National Day of Thanksgiving in Australia – Saturday 25 May

Narelle here. On Saturday 25 May, Australians will have the opportunity to thank those who make a difference in their communities.

The National Day of Thanksgiving gives Australians an opportunity to celebrate and give thanks for our God given heritage as a nation, and to thank one another for the contributions each makes in our communities.

It is a Christian based initiative, endorsed by Government and supported by numerous community groups, that provides the Church in Australia with the opportunity to give leadership in drawing local communities together to celebrate those values that bind us together as a nation.

People to Honour and Thank in 2013:

Solicitors, barristers, judges and court officials.

Police and administrative staff.

Young people under 30 showing leadership by example through acts of community service and leadership in local community and church organisations.

For the Aussies reading this post, who will you be thanking on Saturday? Are you involved in any National Day of Thanksgiving activities?

For more information on the National Day of Thanksgiving, please visit their website http://www.thanksgiving.org.au

Book Recommendation: Stealing Jake by Pam Hillman

Back cover blurb:

When Livy O’Brien spies a young boy jostling a man walking along the boardwalk, she recognizes the act for what it is. After all, she used to be known as Light-fingered Livy. But that was before she put her past behind her and moved to the growing town of Chestnut, Illinois, where she’s helping to run an orphanage. Now she’ll do almost anything to protect the street kids like herself.

Sheriff’s deputy Jake Russell had no idea what he was in for when he ran into Livy—literally—while chasing down a pickpocket. With a rash of robberies and a growing number of street kids in town—as well as a loan on the family farm that needs to be paid off—Jake doesn’t have time to pursue a girl. Still, he can’t seem to get Livy out of his mind. He wants to get to know her better . . . but Livy isn’t willing to trust any man, especially not a lawman.

Narelle: I really liked the story premise and enjoyed reading this book. Livy is an intriguing character with a heart of gold. Her faith helps her overcome her difficult childhood. She has a genuine desire to help the orphans and street kids who have appeared in her small town. Livy is drawn to Jake, despite fearing he will discover the truth about her past.

Jake struggles to understand why Livy has a soft spot for the street kids, who seem to be the source of trouble in the town. Explosive secrets are revealed that take Jake and Livy on a dangerous journey to seek the truth and bring  justice to the town of Chestnut, Illinois. I highly recommend this book to those looking for a fast paced and beautifully plotted historical romance.

Read a FREE sample at Amazon.com

In Quick Succession

by Maree Long

“Long may she reign” are the words I would dearly love to hear my children and grandchildren cry out. If not in voice then surely from their heart.

For then I would know as a self proclamated matriach of the family I have done well. I guess it’s the kind of recognition that doesn’t show itself until your children grown, their children following suit.

If they find me favorable in their lives and I find myself most loved by them, I know that they will feel loved, valued, and they will know unequivocably my love for Jesus.

They would be successful of course in their marriages, relationships, they would find their purpose and gifting of God. Each of them would be the jewels in my reigning crown. They are the longing in my heart that prays for them daily for their salvation, for them to love the Lord, for them to take up their cross and each a leader in their own right.

Six kids all strong, accomplished, employable and hardworking raising their kids the same way. What I long for most is for each of my precious jewels to shine in their lives, fit and able to take up the reigns in their own family lives.

To be thoughtful and caring of each other, to be equipped to fill my shoes, to walk in the footsteps of my risen savior, their creator. Even now I long to be more of myself for that matter to be more like Jesus. Ever mindful of eternal things.

About the author:

Debe Thomas writes under the name MAREE LONG in memory of her Grandfathers line. Like families with threads that delicate connect us to each other so is her writing. Threads of thoughts and themes connecting always it seems to the Creator.

As facilitator & Convenor of Cafe Soiree that presents opportunities for amateur to professional poets, songwriters, and playwrites to artists and photographers, Debe creates events that bring the unexpected into peoples lives.

Debe, an avid writer of poetry, likes most often to let the keyboard take her mind on a journey. Writing, crafting, lunching, photography, painting and teaching along with dancing are all passions that have much in common and bring about the variety and enjoyment that is so typically Debe.

Debe loves to encourage other women through her guest speaker engagements and like her writing finds that the Lord can often change the direction of thought that guides her pen.

Why I write:

Like all of the activities I do – I write because I enjoy it and it brings me joy and fulfillment. I love the life the Lord has given me. I engage in all of my activities with a view to encourage those around me in the hope that they are drawn closer to the God I love.

I am blessed to have a husband who encourages and supports all of my creative endeavors and he has been the backbone and rock I am thankful and appreciative of.

I have always journalled and the echoes of my childhood ring loudly in my ear that one day I would write a book as I told one school friend one afternoon. I recall how excited she was for me. Writing is a great therapy, I write when inspired during a sermon, waiting at the Drs, in fact my girlfriends are accepting of me when lunching that I must have a pen and paper and if none available I will write on menus or serviettes…I have notebooks in my bag, in the car and still there is never enough paper and pens to satisfy.

I love the mystery of the pen and blank pages of what it will reveal in my heart and of my Creator Lord. What I hope and pray most is to write most successfuly by the end of my days is to write the love of God on all my childrens hearts and all their childrens hearts. I hope that as people read my life, they learn more about who I am in God and that they will see the threads connecting them to the Creator.

Book Recommendation: Yesterday’s Tomorrow by Catherine West

Back cover blurb:

She’s after the story that might get her the Pulitzer.
He’s determined to keep his secrets to himself.

Independent, career-driven journalist Kristin Taylor wants two things: to honor her father’s memory by becoming an award-winning overseas correspondent and to keep tabs on her only brother, Teddy, who signed up for the war against their mother’s wishes. Brilliant photographer Luke Maddox, silent and brooding, exudes mystery. Kristin is convinced he’s hiding something.

Willing to risk it all for what they believe in, Kristin and Luke engage in their own tumultuous battle until, in an unexpected twist, they’re forced to work together. Ambushed by love, they must decide whether or not to set aside their own private agendas for the hope of tomorrow that has captured their hearts.

Narelle: I loved reading this book, and I couldn’t put it down. Kristin and Luke are fascinating and complex characters who struggle with a number of issues. They are thrown together in an intense and dire situation, and live each day not knowing if it will be their last. They are flawed people who must cope with the extreme pressures of war. As a result, their relationship evolves in a different direction to the typical Christian romance.

Yesterday’s Tomorrow provides a realistic portrayal of life in Vietnam during the war. The story addresses the hardship faced by people who served their country without receiving honour and recognition back home. I highly recommend this book to those looking for an authentic and powerful romance set during the Vietnam War.

Read a FREE sample at Amazon.com

The Heavens Declare

by Jo D. Brennan

The coast of Tanzania in East Africa gradually faded in the clouds as the jet traversed the ocean. Finally Jo could see it no longer. She leaned back and closed her eyes as her tears fell. After eighteen years serving God in that beloved country she was leaving, due to an illness caused by long emotional stress.

Three questions occupied her mind.

• What had brought about this terrible day?
• Would she ever come back to Africa?
• Was it her own fault?

JO D. BRENNAN was born in Leura, NSW and grew up in Sydney. An art student, she later trained as a nurse at RPA before studying at Deaconess House for 2 years. She spent 18 years in Tanzania, East Africa, as a missionary with CMS from 1962-1980. In 1988 she returned to Africa, this time Liberia,  but was evacuated in 1990 from Liberia to England, where she lived for 6 months.

Jo D. Brennan and Joy Crombie (missionary from SIM, New Zealand)

In 1990 Jo went to Sri Lanka, where she worked with Columbo City Mission. During this time they  opened a medical clinic in a poor area and cared for street children, leaving in 1995 for Australia. She also wrote her first book, I Heard a Voice, in 1995. In 2002 she wrote The Twin’s Secret for 8-12 year olds. The Heavens Declare, Jo’s biography, was published in 2012 by Ark House Press.

Jo’s book, The Heavens Declare, is available at:

• Amazon Books, USA
• Ark House Press, Australia
• Koorong, Word, and other Australian Christian book stores
• Manna Books, NZ
• Direct from the author (cost price plus postage) josephinebrennan977 (at) yahoo (dot) com (dot) au

ACRBA Tour Ellenvale Gold by Amanda Deed

6 – 10 May

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

is introducing

Ellenvale Gold

(Even Before Publishing November 2012)

By

Amanda Deed

Available at

Amazon

and

Light the Dark

About the Author      

 

Amanda Deed grew up in the South Eastern suburbs of Melbourne in a Christian home, and found faith at an early age. She has followed her passion to serve the Lord through music and literature since her teen years. Now married, with three children, Amanda enjoys the variety of being a mother, finance administrator, musician and historical romance writer. Her debut novel, The Game, won the 2010 CALEB Prize for fiction, and Ellenvale Gold was a finalist for the same prize in 2012. For more information go to www.amandadeed.com.au.

Website is http://www.amandadeed.com.au/

About the Book:

 It is the time of Australia’s harsh rogue-filled goldrush of the 1850’s when Miss Penelope Worthington suddenly finds herself orphaned, isolated and alone. With a large sheep station to run single-handedly, she has little option but to enlist the aid of a mysterious, but sinister stranger.
But who is the more treacherous? Gus—the scruffy, trespassing, ex-convict who co-incidentally shows up looking for work just when she desperately needs a farmhand or Rupert—the handsome, wealthy neighbour who would willingly marry her at the drop of a hat and solve her apparent dilemma?
Repeatedly, her faith is tested as she faces the unforgiving elements, deceit, lies and uncertainty. But where and how will it all end? But…is it the end? Will vengeance return or
will Penny’s faith prevail?

Heartsong Presents: May new releases

Narelle here. My first fiction book release with Harlequin’s Heartsong Presents line is scheduled for February 2014. On the last Tuesday of each month, I’m posting information on the new Heartsong Presents releases for the following month.

Harlequin publishes four Heartsong Presents books each month: two contemporary inspirational romances and two historical inspirational romances. They also publish the Love Inspired books, including contemporary romance (Love Inspired), historical romance (Love Inspired Historical) and romantic suspense (Love Inspired Suspense).

International readers outside the USA and Canada can purchase the print books online from Amazon and The Book Depository (free international shipping). If you’re looking for inspirational (Christian) romances to read, please check out the  Heartsong Presents and Love Inspired books.

Jennifer Edwards is back home again…

When she traded small-town life for the bright lights of Chicago, Jennifer Edwards yearned to discover a world beyond Faith, South Dakota. So when her father’s illness calls her home to run their cattle ranch, she tells herself it’s temporary. Then why is she even thinking about a future with archaeology professor Brett Lange—the boy she left behind—whose life’s work is digging up the past?

Twelve years ago, Brett had a crush on Jennifer the size of the T. rex that put his hometown on the map. Now she’s a citified magazine editor who prefers designer duds to dungarees. Except that’s not the real Jennifer. Brett needs to make her see how a little faith can go a long way in uniting two perfectly in-sync hearts.

Read Wedding on the Rocks excerpt at Amazon.com

The Bride’s Second Chance

Two years ago, Olivia Shea was trying on her wedding gown, dreaming of marriage and motherhood. But her fisherman fiancé was lost at sea and Olivia fled, unable to stay in the New England fishing village. Now she’s back in Fairport, determined to face her fears by working on a whale boat tour. But the charter’s captain is the sole survivor of her fiancé’s ill-fated voyage—a man of danger and memories.

Jonathan Barrotta’s scars from the night he nearly died run as deep as the vast Atlantic. To prove himself and to honor his friend’s memory, he vows to fulfill his dream of piloting his own boat. But a life at sea means a life without Olivia—the woman he’s always secretly loved. How can he ask her to be a fisherman’s wife? Only with the Lord guiding their way will Jonathan and Olivia chart a course toward home—together.

Read Love’s Stormy Gale excerpt at Amazon.com

Mary Anne is on the run.

Her father’s been murdered, and now the mob’s after her, too. Leaving New York City behind is the only way to stay alive. Yet Mary Anne Lamont finds herself stuck in Maple Notch, Vermont, when her car crashes straight into Wallace Tuttle’s truck. Wallace and his family offer her warmth and welcome, no questions asked. But she doesn’t dare give them her real name—not without risking their safety too.

At first, Wallace chides himself for being distracted by the glamorous flapper. Mary Anne certainly doesn’t fit his image of a future wife. But underneath the bleached bob and big-city ways is a courageous, caring woman. When the danger she’s been running from draws close, Wallace must risk everything to prove his faith in Mary Anne, in God’s plan, and the dreams they’ve come to share.

Read Hidden Dreams excerpt at Amazon.com

Abby’s all grown up. She just needs Will to notice.

When WWII soldier Will Judge brings home an orphan boy from Europe, it turns his world upside down. His fiancée might be ready to marry him, but not to mother a war orphan. As Will struggles to figure out his next move, he turns to Abby, his childhood friend.

Since they were teenagers, Abby Richardson’s feelings for Will have always been more than friendly. Once she was willing to be his pen pal and his confidante, listening as he poured out his heart. But now Abby wants so much more: to be part of Will’s ready-made family. What will it take to open Will’s eyes—and his heart?

Read Always, Abby excerpt at Amazon.com

NARELLE ATKINS writes contemporary inspirational romance and lives in Canberra, Australia. She sold her debut novel, set in Australia, to Harlequin’s Heartsong Presents line in a six-book contract. Her first book, tentatively titled Running to Love, will be a February 2014 release. http://www.narelleatkins.com

Narelle is a co-founder of the Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance (ACRBA) http://www.acrba.blogspot.com

It’s Just You and Me Lord

by Marion Stroud

“ Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door I will come in and we will share a meal together as friends.”
Rev. 3:20 NIV

One of my favourite ways of spending an evening is to share a meal with old friends. What we eat and drink is not particularly important – it’s the conversation that matters. We look back and laugh about our youthful escapades. We talk about the issues that confront us now and wrestle with questions of faith and family. Nothing is off-limits. We challenge each other’s pre-suppositions and get fresh glimpses of truth through the eyes of a trusted companion.

Prayer, at its best is like sharing a meal with a loved and trusted friend, but I’d never thought of writing a book of prayers. My Christian tradition uses extempore prayer, and so I don’t usually turn to a book when I want to talk to God. All the other books I’d written had been intended to fill a gap in the market – women who are ‘lone worshippers’, relatives of people with cancer, gift books for those on the fringe of faith. So when a publisher asked me to write a book of prayers for women I hesitated.

Then I remembered the so-called ‘apron pocket prayers’ that Marjorie Holmes wrote in the 1970’s, and the way in which a woman’s grounded and realistic conversations with God had helped me. Those were the kind of prayers I wanted to write: prayers that were totally honest and touched on topics and problems that might seem too ‘every day, or even too ‘unspiritual’’ to bother God with. I had found my approach to the subject ‘

Some of the topics I have written about in Dear God It’s Me and It’s Urgent and It’s Just you and Me Lord spring from my own experience, but many are rooted in the pain and challenges faced by others. But all these conversations with God spring from life as we experience it in the 21st C. My goal is that as we honestly and openly share our joys our pain and our perplexity with Him, we come away from the encounter changed and strengthened.

MARION STROUD lives in England, in the town where John Bunyan wrote his world-wide best seller, ‘Pilgrim’s Progress,’ He did this during his 12 years in prison for preaching, at a time when non-conformity was outlawed. She is the author of 3 children’s fiction titles and 22 adult non-fiction titles, including the Lion ‘Gift of’s …’ which were printed in 14 different languages and remained in print for 30 years.

Her most recent book of prayers for women It’s Just You and me Lord was published in the USA by Discovery House in October 2012 and is a special Spring promotion in Sam’s Club [part of Walmart] for Mother’s Day. To win a prize in her ‘Sam’s Club contest’ go to her Author page.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marion-Stroud-Author-Page/192719884193581

http://www.marionstroud.com

For a limited time, It’s Just You and Me Lord and Dear God It’s Me and It’s Urgent – Prayers for Every Season of a Woman’s Life are available from Discovery House Publishers at a 25% discount. Please use promotion code AUTH029 at the checkout.

http://www.dhp.org/Products/Its-Just-You-and-Me–Lord__UN187.aspx

http://www.dhp.org/Products/Dear-God–Its-Me-and-Its-Urgent-%e2%80%94-Prayers-for-Every-Season-of-a-Womans-Life__PA316.aspx

Book Recommendation: Reinventing Rachel by Alison Strobel

Back Cover blurb:

God let Rachel Westing down. For twenty-six years she’s done everything by the book; she figures He should have her back. But then she learns her fiancé is cheating on her. Her parents are getting a divorce. And her Christian mentor has a pill addiction. Where is God in all this? Nowhere, as far as Rachel can see. Wounded, bitter, and with a shattered faith, she quits her job and goes across the country to live with Daphne—her childhood best friend whose soul Rachel once thought she was meant to save.

Confident, successful, fun-loving Daphne sets about helping Rachel reinvent herself, and for a while it’s exciting. But when another tragedy shakes Rachel to the core, what little bit of self-possession she has left begins to unravel. A true-to-life story that will draw you in and keep you biting your nails until the end.

Narelle: I enjoyed reading this book despite not particularly liking the main character. At the start of the story Rachel comes across as shallow and naive. She views the non-church attending people in her life as potential ‘projects’ to convert rather than potential friends. Her world falls apart and her faith is shaken because God hasn’t given her a perfect life.

I struggled to identify with Rachel during the first few chapters because she acted like a spoilt princess and seemed to lack an understanding of how suffering is part of the Christian journey. I nearly put the book down but I was intrigued by the story premise. I’m glad I kept reading.

We journey with Rachel as she turns her back on her childhood faith. She explores a different world in Chicago that is foreign to her previously sheltered life experiences in California. Without her faith to define her decisions, Rachel struggles to build a meaningful new life. Tragedy strikes and Rachel is forced to evaluate the direction of her life. I recommend this book to those interested in reading a story that shows what could happen to young believers who fall away from a childhood faith that hasn’t prepared them to face real world challenges.

Read a FREE sample at Amazon.com

ACRBA Tour Strength Renewed by Shirley Corder

 

15 – 19 April

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

is introducing

Strength Renewed: Meditations for Your Journey through Breast Cancer

(Revell/Baker Publishing Group, October 2012)

By

Shirley Corder

Available at Amazon 

About the Author

Shirley in Summary: I am an author, registered nurse and cancer survivor (1997). I am also a pastor’s wife. I live in the beautiful Eastern Cape of South Africa with Rob, my husband of well over 40 years, a liely Jack Russell terrior who answers to the name of Zoё, and a hyperactive budgie named Sparkie. 

Website is http://www.shirleycorder.com/ViewPage.asp?Welcome

About the Book:

Comfort and hope to sustain you through the months ahead. Nothing saps your strength quite like a cancer diagnosis—unless it is the energy-stealing chemotherapy and surgeries you face in your fight against cancer. But you can find hope and strength in the pages of Scripture, and in the experience of someone who has been there. In Strength Renewed, breast cancer survivor and registered nurse Shirley Corder combines her encouraging personal stories with powerful passages from Scripture to help you along the road to recovery. These devotions can be read in sequential order to move you through a typical cancer journey from diagnosis through treatment. But each meditation also stands on its own, so you can go directly to the entry that speaks to your need—right now. You have a partner and a cheerleader in Shirley—and in God—on the rough road ahead. Let Strength Renewed lift you up as you travel.

South African Giveaway:

If you are from South Africa, Shirley has a copy of her book to give away to one reader. Just leave a message on any of the blogs that feature Shirley this week and you will go into the draw. Please mention you have a South African mailing address. 

Narelle: Please check out my Book Recommendation for Strength Renewed, posted November 8, 2012.

http://30minutebiblestudies.wordpress.com/2012/11/08/book-recommendation-strength-renewed-meditations-for-your-journey-through-breast-cancer-by-shirley-corder/