Friday Reads

Friday! What are you going to read this weekend? I just finished Rust, by Corbin Bernsen. This book is well worth your hard-earned weekend time. It's a quick read, but the impact is huge. My Amazon review gave it five stars because it deserves it.

"James is suffering from a disconnect from God, leaves his pastoral ministry and heads home to Kipling. He finds himself in the midst of righting a terrible wrong, but must lean on the God who he can't feel anymore. His best friend Travis is accused of a horrific crime and James is certain he is innocent. Tensions at home with his father and the family he left to pursue his calling make his quest difficult. The deeply introspective point of view speaks to every seeker. Throw in engaging characters and a bit of mystery and you have a great story."

I love Rust for lots of other reasons, too. It's published by the Pelican Group, my publisher! Corbin Bernsen is one of my favorite actors. His character on Psych, Henry Spencer, is the perfect lovable cynic to counter his son Shawn's (James Roday) crazy existence. Psych, a USA Network original, is just one of his accomplishments in entertainment.

From Amazon: "Corbin Bernsen comes from an entertainment family and has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in television, theater and film. He holds a bachelor’s degree in theater and a master’s degree in playwriting from UCLA, and was nominated for both Emmy and Golden Globe awards for his performance as Arnie Becker in the hit NBC TV series LA Law.  He most recently starred as Henry Spencer on USA Network’s hit original series Psych. His work includes roles in Disorganized Crime, Wolfgang Peterson’s Shattered, The Great White Hype, and as the Cleveland Indians’ third baseman-turned-owner Roger Dorn in the Major League films. Other film credits include Lay the Favorite with Bruce Willis and The Big Year with Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson. He also appeared with Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Rust is his first novel, and he also wrote, directed, and stars in the feature film of the same name. Bernsen’s latest film, Christian Mingle, was released in January, 2015 by Capitol. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife of 26 years, actress Amanda Pays, and their four sons."

A well established career, but this man can also write! His ability to make the reader feel what the character feels is remarkable. Bernsen's portrayal of James' spiritual crisis touches the heart. Any believer can relate and any seeker begin to find answers.

Yes! There's a movie, and that's my weekend plan. What's yours?

Winner and Wednesday Whimsy

Congratulations to Lisa Macomber. You win the Thomas Kinkade book! I hope you enjoy it. Please email me at jodybooks@faithwriters.net with your mailing address:) Thanks everyone who entered, and watch Monday for a new giveaway!



Now for the whimsy. I used to love this poem:

Jenny kissed me when we met,
Jumping from the chair she sat in;
Time, you thief, who love to get
Sweets into your list, put that in!
Say I'm weary, say I'm sad,
Say that health and wealth have missed me,
Say I'm growing old, but add,
Jenny kissed me. 

Leigh Hunt

This poem expresses the way I feel when I'm given a joyous hug and kiss from a child, especially grandchildren. Is there anything sweeter?

What sweet things do you look forward to?

Monday Giveaway and Something Beautiful

Where we love is home,
home that our feet may leave,
but not our hearts.
                Oliver Wendell Holmes

I have always loved the art of Thomas Kinkade.  Known as the Painter of Light, his beautiful paintings depict a sense of old-fashioned home and community.

If my husband and I, in our younger years, ever talked about leaving East Texas and pursuing ministry elsewhere, I always said, "Anywhere but the desert." I should have known to 'never say never.'

We've been living in the desert of West Texas for nearly 20 years now, and although it took me time to get used to it, I embrace this place as home. There is nothing like the sunsets here, and in the evening it is almost always cool, even in the dog days of summer. No mosquitoes! But it's my family and the people here that make it truly "home."

I'd love to give away this beautiful Thomas Kinkade book, filled with his luscious artwork and poems and prose about home. I'll do a drawing using Random.org from all the comments posted here.

I'd love to know about where you live; your favorite thing about your home and/or town. I hope your Monday is a wonderful day.

Winner and Wednesday Whimsey

Congratulations Serena Escobar - the patriotic note cards are yours! A new giveaway will post here on Monday:)


Have you ever listened to the Trim Healthy Mama podcast? It never fails to make me smile, and smiles are what we need on hump day, right? Check it out:  Trim Healthy Podcast

Yes, it's called the Poddy! 

I try to keep this short and sweet, because we're all busy. Just want to bring a little joy into your day. Hope you can look at Wednesday through Love Colored Glasses:) 

How can I pray for you today? If you don't want to post here, find me on Facebook and private message me, or email me at jodybooks@faithwriters.net. 

Monday Giveaway and Something Beautiful

Merry Monday! After 2 days of 100 degree temps, it's cold and rainy today! I don't mind:)Something beautiful from my daily calender:

 "Open yourself to the idea of a guilt-free you. This may be difficult. You've dragged around your past for so long that you can't imagine yourself without it. God can. He sees a revision of your script. Just because you were a villain in Act 1,  you needn't be one in Act 2. He makes all things new!"

         Max Lucado

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so! If you are a child of God, say so in the comments! We'll have a Hallelujah time! If you're not, or you don't feel free, I'd love to tell you about it, just email me at jodybooks@faithwriters.net. Flag Day and the Fourth of July are coming up soon. I'd like to give away these patriotic cards. I'll draw Wednesday morning using Random.org

Let's have church!

Friday Reads - Are we ready?

Bailey Brown spent her whole life making decisions based on negative words she heard as a child. Beautiful and accomplished, she still felt she'd never measure up.

So she wasn't ready.

Everything she had in her life came from people pleasing decisions. When she lost her fiance, her job, and her inheritance all in the same day, she wasn't ready.

The world crashing around her, she barely remembered her faith. So she ran away.


I'm excited to reintroduce Washout Express! Wedding Express is the second in the series, and the series becomes complete this November with the release of Joy Express. Get up to speed by reading the first two before November:) Washout Express is 2.99 for Kindle, Wedding Express is 4.99 for Kindle, but free with Kindle Unlimited. I hope you enjoy these stories of faith and discovery of what helps make us ready for trials.

Happy Friday, y'all.

Who's read Washout Express? Who's your favorite character? Have you left me a review on Amazon? It really helps. Please and Thank you!

Wednesday Winners!

The winner of the Monday Blessing Angel is Alicia Haney!
Congratulations! Please email me your mailing address at jodybooks@faithwriters.net.

Check back Monday for a new Giveaway.

Here's a scripture and a quote to get you over Hump Day!


“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” Isaiah 12:2

 Don't Just

Don't just learn, experience.
Don't just read, absorb.
Don't just change, transform.
Don't just relate, advocate.
Don't just promise, prove.
Don't just criticize, encourage.
Don't just think, ponder.
Don't just take, give.
Don't just see, feel.
Don’t just dream, do.
Don't just hear, listen.
Don't just talk, act.
Don't just tell, show.
Don't just exist, live.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart 

I really appreciate you stopping by. How can I pray for you today?

  

Giveaway and Recipe

Monday - a chance to receive a giveaway and get a recipe! 

Isn't she sweet? She's a Bless You angel from Elements. The number on the bottom indicates it's a collector's item. I've had her on my desk for years, to the point that I don't even see her anymore. So it's time to pass her along and bless one of you!

Summertime is finally here.   Enjoy this recipe from my friend Glenda Bonham. Three Fruit Cup is featured in our writer's group June Newsletter.

Comment below with a Monday blessing (May you...) for a chance to win the angel. Invite someone to subscribe to my blog for two chances to win. Just include in your comment that you sent the link to my blog to someone. I will draw using Random.org on Wednesday. 

Three Fruit Cup

Dressing -½ cup honey and about 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice. In a jar or tub, shake and stir the two until well combined. You may have to adjust slightly, as some limes are tarter than others. Dressing should be well-balanced. Taste to assure a good balance.

2 cups drained pineapple chunks

2 cups fresh sliced strawberries

2 cups fresh grapes- halved

Toss in large bowl to combine, and add dressing.

Toss to coat and serve at once. To prep ahead of time, place prepared fruits in separate bags with a dry paper towel until ready to serve. Toss with dressing in a large bowl and serve. Do not mix fruits with dressing ahead of time. The honey will break down strawberries and make a runny red slush in the bottom of the serving bowl. 

 Here's my Monday blessing: May you find joy in the opportunity to be grateful in your frustrations today:) What's yours?

Be sure and stop by Wednesday to see who wins the angel:)

Cast All Your Cares

Just popping in to give you a little encouraging music. I've been talking to a group of girls lately, and the subject of anxiety and fear keeps coming up. 1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you." This verse keeps recurring in our Bible study, and I'm reminded of a song I used to sing years ago. Found a beautiful rendition on youtube to share. If we could just grasp how much HE cares for us. Have a great weekend. Please excuse the advertisement that might come up before the music:(

https://youtu.be/b_ecHXC8lic

Did you find this comforting? What is your favorite scripture or encouragement when times of fear and anxiety tackle you?

#Monday

I've always had a love/hate relationship with Monday. Can't figure out why sometimes. I love my job, and compared to the other days of the week, Monday is not that busy in my world. Aside from the fact that I love the early morning light, my Bible, and my coffee (and the couch) and don't like leaving the comforts of home, there's really no reason to dislike Monday.

It's a mindset, right? The memes start coming in on Sunday night about Monday coming, and they are always negative and filled with dread. We forget to count our blessings and head into the day with a "gotta get through it somehow" frame of mind.

I don't want that, do you? My Bible tells me that the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning! Great is His faithfulness! Lamentations 3:22-23 (Includes Monday, don't ya know:)

I'm personally working on changing "stinkin' thinkin'" in some areas of my life. I have the mind of Christ, after all! (1 Corinthians 2:16) Monday misery, you got to go!


Comment your gratefulness. I'd love to hear it. Besides, commenters will be entered into a drawing for a set of cute Spring Hallmark cards. Now there's a reason to like Monday:) I'll draw Wednesday night.

It's going to be a great day because....

Mistletoe Mix-up Launch Day!

Today's the day! It's always exciting for an author when one of her book babies is born. Introducing Mistletoe Mix-up!

Evan Edwards faces another lonely Christmas in the dorm. His mom is off on her fourth, or maybe it's fifth, honeymoon. A rain soaked ad promises free room and board in exchange for holiday decorating. He jumps at the chance to spend Christmas in a cozy home. The owners won't be there until Christmas Day, so he'll be able to practice piano for his graduation recital. He heads for Candle, Texas.

Across the street in Candle, Rise' Larkin is home from college with some bad news for her dad. As their friendship grows, Evan discovers that he's been living in and decorating...

THE WRONG HOUSE! Will this Mistletoe Mix-up ruin everything?

This little book is a definite cozy, quick Christmas read, but nestled in the lights and ornaments is a message - God's unwavering and unconditional love. Evan is searching for this, but will his past disappointments keep him from finding it?

Here's an early review: A senior music major and a brilliant pianist, Evan has a problem: His mother has just begun her fourth or fifth marriage (he can’t remember), and that means he must spend Christmas holidays in the dormitory. But a professor tells him of a bulletin board ad for a house sitter over the holidays. Evan finds the ad, calls the owner, and quickly lands the job. They won’t meet, but the owner gives him a way into the house and instructions he will find inside. Evan goes, but the house he finds is not the mansion he expected.

            Risé, home for the holidays in the house next door, has two problems. She has just broken up with a man who becomes violent when angry, and she worries about her father, recently widowed, who has a medical problem. She also dreads having to tell him a secret that he won’t like.

            With the meeting of Evan and Risé as a base, Jody Bailey Day builds a complex fictional world in which nothing is what it seems. The more the two characters try to solve what should be simple problems, the more mixed up their problems become. These and other likable characters become more and more confused, but the author flawlessly weaves their mistakes and misperceptions into an increasingly complex narrative.  The suspense and tension increase until the author brings everything together in a satisfying resolution.

            This is a delightful Christmas novella that will leave the reader wishing for more. D. T.

 I hope you'll make some time for a little inspirational Christmas reading, and include Mistletoe Mix-up in your list. 

Jody

 

Express Duet Sale

Just FYI, if you haven't read Washout Express, and Wedding Express, you can get them both for  99 cents.

 2 for 1

Guest Zoe McCarthy

Hello everyone:) Please welcome Zoe McCarthy to the blog today. I've been following her amazing blog for years, and I'm exited to have her here today to talk about her new book.

What inspired you to write The Putting Green Whisperer?

John and I joined my sister and my brother-in-law at a PGA seniors golf tournament at Rock Barn Country Club and Spa in Conover, NC. My sister and I sat on the fifteenth green and watched the over-age-fifty golfers putt and move on to the next tee. In one group, a male and a female caddy stood side by side on the edge of the green with their backs to us. The two young caddies talked quietly while their players prepared to putt. He was tall, and she was petite with her blond ponytail protruding from her pink ball cap. My heart experienced a sappy moment, and romantic what-ifs cluttered my mind. I turned to my sister, pointed at the caddies, and said, “My next book will be about those two caddies.” 

Tell us about one of your main characters.

As a teen, Allie Masterson experienced two tragedies. Her mother died and her pro-golfer father, in his inability to handle his grief and guilt, pawned her off to her aunt. Allie has stockpiled defenses around her to prevent opening old wounds or incurring new injuries. She immerses herself in golf, something she’s good at and something that doesn’t let her down. Allie is watchful of others’ motives and relies on herself. But all this changes when she and fellow caddy Shoo Leonard become best friends, a relationship she wishes was something more.

What is the theme of The Putting Green Whisperer?

A young woman wounded emotionaly as a teen learns to let down her ineffective defenses and allow God to direct her on a better and easier path.

Who are some of your favorite authors and why do you enjoy their books?

I enjoy Jenny B. Jones books. I can no longer read her books in bed next to sleeping John, who doesn’t appreciate when I laugh out loud. I like books by Francine Rivers, especially her Mark of the Lion series. I like Eva Marie Everson’s humor in her romances. Suzanne Woods Fisher writes in multiple genres, and I enjoy them all, especially her Amish books that make me sometimes wish for a simpler life.

What are you working on now?

I'm well into completing Book 2, The Identical Woman in a Black Dress, of the Twisty Creek series for which The Invisible Woman in a Red Dress is Book 1. Both stories take place in Twisty Creek, a fictional spot in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

Also, I'm working on a novella for a 2019 Valentine Day's collection, which will host five authors’ Valentine’s Day romance stories.

For my nonfiction book, Tailor Your Fiction Manuscript in 30 Days, is coming out soon, and I’m preparing to promote that book.

Book blurb for the Christian Contemporary Romance

Suddenly unemployed, Allie Masterson returns home to Cary, North Carolina where she caddies for the father on the PGA Seniors Tour. There, she encounters a man who possesses an alluring gift of reading the contours of the green. Fascinated with his uncanny ability, Allie is excited to meet the Green Whisperer—until she discovers that the easygoing caddy is actually Shoo Leonard, the boy who teased her relentlessly when they were kids. Despite Allie's reservations, when Shoo is faced with having to overcome a hand injury, she agrees to use her sport science degree to become his trainer...and then she falls for him.

Shoo Leonard is grateful to Allie for her singular determination to get him ready for the PGA tour, but he isn't ready for anything more. Still raw from a broken engagement and focused on his career, he's content to be her fist-bumping buddy...but then he falls for her.

What seems like a happily-ever-after on the horizon takes a turn when Allie decides she's become a distraction to Shoo's career. Is it time for her to step away or can The Putting Green Whisperer find the right words to make her stay? 

Excerpt

What was that all about? Shoo stared at the retreating caddy, whose blonde ponytail protruding from the back of her golf cap danced wildly as she hurried off. He craned his neck to keep her in sight as she wove through the caddies on the cart path.

Approaching him, she’d seemed like a girl on a mission. Her striking blue eyes, bright against her tanned skin, had focused on him, as if she’d rediscovered an old friend. No doubt about it, her smile had beamed at him. Then, bam! She’d done an about-face and slammed into the check-in table.

But he didn’t know her. Did he?

He mentally scanned his female acquaintances. No match surfaced. Unlikely he’d have forgotten the petite blonde.

Short bio

A full-time writer and speaker, Zoe M. McCarthy writes contemporary Christian romances involving tenderness and humor. She is the author of The Invisible Woman in a Red Dress, Gift of the Magpie, and Calculated Risk. Believing opposites distract, Zoe creates heroes and heroines who learn to embrace their differences. Zoe and her husband live in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

Book link

https://www.amazon.com/Putting-Green-Whisperer-Zoe-McCarthy-ebook/dp/B07FQZ6SYQ/

Social media links

Website and blog: https://zoemmccarthy.com

Email: zoehgwp@gmail.com

  

Thanks so much, Zoe, for coming by the blog today. You have a lot going on, and I'm excited for you. Looking forward to reading The Putting Green Whisperer! Jody