Books That Make Your Heart Flutter Blog Hop!

What are some of the books that just make your heart go pitter-patter when you read them?

Today I'm participating in a blog hop hosted by Candlelight Reads.

I used to read a lot of romance when I was younger, but I have two all-time favorites that still make me sigh with a racing heart by the end. One is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. When I was younger, that moody, broody Mr. Darcy was exactly my type of guy(except all the moody-broodies I knew were actually not very nice people). When Darcy redeems himself near the end of the story, I always find myself grasping at my heart and dabbing a tear from my eye.

The second novel is The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, for a completely different reason. The story does not necessarily end predictably, but I sigh with satisfaction at the characters' use of restraint and decisions to do the right thing.

Incidentally, The Age of Innocence inspired my novel Song from the Ashes, which I'm giving away free via ebook through random drawing. Just comment below with a book that makes your heart go pitter-patter, and you'll automatically be entered to receive a free ecopy.

Here is an excerpt from the novel:

Landon felt the blood rush to his face. He knew once he began saying the words he wouldn’t be able to stop, and they would change the precarious balance of all that had been between them.

“April and I had a heart to heart while I was there. She confronted me with something—with the reasons why she felt I was rushing the marriage.”

            Ella moved to sit in the chair closest to the bookshelf—the furthest one from him.

            “She thinks I just want to hurry it along to convince myself of my feelings for her, when it’s really someone else I want to be with,” he said.

            Ella’s face colored as her expression of surprise froze her features.  “Someone else?”

            He nodded, watching her eyes darting around, considering his words. Even so, Landon felt he couldn’t sit another minute; his right leg jittered up and down furiously.

“The thing is,” he rushed on, “I told her she had nothing to worry about. She remembered a girl she saw me with at church a few times, and I assured April that girl is long gone—out of my life. But…,” he paused at the word, looking up at Ella who looked stricken—as though her breath had caught in her throat. Her mouth was slightly open and the muscles in her neck constricted.

            She stood up and walked toward him. “Landon, I don’t think you should say—“

            “She guessed right,” he rushed on, knowing he had to get the words out. “April guessed right.”

            Ella stood in front of him, looking up at him, shaking her head. “No.”

            “What time do you have to leave?” he asked, his voice sounding thick and unlike himself.

            Without moving, Ella glanced at the clock behind him. “I should be leaving soon—now, really. My ride’ll be here.”

            He slumped a little, nodding slowly.

            “You should come with me,” she said softly.

            The thought crossed his mind, but in actuality, he didn’t want to go with her. He wanted her to stay there with him. He didn’t want to leave the house or have her leave; he wanted everything to stay exactly as it was right then in that moment—just the two of them alone in the world.

            “April was right when she guessed I wanted someone else,” he got the words out, meeting Ella’s gaze—watching her eyes well with tears. Minutes seemed to pass as they stood there, staring at one another; the weight and reality of his words sinking in.

            She turned suddenly and retreated to the safety of the couch where she sank down, shaking her head just as the tears spilled over her cheeks.

“Don’t do this Landon. Do not mess with my head. I can’t take that—not from you.”

            He stood his ground feeling the adrenaline rushing through him, “I’m not messing with your head, Ella. I wouldn’t do that, but I have to tell you how I’m feeling. I don’t know how I could live with myself without being honest…with myself and with you. I think I want things to be ….different.”

            She looked up at him, and her face was wet with tears.

“Different? Things can’t be different, Landon. You haven’t broken anything off with April—in fact, now you’ve set them on the fast track for marriage. How can things be any different?”

            Her words hurt; they held a mirror before his face and he saw his weakness. “How do you feel about me, Ella? Tell me how you feel.”

             “No,” she said, shaking her head vigorously. “Don’t put me in that position, Landon! I’m not going to pour my heart out to you—to another woman’s fiancé—only to have my heart smashed all over again. You know what I went through with Grey. I’m not going there again.”

            Landon sat beside her on the couch, wanting desperately to be close to her. He had hoped his confession of feeling would bring her heart closer to his, not push her away. He didn’t want to argue with her. He took her hand in his, and although she didn’t clutch his fingers the way he’d hoped, she didn’t pull away either.

“I’m not like Grey Dyer, Ella. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

            She nodded, her eyes wide and shining with tears, “I know. But you can’t be my husband.”

            He studied her face, his hand squeezing hers, “Why can’t I be? You’re the woman I want to be with, Ella.”

            “Please, don’t say that,” she said, her voice breaking.

            “Why not? It’s true!”

            “But there’s April…”

Once you've commented and entered the free giveaway, be sure to check out other bloggers (their links are below) and their great selections and giveaways!

Favorite Things Friday: The Best Book I Read in March

It's time to reveal the best book I read in March! For those who don't know, I participate in the monthly blog by The Cephalopod Coffeehouse in which we share book reviews and recommendations.

I'm one of those people who buys a book for my kindle and then sits on it for a year before I ever get around to reading it. That's what happened with this book. I started it months ago and then stopped thinking it didn't really interest me. But then I decided to try it again. I don't know if I was more focused on the reading or simply more interested in the story, but this time I found it riveting! My favorite book from March is...

Big Little Lies is a mystery of sorts, but it's also a domestic drama, and I think that's what I really like about it. I love the combination of mystery and soap opera played out in an Australian suburb. Told through three different points of view, the plot revolves around a group of mothers (Madeleine, Celeste, and Jane) whose children attend the same elementary school. From the beginning of the novel, we know that something really bad has happened. The tension of this event which is yet to come continues throughout the story fueled by snippets of interviews from bystanders, school staff and administration, detectives, and other neighbors. We don't know what has happened or to whom, but it's bad enough that the police are involved. Alongside the mystery, the lives of Madeleine, Celeste, and Jane are laid bare, and the secrets of their-not-so-blissful domesticity spill forth.

Liane Moriarty is my new favorite author. She has this talent for writing storylines about regular people that could easily happen, but the what's-going-to-happen factor is so strong that you just have to read on. Her realistic dialogue is sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes hilarious, but always spot on. Right now I'm reading The Husband's Secret, and the style is similar to that of Big Little Lies (several narrators, domestic story, mystery tossed in for good measure), so if you like Big Little Lies, you might try The Husband's Secret afterwards.

If you're looking for a party this afternoon, stop by my Facebook Party link below from 3-9 p.m and join the party link. I'll be featuring Song from the Ashes from 5-5:30, but there will be other authors in different time slots giving away books, gift cards, and other loot!

Facebook Party Link

Favorite Things Friday: The Best Book I Read in January

It's that time again! Time for The Cephalopod Coffeehouse and the best book I read in January!

Everyone knows I am the slowest reader in the world! I love to read, but between trying to write every day and a stressful full-time job, I'm lucky if I get 30 minutes of reading time a day! It usually takes me around a month to finish one book. Add to that the fact that I tend to start 4 or 5 books at a time! Therefore, imagine my surprise when last Friday (on a whim) I downloaded on my Kindle the Paula Hawkins novel, The Girl on the Train...and it took me less than a week to finish it!




The concept tag for this book is Gone Girl meets Rear Window, and I think that's an accurate description. This novel has all the page-turning suspense of Gone Girl combined with the voyeuristic delight of Rear Window. This novel resonated with me right away since I used to live in London and took the train often into English suburbia and beyond. I spent hours looking out train windows and wondering who lived in the passing row houses and what their lives were like. That's kind of the premise with which this novel begins.  Rachel, the main narrator, travels on the same train at the same time every day. The train stops daily at the same signal light where she is able to glimpse the backside of a Victorian row house and the couple that lives therein. She's constructed a whole life for this unknown couple, given them names, talents, careers. The narrator soon reveals that this house is only four down from where she used to live in her old life that included a husband and a job. Her life is very different now, and as the novel unfolds, Rachel recalls life then and now. Because of her struggles with alcoholism and blackouts, she becomes embroiled in a murder mystery, sure that something she's forgotten is a key clue in solving the mystery.

Told through the point-of-view of three narrators, this novel is a fast-paced and riveting dark mystery with well-developed, likeable, and believable characters. Rachel is a sympathetic character who is terribly flawed but recognizes her shortcomings. This is one of those novels I would term brilliantly crafted, as the writing is as good as the story, and the plot twists are well-paced and placed. The Girl on a Train is suspenseful and not predictable, and although I did figure out "whodunnit" before the end of the book, it took nothing away from the story.

Not only is this the best book I've read this month, it's the best book I've read in several months!  I dare you to put the book down!




There are only a couple of days left to enter the free giveaway of Song From the Ashes on Goodreads! Enter here to win!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Song from the Ashes

by Megan Whitson Lee

Giveaway ends February 02, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Free Giveaway of Song From the Ashes

Enter the Goodreads contest to win a free copy of Song From the Ashes!

Contest ends February 2nd!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Song from the Ashes

by Megan Whitson Lee

Giveaway ends February 02, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Favorite Things Friday! Top Ten Favorite Movies, an Adoptable Dog, and a Free Book Giveway!

The third week of the month is usually the featured adoptable dog week. I’m still going to feature a dog in need of a home, but at the request of a friend, I’m going to feature my top ten movies of all time.

I have to dig back a few years for these (in fact, none of them are later than 2007, so clearly I’m not an avid movie goer these days). Okay, so here we go:

1.       The Remains of the Day

Any friend of mine knows about this era of my life. It marked an intense love affair with England, a long-lasting May-December crush on Anthony Hopkins, and an early-life reflection (I think I may have been 22 at the time the movie came out) regarding whether I was missing out on what was left of my life. This is an outstanding movie based on an astonishing novel by Kazuo Ishiguro about a butler in the evening of his life trying to correct mistakes from years before. I recommend both the novel and the movie (but especially the movie).

2.       Revolutionary Road

Every year for the past few years I’ve read and re-read this novel. I think Richard Yates may have been one of the best writers of the twentieth century. The movie only captures the flavor of the novel, but it successfully highlights the truths about the difficulties of marriage and the disappointments in life. Leonardo di Caprio and Kate Winslet star.

3.       Howard’s End

Okay. Clearly I love English films. Clearly I love English films based on novels. And this IS another Anthony Hopkins movie. I’ve been watching this movie since 1994, but I just read the novel last year. I loved the novel every bit as much as the movie, but the film is visually stunning and worthy of repeated viewings. With a cast that includes Emma Thompson and Helena Bonham-Carter during the height of their careers…well, I just don’t know what else I can say. The story line follows three families from each socioeconomic level, and asks the questions with great subtlety, who will inherit England?

4.       Lantana

This is a little-known film in America, but it was critically acclaimed when it came out in 2002. The film is Australian, and I was in living in Australia at the time. I remember going to see it in the theater at least twice while I was there and finally buying the film when I returned home. Very much like the movie Crash, Lantana follows the lives of different couples and individuals who are all intertwined and connected by the death of a woman (shown at the beginning of the film). Until well into the film, you don’t know who the woman is, whether or not she was murdered, or her connection to these other characters . Starring Anthony Lapaglia, Jeffrey Rush, and Barbara Hershey, this is a gritty, honest look at marriage, infidelity, and miscommunication.

 

5.       Shadowlands

Okay! I know! I know! Another Anthony Hopkins film. There for a while he was on a roll of wonderful films. This is another English film about the wonderful Christian writer and theologian C.S. Lewis and his romance and marriage to Joy Gresham. Make no mistake—this is a tear-jerker, but it’s powerful and redemptive. Shadowlands is a beautiful movie that unashamedly reveals the danger, joy, and pain of true love and poignantly conveys that God’s plan is perfect--even in the midst of the pain. I used some of the music from the film in my wedding!

 

6.       Rebecca

Yes. The 1940 Alfred Hitchcock film starring Joan Fontaine and Laurence Olivier and based on Daphne du Maurier’s extraordinary novel. The film is black and white, but I show it to my 9^th grade students every year after we read Du Maurier’s short story “The Birds” and they almost always love it. Hitchcock was simply ahead of his time. He knew what he was doing with shadows and camera angles, and his choice of casting Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers, the creepy, obsessed housekeeper was nothing short of brilliance. The mystery of finding out what really happened to the doomed (and apparently wicked) Rebecca still appeals to modern audiences.

 

7.       The Others

I'm beginning to realize that almost all of these films I’ve mentioned are foreign (mostly English) and many are period pieces to boot!) The Others is a late 90s film starring Nicole Kidman. A ghost story taking place on the island of Jersey  during World War II, the protagonist’s husband has apparently gone off to war leaving his wife to care for the huge, isolated mansion with her two children suffering from porphyria (an illness that prevents them from being exposed to light). This is not a horror film, but it is a scary thriller with a completely unexpected twist at the end.

8.       Bridget Jones’s Diary

I loved the book. Dare I say I loved the movie a teensy bit more? Bridget, the unlucky-in-love heroine is sympathetic and adorable (played perfectly by Renee Zellweger), a train-wreck every time she opens her mouth or attempts a romantic relationship. Colin Firth is the perfect Mr. Darcy (not only because he played THE Mr. Darcy in BBC’s Pride and Prejudice but also because he embodies that attitude of the English gentleman who is aloof-bordering-on-rude but actually turns out to be a warm-hearted softy). Hugh Grant knocks Daniel Cleaver’s character out of the park. Who knew Grant--usually the bumbling, mumbling, self-effacing English gent--could play the smarmy, sleazy, yet devastatingly attractive scuzball so well? Laugh-out-loud funny movie.

 

9.       Christmas Vacation

Two comedies in a row! And no one even knew I could laugh! This is the film I view every year while assembling the Christmas tree. It is a favorite of my family and we regularly recite lines to each other (we know every single one of them). If you’ve seen National Lampoon’s Vacation or European Vacation, you know the sort of humor you’re dealing with here. It’s slap-stick to be sure. But the glory of this film resides in its indisputable truths of family and the holidays. Nothing ever goes the way you expect; there is always drama of some sort; and invariably, something always goes up in flames. Enjoy the laughs on this one!

10.   The Age of Innocence

Finally! An American one.  Scorcese directed this one back in 1994, and the film was nominated for several Academy Awards.  Of course, my most recent novel, Song from theAshes, is based on this novel. Like Howard’s End, I only read Wharton's novel in the last few years, whereas I’ve been watching the movie for over twenty!  Scorcese’s attention to detail, color, and accuracy creates a visual feast! The genteel appeal of this delicious world of 1870s New York society makes you want to crawl into the screen and live there for a while as Newland Archer fights against the gossip and expectations to decide which direction (and love interest) he will choose.

So there you have it! My top ten of all time! Now it’s your turn! What are you favorites? 

But before you go, check out Polly. She’s a galgo from Spain. Galgos are Spanish greyhounds who have a much harder life than their American counterparts. After their usefullness is over (they're used as hunting hounds) they are abandoned or killed.

Polly is about five years old, and she’s a little shy around men, but she warms up once she gets to know you. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting her, and I immediately fell in love with her. She is so sweet! Her adoption fee is $650 which includes her spay/neuter and transportation from Spain fees. If you’re interested, send an application to Sighthound Underground at: http://sighthoundunderground.com

Finally, don't forget to enter my free giveaway on Goodreads!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Song from the Ashes

by Megan Whitson Lee

Giveaway ends February 02, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Favorite Things Friday: A Russian River Zinfandel, a Virtual Wine Tasting, and a Goodreads Giveaway!

Trader Joe's wine is usually associated with Charles Shaw, but here's a little wine gem that may surprise you. Yes, it's from Trader Joe's, but it's produced and bottled through Pezzi King Vineyards in Healdsburg, California in the Russian River Valley region.

Trader Joe's Reserve Zinfandel from Russian River Valley in Sonoma County (2012) is perfect for steak or Italian food--such as spaghetti or lasagna. In fact, it's fabulous in the sauce! Juicy, spicy, and a little peppery with blackberry, cherry, and licorice flavors, this is a well-balanced, medium bodied wine with a nice, lingering finish.

At 14.2% alcohol, it's not one of your bigger zins, but for weekly or every day drinking, this is a flavorful and well-rounded wine.

Cheers, everyone! It's Friday!!

And after you get back from Trader Joe's head over to Good reads and enter my free giveaway of Song from the Ashes.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Song from the Ashes

by Megan Whitson Lee

Giveaway ends February 02, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Favorite Things Friday: New Year Hopes

           

 Happy 2015 to everyone! One of my New Year’s Resolutions this year is to do a better job keeping up with Favorite Things Fridays and the blog in general. I’ve had a really hard time keeping up with the blog since September when I had to start teaching again, and I really don’t want that to be the case starting NOW.

            Quite honestly, this school year has been incredibly tough. It’s become increasingly difficult to teach for several years now and for many different reasons. Some people are natural-born teachers and some are not, and one thing I’ve discovered about myself over the past ten years of teaching is that I am not a natural teacher. In fact, often I find it quite painful and the difficulty of the job has taken over a large portion of my life making it hard to put a lot of energy into other areas. So that is one resolution for this new year. Put more time into my marriage, my home, and the important things in life.

            2014 carried many blessings and good things such as the publication of Song from the Ashes, and the opportunity to make new friendships through writers’ associations and online networking. For these things I am very thankful. I’m also thankful for my eighty-six-year-old grandmother’s recovery from pneumonia and a weakened heart condition. Just a few weeks ago she was in the ICU, and last week I was able to visit her in the comfort of my dad’s home where she looked as beautiful as ever.

 

My husband and I are truly blessed to have wonderful families. My grandfather and father-in-law both had ninetieth birthday parties this year, and Stephen and I are close with both our families and love spending time with them. I think that’s the most important lesson I’ve learned this year: family is king. I know a lot of people have major drama, hardships, and heartbreaks with their families, and it’s not always a pleasant experience for people. For us, we love time with both families and we’ve begun to realize that we need to be closer to them. Both sets of parents and all family members live in the South Carolina/North Carolina/East Tennessee area, and it’s becoming difficult to be the only ones up here in the rat race of Northern Virginia.

 

So for 2015 we are praying for positive change and whatever opportunities the Good Lord may bring our way. Ultimately, it’s all in His hands, and we trust and believe in his sovereign plans and provisions.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Jeremiah 29:11

 

New Author Interview

Sorry I missed posting yesterday! It has been quite a week...

I also realized that October has 5 weeks, so my schedule of posting inspirational, wine-of-the-month, dog-for-adoption, best-book-I-read-this-month weekly schedule was awkwardly interrupted. So for this week, I have a new interview for you.

Fiona McVie graciously interviewed me this week, and here is the link!

Interview

Favorite Things Friday! Dogs and God: The Unconditional Love Parallel

It’s been almost a year since my beloved dog, Tessa, died. In 2002, I adopted Tessa, a one or two year-old dachshund mix from a small dog rescue in Locust Grove, Virginia. She remained my “bestest little girl” for the next eleven years. Unfortunately, last fall she was diagnosed with lymphoma and passed away about eight weeks later.

 

Missing her and thinking about her this week made me revisit the idea of how God views animals and why we, as humans, love our animals so, so much. I started philosophizing a little bit, and I realized that dogs’ love for their human companions greatly resembles God’s love for us. Dogs are faithful, loving, and forgiving. So is God. Dogs desperately want to be near us as much as possible. So does God. Relationally, there are some parallels, and it makes me wonder if the Lord put these beautiful animals upon the earth to remind us of His pure and unconditional love for us.

The Bible says, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness (Galatians 5:22). I look at Chase and Trinity--the two dogs we have now--and I see all of these qualities. They are mostly peaceful, but always joyful. There is nothing like being greeted by Chase and Trinity at the end of a long, hard day. They wait all day (longsuffering) for our return. Once we come through the door, the celebration abounds! Jumping around, squealing with delight, spinning and whirling with such intense excitement at our homecoming as to be overwhelming at times. I imagine that is the sort of welcome we will receive in heaven one day.

“Ask the animals, and they will teach you...In God’s hand is the life of every creature, and the breath of all mankind.” (Job 12:7 and10)

Dogs can teach us about kindness and goodness if we watch them closely. Unless unbalanced or abused, most dogs are happy to meet new people, welcoming them with wagging tails and lolling tongues (even if the person the dog meets doesn’t like them). I once heard a minister say, while pointing to a golden retriever brought to the pulpit, “The best Christian in this room is this golden retriever.” We all laughed, but who could dispute it? No human has the capability of being wholly kind and good. "There is no one righteous, not even one…" (Romans 3:10).

 

As for how God feels about dogs, and animals in general, His word tells us, Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.b (Matthew 10:29). So we know that God cares for all His creatures. And I believe He sometimes employs them supernaturally. There was a story out not too long ago about a man injured in a house fire. “Go get help!” he told his dog, and she ran long and hard out to the road where a police officer was trying to find the burning house. The officer said later that something told him to follow the dog; he heeded the voice, followed the dog, and she led him straight to her person’s house.  (See video below)

 

“The Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” (2 Thessalonians 3:3)

One final parallel: the connection between God’s protection and that which a dog instinctually performs. A woman with whom I used to attend church once told me that she had never been angry with God in her life, because she viewed Him in the same way she viewed the German shepherd she’d had as a child that often protected her from her abusive father. She saw God as standing in her defense just as her dog had. I found that touching, and it secured a comparison in my mind. Sometimes it's hard to really, truly feel or understand God's love here on this fallen earth because so many things compete for our time, attention, and feelings. On the other hand, nothing and no one loves us, wants us, or protects us like God. When this lady told me her story, just for a moment, I caught a glimpse of God's love for me. He loves me unconditionally--like my dog--even more than my dog, and He will fight for me. It gave me chills, because I knew how much my dog loved me. And if my dog loved me that much -- how much more God loved me was really something.

Obviously the comparison I’m making here only goes so far and only represents one component of God, as He is also holy and righteous and just. But if He ever wanted us to catch a glimpse of His unconditional and joyful love for us, He created a wonderful example in a four-legged companion animal whose English name uses the same three letters as His own.

Guest Character Post

I usually post on Wednesdays and Fridays, so I'm a day late drawing your attention to my guest character post on Written Love blog site. Ella Casey speaks on returning to one's hometown and the difficulties of love.

Enjoy!

Click HERE to read post.

Mission Book Signing #1: Accomplished!

This past Saturday I was in Kingsport, Tennessee (my hometown and the setting of Song from the Ashes) for my first book signing. It took place at River Mountain Antiques & Primitives in the middle of the downtown (and right next to the annual Oktoberfest celebration). 

I should preface this by say that I absolutely detest being the center of attention (I think that may be a common personality trait of writers), so the idea of two hours of attention was daunting.

 

 

We arrived around 12:15 and set up (my mom came with me to help with the sales, and my step-father and husband came along to offer moral support). No one was in the store at 12:30, but the signing didn’t start until 1 p.m., so we sat and waited patiently. At first I was afraid no one was going to come. It’s a strange feeling to know that people are coming (or not coming) to see you.

 

 

Around 1:15, people started to flood in. I couldn’t believe it! People who knew me from elementary school (!), people who’d read the article in the local newspaper, people who were friends of family—they were all coming into the store to meet me. And the really amazing part was that people were buying my book!

 Two hours actually flew by, and I had a wonderful time talking to people and seeing family and friends I hadn’t seen in ages.  

It was a relief when it was all said and done and we could head to the clubhouse for the launch party, where friends and family joined us for drinks and food. (Unfortunately, we had so much fun at the party that we forgot to take pictures!) A million and one thanks to my mom and step-father who put lots of time, energy, and dollars into the party!

 Now on to the next book signing this Saturday at Book Lover’sBazaar at Tackett’s Mill in Lake Ridge, Virginia!

 

Character Interview

I had never heard of a "character interview" before doing a virtual book tour. Basically, as the name suggests, it involves an interview with a character from a novel. When I first received the request, I was completely blocked with fear (it seemed like such a strange thing to do), but then I got over myself and realized that it was a very creative way to feature the book!

Today's virtual book tour stop is at The Literary Nook: an interview with Landon Kingsley, the main character in Song from the Ashes.

Enjoy!

Character Interview at The Literary Nook.

Wednesday I'll discuss the wonderful book signing and party from this past weekend and display some pictures!

Book Signing this Weekend!

So this is it! My first book signing EVER happens this weekend at River Mountain Antiques & Primitives in Kingsport, Tennessee on 120 Broad Street from 1-3 p.m. For those of you who don't yet have your copy, you will be able to purchase Song from the Ashes on the day.

I should also point out that River Mountain Antiques is one of the coolest stores you'll ever visit! They sell unique and beautiful clothing, hand-made jewelry, locally made foodstuffs, vintage and contemporary merchandise, household decor, and ...wait for it...antiques! Anyway, the store is a real gem and it's right in the middle of the downtown, near the train tracks and old train station, in the most charming part of Kingsport (at least I think so).

Here's a link to the store's write-up in a local online magazine called Examiner and a promotional video.



I hope to see some of you there!

An Interview and a Giveaway!

I think I'm much happier doing virtual interviews than I ever would be if they were in person.

Check out my interview on Emilie Hendryx's site Thinking Thoughts and you can register for a free giveaway of my book!

INTERVIEW

Thank you for hosting me, Emilie!

Two Guest Blogs today!

Today I'm doubly blessed to be hosted by Crooks on Books and The Story Behind the Book! Check out my guest blog posts on both sites!

Two Book Tour Stops Today!

I have two virtual book tours overlapping at the moment. My tour with Pump Up Your Book starts today at The Examiner.  I'm also visiting Celia Kennedy's blog today with Fiction Addiction tours. You can check out that link HERE and enter the amazon gift card giveaway!

Heartbreak and the Book Tour Stop #4

Today's blog stop at Chick Lit Chickadees includes my guest post on heartbreak! Happy reading!

Check out link HERE.

A Narrow Escape and Blog Stop #3

Just last week, I, my husband, and two friends of ours were toodling around Sonoma County, enjoying wine tastings, beautiful scenery, and fantastic, temperate weather.

We planned our stay right at the end of my summer vacation, so our flight left San Francisco Saturday afternoon. On the way to the airport, one of our friends made a joke about the contingency plan for earthquakes written in the hotel room's notebook.

"It says to get under a table and hold onto the legs," he laughed. "So, I guess I'll be under the table madly flipping through pages trying to figure out what to do during an earthquake."

We all laughed.

This spawned a conversation about the last earthquake in San Francisco when my husband still lived in the Bay area, the damage done, etc. In those moments, the thought actually crossed my mind:  wouldn't that be something if one were to happen while we're talking about it?

But our flight left that afternoon safely and without incident and we arrived home late that night.

Sunday morning the Napa earthquake hit. I couldn't believe it. It was surreal. I was thankful that we had escaped right before it hit. I was even more thankful that no one in the area died in the 6.1 quake.

Our friend who had traveled with us commented that "everyone in that area lives so precariously--never knowing when an earthquake might befall them." My husband, however, assured him that no one in San Francisco or the surrounding areas walked around fearing the next earthquake. They live their lives. And if one hits, they have preparedness plans in place.

It made me think about the fact that we all live somewhat "precariously." Earthquakes aren't the only disasters that befall areas, and we can't spend our days wondering what horrible things could happen and when. For those of us who trust in God, we turn to him, pray for safety, and leave it in his hands. All of us can take all kinds of safety measures (and should at times), but we can't see the future, and we can't really live out our lives if we're constantly fearing what terrible thing might happen next.

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
Isaiah 26:3 NIV

Song from the Ashes book tour stop number 3 is today at Georgina Troy's blog! You can read the interview HERE.

Second Stop!

The second stop on the blog tour is a great review from Brook Cottage Books!

You can check it out by clicking on this LINK.

The First Blog Tour Begins!

My first blog tour for Song from the Ashes begins today hosted by Brook Cottage Books. The first stop is a fantastic review from Echoes in an Empty room! 

After that, be sure you travel over to Deal Sharing Aunt to enter the raffle for a $25 Amazon gift card giveaway!

I'll keep everyone posted on each day's blog visit (and whether it's a review, giveaway, guest post, or interview).

Thanks for following!