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Thursday, February 28, 2013

THE MOSES QUILT by Kathi Macias

Take a trip back in time as you read Kathi Macias' book The Moses Quilt.  You'll gain new knowledge about Harriet Tubman that you never knew.  Macias intertwines historical happenings into this contemporary novel setting.   With every turn of the page you'll gain a new love for Harriet Tubman like you'd never had before; and you'll probably become a Kathi Macias fan in the process.    Tubman's strong faith is what holds her together.  Macias has done an excellent job bringing together contemporary and history in the pages of this book.  You'll be on the edge of your seat waiting to hear what the next quilt block has to say about Harriet Tubman's life.

Visit guest post Kathi Macias wrote especially for my blog & excerpt from the book  here.
The Quilt Series sounds interesting, but what makes it unique or sets it apart from the many other quilt books that are so popular right now?
First, I must confess to NOT being a quilter. I’ve never even considered taking it up! Second, I love quilts and have always been fascinated by the stories behind them. I combined that fascination with my passion for writing issues-related fiction, and I ended up with a three-book series that is, for the most part, contemporary but told against historical backdrops.

Sounds interesting! Can you tell us a bit about each of the three books in the series? 
Sure! Book one, The Moses Quilt, involves an interracial romance, where the couple works through their concerns and apprehensions as they learn the story of Harriet Tubman’s faith and courage as told through the patches of the Moses quilt that represents her life. Book two, The Doctor’s Christmas Quilt, deals with the topic of abortion told against the backdrop of the life of America’s first woman doctor, Elizabeth Blackwell, who was strongly pro-life. Book three, The Singing Quilt, deals with a young woman overcoming a physical disability; the background for that story is based on the “Queen of Gospel,” Fannie Crosby.

Was it difficult to do the research on these women, particularly Harriet Tubman? What did you learn about her in the process? 
I knew more about Harriet Tubman than I did about Elizabeth Blackwell or Fannie Crosby, but I expanded my knowledge of each as I did the research. Harriet Tubman’s amazing faith and courage is what stood out most to me about her life. Here was a woman born a slave, penniless for the majority of her life, and illiterate except for the scripture verses she had memorized (even if she couldn’t read them). Her prayer life was powerful, even as a child. After she escaped to the North and began making forays back into the South to help bring others out of slavery, friends would caution her against it. “Harriet, there’s a reward on your head—dead or alive. Aren’t you afraid?” She brushed off their fear and explained that she believed God had called her to help rescue her people; therefore, He would protect her. When her job was done, He would take her home to heaven, so what was there to fear? Wow, what a dynamic woman of God! I also learned that her achievements went far beyond rescuing slaves, though that’s what she’s best known for. She also served as a spy for the Union Army, worked as a nurse, and opened a home for indigent elderly former slaves. She died there herself in her mid-nineties, and the entire town flew their flags at half-mast in her honor.

Tell us a little more about the contemporary story in The Moses Quilt
The majority of the contemporary story is set just outside San Francisco. Mazie is white and deeply in love with Edward, an African-American lawyer who adores her and wants to marry her but tries to be respectful of her hesitation to make a commitment. What he doesn’t know is that Mazie is disturbed by what she considers secrets in her family’s past, secrets that begin to be unraveled as her great-grandmother, Mimi, tells her and Edward the story behind her Moses quilt, which she bought years earlier in Gee’s Bend, Alabama, a little town famous for its quilts. Edward thought he knew everything there was to know about Harriet Tubman, who had always been somewhat of a hero to him, but Mimi’s story opens up new avenues of discovery for both the young people in this relationship—and takes them straight back to the quilt’s origin in Gee’s Bend.

This sounds like more than just a “feel-good” story. Can it be used as a study book in some way? 
Absolutely! As with nearly all my books we have free downloadable discussion questions at www.newhopedigital.com that will enable The Moses Quilt to be read as a study book for individuals or used as a discussion/study book for groups.

___
For more opportunities for free copies of THE MOSES QUILT by Kathi Macias, please follow this book tour on Facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/CSSVBT.KathiMacias. This blog host was given a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for posting the author’s interview and/or book review on this blog. CSS Virtual Book Tours are managed by Christian Speakers Services (http://ChristianSpeakersServices.com).

About the Author: Kathi Macias

Kathi Macias is a multi-award winning writer who has authored nearly 40 books and ghostwritten several others. A former newspaper columnist and string reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing in various venues and has been a guest on many radio and television programs. Kathi is a popular speaker at churches, women’s clubs and retreats, and writers’ conferences. She won the prestigious 2008 member of the year award from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association) at the annual Golden Scrolls award banquet. Kathi “Easy Writer” Macias lives in Homeland, CA, with her husband, Al.



We are celebrating BLACK HISTORY MONTH   For more opportunities to be selected for a FREE copy of this book, please visit:
https://www.facebook.com/CSSVBT.KathiMacias.
 



This virtual book tour is hosted by: 


 

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Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Night Buddies: Impostors and One Far-Out Flying Machine by Sands Hetherington

Night Buddies are not nighttime scary stories, but fun mysterious adventures that John takes with his imaginary friend Cros, a red crocodile, during the night when John has a hard time falling asleep.  They make themselves invisible with a gadget that Cros has as they slip out of the house past John's parents.  Time pretty much comes to a stand still at the house the whole time they are out doing their investigation work.  This is the second book in the series but it is a whole new adventure so you wouldn't be lost if you didn't read the first book. It is fun night time adventure full of gadgets and surprises at every turn of the page.   It is a book that boys would love and the middle school tweenie would fit right in.    






In Night Buddies, Impostors, and One Far-Out Flying Machine, there is one scary scene where Crosley morphs into an iguana and hijacks John and his blimp. The fright comes from what you thought was a friend turning into an enemy. And there is one example of terror in the dark at the very end of the book, but let's not give that away. If you are looking for real ghosts or real terror, check out Wells and Sturgeon. I promise you real results.


read the guest post written by the author just for this blog here
visit Night Buddies World of Ink tour page here
visit the web site here

A copy of this book was provided by the author and Bostick Communications for the purpose of this review.


books

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

author Sands Hetherington takes the mic





THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT 
by author Sands Heterington

From ghoulies and ghosties 
And long-leggedy beasties 
And things that go bump in the night, 
Good Lord, deliver us! 

Judging by this traditional Scottish prayer, you'd think we would want to AVOID spooky stories, but they have been very popular for a very long time; I suspect forever. So there must be something in us that enjoys scary things, albeit vicariously or from some other safe distance. My stories aren't about spooks and monsters in dark places, although a red crocodile that sounds like a chain saw and lives underneath the bed might spook some young tykes.


Here’s a look at two great stories that definitely are spooky, though.

The story that scared me the very most ever was H.G. Wells' The Invisible Man. Actually it was the movie and I was eight years old, but I did read the book years later when I managed to work up the nerve. After seeing that movie, I had a dread of dark places for a long time: not of anything specific in the story, but just a general dread.

The story is about a scientist who invents a drug that makes him invisible. The problem is what else it does: it makes him megalomaniacal and downright nasty, and he goes around killing people and NOBODY EVER KNOWS HE'S THERE UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE! He can have you in his sights and you won't know it until you feel the garotte. That's probably why I got scared of the dark. Dark and invisible are the same thing, and Wells has tapped into something primordial here. It's a real piece of horror genius and the most effective example I know of things that do in fact go bump in the night.

I'll bet you've never heard of my favorite ghost story. It's "Shottle Bop" by Theodore Sturgeon (Astounding Science Fiction, 1940). The central character is a ne'er-do-well, not altogether bad guy, who is down on his luck. He comes across a dusty little bottle shop in lower Manhattan. He goes in and meets the strange little proprietor who gives him a potion in a bottle and tells him,

 "It can do as much for you as you want it to. But mind me now. As long as you use what it gives you for your self-improvement, you will thrive. Use it for self-glorification, as a basis for boasting, or for revenge, and you will suffer in the extreme. Remember that, now." 

Our character goes home and drinks the potion and is suddenly able to see into the ghost world. And the truly remarkable thing is, he can see the ghosts but they can't see him! In any event, he manages to take up with a number of them and becomes rich as a "psychic consultant." Eventually he runs into an old enemy who calls him a phony. He bets the guy that he can show him a spook that will scare him half to death. They go to a haunted house where the ghost of an awful old murderer is supposed to live. Our man's invisibility magic wears off, though, because he has boasted and plotted revenge. The old murderer sees him, and our friend ends up quite dead. And he has to haunt the old house forever-----along with the horrible old murderer.

The story isn't all that scary (except at the end), but it's wall-to-wall supernatural phenomena, and delightfully funny and original. It's the finest ghost story I'm aware of. Invisibility is by no means the only device scary stories use, but both of these examples rely on it.

I don't do dead things or lots of scary. My only scary characters are the iguanas, and they are as amusing as they are frightening.

In Night Buddies, Impostors, and One Far-Out Flying Machine, there is one scary scene where Crosley morphs into an iguana and hijacks John and his blimp. The fright comes from what you thought was a friend turning into an enemy. And there is one example of terror in the dark at the very end of the book, but let's not give that away. If you are looking for real ghosts or real terror, check out Wells and Sturgeon. I promise you real results.





visit Night Buddies tour page here
visit the web site here




books

Teaser Tuesdays - You're Made for a God-Sized Dream


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought I would play for fun! Just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!  

It's only too late for our dreams when we decide to write "The End" on our stories and close the bookAs an anonymous quote my mom has on her refrigerator reads. "Never place a period where God has placed a comma." 

~taken from p. 23 You're Made for a God-Sized Dream by Holley Gerth



She whispers it into the phone, almost too softly for me to hear.
"I just...have this desire in my heart that won't go away."
She lists off reasons why it won't work, why this isn't the right time, and how she feels odd for even thinking about it in the first place. 
When she pauses for a deep, unsure breath, I slip in these words:  "It sounds like you have a God-sized dream." 


Visit Scraps of Life for another teaser from this book

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Monday, February 25, 2013

Mailbox Monday ~ Feb. 25, 2013


 Join Mailbox Monday meme
@ The Printed Page

February's host is:
Unabridged Chick

(I will be hosting the whole month of May 2013 looking forward to hosting)

Adult Fiction
 
 Nonfiction


books

Flora's Wish by Kathleen Y'Barbo

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Flora's Wish
Harvest House Publishers (February 1, 2013)
by
Kathleen Y'Barbo

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

RITA and Carol award nominee Kathleen Y’Barbo is the best-selling, award-winning author of more than forty novels, novellas, and young adult books. In all, more than one million copies of her books are currently in print in the US and abroad, and her books have been translated into Dutch, German, and Spanish, to name a few.

Kathleen is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. She holds a BBA from Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School and a certification in Paralegal Studies, and is a former member of the Texas Bar Association’s Paralegal Division.

A tenth-generation Texan, Kathleen Y’Barbo has four children of her own as well as seven bonus kids she gladly inherited when she married her own hero in combat boots. Kathleen is proud to be a military wife, even if it did mean giving up her Texas drivers license.

ABOUT THE BOOK

May 1887--Flora Brimm is determined the fifth time is the charm. Back home she has a reputation as "Fatal Flora," a woman whose previous four fiancés died in untimely accidents. Flora is desperate to marry, because producing an heir is the only way she can keep her family's estate. She's confident this visit to Eureka Springs with her grandmother will help her land a husband.

Pinkerton detective Lucas McMinn is hot on the trail of Will Tucker, the thief who broke his sister's heart. When he discovers the slippery fellow with Flora, he thinks they are in on the devious plot together. Will Flora be able to convince Lucas of her innocence? Will Lucas catch the elusive Mr. Tucker?

And, more importantly, will Lucas survive if he pursues Flora's heart?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Flora's Wish, go HERE.



books

Friday, February 22, 2013

Humble Heart by Amy Meyer Allen


Meet Humble Honeybee and his virtue friends in this wonderful children's book of virtues. The pictures are bright, bold and colorful; the cover is  hardback with a soft cushion front cover. The characters will help reinforce those character traits that you are longing to instill in your child.  Each virtue is defined and then the story will go into detail showing how the virtue is carried out or experienced in the characters life.  At the end of each character trait there is a page that asks the reader if they have ever experienced a time when they put to use this virtue.  Good way to get your child to talk and reinforce the virtue.  There is also a scripture verse that corresponds with the virtue as well.  The character lessons are very simple that a two or three year old would benefit from this book.  7-8 year old might be a little bored with it.  Your young children will fall in love with the animal characters. 

Be sure to visit Humble Bumbles web site here for fun things to do . 

Check out Humble Heart page here for more information

A copy of this book and dvd was provided in exchange for this review by...

I 
Review For The Tyndale Blog Network

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Tuesday, February 19, 2013

THE MOSES QUILT by Kathi Macias



The Moses Quilt is a contemporary story and a historical book—two books in one, if you will. The two books that will follow in this series, The Doctor’s Christmas Quilt (October 2013) and The Singing Quilt (Spring 2014), follow that same pattern, with contemporary stories told against the backdrop of a woman of faith and courage who made a difference in American history.

Harriet Tubman has long been one of my heroines. When I started writing this book, I remembered reading about her in school and knew she was famous for her work on the Underground Railway, safely leading hundreds of slaves to Freedom. But a fresh look at her story as I did the research opened my eyes to the great price she paid to answer God’s call on her life.

This amazingly successful woman was born into abject poverty—a slave, penniless, uneducated, sharing a dirt-floored one-room cabin with her parents and dozen siblings. With never quite enough to eat, working long hours for a master who thought nothing of beating her and the others on his plantation, Harriet could easily have grown bitter. But she didn’t. Though unable to read the Scriptures, Harriet listened to her mother and others recite them, and she too put them to memory, hiding them in her heart so they’d be there when she needed them. And there were many occasions when she had to draw on them for strength and courage. Because of her deep faith, she was able to forgive her abusers and to pray for them. As a result, God used her mightily to accomplish what few others have done before or since.

 I pray this book encourages and inspires others to follow in the footsteps of Harriet Tubman and to believe that whatever God calls us to do, He will also give us the strength and ability—and the divine protection—to accomplish it…IF we will just take that first step of faith and say, as Harriet Tubman did, “Yes, God. Here am I. Send me.”

The Moses Quilt is a contemporary novel that bridges racial and generational divides. With a realistic and compassionate look into a twenty-first-century dilemma, multiple award-winning author Kathi Macias introduces readers to a confused and apprehensive young woman, Mazie Hartford. Facing major decisions about the love of her life and her future, she must also wrestle with a nagging question about her family's past. She finds the answer to her questions in a most unexpected way—her great-grandmother's Moses quilt. As her great-grandmother begins to explain how each patch represents a story of courage and freedom, Mazie must decide if she has the courage and freedom to overcome her own personal fears and prejudices.

Prologue 

 Edward’s eyes captivated her, as they always did. She felt as if she were gazing into warm, chocolate pools, bidding her to abandon herself to their delicious charms. And oh, how she wanted to do so! But something—always, there was that awkward, inconvenient something—holding her back, restraining her from yielding to the joy she so longed to experience.

“I can’t,” she whispered. “I just can’t. Not yet. Soon, I promise, but…”

The light in his gaze flickered, and she knew she’d hurt him…again. She hadn’t wanted to, had even told herself that this time, today, she would give him her answer. But she just wasn’t ready.

Her heart squeezed. Would she ever be? The unreasonable fear that haunted her life loomed heavy, threatening to squeeze the air from her lungs. Was it more than their obvious differences that frightened her to the point where she couldn’t move forward, couldn’t give a good man a simple answer—particularly when that man made her head swim with longing?

“Soon,” he repeated, his husky voice devoid of bitterness or sarcasm. “How many times have you promised, Mazie? How many?”

Tears bit her eyes, and she shook her head. “Too many. Far too many. And I’m truly sorry, but I…”

She felt the resignation roll through his body as he loosened his embrace and took a small step back, his eyes never leaving hers. “I wish I could say I understand, but I don’t.” His smile was wistful as he used a finger to brush back a stray wisp of dark hair from her face. “But I will honor your feelings. I know I need to stop pushing, and I will, though it won’t be easy. I love you, Mazie. You know that. But sooner or later, we’re going to have to address this—once and for all.”

Her breath caught, and she nodded. If she knew anything in this world, it was that Edward Clayton loved her, and that he was an honorable and patient man. He wouldn’t push her, but she was a fool for putting him off. Still, how could she give him an answer when she was so unsure about how the unknowns of her past might impact their future?

“Thank you,” she whispered. “For loving me and for giving me more time.”

The pain skittered through his eyes again, outlined by the setting sun that filtered through the trees behind him. He leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. “Let me know when you’re ready.” He turned and walked toward his car, leaving Mazie standing alone on the porch, with the first of many hot tears spilling over onto her cheeks.





Purchase from:
Christianbook 
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Kathi Macias is a multi-award winning writer who has authored nearly 40 books and ghostwritten several others. A former newspaper columnist and string reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing in various venues and has been a guest on many radio and television programs. Kathi is a popular speaker at churches, women’s clubs and retreats, and writers’ conferences. She won the 2008 Member of the Year award from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association) and was the 2011 Author of the Year from BooksandAuthors.net. Her novel set in China, Red Ink, was named Golden Scrolls 2011 Novel of the Year and was also a Carol Award Finalist; her October 2012 release, Unexpected Christmas Hero, was named 2012 Book of the Year by BookandAuthors.net. Kathi “Easy Writer” Macias lives in Homeland, CA, with her husband. You can find Kathi at www.kathimacias.com.

Visit The Moses Quilt virtual book tour page

Visit author Interview here
Read my review here

giveaway @ marlayne giron's blog
for more chances to win See the schedule for this tour for more blogs that are giving away a copy of Kathi's book

Be watching for my an author interview and my review of the book next week

A copy of this book was provided in exchange for my honest review by...






books

Teaser Tuesday ~ The Moses Quilt


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought I would play for fun! Just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!  

From the time Mazie had visited her great-grandmother in Alabama, she'd been told never to open that chest without permission-and Mimi had never given it.

~taken from p. 24&25 of The Moses Quilt by Kathi Macias




~taken from the prologue:
Edward's eyes captivated her, as they always did.  She felt as if she were gazing up into warm, chocolate pools, bidding her to abandon herself to their delicious charm.  And oh, how she wanted to do so!  But something-always, there was that awkward, inconvenient something-holding her back, restraining her from yielding to the joy she so longed to experience.  

If you liked this tease visit Kathi's book tour here to read the whole prologue
  
~taken from the first chapter:
Mazie Hartford hadn't set foot in Prattville, Alabama, since she was eight years old-nearly sixteen years ago-but she would never forget the summer she spent there, visiting her great-grandmother.  Even the locals said it was the hottest July and August any of them could remember, and Mazie was certain that was true.  Anything hotter would have killed them all, and the young girl imagined that even if she'd had some serious unforgiven sins on her account and she'd ended up in hell, it couldn't have been any worse than the attic dedroom she'd been assigned when she first arrived.  
 


books

Monday, February 18, 2013

For Love of Eli by Loree Lough

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
For Love of Eli
Abingdon Press (February 1, 2013)
by
Loree Lough

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

With more than FOUR MILLION copies of her books in circulation, Loree has 98 books (fiction and non-fiction for kids and adults; four novels optioned for movies; more books slated for release between now and 2014), 68 short stories, over 2,500+ articles in print, and over 19,000 letters from fans!

Loree loves sharing learned-the-hard-way lessons about the craft and the industry, and her comedic approach makes her a favorite (and frequent) guest of writers' organizations, book clubs, private and government institutions, college and high school writing programs both here and abroad.

A writer who believes in "giving back," Loree dedicates a portion of her income to Soldiers' Angels, Special Operations Warrior Foundation, and other worthwhile organizations.

She splits her time between a tiny home in the Baltimore suburbs and an even tinier cabin in the Allegheny Mountains, and shares both with her real-life hero Larry, who rarely complains, even when she adds yet another item to her vast collection of "wolf stuff."

ABOUT THE BOOK

When unspeakable tragedy leaves young Eli an orphan, two families are devastated. But Taylor, Eli’s aunt and legal guardian, vows to help him remember his parents by creating a Memory Quilt. As she begins piecing together the moments of his parents' lives, the story of the young family emerges and Taylor and Eli begin to heal. But Eli’s uncle Reece is slow to let go of the past and still blames Taylor’s brother for his sister’s death. So, although he has long been attracted to Taylor, Reece keeps a safe distance away. Can their shared love for Eli pave the way to forgiveness or will Taylor and Reece be separated by pain?


If you would like to read a first chapter excerpt of For Love of Eli, go HERE.


books

Mailbox Monday ~ Feb. 18, 2013


 Join Mailbox Monday meme
@ The Printed Page

February's host is:
Unabridged Chick

(I will be hosting the whole month of May 2013 looking forward to hosting)

Memory of Murder by Ramona Richards


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