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Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Paige Torn by Erynn Mangum

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Paige Torn
Think (May 1, 2013)
by
Erynn Mangum

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A few things about her: So, if we were having this conversation in person, we would probably be hanging out at Starbucks or one of the cute coffeehouses in town. I’m nuts about all things coffee, I’m crazy about all things pink and girly, and I love, love, love the Food Network! I’m married to my best friend and the most amazing guy ever, Jon. He is amiable toward coffee, does not like anything pink or girly and tolerates the Food Network. So, we make a good match! In July 2010, we became parents to one of the funniest, cutest, sweetest little guys in the whole world (and nope, we aren’t biased at all!), our Nater-Tot, who is legally known as Nathan. Most days, I’m cleaning up messes, making goofy faces, trying to fit some writing in, and just LOVING the life that God has given me!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Everyone knows they can count on Paige Alder. But between volunteering at church, putting in overtime at work, and helping her best friend plan an anniversary party, she's lucky to grab a cheese stick for dinner. Paige can't even remember the last time she had a few minutes to relax or dig into God's Word. Then she meets laid-back Tyler, an attractive, Jesus-loving guy. Will he be able to help Paige get her priorities on track?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Paige Torn, go HERE.




books

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Teaser Tuesdays - Dolled Up to Die




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!   

A certain innocent logic in that response. Or, an argumentative voice inside Cate's head suggested, perhaps the clever dodge of someone not so innocent? 

~taken from p. 67 Dolled Up to Die by Lorena McCourtney


Case closed!
   Until she'd become an assistant private investigator, Cate Kinkaid had never realized how satisfying those words were .  Gleefully, she threw her hands up and clapped.  She added the time and date to the report and hit the print button.

(ok so you got two paragraph's today...the first one just didn't seem long enough.)
Read the first chapter here

~taken from Dolled Up to Die by Lorena McCourtney


books

Monday, June 24, 2013

Pieces of the Heart by Bonnie S. Calhoun

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Pieces of the Heart
Abingdon Press (June 1, 2013)
by
Bonnie S. Calhoun

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Bonnie S. Calhoun is Owner/Director of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance, owner/publisher of Christian Fiction Online Magazine, Northeast Zone Director for American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), the ACFW ‘2011 Mentor of the Year,” President of (CAN) Christian Authors Network, and Appointment Coordinator for both the Colorado Christian Writers Conference (CCWC) and the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference(GPCWC).

For the last six years she has taught workshops in Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, and creating Social Media promotions at both CCWC, and GPCWC, and in 2011 at the Montrose, Pa Christian Writers Conference. She also taught a Facebook workshop at the 2012 ACFW conference.

Bonnie and her husband live in a log cabin in upstate area of New York with a dog and cat who think she’s wait-staff.

Her sites are: https://www.facebook.com/bonniescalhounsnarkandsuspense
https://www.facebook.com/bscalhoun

ABOUT THE BOOK

Cordelia Grace watched Bernard Howard, the love of her young life, go off to fight for our country in WWII. And she has spent the last three years creating the Pine Cone quilt that will grace their marriage bed when he comes home. Each row of triangles signifies a layer in her life, sets of memories, hopes, dreams, and prayers for her future, enough spoken words to cover them forever. Her image of their “happy-ever-after” grows proportionally as the quilt expands.

But is the man that returns from the war, the same man that she remembered? Are the dark shades of color that she had to use for the outside edges of the beloved quilt prophetic of her life to come? Can love and faith overcome all?

If you would like to read teh first chapter of Pieces of the Heart, go HERE.



books

Mailbox Monday ~ June 24, 2013


Join Mailbox Monday meme
June's host is 
Bellezza @ Dolce Bellezza


Pieces of the Heart by Bonnie S. Calhoun



books

Thursday, June 20, 2013

It's a Pirates life for me...

Meet Captain No Beard and his gang of pirates on the High Seas in Carole P. Roman's children's book series.  They are awesome and adventurous as well as wonderful teaching tools.





Be transported back into the pirates' time line with Roman's whimsical picture books.  Meet the captain and his crew in Captain No Beard:  An imaginary tale of a Pirates life.  Have no fear the crew is loving even though they are adventurous and fearless.  The story is humorous, charming, fun and captivating. 

Pepper Parrot's Problem is Patience is another high seas tale written by Carole Roman.  A delightful book and wonderful teaching tool.  In this book the reader will learn some pirate lingo and the valuable importance of teamwork and loving others. The message is important and the illustrations are bight and colorful. 

Stuck in the Doldrums is another fun filled adventure mixed with silly lightheartedness on the high seas.  In this book, Roman's lesson is on sharing and cooperation.  Now what kid doesn't need to learn those important lessons?  Roman teaches in a fun way on the high seas.  Right on a child's level.  The book is fun and entertaining with it's wonderful illustrations, pirate lingo and valuable lessons.


You may visit Carole Roman @ her website here to learn more about this exciting series and others she has pinned.


Award-winning author Carole P. Roman is a former teacher turned businesswoman who has successfully run a family business with her husband for more than 40 years. Her first book, Captain No Beard: An imaginary Tale of a Pirate’s Life, has been named to the Kirkus Reviews’ Best of 2012 as well as garnered the star of remarkable merit. She currently lives on Long Island near all her children and grandchildren and strives to sees them as much as she can.

A copy of these books were provided by the author and Bostick Communications for the purpose of this review.


books

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Lock, Stock and Over a Barrel by Melody Carlson

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Lock, Stock and Over a Barrel
B&H Publishing Group (April 30, 2013)
by
Melody Carlson

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Over the years, Melody Carlson has worn many hats, from pre-school teacher to youth counselor to political activist to senior editor. But most of all, she loves to write! Currently she freelances from her home. In the past eight years, she has published over ninety books for children, teens, and adults--with sales totaling more than two million and many titles appearing on the ECPA Bestsellers List. Several of her books have been finalists for, and winners of, various writing awards.

She has two grown sons and lives in Central Oregon with her husband and chocolate lab retriever. They enjoy skiing, hiking, gardening, camping and biking in the beautiful Cascade Mountains.

ABOUT THE BOOK

With high hopes, Dorothy Ballinger lands her dream job at The New York Times. But it's not long until writing about weddings becomes a painful reminder of her own failed romance, and her love of the city slowly sours as well. Is it time to give up the Big Apple for her small hometown of Appleton?

When her eccentric Aunt Dot passes away and leaves a sizeable estate to Dorothy, going back home is an easy choice. What isn’t easy is coming to terms with the downright odd clauses written into the will.

Dorothy only stands to inherit the estate if she agrees to her aunt's very specific posthumous terms -- personal and professional. And if she fails to comply, the sprawling old Victorian house shall be bequeathed to . . . Aunt Dot’s cats.

And if Dorothy thinks that’s odd, wait until she finds out an array of secrets about Aunt Dot's life, and how imperfect circumstances can sometimes lead to God's perfect timing.

If you would liketo read the first chapter of Lock, Stock and Over a Barrel, go HERE.



books

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Seeds of Beauty by Lakeysha-Marie Green


Join Lakeysha-Marie Green, author of the fashion/self-help book, The Seeds of Beauty:Defining Your Beauty From the Inside Out, as she tours the blogosphere June 17 - September 13, 2013 on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book!
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 Read the First Chapter here~
 
The Burning Ship


On the journey to becoming our better selves, there is always a risk. In essence we are leaving behind the only way we have ever known, however self-destructive it may be. The best analogy I could use here is a burning ship.

Negative thoughts have a way of gaining momentum like a fire stoked by a fiercely moving wind until they quickly surround us with smoke so thick it is hard for us to see through the haze. No matter how much others love us, how many admire us, or how successful our lives may be, we find it harder and harder to breathe.

Trapped on the burning ship that is our inner self, the only way to escape the engulfment is to jump into the water waiting below. The choice to jump can stem from a variety of reasons. It could be a life-changing illness, a divorce from an unhappy marriage, or simply waking up to the fact that we want more for ourselves. Tentatively, we cross the deck and are ready to take the leap. Then, screaming from the abyss of our souls, we take the leap off the ship and land safely into the cool, refreshing waters.

Relieved, we feel the intense sensation of a new start, a new beginning. Happily we laugh as ripples of freedom break through the surface of the water with our every movement. And then the inevitable happens.

We look to the shore and suddenly realize how far away it is. Can we swim that far?

Panic sets in.

We look back at the burning ship and begin to desperately rationalize. Maybe if we splash water on the deck, the flames will retreat and it won’t be so bad. Sure, the boat isn’t in the best condition, but maybe, just maybe, despite all the holes, it will still make it to shore.

Change can bring a sense of vulnerability to anyone experiencing it. It can be very frightening to step out into new waters. Instinctively, we retreat to what makes us feel safe and secure even if it’s a burning ship. Then without realizing it we, like the burning ship, sink back into the same negative patterns of the past. We try to reassure ourselves that it wouldn’t have worked out anyway, but in truth we never know because we were too scared to venture beyond our fear.

As you work to better yourself both internally and externally, you may feel the fear that often accompanies change. Like many before you, you will see the distance to the shore and look back to the burning ship. This is a natural reaction that does not indicate weakness.

But instead of returning, you have to make the conscious decision to swim away from the burning ship. With each stroke you will fight the currents of doubt, and each kick will strengthen you and propel you toward your goal. You will tire as everyone inevitably does. But instead of letting yourself sink into the depths of naysayers, float on your back and rest for a bit. Let the waves of hope and the belief in yourself carry you toward shore. And when you are rested and feel strong again, roll over and start to swim again, and don’t stop the journey until you reach the shore.

There have been many burning ships in my life from which I have been forced to jump—bad relationships, dead-end jobs, and self-destructive behavior, to name an attractive few.

And because I have the tendency to be stubborn, I have experienced the pain of repeat voyages. How did I learn to stop setting my ships on fire? I began to look for the warning signs. There is always smoke before the flames. When you smell the smoke, which can appear in the form of self-destructive thoughts, insecurities, or pressures to conform to someone else’s ideals, stop what you are doing and look to see where the smoke is coming from.

Is this self-induced? Are the people with whom you associate healthy for your well-being? Has someone in the past told you that you weren’t good enough, and though buried in the years of your past, the heat of it still burns subconsciously?

If you follow the smoke, you will find the source of your fire. And once you locate it, you possess the ability to squelch it before it turns into a rampant blaze. In doing so you will not only gain insight about yourself, you will also strengthen yourself for the future…
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Pump Up Your Book and Lakeysha-Marie Green are teaming up to give you a chance to win a $100 Macy's gift card and a $50 Sephora gift card!

ENTER TO WIN!

The Seeds of Beauty Virtual Book Publicity Tour Schedule

------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, June 17 - Book featured at Mary's Cup of Tea
Tuesday, June 18 - 1st Chapter Reveal at 4 the Love of Books
Wednesday, June 19 - 1st Chapter Reveal at Parenting 2.0
Friday, June 21 - Interviewed at Review From Here
Monday, June 24 - Book featured at Beyond the Books
Tuesday, June 25 - Book featured at Authors and Readers Book Corner
Thursday, June 27 - Book reviewed at My Life. One Story at a Time
Friday, June 28 - Interviewed at Literal Exposure
--------------------------------------------------------------
Pump Up Your Book




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!  



books

Monday, June 17, 2013

Fear Has a Name by Creston Mapes

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Fear Has a Name
David C. Cook (June 1, 2013)
by
Creston Mapes

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Creston has fond memories of his boyhood in Bath, Ohio, where he became enchanted with his future wife, way back in the fourth grade. His father, Bernie, owned and operated The Weathervane Furniture Shop in town. The whole family lived right upstairs in the century-old house known as "The Shop."

Creston studied journalism at Bowling Green State University, then began his writing career. During the past 30 years, he has worked as a reporter, corporate copywriter, creative director, freelance writer, and author.

ABOUT THE BOOK

From popular suspense author Creston Mapes comes another faith-building thriller, a tale that follows journalist Jack Crittendon as he fights to protect his family from a stalker's terrifying schemes, investigates a pastor's mysterious disappearance, and struggles to keep his faith amidst unthinkable fear.

With his family's safety on the line, Crittendon realizes there are secrets behind "Christian" walls--secrets with painful, deadly implications. He must find the faith to trust a God who allows inconceivable trials, and the courage to guard his family, with danger exploding at every turn.

Through it all--the sharp, character-driven writing for which Mapes is known--takes fans and new readers on an edge-of-your-seat journey that explores the harsh, far-reaching consequences of bullying and the Christian response to fear.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Fear Has a Name, go HERE.



books

Friday, June 14, 2013

What Would the Founding Fathers Think by David Bowman


You couldn't ask for a more plainer book explaining where we are heading in America if some action doesn't take place.  Written so middle school children can understand it, but a message adults need to read and adhere too.  I am so in agreement with everything this author has pinned in this book.  I think it should be required reading for 4-5 graders.  It is a message we so need to take very seriously in this day and time.  We need to not lose sight of the vision our forefathers had.  Written in a fun kid form cartoon type illustrations and texting format.  Definitely a message that needs to catch with the younger folks.  Visit the web site here




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
David Bowman’s passion is teaching and working with youth. He has taught at a high school level and is a popular youth motivational speaker, traveling around the country to speak at various venues. David is the author/illustrator of several books for young audiences, including the best-selling Who’s Your Hero series. In addition, David is the artist of the Christian art series titled “Expressions of Christ.” David is also passionate about restoring this nation back to its founding principles. Along with authoring this book, he is actively involved with the American Academy for Constitutional Education and other conservative groups. David and his wife, Natalie, and their four children live in Arizona.

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

books

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Guest post: From inside Danielle Levine's OCD brain



click icon above to go to the book tour page


From inside Danielle Levine’s OCD brain
by author  Lauren Roedy Vaughn

I’m sitting at dinner with my mom and dad and staring down at my thighs. They take up way too much space on the chair. I’m trying to mentally suck in my thighs. My mom’s thighs only take up a fraction of space on the newly upholstered dining room chairs; her thighs are as lovely as the chairs. Not so much mine.
I’m currently worried that the mash potatoes I’m eating will travel straight down to my thighs and burst open the seams of my jeans. I know that’s impossible, but I can’t stop myself from thinking about it. These are the kinds of thoughts I have during dinner. This is just how my mind works.I put the cloth napkin over my thighs so a huge portion of their real estate is hidden from view. Okay, Danielle, stop thinking about your thighs. Force yourself to have some other thoughts.
Good thoughts I force myself to have during dinner:
1.      I’m on page 226 of Pride and Prejudice. I’m rereading it for the fourth time. Very satisfying.
2.      If my thighs don’t explode during dinner, maybe I can watch a Jake Gyllenhaal movie before bed. Awesome.
3.      Aunt Joyce is coming over this weekend. Fabulous. She’s taking me to a see the Restoration comedy that she designed the costumes for. Can’t wait.
4.      I hope she can snag me a dress and a few hats after the run of the show.
5.      Will try on all my hats after dinner.
6.      Had to have a sixth thought because I don’t like to end on odd numbers.

I’m uber glad people can’t hear my thoughts. They would think I’m as nuts as I know I am. That reminds me that I better check the lock on my me-moir binder. All my writing, all my thoughts, all my emails and secret journals live there, and I can’t remember if I locked it.
           “Mom, may I be excused?”
           “You just sat down to dinner.”
           “I’m not that hungry and I’m protecting my thighs.”
           “Finish your dinner and then you can be excused. Your thighs are perfectly fine.”
           Sometimes my mom is clueless.


Seventeen-year-old Danielle Levine is your typical high school teenager – if you count having OCD and ADHD as typical. Danielle’s “special” conditions lead her to a school for students with learning disabilities, and, even here, she struggles to fit in.
How Danielle navigates her status as a “learning-challenged” teen pariah is told, with equal parts pain and hilarity, in Lauren Roedy Vaughn’s debut Young Adult novel, OCD, THE DUDE, AND ME, which Kirkus Review has hailed as a “must-read.”


Purchase your copy online:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | INDIEBOUND | BOOKPASSAGE

Lauren Roedy Vaughn is especially equipped to write Danielle’s story. She has been a special education teacher and a writer for nearly 20 years. In 2005, she received the Walk of Hearts Teaching Award, and she serves on the Board of the International Dyslexia Association’s Los Angeles Branch. She was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, when she was in elementary school. She came to California for college, met her husband at the University of California, Irvine, and they have lived in Southern California ever since. Together, they share a love of The Big Lebowski. When not teaching, reading, or writing, Lauren is usually on a yoga mat.
Her latest book is the contemporary humorous young adult fiction, OCD, the Dude & Me.

You can visit Lauren Roedy Vaughn’s website at www.laurenroedyvaughn.com

Connect & Socialize with Lauren!


This article was provided in exchange for this post by...






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Catch them Reading

 
Get your kids reading this summer with these programs. 

Barnes and Noble
Children choose a free book after reading 8 books this summer. Record your reading in B&N's reading journal and take it to any store to choose your free book from selections found on the reading journal.

Half Price Books
Read for 15 minutes a day during June and July and win you reach 300 minutes (each month), turn in your log each month to earn Bookworm Bucks. One winner each month will receive a $20 gift card.

Tyndale House Publishers
Read books, share on social media to earn points, earn free books.

Pottery Barn Kids
Read the books on their booklist and receive a free book.

Showcase Cinemas Bookworm Wednesdays (select locations)
 Each Wednesday from July 10 – August 7, kids can bring in a book report (unless you are six and under and then admission will be free) – which will be cost of admission!  The films in include:


  • July 10th – Yogi Bear
  • July 17th – Ice Age: Continental Drift
  • July 24th – Madagascar 3
  • July 31st – The Lorax
  • August 7th – Hotel Transylvania
Read. Log minutes. Earn prizes.

The site has not launched yet. Click over to leave your email address and they will notify you.

Every 2 weeks, you child can earn 10 free tokens through 12/31/13 by completing the chart and taking it to your local store. 

Read a book. Take a quiz. Win fun prizes.

Local library
Be sure to check your local library for their summer reading program offerings.

books

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Revived by Grace by Emma Clay




Revived by GraceTitle of Book: REVIVED BY GRACE Genre: Christian Memoir Author: Emma Clay Website: www.EmmaClay.com Publisher: Metokos Press PURCHASE REVIVED BY GRACE HERE  

SUMMARY: Emma Clay lived a life of rebellion, led astray by her own desires and her attraction to an indulgent life and a difficult man. This book is her memoir, telling the powerful story of her downward decline and the way God brought her back to himself through his love. Moving between personal storytelling, Biblical reflection, and political application, Revived by Grace is a book that speaks to the wounded place in all of us that can be healed only by the grace of God.


 Read the First Chapter here~
 
THE SMORGASEBOARD OF DESIRES

It shouldn’t have been a surprise, especially to Emma’s family, that she joined the Army when she was seventeen, in order to travel and get away from the farm. As a child, they said she would crawl into the backseat of every stranger’s car that came to the orchard to buy apples. It was like she was always wanting to leave, thinking there was more than just the farm out there.
You shall not covet… (Exodus 20:17).1

This is one of the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses for his children’s wellbeing. God knew we needed these instructions to live life to its fullest. He wanted the best for us, and he knew this was the way to have that.

This concept is best described in Merrill C. Tenney’sZondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible. He defines the word “covet” as a “selfish longing” and “greed for material gain.”2 This means setting your heart on something someone else has instead of being content with the gifts the Lord has given you. That is why the Bible says Thou Shalt Not!

But as disobedient children, we sometimes go against the grain and do what we want instead of what’s best. And Emma was not listening to the Lord, but was instead listening to the hounding of her own desires.  

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone (James 1:13). 

The Army was the way Emma thought she could escape from the farm and from something else that she was hiding from—something deep inside that had recently happened.

 Her parents didn’t have the money to spend on college, and she didn’t want to go anyway. Since she would need no money to join the Army, it seemed like the only option. She talked a friend into going with her on what they called the “buddy system.” This meant she could go with someone she knew and not be all alone on the adventure.

Emma figured she could travel all over the world, and they would even pay her to do so. The idea was quite inviting. She was promised a career, and they would train her and teach her in any area of work she would like to choose. She chose the medical field.

The Army would even pay her room and board and give her a salary while she was trained, which would allow Emma to save the money she earned. What a great option for those who cannot afford college. It seemed like a good deal to Emma, so she joined at age seventeen. Her parents had to co-sign, which just about killed her mother.

The week they were supposed to leave, her friend backed out on her. But Emma had made a commitment, and she couldn’t back out. Everybody knew she had joined, and they even threw her a going-away party.

 The Army turned out not to be the travel adventure she’d hoped for. It was regimented and disciplined and exactly what she needed—but not quite what she expected.

This life is depicted well in the movie Private Benjamin, which was released in theaters just two weeks after Emma graduated from boot camp.

Emma actually did well in the Army at Ft Jackson, South Carolina. She had been appointed squad leader, and she was great with her M-16 rifle. She also made a great friend in her squad, and together they would pray in the barracks at night to overcome their homesickness.

She recited the 23rd Psalm every day, even in the chow line with her hands behind her back. She prayed for the Lord to be with her and help her get through her uncertainty.

She was afraid. She was in an environment that was very different from the way she had grown up. Her parents seemed to be saints compared to the people around her, and she wanted to go home. She realized what she had at home had been wonderful, and she had taken it for granted.  

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters(Psalm 23:1-2). 

 Emma imagined running through meadows of green grass, swaying in the summer wind. She envisioned herself back home again, running over to the creek that flowed through the valley. She would lay down by the stream and listen to the water flow down the brook and stare up to the blue sky as the clouds floated by.

Attention!” she heard a voice say, and then her drill sergeant told her to drop down and give him twenty. “You weren’t listening to a word I said,” he yelled.

Emma was shaken back to reality, and the heat from her fatigues and her boots made her sweat terribly. You see, they were not allowed to leave their shirts out. Their shirts had to be tucked into their pants and their pant legs tucked into their boots. This left no room for the air to circulate, and it was a hundred degrees outside. She knew this was so they would learn to handle the heat better.

Emma was living with people who didn’t look like her. Many were black, and she was white. Even her two drill sergeants were black. You have to remember, she had been sheltered most of her life from anywhere except the farm, with only an occasional trip to the beach with her parents.

The color didn’t matter to Emma; she looked inside people for love and kindness. She knew God made us all. She would hum to herself a children’s song: Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world.

Basic training was coming to an end, and just like in the movie, her life seemed to run parallel to Private Benjamin. She realized she had used travel as an excuse to not to deal with the true, underlying reason she joined.

Just like Private Benjamin had joined the Army out of sorrow for her husband dying, Emma joined to escape the guilt she felt over an inconvenient truth—also involving death.

Homesickness set in even more after her graduation ceremony and the reunion with her mom and dad. She got her assignment to Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. It was there, with all the newfound freedom it offered, that loneliness truly set in. Unlike in boot camp, where she was housed in the barracks with forty other soldiers, there she was alone.



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!  



This first chapter was provided by...






books