about your story?</u> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That my heroine finally dons a dress. I had my
doubts that she actually would.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <u>Would you have made
a good pioneer?</u> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In some ways. I love horses and have always been a tomboy and
even dreamed of growing up and marrying a rancher. But, I love my modern
conveniences like my laptop, air conditioning, kitchen appliances, and indoor
plumbing and would hate to leave them all behind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u>Were any of your
ancestors pioneers? </u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><u>If so, where and when?</u> </span></div>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My dad’s parents were born in 1874 & 1876. I know
that’s hard to believe but it’s true. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’ve never been able to verify it, but my dad told me that my grandma rode in
one of the Oklahoma land rushes with her parents. I do know that my
grandparents left the Pennsylvania Dutch country and traveled to El Dorado,
Kansas, where my dad—the youngest of their ten children—was born. Then my
grandpa got a job with an oil company, and they moved the family to Oklahoma. I
still have family in Pennsylvania.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<u>
</u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: small;"><u> What spiritual
themes did you deliberately incorporate into your story?</u> </span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">Trusting God when
times are hard is a common theme I write about and one I used for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Buckskin Bride</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which ones did you discover later? I
pretty much stuck to that theme and can’t think of anything that popped up
later in the book.</span></span></div>
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;">A Pioneer Christmas Collection Giveaway!</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small; line-height: 17.77px;">Comment below to enter. Every day that you leave a comment is a new entry. At the end of our 12 Days of Christmas Promotion, two winners will be chosen at random. First prize is a $50 gift certificate from Amazon.com. The second prize (but best in my opinion) is an autographed copy of A Pioneer Christmas Collection signed by all 9 Authors! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small; line-height: 17.77px;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Each day you have a new opportunity to enter! You may comment all you like, but only one entry per day will be counted.</span></b></span></div>
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Marcia Gruverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563812990616453572noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418164806836540871.post-33168234319949124992013-08-27T09:02:00.000-07:002013-08-27T09:02:00.230-07:00<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm excited today to be hosting</span> <span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>Lauraine
Snelling, </em>the author of <em>The Cowboy's Angel</em> in <em><strong>A Pioneer Christmas</strong></em>!</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u></span></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDjApT_swkRv2VZaohJooFhZ0FfvQZM_GVmmjVNQk8I7FLOosIHMpllvSxBRTkIYjVlw1DpEBAjCcqmQx3cH3TznwJuT4NPfwcRDFiI4ZnK9gIPPRK3pnYkM8mHqjpVlgaAYrXxyQqXFee/s1600/Lauraine.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDjApT_swkRv2VZaohJooFhZ0FfvQZM_GVmmjVNQk8I7FLOosIHMpllvSxBRTkIYjVlw1DpEBAjCcqmQx3cH3TznwJuT4NPfwcRDFiI4ZnK9gIPPRK3pnYkM8mHqjpVlgaAYrXxyQqXFee/s1600/Lauraine.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>Good morning, Lauraine. What
made you write about your period in time?<o:p></o:p></u></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
guidelines said pioneer and I love writing pioneer stories, 1880-1900 is my
favorite but I moved<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A Cowboy’s Angel a
bit earlier due to where I wanted to put the story. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>How
is Christmas celebrated in your family and what effect did it have on your
writing this story?<o:p></o:p></u></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have
loved angel stories forever and have wanted to do one for some time. Christmas
is an ideal time since the entire Christ story is one miracle after another.
God uses so many ways to take care of us and get through to us. We also
incorporated some Norwegian traditions, especially in the baking, because that
is the way I was reared.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Placing
the angel on top of the tree always makes me pause, both because our angel has
been in our family for many years and because of the significance. Angels came
to announce not only Christ’s birth but deliver many messages. Since God is the
same today as forever, why would He stop sending angels in our time? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
<u><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> What
research did you do to authenticate Christmas celebrations in your story?<o:p></o:p></span></span></u><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have
read many family histories and talked with people around the country asking
what they remembered of their family stories. So often God uses an unlikely
person to be blessed by His emissaries---angels. Voices soften when the one I’m
talking with decides to share an angel story from their family. The wonder of
it makes my heart leap.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>When
you dreamed up your story idea, what came first, the time period, the story,
the location?<o:p></o:p></u></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
time period and my dream to write about an angel. Setting it in Dakota Territory
was natural since I’ve written so many stories set in that area. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>What
was the "germ" of your story idea and how did you flesh it out?<o:p></o:p></u></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A baby
born, father missing, out on the prairie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I set that in the thinking hopper and started the “what if” game, my
first line of defense in creating a new story. What if a young, pregnant woman
with a little boy, is keeping the homestead while her husband drove off to get
winter supplies in their only wagon drawn by their only mule? What if he has
not returned? Hmm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So who is the hero? A
cowboy traveling from a spread in Texas to save his boss’s ranch in western
Dakota Territory? How does he find the family in distress? The rest flowed
after I understood the skeleton. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<u>Would you like to have been there?<o:p></o:p></u></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I felt
like I was. God has given me a powerful imagination. We have an authentic sod
house built in Drayton, ND for my emigrant stories set in Blessing, ND. The
thought of living in that confined space makes me shudder. Also, I really do
not like to be cold. I admit I am a wuss. But living my stories is part and
parcel of what I do to write them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXr1ui0gsblBvwl_l6fOmB809-S_FjZpnCXvCWnVaecXCXQ1z-_bYGgPjkZ8cmr7QaKVLCEuA90WUKjJ-kX8CeLFbBeOy1ZU55M0ax0kwb6KOgQYbHQ59JNZMPx78z9qCtK_Qy178h00nM/s1600/Cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXr1ui0gsblBvwl_l6fOmB809-S_FjZpnCXvCWnVaecXCXQ1z-_bYGgPjkZ8cmr7QaKVLCEuA90WUKjJ-kX8CeLFbBeOy1ZU55M0ax0kwb6KOgQYbHQ59JNZMPx78z9qCtK_Qy178h00nM/s320/Cover.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<u><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> What
aspects of your characters are reflected in yours?<o:p></o:p></span></span></u><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dogged
determination to finish something one has started, especially when a new life
dream is to own free land that cost lives, blood, tears and faith. My cowboy’s
quandary to help someone in distress when already on a mission for his boss. He
is a problem solver and a true hero, willing to sacrifice for others. Besides
that baby wrapped her little fingers around his heart and would not let go.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>Have
you been to the locations in which your story is set?<o:p></o:p></u></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Not the
exact location but the general area west of I 29 and south of Fargo, out of the
Red River valley. Farmers and ranchers had to work incredibly hard to make a
life there.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <u>What
surprised you the most about your story?<o:p></o:p></u></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My
cowboy’s solution to the dilemma. I had planned a different ending. I love it
when stories take on a life of their own and go on their own way in spit of the
author’s supposed plans.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<u>Would you have made a good pioneer?<o:p></o:p></u></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes,
because I come from a line of hard working, adventuresome people. And I love
living close to the land, just not as close as they were forced to do. But I am
extremely grateful to live today. I love hot running water, electricity and I
have a love/hate relationship with my computer. I’ve never been a really good
typist and the idea of hand writing novels? Hmm, rather not.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<u><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
Were any of your ancestors pioneers? If so, where and when?<o:p></o:p></span></span></u><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Both
sides of my family are of Norwegian heritage and my mother’s immediate family
came to help on a relative’s farm in 1910, near Park River, ND. Sons of the
Pioneers is a title to fit them, and that included the daughters. Uncle’s farm
was on the western edge of the Red River Valley. The Pleasant Valley Lutheran
Church honored those settlers every year until the last ones passed away. My
Uncle Gilbert died at 99 and a half, I think the last of that generation in
that area. Farming is indeed in my blood and so I write about farmers every
chance I get.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<u>What spiritual themes did you deliberately incorporate into your story? Which
ones did you discover later?</u></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Two
spiritual themes seem to be present in many of the novels I write; trusting God
in spite of what is happening and forgiveness, the latter of forgiving both
oneself and those around you. The theme I did not intentionally put in The
Cowboy’s Angel was our inherent questioning of “why did God do what He did” but
that is also part of trust because if you believe there is no God, how can you
blame Him for what happens? But we try to do both when times are the hardest.
Fear is another symptom of lack of trust, but how can one not be fearful out on
the prairie when left alone, pregnant and with a small son who depends on his
ma alone now that his pa is gone? Only God can heal that kind of fear. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><strong>* * * * *</strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lauraine is the author of more than 80 inspirational titles. Find out more about this amazing lady <a href="http://www.laurainesnelling.com/html/meetlauraine.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Catch up on her appearance schedule <a href="http://www.laurainesnelling.com/html/schedule.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Or explore her website <a href="http://www.laurainesnelling.com/index.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"></span></strong> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">A Pioneer Christmas Collection Giveaway!</span></strong></div>
<strong><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"></span></strong><div style="text-align: center;">
<strong> </strong></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 17.77px;">Comment below to enter. Every day that you leave a comment is a new entry. At the end of our 12 Days of Christmas Promotion, two winners will be chosen at random. First prize is a $50 gift certificate from Amazon.com. The second prize (but best in my opinion) is an autographed copy of A Pioneer Christmas Collection signed by all 9 Authors! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 17.77px;"></span> </div>
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<span><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Each day you have a new opportunity to enter! You may comment all you like, but only one entry per day will be counted.</span></b></span></div>
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Marcia Gruverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563812990616453572noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418164806836540871.post-87471509558029756192013-08-26T13:03:00.000-07:002013-08-26T13:04:59.562-07:00<h3 class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
12 DAYS OF A PIONEER CHRISTMAS CONTINUES. . .</h3>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISIgDAm7A1ber4VN7eOPQJs9p9ySrxgBslkWNeAyMVHjdJWeZTTzx005tUvsxmocFs4gyjuF2tZ56M-uHxlhwcIgQ-hwebMmbe62jcn-hvbA78EfTkZd2BVMMcF7dz7Zf7ZmaQjy4f3o1/s1600/Special+Delivery.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISIgDAm7A1ber4VN7eOPQJs9p9ySrxgBslkWNeAyMVHjdJWeZTTzx005tUvsxmocFs4gyjuF2tZ56M-uHxlhwcIgQ-hwebMmbe62jcn-hvbA78EfTkZd2BVMMcF7dz7Zf7ZmaQjy4f3o1/s320/Special+Delivery.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Does it get any better than this?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Look what appeared on my doorstep today! These beauties are extra special. Much bigger than I expected with a very cool cover, complete with a gorgeous book-jacketed flap (I think I made that up) with the authors' pretty faces tucked inside. Well done, Barbour Publishing! </div>
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</div>
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Best part are the stories though.These books will make wonderful Christmas presents and stocking stuffers--but you'll need a super-sized stocking to hold them.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-HiQm_a3rBiDOuE4IqFoC8x3wvSw8Z_yGALvQ0VZ3GIZQOgIrUSnesAbS55hjewkU7EJp8ZGKwFjp1aTEldNLMAUT69mtW2j2CwhA9Emy94QF6dbKL36Y41ZLyJFA3WceoxEG-dM7QNO/s1600/Super-sized+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-HiQm_a3rBiDOuE4IqFoC8x3wvSw8Z_yGALvQ0VZ3GIZQOgIrUSnesAbS55hjewkU7EJp8ZGKwFjp1aTEldNLMAUT69mtW2j2CwhA9Emy94QF6dbKL36Y41ZLyJFA3WceoxEG-dM7QNO/s200/Super-sized+2.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super-sized!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Due to an unavoidable absence from my computer last night and most of today (there must be a universal law that states air conditioners only go out in Texas on blistering hot August weekends), I'm going to slip in a quick introduction to the book here today and continue with my author interviews first thing tomorrow. However, this post counts in the 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway, so be sure and leave a comment below. Remember, you may comment as many times as you wish throughout the contest, but only one comment per person per day will count as an entry. </div>
<br />
Enjoy the following introduction courtesy of co-author Michelle Ule:<br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Introducing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Pioneer Christmas Collection</i>!<o:p></o:p></span></b></a></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">When
Barbour Publishing announced they were looking for novellas for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Pioneer Christmas Collection</i>, they had
just a few parameters: the story needed to take place between the 1700s to the
late 1800s, have a pioneer experience, and celebrate Christmas in a unique
dwelling.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The stories that appear in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Pioneer Christmas</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Collection certainly</i> met that criterion. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ranging in time slots from Shannon
McNear’s lead-off Revolutionary War story, to Michelle Ule’s final tale of the
1897 Alaskan gold rush, the novellas sweep across North American locales both
familiar and little known.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Shannon
McNear</b> portrays a surprising romance between a militiaman loyal to the
Crown hiding after a battle in which his side lost, and a young woman patriot
in charge of her siblings when her father goes to fight in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Defending Truth</i>. <span style="color: black;">"People were all
just struggling to live their lives, and the politics were as upsetting and
confusing as today."<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Celebrating Christmas in the cave where her
hero was hiding, seemed a terrific idea, and certainly a unique one.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kathleen
Fuller</b> has often driven past her setting for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Calling</i>: the Unionville Tavern in northeast Ohio. “Once I found
out the tavern was a stagecoach shop [in the early 19<sup>th</sup> century], I
immediately came up with the idea of a traveler stopping at the tavern on a
regular basis.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Calling</i>, the traveler is a young man convinced he’s called to
preach to those heading west, rather than the settled east. It’s the tavern
keeper’s daughter who catches a vision of who he really is.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>How many of you have spent Christmas
in a tavern?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Several writers deliberately sought
often over-looked times and places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Anna Urquhart</b> had seldom heard of
pioneers traveling by water and examined the opening of the Erie Canal in
1830’s which led to settlements in Michigan Territory. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Silent Night</i> actually begins in Edinburgh, Scotland and follows
the challenges of making a life in the big woods of the upper Midwest. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The
drama of a marriage lost and found is played out over Christmas in a barn
beside a smoldering cabin.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A
Pony Express Christmas</i> by <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Margaret
Brownley</b> takes readers to a spot most of us think we know—or do we? When a
vigorous young woman goes in search of her long-lost express-riding brother, she
saves a man from outlaws and drives him to help her search. Set during the
Civil War era, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Pony Express Christmas</i>
leads us eventually to Chimney Rock where she finds the answers she seeks—and
so much more.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What happened to those Pony Express
stopping stations and could they make an abandoned spot a holiday site?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A
Christmas Castle</i> by <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Cynthia Hickey</b>
features a mail order bride who arrives in post-Civil War Arizona to discover
her intended dead and a small child needing a mother. With outlaws trying to
run her off her “inheritance,” she struggles with the help of a handsome
neighbor to keep her land. Somehow she’s able to fashion a Christmas
celebration in a virtual hole in the ground.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Who knew it could snow in Arizona in
the winter? Have you ever had to cram a too-big Christmas tree into a too-small
room?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Lauraine
Snelling</b> returns to an area familiar to her readers in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Cowboy’s Angel</i>, set in 1875 Dakota Territory. With her long-overdue
husband miles away seeking supplies, a pregnant woman is forced to give birth
with a stranger in attendance. Snow socked them into a half-built claim with
the farm animals a thin wall away.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Using meager resources in a rough
home, a woman finds cause to be thankful. How often have you had to “make do”
for Christmas?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Marcia
Gruver</b> takes us to sophisticated 1885 New York City in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Badlands Christmas</i>, though we don’t stay there long. <span style="color: black;">Inspired by the adventures of Theodore Roosevelt
in the town of Medora<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">, A Badlands
Christmas </i>shows the contrasts between festive scenes in the city and a
Christmas spent in a dilapidated sod house in the middle of a brutal Dakota
Territory winter.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>While you may have dealt with the
weather outside being frightful on December 25, did you ever live half under
the ground?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Buckskin
Bride</span></i></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> by <b>Vickie McDonough</b>
introduces us to a capable but desperate young woman who is more comfortable in
buckskin than calico. She and her sisters are squatters on land the hero won in
the 1889 Oklahoma land run. The handsome Irish landowner is kind but dare she trust
him when her father warned her to avoid all men? With Christmas approaching,
her father missing, and young sister injured, will she and her sisters spend
Christmas alone in their tipi?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Have you ever spent Christmas in a
tent?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Gold Rush Christmas, </i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Michelle
Ule</b> takes brother-sister twins and the boy-next-door to 1897 Skagway,
Alaska where they meant to enjoy the season in the newly-constructed Union
Church. Searching for a missionary father, however, lands them in a Tlingit
cedar long house for a lesson in how to present the gospel in a way anyone
could understand.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Who can beat salmon for Christmas
dinner, even if eaten off a plank?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Interested in Christmas spent in
novel ways, surprising settings, heroes and heroines filled with love and pluck?
Why not try the nine stories found in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Pioneer Christmas Collection</i></b>?</span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;">A Pioneer Christmas Collection Giveaway!</span></strong></div>
<strong><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span></strong><div style="text-align: center;">
<strong> </strong></div>
<strong>
</strong><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small; line-height: 17.77px;">Comment below to enter. Every day that you leave a comment is a new entry. At the end of our 12 Days of Christmas Promotion, two winners will be chosen at random. First prize is a $50 gift certificate from Amazon.com. The second prize (but best in my opinion) is an autographed copy of A Pioneer Christmas Collection signed by all 9 Authors! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small; line-height: 17.77px;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Each day you have a new opportunity to enter! You may comment all you like, but only one entry per day will be counted.</span></b></span></div>
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Marcia Gruverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563812990616453572noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418164806836540871.post-268133966040415082013-08-24T09:21:00.000-07:002013-08-28T11:08:29.508-07:00<br />
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Today we meet Shannon McNear, author of the debut novella, “<em>Defending Truth</em>” in <em><strong>A Pioneer Christmas Collection</strong></em>. For more information about Shannon, visit her website at <a href="http://www.shannonmcnear.com/" target="_blank">www.shannonmcnear.com</a>. You can also find her monthly on the <a href="http://colonialquills.blogspot.com/">Colonial Quills website</a> and weekly at <a href="http://theborrowedbook.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Borrowed Book</a>. <br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> 1. Shannon, what made you write about your period in time?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’ve been researching on the
Revolutionary War era off and on for about seven years now. The time’s
political and cultural currents are fascinating to me, and it’s a natural
setting for the emotional conflict inherent in good romance.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> 2. How is Christmas celebrated in your family and what effect did it have on your
writing this story?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We try to go as non-commercial
as possible, with a pretty even balance between spiritual focus, family time,
and gift giving. We have our traditions, but they aren’t terribly elaborate. I
used that as a starting point, of course, but I’d learned that Christmas
celebrations tended to be more austere in certain regions for this time period.
Just as our family is rather matter of fact about what we do, I could imagine that
other families would be, as well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3. What research did you do to authenticate Christmas celebrations in your story?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lots of digging around online,
with as many primary sources from the time period as I could find. I belong to
an online community comprised mostly of 18<sup>th</sup> century researchers,
reenactors, and living history experts, and they helped me tremendously!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> 4. When you dreamed up your story idea, what came first, the time period, the
story, the location?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The time period, because I’d been researching
it already. Then the story (there’s much about the loyalist plight that grabs
my imagination), and the location soon followed.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> 5. What was the "germ" of your story idea and how did you flesh it out?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A few years back, a couple of other
writers suggested I change the premise of a full-length novel I wrote, set in
the same time period, from its focus on British/loyalist characters to a
romance between a patriot girl and a loyalist boy, or vice versa. I didn’t
follow through on that suggestion, but tucked it into the back of my mind, and
it sprang to life for this story. :-) It’s a great concept: huge conflict, huge
stakes. I also wanted to incorporate a battle I was already familiar with, and
explore all the seeming contradictions in the behavior of the participants as
they related to politics, since a study of real-life accounts doesn’t really
support the whole “righteous patriot and heathen British” stereotype.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">6</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. Would you like to have been there?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Um, no. It was a harsh,
terrifying time. It’s much romanticized now, or softened by political
correctness—for instance, the issue of the conflict between Native Americans
and European settlers—but the reality was that these people were all just
struggling to live their lives, and the politics were as upsetting and
confusing as today.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">7. What aspects of your characters are reflected in yours?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I can relate to Truth’s
difficulty in accepting help, her struggle with pride. I also relate to Micah’s
sense of unworthiness.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">8. Have you been to the locations in which your story is set?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Not the exact location, but
I’ve visited east Tennessee several times, including a cavern that provided
just a wee bit of inspiration for Micah’s hiding place.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">9. What surprised you the most about your story?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How much the characters came
to life for me. How much fun it was writing a novella, when I’ve always favored
longer stories. How difficult it could be to track down one single research
factoid, like whether settlers of the time cultivated apples, so I knew whether
Truth could offer one to Micah.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">10. Would you have made a good pioneer?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I like to think I would, but I
rather doubt it. Although I always enjoyed camping and exploring when I was
growing up, I’m very much a pampered modern. I’d probably have always been in
trouble for dawdling and dreaming, when there was work to be done. :-)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> 11. Were any of your ancestors pioneers? If so, where and when?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’m still in the process of tracking
that down, but I’m sure they were. One branch of the family were Mennonites
from West Prussia, who fled to Ukraine in the early 1800’s, stayed there for
about 60 years, then came to Kansas in the 1870’s. My roots are also anchored
firmly through Virginia, North and upstate South Carolina and Tennessee, and
then into Texas and Oklahoma. I wish I knew some of those stories!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">12. What spiritual themes did you deliberately incorporate into your story? Which
ones did you discover later? :-)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The main themes of forgiveness
and grace were deliberate, of course. Others popped up—the real nature of
courage, humility, and hospitality. If I wanted to dig really deep, I’d say the
ethics of war and self-defense, and by extension, defense of family.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">A Pioneer Christmas Collection Giveaway!</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 17.77px;">Comment below to enter. Every day that you leave a comment is a new entry. At the end of our 12 Days of Christmas Promotion, two winners will be chosen at random. First prize is a $50 gift certificate from Amazon.com. The second prize (but best in my opinion) is an autographed copy of A Pioneer Christmas Collection signed by all 9 Authors! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Each day you have a new opportunity to enter! You may comment all you like, but only one entry per day will be counted.</span></b></span></div>
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Marcia Gruverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563812990616453572noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418164806836540871.post-11365510809002869692013-08-22T13:31:00.000-07:002013-08-24T10:14:02.840-07:00<br />
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In celebration of the release of A Pioneer Christmas, I'm hosting talented author, Michelle Ule today. <span style="color: red;">I will be giving away a copy of the book signed by all nine authors</span><span style="color: red;">!!! Leave a comment below for a chance to win.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Michelle is the best-selling author of several novels
and novellas, including <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bridging Two
Hearts</b> and “The Dogtrot Christmas” from the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">NYTimes</i> best-selling <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A Log
Cabin Christmas Collection</b>. Here, she talks about her upcoming novella “A
Gold Rush Christmas” from <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A Pioneer
Christmas</b>, releasing September 1, 2013. For more information about Michelle
and her books, visit her website: </span><a href="http://www.michelleule.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.michelleule.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Cambria;">.
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">What made you decide to write about your period in time?</span></b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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o:href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Miners_climb_Chilkoot.jpg/280px-Miners_climb_Chilkoot.jpg"/>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Miners_climb_Chilkoot.jpg"></a><!--[endif]--><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">When I heard the collection's title, I tried to think of a time
period that would appeal to readers. I figured many writers would write about
the <st1:place w:st="on">Oregon Trail</st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">I remembered, though, how fascinated I was by the Alaskan
Gold Rush stories when my family traveled to <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Alaska</st1:place></st1:state>. In particular, I thought of that
horrific photo of the line of men climbing over <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Chilkoot</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Pass.</st1:placetype></st1:place>
I imagined a story about a family caught in that line, stepping out on December
25 to celebrate Christmas. "The Gold Rush Christmas" didn't quite turn
out that way!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">How is Christmas celebrated in your family and what effect
did it have on your writing this story?</span></b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">My husband is a retired naval officer, and we've celebrated
Christmas in a number of different cultures. We liked to use aspects of the
local customs when we lived in different spots--Christmas in <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Hawaii</st1:place></st1:state>, for example, included a crèche made
of a coconut shell. While composing <i>The Gold Rush Christmas</i>, I tried to
find an element of Alaskan culture people would recognize, but which could tell
the Christmas story. I found a fantastic one!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">What research did you do to authenticate Christmas
celebrations in your story?</span></b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">"The Gold Rush Christmas" includes a Christmas
totem pole. I explored the Internet for information, and discovered a
missionary in <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Alaska</st1:place></st1:state>
had actually made one! We corresponded and he asked me to used his description
because he'd spent years ensuring it was culturally accurate.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">When you dreamed up your story idea, what came first, the
time period, the story, the location?</span></b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">The <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Alaska</st1:place></st1:state>
location. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">What was the "germ" of your story idea and how did
you flesh it out?</span></b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">I wanted to write about the gold rush and I liked the idea
of a pair of boy-girl twins and the boy next door sailing to <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Alaska</st1:place></st1:state> and accidentally ending up on a
ship filled with gold seekers. I had to come up with a reason why they'd be
sailing, and turned it into a quest for a missing missionary father.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Would you like to have been there?</span></b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">No. The conditions were awful, the con men were terrible and
many people suffered.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">What aspects of your characters are reflected in yours?</span></b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">My brother is very tall and pushy. He likes to order me
around and I've often resented it. :-)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Have you been to the locations in which your story is set?</span></b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Yes, my family sailed on the Alaskan ferry to <st1:city w:st="on">Skagway</st1:city> out of <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Washington</st1:place></st1:state>
22 years ago. We even slept on deck in our sleeping bags! I pulled on our
experiences and the stories we enjoyed while traveling there.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">What surprised you the most about your story?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">The wonderful surprising story of how God worked in the
prostitutes of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Skagway</st1:place></st1:city>!
I incorporated it into my tale.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Would you have made a good pioneer?</span></b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">While I am the mother of three Eagle scouts and have spent a
lot of time camping, I'm a coward. I don't sleep well on the ground and I don't
like to be dirty. So, no. :-)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Were any of your ancestors pioneers? If so, where and when?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Many. I'm in awe of the strength of character they
exhibited. Most were on the north American continent by 1701 and moved west
until they reached the <st1:place w:st="on">Pacific Ocean</st1:place>. I'm
thankful for their sacrifices. My first book, a family history, is called <i>Pioneer
Stock</i> in their honor.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">What spiritual themes did you deliberately incorporate into
your story? Which ones did you discover later? :-)</span></b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">I've always loved the story of Nehemiah and the famous line
"I am doing a good work and I cannot come down." I liked the idea of
someone going off on an adventure and sacrificing for their family, but being
determined to stay in that work even when things became difficult.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">In writing the story, I learned much about the fortitude of
a young man wanting to prove himself, even when he discovered his own
prejudices. I love how even a seminary graduate needed to be reminded, gently,
that he sometimes needed to be discomforted to do the job God called him to do.
I love the spiritual growth going on in "<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The Gold Rush Christmas."</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">A Pioneer Christmas Collection Giveaway!</span></b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 17.77px;">Comment below to enter. Every day that you leave a comment is a new entry. At the end of our 12 Days of Christmas Promotion, two winners will be chosen at random. First prize is a $50 gift certificate from Amazon.com. The second prize (but best in my opinion) is an autographed copy of A Pioneer Christmas Collection signed by all 9 Authors! </span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Each day you have a new opportunity to enter! You may comment all you like, but only one entry per day will be counted.</span></b></span></div>
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Marcia Gruverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563812990616453572noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418164806836540871.post-85967021850564937382010-06-14T09:13:00.000-07:002010-06-14T10:18:15.071-07:00Log Out. Sign Off. Unplug.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1cxXF7O8uK-85_J9JnGjEDcvQai06oJ552gkbWKz86kQyntScePn_g0SMRwSxIGh2bAf2FDlyHY8UvZ1ee-gHGV8ahyphenhyphenrNzhurGsJf-W8PRU16Ej2Uz2SlJtVhv3qOZQox3tUn023b1GPi/s1600/Ernie+at+Grammy+Awards.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 143px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482673078597333378" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1cxXF7O8uK-85_J9JnGjEDcvQai06oJ552gkbWKz86kQyntScePn_g0SMRwSxIGh2bAf2FDlyHY8UvZ1ee-gHGV8ahyphenhyphenrNzhurGsJf-W8PRU16Ej2Uz2SlJtVhv3qOZQox3tUn023b1GPi/s200/Ernie+at+Grammy+Awards.jpg" /></a>Hubby planned a wonderful weekend getaway for the two of us. He bought tickets for last Friday’s performance by the amazing gospel quartet, <strong>Ernie Haase and The Signature Sound</strong> in Bismarck, North Dakota. These guys are <em>fabulous</em>, especially in concert. I’m not the only person to think so—they just picked up a Grammy at the 52nd Grammy Awards ceremony.<br /><br />After the concert, Hubby and I spent the night in Bismarck then drove west to <strong>Medora</strong>, a wonderful little town cuddled up next to the Montana/North Dakota border. Medora is billed as North Dakota’s #1 vacation spot, and after spending two days there, I heartily agree.<br /><br />I’m a Texan and filled to the brim with Texas pride. I love the grandeur and variety of our landscape, from the Red River to the Rio Grande. But what I saw this weekend was a visual feast for these jaded old eyes. If I close them now, I can still see the painted canyons of the Badlands, the rocky crags of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and the rolling emerald hills of the Little Missouri National Grasslands.<br /><br />That said, I nearly missed a good portion of this wonderful scenery until I got a lesson from above on the importance of living in the precious present moment. It happened like this:<br /><br />My husband Lee is the busiest person I’ve ever known. The man juggles the overwhelming demands of his life with one hand tied behind him and never seems to break a sweat. Yet when his Energizer Bunny ears start to sag, he’s smart enough to get away for a while and recharge.<br /><br />Me? Not so smart. Several times on our journey, Lee would say, “Look at that” or “Wow, did you see that?” I’d glance up from my iPhone, too late, and he’d state the obvious: “Aw, you missed it.” I’d wonder briefly what I’d missed then shrug and dive right back into reading my email. Then it hit me like a message from above. My husband sought to share something with me, but I’d been too distracted to see.<br /><br />This thought slid effortlessly into the next. How often does God desire to share something with us, but we’re too busy? How many times has He nudged our shoulders, but we’re so buried in emails, tweets, or status updates we fail to raise our heads in time? The heavenly reflection, gift, or insight whizzes past, and just that fast, we’ve missed it. Perhaps forever. This stuck me as achingly sad.<br /><br />I put the phone away.<br /><br />I’m a huge fan of technology and the Internet. I consider them gifts to writers, like cheesecake and chocolate. But with every gift comes the temptation to overindulge.<br /><br />Who me? Guilty as charged.<br /><br />So this distracted writer has officially placed herself on a www-diet. Not cold turkey, you understand, but I’m cutting down. Most importantly, I’m going to strive to live in the moment and recognize when it’s time to unplug.<br /><br />The cheesecake and chocolate? Well. . .the Lord’s not finished with me yet.<br /><br />The two pictures below are of our Sunday morning outdoor worship service. Awesome! Those that follow are examples of what I nearly missed with my nose buried in my iPhone:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSgzVRm99tfvln5l0FRIJ5xFab4kz1PhUtjVsGjwmwLYcGBiOokkjAc2Zm63Foe1HlrwzWesVZTosWJFd-d_wZHHsq9NvioInnvM31rwEM0PLdDokyIteWYeAyMjaeTbwsdzRktzyKTgyk/s1600/Medora,+ND+trip+173.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482670582771866930" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSgzVRm99tfvln5l0FRIJ5xFab4kz1PhUtjVsGjwmwLYcGBiOokkjAc2Zm63Foe1HlrwzWesVZTosWJFd-d_wZHHsq9NvioInnvM31rwEM0PLdDokyIteWYeAyMjaeTbwsdzRktzyKTgyk/s400/Medora,+ND+trip+173.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwHUPERdaYOo87FALyEX1WOBqu5SvuWnGS8KBHSSXzrKiMUhkyYUIqocYSQM8m8JvFNSn-QVCK4gVWsTLF2FXg2j3U1YRUE5GGfVGfvH_r0fJl8DH-58jR6dVjfj_VEMGbl4bdZPL-Ap4M/s1600/Medora,+ND+trip+187.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482670704745429922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwHUPERdaYOo87FALyEX1WOBqu5SvuWnGS8KBHSSXzrKiMUhkyYUIqocYSQM8m8JvFNSn-QVCK4gVWsTLF2FXg2j3U1YRUE5GGfVGfvH_r0fJl8DH-58jR6dVjfj_VEMGbl4bdZPL-Ap4M/s400/Medora,+ND+trip+187.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKl7BwC8YaUfQWZ_zi6ybPHPM1jZfZwNkHv8wuQhy-Wu7uSfbwWZRf4djpC2_33K80CZntreEdNhM4wmB-4JdfELiTqAStTygviDIZ-e-rcObjdUaFowhHpxTnE7bzAc97fQtk5FCpC5o/s1600/Medora,+ND+trip+120.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482669654870640114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKl7BwC8YaUfQWZ_zi6ybPHPM1jZfZwNkHv8wuQhy-Wu7uSfbwWZRf4djpC2_33K80CZntreEdNhM4wmB-4JdfELiTqAStTygviDIZ-e-rcObjdUaFowhHpxTnE7bzAc97fQtk5FCpC5o/s400/Medora,+ND+trip+120.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWST5f2vfxaMxLaBatFxs7IFWIcuioWY1-w20X_Sha-X4Hs65ekxT_I7CEL3B3tS5SiY3Mer3z8w4NSCM8ehWhf5-c4hVRN7XHWTOJjS3I-F676WZusdsFMoEoZPQhm4g9_WHXGcpSuO1V/s1600/Medora,+ND+trip+210.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482670373788898626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWST5f2vfxaMxLaBatFxs7IFWIcuioWY1-w20X_Sha-X4Hs65ekxT_I7CEL3B3tS5SiY3Mer3z8w4NSCM8ehWhf5-c4hVRN7XHWTOJjS3I-F676WZusdsFMoEoZPQhm4g9_WHXGcpSuO1V/s400/Medora,+ND+trip+210.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WPF3-vG8GkZLMs-7Fd1E5svMwgWPPIvOzoswHA3YwdsRIm8bIRvVV-w_CfMVtYefqwOLQRBZtcyBSs5zay_jUwArKMAHJHt74nZmaUEBO3zZmBSsr39SfDMa3RC0i6F63aMJLae51OUK/s1600/Medora,+ND+trip+205.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482670214618062370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WPF3-vG8GkZLMs-7Fd1E5svMwgWPPIvOzoswHA3YwdsRIm8bIRvVV-w_CfMVtYefqwOLQRBZtcyBSs5zay_jUwArKMAHJHt74nZmaUEBO3zZmBSsr39SfDMa3RC0i6F63aMJLae51OUK/s400/Medora,+ND+trip+205.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpus4g5-ELTW3Mn0R6mwdCOJ7Jxuujbj5iXdNKxkWkjUjdP6Vr8U-583QRUA8dvEuUhKDsWEYEOx8juPKQ74ivjMzM0oXoxItXmBu_216kuajBo50hlp4Bww93c080vEESVWVCVD3d9KtS/s1600/Medora,+ND+trip+235.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482669990828527266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpus4g5-ELTW3Mn0R6mwdCOJ7Jxuujbj5iXdNKxkWkjUjdP6Vr8U-583QRUA8dvEuUhKDsWEYEOx8juPKQ74ivjMzM0oXoxItXmBu_216kuajBo50hlp4Bww93c080vEESVWVCVD3d9KtS/s400/Medora,+ND+trip+235.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HocG85PcECyx8rLVs9tC2R4cuZmguhyck7urPXFqFqLljjXGyIto7vNMxf1l1VVPkIdIPsd-AhkKJAQH0oNJGFIQoK-QVHFV0r7hrNhgZXbHsqfXWUqRQxZChjHEkIa7pWQHXucQBBjX/s1600/Medora,+ND+trip+235.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482668115937676610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HocG85PcECyx8rLVs9tC2R4cuZmguhyck7urPXFqFqLljjXGyIto7vNMxf1l1VVPkIdIPsd-AhkKJAQH0oNJGFIQoK-QVHFV0r7hrNhgZXbHsqfXWUqRQxZChjHEkIa7pWQHXucQBBjX/s400/Medora,+ND+trip+235.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGKpiHpbyacGxf8-bwBHsQEl-OLX_55snIUHbs4T0d7bYcnEROHJsYO6T4baeZ3uDD4hAOesf4I7ugOM2-tMXdY_9FfGS9jTY0T6BuzthxkOXuPlJMt0NUgWQmyXFd_5GUdOgQuIY2tWq/s1600/Medora,+ND+trip+104.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482668649354662306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGKpiHpbyacGxf8-bwBHsQEl-OLX_55snIUHbs4T0d7bYcnEROHJsYO6T4baeZ3uDD4hAOesf4I7ugOM2-tMXdY_9FfGS9jTY0T6BuzthxkOXuPlJMt0NUgWQmyXFd_5GUdOgQuIY2tWq/s400/Medora,+ND+trip+104.jpg" /></a>Marcia Gruverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563812990616453572noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418164806836540871.post-16417961024283865392010-02-09T22:09:00.000-08:002010-02-09T22:26:27.520-08:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishvRqFt_U5yJi_r5B4utjUWw8RhCyShD9qGfZTX6kJ8eDOSvtWftQPrWLtZR0EsawTTzo6rwkR1My33e0Pf8V3aVUsc7fYFMUd_LzvCHH3nzSwzNYJ3rgzpQM8aQrJK9hBvRFr-3WNpq9/s1600-h/BorrowedBook.png"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 184px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436495004847057682" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishvRqFt_U5yJi_r5B4utjUWw8RhCyShD9qGfZTX6kJ8eDOSvtWftQPrWLtZR0EsawTTzo6rwkR1My33e0Pf8V3aVUsc7fYFMUd_LzvCHH3nzSwzNYJ3rgzpQM8aQrJK9hBvRFr-3WNpq9/s400/BorrowedBook.png" /></a> Looking for just the right book but not sure where to look? Check out <a href="http://theborrowedbook.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Borrowed Book</a>, a website designed specifically for readers and writers of fine books and devotionals! On Mondays, meet the finest debut authors Christian fiction has to offer. Wednesdays and Thursdays, read interviews with your favorite authors or browse excerpts from many of the latest books. Not into fiction? Then stop by on Tuesdays when writers of non-fiction and devotionals will be the featured guests.<br /><br />Created by award-winning author and speaker, Elizabeth Ludwig, The Borrowed Book offers readers the chance to meet some of their favorite authors, catch up on the latest books, and sign up for weekly drawings and prizes. Rest assured, this isn’t your average writer’s blog. The Borrowed Book was designed with the book-lover in mind…you.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Author, Elizabeth Ludwig:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDspoOzzGS1Nw1f29rIR6l3rzhGJUQgDJfluKUO5Vqmb_3ET2BCIlMkIQrrCec8XL0QXcPMBZPSVNBhWBCZMu6gNLvXX15tJfn3fK4jcXS7Cpw9HEKUrdhHMG_M_WdTxnVDzdl7LG97M2N/s1600-h/Lisa+New+Image.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 182px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436496091956633106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDspoOzzGS1Nw1f29rIR6l3rzhGJUQgDJfluKUO5Vqmb_3ET2BCIlMkIQrrCec8XL0QXcPMBZPSVNBhWBCZMu6gNLvXX15tJfn3fK4jcXS7Cpw9HEKUrdhHMG_M_WdTxnVDzdl7LG97M2N/s200/Lisa+New+Image.jpg" /></a>Marcia Gruverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563812990616453572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418164806836540871.post-4098589301152620152009-09-11T11:58:00.000-07:002009-09-11T12:16:29.771-07:00Fools Rush In<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgieC7KKGHAC-zP7t8Ak2hoXEoO2jEYBsd9S3maaT-YIRcnPh3Kll-CQ8918fW48l0FUV7UYW9kecuO8770e1prdZYjkCPxjvpHfWW5HEIAVewM7is43qY83MC-BeVvuNIyaZ3dqrUh85yp/s1600-h/Janice's+cover.bmp"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 207px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380289658129990322" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgieC7KKGHAC-zP7t8Ak2hoXEoO2jEYBsd9S3maaT-YIRcnPh3Kll-CQ8918fW48l0FUV7UYW9kecuO8770e1prdZYjkCPxjvpHfWW5HEIAVewM7is43qY83MC-BeVvuNIyaZ3dqrUh85yp/s320/Janice's+cover.bmp" /></a>Looking for the perfect romantic comedy for your Christian reading group? Look no further than <strong>Fools Rush In</strong>, where Tex-Mex meets Italian for a boot scoot'n good time!<br /><br /><br />Here's a synopsis:<br /><br /><br />Bella Rossi may be nearing thirty, but her life is just starting to get interesting. When her Italian-turned-Texan parents hand over the family wedding planning business, Bella is determined not to let them down. She quickly books a "Boot Scoot'n" wedding that would make any Texan proud. There's only one catch—she knows nothing about country music because her family only listens to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Where will she find a DJ on such short notice who knows his Alan Jackson from his Keith Urban?<br /><br />When a misunderstanding leads her to the DJ (and man) of her dreams, things start falling into place. But with a family like hers, nothing is guaranteed.<br /><br />Can the perfect Texan wedding survive a pizza-making uncle with mob ties, an aunt who is a lawsuit waiting to happen, and a massive delivery of 80 cowboy boots? And will Bella ever get to plan her own wedding? Book one in the Weddings by Bella series, Fools Rush In is fun, fresh, and full of surprises. Readers will love the flavorful combination of Italian and Tex-Mex, and the hilarity that ensues when cultures clash.<br /><br />Here's what several readers had to say about the book:<br /><br />REVIEWER: Carly<br />Carlybird’s Home<br /><a href="http://carlybirdshome.blogspot.com/">http://carlybirdshome.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br />Do you need a laugh? I mean a really good laugh? Then you need to read Fools Rush In. This has got to be one of the funniest books I have ever read, perhaps even the funniest. The concept of these two very different cultures coming together is priceless. The author has obviously spent a lot of time with very large Italian families because she knows all of their funny little nuances, and I love that.<br /><br />The characters in this story are so delightful and I loved all the different personalities that just seemed to blend well together without feeling contrived. I especially liked Guido; he was a great source of humor and hope. The story was fun and fast paced, but still had a good flow to it. It never felt rushed nor did it drag at any point.<br /><br /><div><br />At the heart of this very funny book is Bella, a young woman who has a lot of fears and insecurities. As she embarks on the challenge of running her family’s wedding planning business, she must learn to trust God for everything. That is a simple truth that we all need to hear as much as possible. I am so glad that Fools Rush In is the first in the Weddings by Bella series. I hope the author is hard at work on the next book because I am so excited to read it. Fools Rush In was such a pleasant surprise. I didn’t know what to expect, but I have to say, this book is a delight. I can’t recommend this book strongly enough. It will make you laugh and make you think. You will be glad you read it. I know I am.<br /><br /><br />From Author Trish Perry:<br /><br />Mamma mia, let's escape! Let's fall in love! Let's eat chicken parmesan, fettuccini alfredo, and Bubba's down-home barbeque without gaining a pound. It's all possible when we hang out with Bella Rossi in Fools Rush In. Janice Thompson's first installment in the Weddings by Bella series is a fun, welcome distraction from life's boredom and stress. You'll fall for Bella's DJ even faster than she does. And you'll root for the Rossi and Neeley families as they break down cultural barriers and rush toward each other, arms wide open. No fools, they! - Trish Perry (<a href="http://www.trishperry.com/">http://www.trishperry.com/</a>)<br /><br />From Ane Mulligan, editor, Novel Journey<br />“Janice Thompson is a master storyteller who draws her readers into the tale along with the characters. From page one of Fools Rush In, I felt as if I were Bella’s best friend, sitting down with her over cups of Italian cappuccino while she told me the latest happenings in her zany family. One of my top picks for 2009, Fools Rush In earns a permanent place in my library.”<br /><br />Janice Thompson lives in the Houston area and is thrilled to speak to local reading groups and/or women's groups. She can be reached at booksbyjanice@aol.com. You will find a copy of the book's discussion questions here: <a href="http://www.bakerbooks.com/Media/MediaManager/FoolsRushInDiscussionQuestions.pdf">http://ww</a><a href="http://www.bakerbooks.com/Media/MediaManager/FoolsRushInDiscussionQuestions.pdf">w.bakerbooks.com/Media/MediaManager/FoolsRushInDiscussionQuestions.pdf</a><br /><br /><br />MORE INFO ABOUT THE BOOK:<br /><br />E-Blast:<a href="http://www.bakerpublishinggroup.com/thompson_eblast/">http://www.bakerpublishinggroup.com/thompson_eblast/</a><br /><br />Book Trailer (YouTube): <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TufSwOeXuoU">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TufSwOeXuoU</a><br /><br />To read the first two chapters of the book online:<a href="http://www.revellbooks.com/Media/MediaManager/Excerpt_9780800733421.pdf">http://www.revellbooks.com/Media/MediaManager/Excerpt_9780800733421.pdf</a><br /><br />Romantic Times Spotlight:<a href="http://www.rtbookreviews.com/stage/authors_spotprev.php?id=605">http://www.rtbookreviews.com/stage/authors_spotprev.php?id=605</a><br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzFaLpvDZmnbQh4cXPHqovmMbQkLWfE3cEDcGx_TRxz7KIRlhm091-IXIvbWWMhmxY_FJULw5VhzVZ0slxIVuorBNfq6rcBA6UTwo9ZXUqFWqIC8n3Ynvj9JvuZLV4OU5jqI1uB_O0XlC/s1600-h/janice2.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380290334474794162" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzFaLpvDZmnbQh4cXPHqovmMbQkLWfE3cEDcGx_TRxz7KIRlhm091-IXIvbWWMhmxY_FJULw5VhzVZ0slxIVuorBNfq6rcBA6UTwo9ZXUqFWqIC8n3Ynvj9JvuZLV4OU5jqI1uB_O0XlC/s320/janice2.jpg" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div>Janice's Website: <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.janiceathompson">http://www.blogger.com/www.janiceathompson</a><br /><br />Buy Fools Rush in at amazon.com <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0800733428/ref=s9_simz_gw_s0_p14_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=08AVC0VFEXKRNQTXT7DR&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846">here</a><br /><br />Thanks so much for your interest! Have a boot scoot'n day, y'all!<br /><br /><br />FOOLS RUSH IN<br />Paperback: 336 pages<br />Publisher: Revell (September 1, 2009)<br />Language: English<br />ISBN-10: 0800733428 </div></div>Marcia Gruverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563812990616453572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418164806836540871.post-9762889618988047062009-08-31T10:32:00.000-07:002009-08-31T10:34:12.654-07:00Come Chat With Me. . .I have an interview up on Shirley Kiger Connolly's fun blog <em><a href="http://apenforyourthoughts.blogspot.com/">A Pen for Your Thoughts</a></em>. If you stop by and say hello, you'll have a chance to win two books.<br /><br />In celebration of the upcoming October release of Emmy's Equal, the last installment of the Texas Fortunes series, I'm offering a copy of Diamond Duo and Chasing Charity, books one and two of the series, to be given away.<br /><br />Hope to see you there.Marcia Gruverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563812990616453572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418164806836540871.post-6175886829798274672009-08-04T11:27:00.000-07:002009-08-04T12:13:08.236-07:00MTCAN Report<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip0COK_MZIFxOrdW3_01vHRLmG05Ll7DV1dK2y9L9JJP4-Liwf2Mo42zapv-Qm_TX8tr3g53ActP1zGq9-EizhoIveMCTxzEDmGb3M6QK8ZR4Uo8XDBu8C-dS_r3rqPMNpyxKJEVFFR4Gc/s1600-h/Tracy's+camera+139.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366188348034735122" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip0COK_MZIFxOrdW3_01vHRLmG05Ll7DV1dK2y9L9JJP4-Liwf2Mo42zapv-Qm_TX8tr3g53ActP1zGq9-EizhoIveMCTxzEDmGb3M6QK8ZR4Uo8XDBu8C-dS_r3rqPMNpyxKJEVFFR4Gc/s320/Tracy's+camera+139.jpg" /></a>I met so many people and had so much fun at MTCAN! The organizers of the event did such a fabulous job for us that now I feel like a VIP--a Very Impressed Person. I got to schmooze and rub shoulders with the likes of Elizabeth Ludwig, Janelle Mowery, Charlotte Holt, Janice Thompson, Kathleen Y'Barbo, Martha Rogers, Linda Kozar, and Sharen Watson. Great company and great friends!<br /><br />The combined ministries of Cec Muphey, Gail Gaymer Martin, Cyndy Salzmann and Kathy Ide, as well as the musical entertainment--Darla Reid, Brenda White, Gail Martin, Karen Slagle and Julie Zick blessed those assembled. Christian Comedianne Karen Mayer Cunningham was a hoot!<br /><br />Despite a smaller than expected crowd due to inclement weather, the event still managed to raise over $1450 for Grace~Full, a single parent ministry. Not bad!<br /><br />I see great things ahead for MTCAN, and I've put this event on my calendar for next year. I hope you'll do the same.<br /><br /><div>The shadowy blur in the background (behind the great display my daughter Tracy set up) is me. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8N4ZqHGlqRK68kM2_yq49lYS_v9xT9Lh3CleciQqEUuESlGlOLnUIpua6VYYEVzpBffHgGhz10PT0S6YiNCbFSPLEro1SjlR-uMu7lwZSkJf2i2pmCUdLEMeGhSYI3lVC67UtNCAn3GGa/s1600-h/Tracy's+camera+138.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366187277364034834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8N4ZqHGlqRK68kM2_yq49lYS_v9xT9Lh3CleciQqEUuESlGlOLnUIpua6VYYEVzpBffHgGhz10PT0S6YiNCbFSPLEro1SjlR-uMu7lwZSkJf2i2pmCUdLEMeGhSYI3lVC67UtNCAn3GGa/s320/Tracy's+camera+138.jpg" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWvLpO0CGaKyJEQveSl5pKy7xBosVRN2UvuGtL5kdC_XRyXd8xwhjC-mPjE35fB8hrT0uoBw7X3-Cn7yfUdbqgJIoYMvDY_q4F_KbSDrFLQ78W5z6vfTsubbWtPc2U2hSsIAjidehbwUn/s1600-h/Tracy's+camera+139.jpg"></a><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div><br /></div>Marcia Gruverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563812990616453572noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418164806836540871.post-35075799226515096922009-07-30T11:23:00.000-07:002009-07-31T07:07:31.515-07:00Oh My Ears and Whiskers How Late It's Getting!I'm late, I'm late for<br />A very important date.<br />No time to say hello, good-bye,<br />I'm late, I'm late, I'm late.<br />--A quote from The White Rabbit in Lewis Carroll's book <em>Alice's Adventures in Wonderland</em>.<br /><br />Yeah, me and the bunny. Always late. Somehow I missed the memo. This great video promoting Meet The Christian Author Night has been available for me to post for days. Since I just now found it, I'm just now posting. It's too important not to. After all, like Alice herself said, "What is the use of a book, without pictures or conversations?"<br /><br />You'll find plenty of books, pictures, and conversations July 31st 6:30-9:00 pm at <strong>Meet The Christian Author Night </strong>hosted by WoodsEdge Community Church, The Woodlands, Texas.<br /><br />You'd be mad as a hatter to miss it!<br /><br />SNEAK PREVIEW:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxWwdSVpHgM">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxWwdSVpHgM</a>Marcia Gruverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563812990616453572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418164806836540871.post-57423198849139375962009-07-26T13:21:00.000-07:002009-07-26T13:28:52.968-07:00Of Meese and MenFound this piece tucked into my Interesting Tidbit folder and decided to share. I wish I could locate the unknown author so I could tell him (her?) how clever he is. If anyone can shed light on the origin, please enlighten me.<br /><br /><strong>Asylum for the Verbally Insane</strong><br />Author unknown<br /><br />We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes,<br />But the plural of ox becomes oxen, not oxes.<br />One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,<br />Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.<br />You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice,<br />Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.<br /><br />If the plural of man is always called men,<br />Why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?<br />If I speak of my foot and show you my feet,<br />And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?<br />If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,<br />Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?<br /><br />Then one may be that, and three would be those,<br />Yet hat in the plural would never be hose,<br />And the plural of cat is cats, not cose.<br />We speak of a brother and also of brethren,<br />But though we say mother, we never say methren.<br />Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,<br />But imagine the feminine: she, shis and shim!<br /><br />Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in<br />eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple.<br />English muffins weren't invented in England . We take English for<br />granted, but if we explore its paradoxes, we find<br />that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings<br />are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.<br /><br />And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't<br />groce and hammers don't ham. Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make<br />amends but not one amend. If you have a bunch of odds and ends and<br />get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?<br /><br />If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian<br />eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Sometimes I think all<br />the folks who grew up speaking English should be committed to an<br />asylum for the verbally insane.<br /><br />In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a<br />recital? We ship by truck but send cargo by ship. We have noses that<br />run and feet that smell. And how can a slim chance and a fat chance<br />be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?<br /><br />You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your<br />house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by<br />filling it out, and in which an alarm goes off by going on.<br /><br />So if Father is Pop, how come Mother isn't Mop?<br /><br />And that is just the beginning--even though this is the end.Marcia Gruverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563812990616453572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418164806836540871.post-82245359563960081422009-07-09T08:17:00.000-07:002009-07-09T08:49:31.465-07:00Through the Fire<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYwYBe9o9gU4A1ppxHSeBHGTYdLpeUsVRgpTK-VSElnVHMlNBHDJyd3uGqNxjOdldULw3fbQa6yuGUuY2qBlG3zYzohupH6lEst0HwYbUvif1G10N7PMo7kPOhO8ZtcjEpe6MWivEHdf2u/s1600-h/Through+the+Fire.bmp"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 210px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356486826705893586" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYwYBe9o9gU4A1ppxHSeBHGTYdLpeUsVRgpTK-VSElnVHMlNBHDJyd3uGqNxjOdldULw3fbQa6yuGUuY2qBlG3zYzohupH6lEst0HwYbUvif1G10N7PMo7kPOhO8ZtcjEpe6MWivEHdf2u/s320/Through+the+Fire.bmp" /></a>Today I'm featuring Shawn Grady's debut novel <em>Through the Fire</em>. Check out the great reviews this books has inspired: <div><div><div><div><div><br /><div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 261px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 343px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356486572536597506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgv9quMYLHk8r6gs1uxVkLQDooGegdDwyu9lRS_7zBjBl3OxtyvaPYzhAK5ivyA2K85XnWr_p0SWUCZOhSYpm89evwKD66RcJXleAnFIpoMFLmMabILe-H5kVthzQbR9QvXYNtg8VCMRGh/s400/Scott+Reviews.gif" />Don't know about you, but I'm convinced! I'll be picking this one up. To learn more about Shawn and watch his book trailer, go to: <a href="http://www.shawngradybooks.com/">shawngradybooks.com</a>.<br /><br /><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJH1-yf7MMj9oQk3FmC3jpUBn0-fiuvdWxcF5R6F7Q2UhQrv6PMKtv9Rf2_SmetvjofP3Z34WU6Q-PCjQXT8nNYnfRuARXylIlALxOOgOLLnnNMFwnRbC5lvMFmrO2A5pTt5zBK2HL6n3y/s1600-h/Shawn+Grady.bmp"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 178px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356485862944648034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJH1-yf7MMj9oQk3FmC3jpUBn0-fiuvdWxcF5R6F7Q2UhQrv6PMKtv9Rf2_SmetvjofP3Z34WU6Q-PCjQXT8nNYnfRuARXylIlALxOOgOLLnnNMFwnRbC5lvMFmrO2A5pTt5zBK2HL6n3y/s200/Shawn+Grady.bmp" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Marcia Gruverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563812990616453572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418164806836540871.post-1318832736662289242009-03-23T08:43:00.000-07:002009-03-23T09:34:52.300-07:00Debut. . .Emmy's Equal Final Cover!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGdhoL4rS6GIUuPNkvVkVLaMANCiJTY9TJmn9dmcFjdma7YOIJU7hBArs3n6js8kpUFLqQn2Oyhoj-C6OEqmvGWoI-1mYKxw-dhs79JNjIfmmNsSLBADO_tzukXC55QDRqsCVspA4fbxr/s1600-h/Emmy's+Equal+Final.jpg"></a>I'm so proud of the fantastic job Barbour Publishing has done on all three covers of my Texas Fortunes series. Don't you love the color schemes and the great Texas logo? Of course, it doesn't hurt to feature gorgeous models. :)<br /><br /><br />Emmy's Equal releases next October.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6x3HGOMPrTjI0D7emGt9kEpFkxYXgu4iQ7uePe2Q1bcWaMUdNnh_7Td0j3yYGMoiqZoHdWu2Dn-Pp5sx3rsrgAwcRwAzZPTEoF4XTL427oTsKcZVWyEwfC_YtXHxXpwr6fal-VvZG2rsa/s1600-h/Emmys-Equal_cover.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316414554898116642" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 259px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6x3HGOMPrTjI0D7emGt9kEpFkxYXgu4iQ7uePe2Q1bcWaMUdNnh_7Td0j3yYGMoiqZoHdWu2Dn-Pp5sx3rsrgAwcRwAzZPTEoF4XTL427oTsKcZVWyEwfC_YtXHxXpwr6fal-VvZG2rsa/s400/Emmys-Equal_cover.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNY97JzRZKHbzf0AqL79c4_Bt4VEE1EEywU2ubf_wpxjg5_t0OaSiyWNs0h-ilZ-nTXa5dUc8E18IqUC8pRZ8pzkBLPPoL0jzPGVaKj69oCrxVvh8u_Jzab3q7UWOlN-0ricBw7rDih8YT/s1600-h/Emmy's+Equal+Final.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><div></div>Marcia Gruverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563812990616453572noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418164806836540871.post-38365269185687953562009-02-24T10:36:00.001-08:002009-02-24T10:46:56.305-08:00Tooting My Own Horn!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9S5_ifREu-McTIazg4aHDscIT-N0RShLlvvMAzazEHX_Sbq_CH4XMQnftOy_KhKE5eGv5z7QTiothCEwOGxLgUFzFVy6HPFKKYM2X_IkBp7O51kkjHIwL6txEfWqZbtJ1-O4BkLDqYA09/s1600-h/Chasing_Gruver.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306437163106815394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 259px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9S5_ifREu-McTIazg4aHDscIT-N0RShLlvvMAzazEHX_Sbq_CH4XMQnftOy_KhKE5eGv5z7QTiothCEwOGxLgUFzFVy6HPFKKYM2X_IkBp7O51kkjHIwL6txEfWqZbtJ1-O4BkLDqYA09/s400/Chasing_Gruver.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Romantic Times Magazine gave <em><strong>Chasing Charity</strong></em> a 4 1/2 star review! Can't begin to say how thrilled I am. My thanks to Keli Gwyn, the gracious host of Romance Writers on the Journey, <a href="http://romancewritersonthejourney.wordpress.com/">(http://romancewritersonthejourney.wordpress.com/</a> ) for being the first to tell me.<br /><div></div><br /><div>Most of all, thank you God!</div><div></div><br /><div>Toot-toot!</div></div>Marcia Gruverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563812990616453572noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418164806836540871.post-85071460515061203012008-12-08T16:26:00.000-08:002008-12-12T17:18:42.996-08:00Pulpwood Parties and a Rastafari Christmas<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdkHGX0FyZ7OI7RJdSoxEC9myt5HoEG8yUWVO3tza4E_z0tYvmz9HCBVFjY6y7zrFYztxu_rlwh4vt6uoQ0jcxGm7JAw-_Md0UmKcdiuUM_8v3ZVOH3fJzHya4W3fURNKdrCNyofJRawVa/s1600-h/Kathy+Patrick.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279072491602624162" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdkHGX0FyZ7OI7RJdSoxEC9myt5HoEG8yUWVO3tza4E_z0tYvmz9HCBVFjY6y7zrFYztxu_rlwh4vt6uoQ0jcxGm7JAw-_Md0UmKcdiuUM_8v3ZVOH3fJzHya4W3fURNKdrCNyofJRawVa/s400/Kathy+Patrick.jpg" border="0" /></a> The first time I met Kathy Patrick, I recognized her as a force of nature. After four days hanging with the Pulpwood Queen in Jefferson, Texas, I’ve dubbed her The Whirlwind.<br /><br /><br />Kathy offered to host me for a book signing during Jefferson’s annual Candlelight Tour of Homes. She also used her influence to finagle me a signing at Barron’s Bookstore in Longview.<br /><br /><br />A little honesty here: When the time came to head for Jefferson, I didn’t want to go. I’ve been traveling quite a bit lately, and having just settled into a new place, I wanted to put my feet up and write instead of hitting the highway. Well, let me tell you -- I’m SO glad I went.<br /><br /><div><br /><div>Kathy dedicated herself to making my stay in Jefferson comfortable, productive, and most importantly, fun. We spent a fab-a-lous four days eating great food, chillin' with the girlfriends, talking to all hours of the night, doing our hair, plotting a new version of A Christmas Carol starring Bob Marley as the Ghost of Christmas Surreal, and (lest I forget why I went in the first place) selling books. </div><div></div><div>Thanks, Kathy!</div><div><br /><em>Signing in Barron's Bookstore, Longview, </em></div><div><em>Texas. Special thanks to Vickie Phelps </em></div><div><em>who hosted </em><em>me with warmth and grace.</em></div><br /><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYiNWjKJtyjFGP_3J-n857ByOlK6SJXPib2VIP941uHyS8s6lGPH-c3s2Mcz66EcnPKNyAr-QJyDl96EatTzXJmEVVpOkQMGt6nVPTH5Y9sXhrNOt-csNKVEFyvv-E9OYNr8h_hrg1VlOI/s1600-h/IMG_0945.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279071131738150642" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 253px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYiNWjKJtyjFGP_3J-n857ByOlK6SJXPib2VIP941uHyS8s6lGPH-c3s2Mcz66EcnPKNyAr-QJyDl96EatTzXJmEVVpOkQMGt6nVPTH5Y9sXhrNOt-csNKVEFyvv-E9OYNr8h_hrg1VlOI/s320/IMG_0945.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJKzmPvPKww5vXdgGH8AQm_yAjToUTcvfSfg5yCywnG9dUZRr46IkbAfnIAbSAYzVGpuxXBQbKvPkZhyphenhyphenoN21EsoOholI3lHE6otsrtx8SY5OpkWdcUshQ9EcPNSGyCGa5aZKUXYPszGJzQ/s1600-h/Me+%26+Kathy.JPG"></a><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div>Marcia Gruverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563812990616453572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418164806836540871.post-35639083222735870332008-11-24T20:08:00.000-08:002008-11-24T20:26:38.604-08:00Beloved Captive by Kathleen Y'Barbo<div align="center"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5500/1432/1600/CFBAreviewer_gif.0.gif"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5500/1432/320/CFBAreviewer_gif.0.gif" border="0" /></a></div><br /><center><span style="font-size:130%;">This week, the</span></center><br /><center><a href="http://www.christianfictionblogalliance.com/"><span style="font-size:100%;">Christian Fiction Blog Alliance</span></a></center><br /><center><span style="font-size:100%;">is introducing</span></center><br /><center><span style="font-size:130%;color:#993300;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1602602301">Beloved Captive</a></span></center><br /><center>Barbour Publishing, Inc (November 1, 2008) </center><br /><center>by</center><br /><center><span style="font-size:130%;color:#006600;"><a href="http://www.kathleenybarbo.com/">Kathleen Y’Barbo</a></span></center><p><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;color:#ff6600;">ABOUT THE AUTHOR:</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqR_KCsXWApKyn96wNzV-0L3-09ncDzE5GLg-pKUmzt2MU2nqhVBpbEaMvMPJcFk7r0k_xUtDl0rF_MtW05XyN_j9d5hCdxhVdpGGVZeuKpw0gd0-SrBj7yDSL-1pnjKWahiDbv4zkc8k/s1600-h/Kathleen.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272063476007379058" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 134px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqR_KCsXWApKyn96wNzV-0L3-09ncDzE5GLg-pKUmzt2MU2nqhVBpbEaMvMPJcFk7r0k_xUtDl0rF_MtW05XyN_j9d5hCdxhVdpGGVZeuKpw0gd0-SrBj7yDSL-1pnjKWahiDbv4zkc8k/s200/Kathleen.jpg" border="0" /></a>There’s never a dull moment in the Y’Barbo household! From hockey and cheer mom to publicist to bestselling author, Kathleen Y’Barbo somehow manages to do it all - and well. While wearing her publicist’s hat, Kathleen has secured interviews with radio, television, and print media for clients at NavPress, Hatchette, Integrity, Barbour Publishing, and Broadman & Holman, to name a few. She also brings her own unique blend of Southern charm and witty prose to the more than 350,000 award-winning novels and novellas currently in print. Her novels have been nominated for American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2006; and 2007 will see the release of her 25th book.<br /><br />Kathleen is a tenth-generation Texan and a mother of three grown sons and a teenage daughter. She is a graduate of Texas A&M University. Kathleen is a former treasurer for the American Christian Fiction Writers, and is a member of the Author’s Guild, Inspirational Writers Alive, Words for the Journey Christian Writers Guild, and the Fellowship of Christian Authors. In addition, she is a sought-after speaker, and her kids think she’s a pretty cool mom, too…most of the time, anyway.<br /><br />The first book in this series is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1597895938">Beloved Castaway</a>.<br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:100%;color:#ffcc00;">ABOUT THE BOOK</span></strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyBw-Ch70cznV8r6cksYHSHIej2e1ShW8gKp4siGzgBF0gMd9XGKDelxswTHwXlemuNZfRt9VP27ddYmBfRDMwPPiGoaE63wFGKfWz9osiqCl9TfTUwsCGP_MhyeZ-glpaGVGcF78y0RQ/s1600-h/belovedcaptive.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272062205491525314" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 130px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyBw-Ch70cznV8r6cksYHSHIej2e1ShW8gKp4siGzgBF0gMd9XGKDelxswTHwXlemuNZfRt9VP27ddYmBfRDMwPPiGoaE63wFGKfWz9osiqCl9TfTUwsCGP_MhyeZ-glpaGVGcF78y0RQ/s200/belovedcaptive.jpg" border="0" /></a>In this sequel to Beloved Castaway, Emilie Gayarre is learning to accept her mixed race heritage while finding fulfillment in teaching children of the key. There is no denying the attraction between Emilie and the handsome young naval commander, Caleb Spencer, who is shadowed by his own flock of secrets. But if her heritage is found out, even greater things than his career are at risk. Enjoy this historical romance full of risk and redemption.<br /><br />If you would like to read the first chapter of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1602602301">Beloved Captive</a>, go <a href="http://thestorybeginnings.blogspot.com/2008/11/beloved-captive-chapter-1.html">HERE</a>. </p><p> </p><p><strong>My review</strong>: I can't review Beloved Captive because it's still on my TBR pile. I did have the pleasure of reading Beloved Castaway, the first book in the Fairweather Keys Series, so I can't wait to read book two. Kathleen Y'Barbo is one of the most talented authors in her field. Her writing pulls you into her beautifully described settings and into the lives of her multi-faceted characters. Having read several of Kathleen's novels, I feel qualified to highly recommend Beloved Captive.</p>Marcia Gruverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563812990616453572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418164806836540871.post-71054461119088204482008-11-23T19:30:00.000-08:002008-11-23T19:40:06.026-08:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmR9G1Yh0cUkznfZ8Ij09gei0lf4Wwi1M2eg2pbS964JkgVK6uEoBW4BSoBTm18Cd7VDlc-XSy-bVAzd6wkwmr_Ikt9p8HEE7YAmactiObyDxFpyhAYLpbgO9QtSZ9nmu2PbvJe-xuB_fy/s1600-h/Keli.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272063373282183730" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 72px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 96px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmR9G1Yh0cUkznfZ8Ij09gei0lf4Wwi1M2eg2pbS964JkgVK6uEoBW4BSoBTm18Cd7VDlc-XSy-bVAzd6wkwmr_Ikt9p8HEE7YAmactiObyDxFpyhAYLpbgO9QtSZ9nmu2PbvJe-xuB_fy/s320/Keli.bmp" border="0" /></a>Come join me tomorrow (11/24) on <a href="http://romancewritersonthejourney.wordpress.com/">Romance Writer's on the Journey</a>, hosted by Keli Gwyn. Keli hit me with challenging but fun interview questions that I think you'll enjoy, and we'll be giving away an autographed copy of Diamond Duo.<br /><div></div>Marcia Gruverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563812990616453572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418164806836540871.post-88579381345635068852008-11-17T15:56:00.000-08:002008-11-17T17:18:05.324-08:00Recap of Books Alive!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMK6CwVuVieoou8N086i5euZMh3uvoT9xKWrvCPpt2DexWxEQDwFYIjmvtyw7_vebS24UkFvjOIcmQg8stgYBMVm6ln30GvdtAnWS5KnuzPZ8dTEQ-nJ820qeXfJnTvz6DEk3z5puJmRN6/s1600-h/Pulpwood+Queen%27s+Guide+to+Life.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269799816848944258" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMK6CwVuVieoou8N086i5euZMh3uvoT9xKWrvCPpt2DexWxEQDwFYIjmvtyw7_vebS24UkFvjOIcmQg8stgYBMVm6ln30GvdtAnWS5KnuzPZ8dTEQ-nJ820qeXfJnTvz6DEk3z5puJmRN6/s320/Pulpwood+Queen%27s+Guide+to+Life.jpg" border="0" /></a>Recently, I accepted an invitation from the remarkable Kathy L. Patrick to attend Books Alive, her annual book festival in Jefferson, Texas. Kathy is the proprietress extraordinaire of <a href="http://www.beautyandthebook.com/">Beauty and the Book</a>, a combination beauty salon/bookstore in Jefferson. She’s the author of <a href="http://www.beautyandthebook.com/kathybook.htm">The Pulpwood Queens' Tiara-Wearing, Book-Sharing Guide to Life </a>and the founder of the infamous Pulpwood Queen’s Book Club “where tiaras are mandatory and reading good books is the RULE!”<br /><br />Kathy claims to love books and their authors—and brother she’s not kidding. I’ve never met a stronger advocate for literacy or a bigger supporter of the writing profession. Her passion has served her well. She rubs shoulders with best-selling authors and does guest spots on Oprah and Good Morning America.<br /><br />I had a great time at Books Alive! and I hope Kathy will invite me back next year. I'll be her guest for Jefferson's Candlelight Tour of Homes in December (check the calendar of events in the sidebar for details).<br /><br />I’ve posted pictures of the talented authors featured this year at Books Alive!<br /><br /><strong>Left to right: Kathy Patrick, Heather R. Lee with her daughter and writing partner Carmen, Kathy Whitehead, Kitty Chappell, lil' old me, Deeanne Gist, Jayne Jaudon Ferrer, and Suzanne McLennan:</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoC3hhuZByODJv0pbATMUkMi3Cx-mBWPV2fIfGD0V9xo6yd6l-ni5RcE3X8Ru4T4Wzd9gp0bkk3vvLyn4P9vQwmfW5bzXmD0ZU9iXtLFOoDZSnMuE118c1idMGIlF3Np4UMzPS6KvIP92H/s1600-h/Beauty_and_Book_Club_Books_Alive_event_006_(2)_edited.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269792616936849682" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoC3hhuZByODJv0pbATMUkMi3Cx-mBWPV2fIfGD0V9xo6yd6l-ni5RcE3X8Ru4T4Wzd9gp0bkk3vvLyn4P9vQwmfW5bzXmD0ZU9iXtLFOoDZSnMuE118c1idMGIlF3Np4UMzPS6KvIP92H/s400/Beauty_and_Book_Club_Books_Alive_event_006_(2)_edited.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><div><div><br /><br /><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50kdIsiAZAiEft6e6qOwtUk430hyphenhyphenT8Rr0vgNFMbnbouqEKC4onhxnmPlUSjtx8b9Gk_eoQ7saNagsXpAsp-45ZxVBxzXoOM1VvVly63PfTt6AYGvKmFxvdnEF2oyVbTK3Gma2Inpx-VeF/s1600-h/s1568757027_56752_1717.jpg"></a><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong></strong> </div><div><strong>Dinner with Kathy Patrick, Jayne Jaudon Ferrer, and Kathy Whitehead at Lamache's Italian Restaurant inside the historic Jefferson Hotel:</strong></div></div><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioIbMs16qyQnKNWsWqtJihDAJz_LPEd-lWIMHmG647MiSJVi-n4VCJjXlZxq7ZQDNSgWFzNLiukSxwpfeTv6YsfOonVoR76y5BcSHJVNuWBik2I-3wXBW5G0GvXiNMJYeDhybzkABfpTxw/s1600-h/Table.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269792922975460642" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 274px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioIbMs16qyQnKNWsWqtJihDAJz_LPEd-lWIMHmG647MiSJVi-n4VCJjXlZxq7ZQDNSgWFzNLiukSxwpfeTv6YsfOonVoR76y5BcSHJVNuWBik2I-3wXBW5G0GvXiNMJYeDhybzkABfpTxw/s400/Table.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><div></div><div>I'll try to post a few more pictures this week.</div></div></div></div>Marcia Gruverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563812990616453572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418164806836540871.post-74529342838623995062008-10-31T06:14:00.000-07:002008-11-01T15:20:20.929-07:00The Reviews are in!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9XqYkDM-eBXgzHYkZ5Q6w_Xd1mLYSyCRt9kK8WkSn4llFYkCmZ2M8sCvmRGniRTsTdQhA9CFLYASgvxGbI91caHG3-ScGRuMKMJM8a0DkddDMxyRIbDPq6tcx5qjVhR58SVUdv42b3Qje/s1600-h/Diamond+Gruver.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263688021413930658" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 207px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9XqYkDM-eBXgzHYkZ5Q6w_Xd1mLYSyCRt9kK8WkSn4llFYkCmZ2M8sCvmRGniRTsTdQhA9CFLYASgvxGbI91caHG3-ScGRuMKMJM8a0DkddDMxyRIbDPq6tcx5qjVhR58SVUdv42b3Qje/s320/Diamond+Gruver.jpg" border="0" /></a><em>I spend a lot of time these days crying grateful tears while reading accounts of the tremendously positive reception to Diamond Duo. With great pleasure and a humble heart, allow me to post some of the amazing reviews I've found on the web:</em> <div><br /><div></div><div>This is the first installment of a new series, Texas Fortunes, by a talented author who works factual happenings into her fiction. Readers will root for the protagonists of this charming tale. - <strong>Romantic Times - Four stars</strong></div><div><strong></strong> </div><div> </div><div></div><div>With lyrical prose and a cast of characters that will remain in your heart long after the last page is turned, Marcia Gruver’s debut novel is a must-read. Whether you’re seeking a romance, a wonderful Southern story or an escape to another time, Diamond Duo is a masterpiece waiting to be found. - <strong>Kathleen Y’barbo- author of the Fairweather Key series</strong> </div><br />Diamond Duo is alive with great characters, brought to life under Marcia Gruver’s unique skill. The charm of the little details and the big picture of tension and murder will keep you turning the pages. - <strong>Mary Connealy- author of the Lassoed in Texas series<br /></strong><div><br />Marcia Gruver’s writing is witty, charming and historically accurate. She pulls you into the lives of the characters and makes you feel as though you’re actually walking and talking with them. Best of all, she captures the true feel of the setting, (a real strength in her stories). I can’t recommend Diamond Duo strongly enough! - <strong>Janice Thompson- author of the Bridal Mayhem series</strong></div><br /><div></div><div>Well-written, delightful characters—Diamond Duo is the most entertaining historical to come around in a long time. - <strong>Elizabeth Ludwig- author of Where the Truth Lies and Died in the Wool</strong></div><br /><div></div><div>Diamond Duo is a beautifully written historical rich in authentic period details with well-developed characters, and a plot that keeps you turning the pages. Marcia Gruver brings us a bit of suspense, a sweet and unpredictable romance, and life lessons along the way. You’re sure to be entertained and come away with questions about your own faith and sense of urgency in bringing the Good News to those in need. What more could you ask for in a Christian fiction novel? - <strong>Susan Sleeman- author of the Garden Gate Mystery series</strong></div><br /><div></div><div><strong>Five Stars. Terrific late Reconstruction era romance</strong> - The first Texas Fortunes historical romance is a terrific late Reconstruction era tale that brings to life a port city. The murder of Annie also known as Diamond Bessie Monroe is a real event that anchors the well written story line; as Marcia Gruver easily blends fact and fiction. With a strong cast especially the lead couple who each has self esteem issues, fans of Reconstruction Era romances will want to read the delightful DIAMOND DUO. - <strong>Harriet Klausner- Amazon’s #1 reviewer<br /></strong></div><br /><div><strong>Five Stars. Great Book!</strong> You will enjoy this sweet love story between Bertha Biddie and Thaddeus Bloom. Thaddeus is forced by his father to go away to attend school much to the dismay of Bertha who hopes to win his heart. In her hopes of winning his heart Bertha turns to Annie a new arrival in town who knows how to turn a mans head. Rich in detail and character development, Diamond Duo is a wonderful story that will leave you feeling good. It is an entertaining christian fiction book. - <strong>Kim's Reviews, </strong><a href="http://www.bookreviewstoday.blogspot.com/"><strong>bookreviewstoday.blogspot.com</strong></a></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong>Five Stars. Best Historical Fiction I have read in a long time</strong> - First of all, I enjoyed this story from page one! Seriously, the characters had me from the beginning. I am a reader who does not always expect a book to pull her in from the first word, I am accustomed to being lulled in, but I didn't get a chance to be wooed this story HOOKED ME immediately!!! </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>I love a good romance, but more than that I love a good story with three dimensional characters and a plot that is believable. This book completely has it all! We meet several characters in this book. I have to say that I enjoyed them all a great deal. It was fun to witness the spectacle of Miss Annie Monroe's arrival through the eyes of young Bertha and her best friend Magda. The stranger inspired awe in many of the town's residents as well as young Bertha. </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>I fell completely into the lives of Sarah and her husband Henry. Watching Sarah struggle with herself was something I have endured myself. She and her husband were working hard to make a life for themselves. Sometimes it is hard to let go of the old and embrace the new. Watching the couple grow together and be blessed was wonderful. They endured a lot in this short story, and their tale gave me chills more than once. </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>The story affirmed in my heart the importance of seeing someone through God's eyes, and never giving up the opportunity to show his love. There are a lot of misconceptions in this story that need to be overcome by the characters, but each thread is tied up well by the end with a promise of more adventure to come. I can hardly wait for the next book! Well done, Marcia Gruver!!! - <strong>Kelly Slater, Amazon.com review</strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong>Five Stars. Terrific Historical Christian Romantic Suspense</strong> - Marcia Gruver has penned a thrilling romantic suspense western in Book One of her Texas Fortunes series, "Diamond Duo." Bertha loves Thad and Thad is crazy about Bertha. But neither of them knows it. When Annie arrives in town, Bertha is concerned that Thad's heart will be stolen - along with all of the other men. But when a mystery man follows Annie, and a murder thickens the plot, romance will have to take a back seat to safety. This is a charming, witty, solid romantic suspense story with brilliant writing. I can't wait to read it again so I can actually savor it rather than trying to come up with a review by a deadline. - <strong>Stacy, Amazon.com review</strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong>Five Stars. Great Historical Novel based on Real Events</strong> - I enjoyed this novel very much. I was drawn in to the lives of Bertha and Thad, two young people who loved each other, but had obstacles thrown in their way. I struggled with Sara and Henry as they came to terms with being Christians in a world where people were unfair and sometimes cruel. And I couldn't help but root for Annie even though I knew her life would end tragically. I highly recommend this book. It's a Christian historical with romance, intrigue, suspense, and adventure, and is based on a real event in history. - <strong>Tamera Lynn Kraft, Faith Filled Historicals for the Adventurous Heart, Amazon.com review</strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong>From South Australia. 4.5 out of 5 for this book.</strong> -<strong> </strong>First of this was a wonderful book. Marcia had me wanting to keep reading and I just loved the sub characters. Bertie Biddle is wonderful in her role and has a real heart for people. There are sub Characters Sarah and Henry King and I found them to be wonderful in fact for me they stole the book to a degree. To start with I wasn't sure what there story was and how it related but it was an integral part of this story. Marcia left me wanting to read more and I cant wait for her next book. If you like historical books with a western feel you will love this book. - <a href="http://.ausjenny.blogspot.com/">ausjenny.blogspot.com/</a></div></div>Marcia Gruverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563812990616453572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418164806836540871.post-71057605961024521772008-08-04T19:56:00.000-07:002008-08-05T13:59:24.642-07:00Congratulatons, Elizabeth Ludwig!For being named IWA! Writer of the Year at the Texas Christian Writer's Conference. You go Lisa!<br /><div></div><br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6GBmIssrFMWy8T3bTHcmKwvGrQeg-_oSgRCHH12VbQQJ7gYa7KT-hbAlh3-XliZuCccPbSrHQscBvFypD28-Sg8DVo0ZygWL0akYfznOx1AFxVJJJ2Fxy9rGPUYahOEO_ShzleHXZfSIz/s1600-h/Lisa+Image.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231140774262376674" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6GBmIssrFMWy8T3bTHcmKwvGrQeg-_oSgRCHH12VbQQJ7gYa7KT-hbAlh3-XliZuCccPbSrHQscBvFypD28-Sg8DVo0ZygWL0akYfznOx1AFxVJJJ2Fxy9rGPUYahOEO_ShzleHXZfSIz/s400/Lisa+Image.bmp" border="0" /></a></div></div>Marcia Gruverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563812990616453572noreply@blogger.com3