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Friday, July 12, 2013

How Too came to be by E. DANTES


“THE SPARK”

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more,
From these our interviews, in which I steal
From all I may be, or have been before,
To mingle with the Universe, and feel
What I can ne'er express, yet cannot all conceal.

- Lord Byron

Lord Byron’s Canto describes exactly how “Too” came into being, well almost...The pathless woods was the back garden, the lonely shore was the patio and the deep sea was terracotta saucer that had been turned into a makeshift bird bath.

Unfortunately inspiration for mere mortals happens in the most ordinary of places. Everything else is “sleight of mind” performed by pen and paper illusionists - PR copywriters!.

So for all aspiring children’s book writers/illustrators here are my top tips on how to be ordinary:

“Under Your Nose”
The best characters can be right in front of you. “Too” was born from watching sparrows in the back garden. They reminded me of mischievous little children and one in particular was far worse than the rest. He had a tuft of feathers that looked like a mohawk and he was so rambunctious that the character “Too” was almost a life study.

“Wheels On The Bus...”
There is nothing wrong with clichĂ©d stories, especially in children’s books. There’s a reason why Dr Seuss, AA Milne and Roald Dahl are still successful (apart from being brilliant!) - children don’t change. Everyday is a mixture of adventure, imagination and learning.

“Two plus two...”
Experimenting with characters and underlying themes is great but as I discovered sometimes it’s best to play safe. For example “Too’s” name was initially spelt “‘Too” as in Cockatoo (don’t ask) which is why his mohawk was yellow but one day I heard a child say “Me Too, Me Too” the rest was history.

“Sleep On It”
This is the best timesaving advice I can give. When you become frustrated, don’t try to carry on working because everything you do will end up in the trash.Trust me I know!

One last thing, enjoy what you do because there is no greater reward than a smile or laugh from a child. It’s the only spark that really matters anyway.



Visit this author's blog tour page here. too learn more about this book and the author

Book Website:
http://www.toosparrow.com



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Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Seeds of Beauty by Lakeysha-Marie Green




What’s the real secret to radiant beauty? It may come as no surprise that how we look on the outside is directly connected to the beauty deep inside us. What’s more, when we are burdened with the weight of low self-esteem, it’s all-too-visible in our physical appearance. That’s why a truly successful makeover begins by reconnecting with who we are at our very core—long before the swipe of the credit card or snip of the shears.
Now, fashion stylist Lakeysha-Marie Green has written a groundbreaking new guide to developing show-stopping beauty from the inside out. Inspirational and easy to use, The Seeds of Beauty seamlessly joins the key elements of inner beauty with savvy, expert style advice on making the most of your own physical attributes. Addressing both of these all-important parts of true beauty, this gorgeous resource comes together in one illuminating journey that looks as fabulous as it feels. In Part One, “Beauty Within,” you’ll learn to build a foundation of self-love, exploring subjects such as acknowledging your value, developing resilience and finding the courage to move forward. Part Two, “Beauty Reflected,” offers you practical advice on wardrobe fundamentals to bring out your beauty and create a winning style, such as working with your body type, selecting your best colors, choosing a swimsuit, and even building a shoe wardrobe. Unlike other fashion and beauty makeover books on the market, The Seeds of Beauty challenges you to discover just why you are uniquely beautiful on the inside. Once you have embraced your own brand of beauty, you’ll be truly motivated to master the building blocks to accentuate your appearance—and glow with your own exquisite beauty from the inside out.  
PURCHASE AT: amazon
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ABOUT LAKEYSHA-MARIE GREEN

Author Lakeysha-Marie Green is no stranger to tackling style dilemmas. A fashion stylist and former women's fit technologist, her extensive experience in the fashion industry taught her the importance of fit, fashion, and effortless style. Her penchant for creativity led to her work in editorial magazines, international film premieres, and advertising. Passionate about helping women to look their best, Lakeysha-Marie has contributed her style expertise on television and in print publications. Inspired by her own roller coaster ride to self-discovery, Lakeysha-Marie began writing to illustrate the potential for transformation that lies within us all. She holds a degree in fashion design & merchandising, with continued coursework in styling & photography from the London College of Fashion.
Visit her blog at: http://www.theseedsofbeauty.com
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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
Wednesday, July 3 - Book reviewed at Library of Clean Reads
Friday, July 5 -Guest blogging at Literarily Speaking
Monday, July 7 - Guest blogging at The Writer's Life
Wednesday, July 10 - Book featured at 4 the Love of Books
Thursday, July 11 - 1st chapter reveal at As the Pages Turn
Tuesday, July 16 - Book reviewed at I'm Shelf-ish
Wednesday, July 17 - Guest blogging at Between the Covers
Thursday, July 18 - Interviewed at Broowaha
Friday, July 19 - Guest blogging at The Story Behind the Book
Monday, July 22 - Book featured at Confessions of a Reader
Tuesday, July 23 - Book featured at Parenting 2.0
Wednesday, July 24 - Interviewed at Beyond the Books
Thursday, July 25 - Interviewed at Pump Up Your Book
Friday, July 26 - Interviewed at Examiner
Friday, July 26 - Guest blogging at Allvoices


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Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Calling quilters that are book readers


Or should it be calling book readers that are quilters.

This challenge has been put out by one of my favorite authors on her FB page. 
Wanda E. Brunstetter
Calling all quilters! I'm excited to announce that I'm sponsoring a quilt square drive to benefit Oaklawn, a facility in Goshen, Indiana, that provides mental health services to the Amish community.

I'm requesting that quilters submit a 6-inch quilt square that will be stitched together to create a quilt or several quilts, depending on the number of squares received. The quilt will be auctioned off, with all the proceeds from the auction going to Oaklawn.

The first 250 quilters to submit a quilt square will receive a copy of The Tattered Quilt, my next novel, publishing Aug. 6 by Barbour Publishing.

Submit your quilted 6-inch block by Aug. 31 to Nancy Berland Public Relations, 2816 NW 57th St., Oklahoma City, OK 73112. For questions, please call 1-800-308-3169 or email Stephanie@NancyBerland.com. Submissions may be photographed and used in social media and other promotions.

Thank you!



books

Grounded by Neta and Dave Jackson

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Grounded
Worthy Publishing (May 7, 2013)
by
Neta and Dave Jackson


ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

As a husband/wife writing team, we are enthusiastic about books, kids, walking with God, gospel music, and each other! Together we are the authors or coauthors of over 120 books. (You can see our Publication Record by clicking HERE.) In addition to writing several books about Christian community, we have been privileged to coauthor numerous books with expert resource people on a variety of topics from racial reconciliation to medical ethics to ministry to kids in gangs.

But over the years the we have especially enjoyed writing for children and young people! This includes our award-winning TRAILBLAZER series, historical fiction about great Christian heroes and heroines for young people ages 8-12, and the four-volume HERO TALES: A Family Treasury of True Stories from the Lives of Great Christians, and the companion book, Heroes in Black History.

Somewhere along the way, our own children grew up! Son Julian is Director of Experience Design for the Alder Planetarium in Chicago where he “provides the experience of exploring space” for visitors. He has two sons, Liam Isaac and Elijah David. Daughter Rachel graduated from Eastern Mennonite University and after working in the field of rape-crisis prevention went on to earn a Masters Degree in counseling from the University of Illinois. She is now a counselor at “Uni High School” in Champaign, Illinois. She is the loving mother of Havah Noelle (our first grandchild!) and Noah Zion, our youngest grandchild. The Jackson family also includes a Cambodian foster daughter, Samen Sang, who has four children.

We live in Evanston, Illinois, where for twenty-seven years we were part of Reba Place Church, a Christian church community. We are now members of a multi-racial congregation in the Chicago area.

ABOUT THE BOOK

...But Hope May Be Just Across the Street

Grace Meredith is a beloved contemporary Christian recording artist whose career--and personal life--hits unexpected turbulence. She feels grounded--in more ways than one. Grace s fiancé, bothered by her outspoken stance on purity and her near-constant travel, has broken off their relationship. Exhausted and unable to continue her current concert schedule, Grace returns home to Chicago, where she is soon stranded in a major snowstorm. Facing new questions about her future and her faith, Grace finds herself connecting for the first time with the residents of her neighborhood. What she discovers in these unexpected relationships could change everything.

Welcome to the Neighborhood The first in the Windy City Neighbors series, Grounded is an uplifting, contemporary story about ordinary people wrestling with the spiritual and practical issues of real life. The series employs the innovative storytelling technique of parallel novels, each with its own drama and story arc, but whose characters lives become intertwined and affect one another. Grounded welcomes you to Beecham Street--a typical, isolated American neighborhood that might just be a place of hope.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Grounded, go Here.



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Teaser Tuesdays ~ The God Interviews




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!  


With Age come benefit, as well as pain.  There is wisdom from lessons learned and respect from years of maturing experience.  The plan was always for age to be celebrated and honored. 

~taken from p. 40 of The God Interviews by Julie-Allyson Ieron


Scene:  Soundstage.  Most of the room is strewn with cameras, half-wound cables, high-intensity lights, and disassembled microphones.  Within view of three cameras sits a made-for-TV faux office scene featuring a conference table and a set with two chairs opposite each other. 

~taken from The God Interviews by Julie-Allyson Ieron


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Monday, July 8, 2013

Midshipman Henry Gallant in Space by H. Peter Alesso



As the last star fighter in squadron 111, Midshipman Henry Gallant is on his way from Jupiter to Mars. With the United Planets' fleet on the verge of annihilation, he can expect no help as he passes through the asteroid belt and threatening aliens. With so much uncertainty about the aliens’ capabilities and intentions, analyzing the captured computer equipment in Gallant’s possession could prove crucial. The fate of Earth could rest on the abilities of Midshipman Henry Gallant. Unfortunately, it is his abilities that have been much in doubt during his tour of duty. In an era of genetic engineering, he is the only Natural (non-genetically enhanced) officer left in the fleet. His classmates and superior officers have all expressed their concern that he will not be up to the demands of the space service. Only bright and attractive junior officer Kelsey Mitchel has shown any sympathy for him. Now as his navigator on the last fighter in squadron 111, her life as well as a good many others, depends of Henry Gallant.

Purchase your copy:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | SMASHWORDS


As a scientist and author specializing in technology innovation, H. Peter Alesso has over twenty years research experience at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). As Engineering Group Leader at LLNL he led a team of computer scientists and engineers in innovative applications across a wide range of supercomputers, workstations and networks. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a B.S. and served in the U.S. Navy on nuclear submarines before completing an M.S. and an advanced Engineering Degree at M.I.T. He has published several software titles and numerous scientific journal and conference articles, and he is the author/co-author of six books. His latest book is Midshipman Henry Gallant in Space.

Visit Peter’s website at www.hpeteralesso.com


Connect & Socialize with Peter!


 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Midshipman Henry Gallant in Space Tour Page


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Mailbox Monday ~ July 8, 2013


Join Mailbox Monday meme
July's host is 




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Thursday, July 4, 2013

my beautiful America



It's like a tradition for me to watch this beautiful video every 4th.  I love it and I couldn't believe I had not posted it in past years on this blog.  I couldn't find it in my archives.  this is so wonderfully done and you won't be disappointed that you traveled the Grand ol' USA with this video.  



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Independence day


"Our lives, our fortunes, our sacred honor"
by Rush H. Limbaugh, Jr.

It was a glorious morning. The sun was shining and the wind was from the southeast. Up especially early, a tall bony, redheaded young Virginian found time to buy a new thermometer, for which he paid three pounds, fifteen shillings. He also bought gloves for Martha, his wife, who was ill at home.

Thomas Jefferson arrived early at the statehouse. The temperature was 72.5 degrees and the horseflies weren't nearly so bad at that hour. It was a lovely room, very large, with gleaming white walls. The chairs were comfortable. Facing the single door were two brass fireplaces, but they would not be used today.

The moment the door was shut, and it was always kept locked, the room became an oven. The tall windows were shut, so that loud quarreling voices could not be heard by passersby. Small openings atop the windows allowed a slight stir of air, and also a large number of horseflies. Jefferson records that "the horseflies were dexterous in finding necks, and the silk of stocking was nothing to them." All discussion was punctuated by the slap of hands on necks.

On the wall at the back, facing the President's desk, was a panoply-consisting of a drum, swords, and banners seized from Fort Ticonderoga the previous year.

Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold had captured the place, shouting that they were taking it "in the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress!"

Now Congress got to work, promptly taking up an emergency measure about which there was discussion but no dissention. "Resolved: That an application be made to the Committee of Safety of Pennsylvania for a supply of flints for the troops at New York."

Then Congress transformed itself into a committee of the whole. The Declaration of Independence was read aloud once more, and debate resumed. Though Jefferson was the best writer of all of them, he had been somewhat verbose. Congress hacked the excess away.

They did a good job, as a side-by-side comparison of the rough draft and the final text shows. They cut the phrase "by a self-assumed power." "Climb" was replaced by "must read," then "must" was eliminated, then the whole sentence, and soon the whole paragraph was cut.

Jefferson groaned as they continued what he later called "their depredations." "Inherent and inalienable rights" came out "certain unalienable rights," and to this day no one knows who suggested the elegant change.

A total of 86 alterations were made. Almost 500 words were eliminated, leaving 1,337. At last, after three days of wrangling, the document was put to a vote.

Here in this hall Patrick Henry had once thundered: " I am no longer a Virginian, Sir, but an American." But today the loud, sometimes bitter argument stilled, and without fanfare the vote was taken from north to south by colonies, as was the custom. On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted.

There were no trumpets blown. No one stood on his chair and cheered. The afternoon was waning and Congress had no thought of delaying the full calendar of routine business on its hands. For several hours they worked on many other problems before adjourning for the day.

Much To Lose

What kind of men were the 56 signers who adopted the Declaration of Independence and who, by their signing, committed an act of treason against the crown? To each of you the names Franklin, Adams, Hancock, and Jefferson are almost as familiar as household words.

Most of us, however, know nothing of the other signers.

Who were they? What happened to them?

I imagine that many of you are somewhat surprised at the names not there: George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Patrick Henry. All were elsewhere.

Ben Franklin was the only really old man. Eighteen were under 40; three were in their 20s. Of the 56 almost half -24- were judges and lawyers. Eleven were merchants, 9 were landowners and farmers, and the remaining 12 were doctors, ministers, and politicians.

With only a few exceptions, such as Samuel Adams of Massachusetts, these were men of substantial property.

All but two had families. The vast majority were men of education and standing in their communities. They had economic security as few men had in the 18th century.

Each had more to lose from revolution than he had to gain by it. John Hancock, one of the richest men in America, already had a price of 500 pounds on his head.

He signed in enormous letters so "that his Majesty could now read his name without glasses and could now double the reward." Ben Franklin wryly noted: "Indeed we must all hang together, otherwise we shall most assuredly hang separately." Fat Benjamin Harrison of Virginia told tiny Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts: "With me it will all be over in a minute, but you , you will be dancing on air an hour after I am gone.

These men knew what they risked. The penalty for treason was death by hanging. And remember: a great British fleet was already at anchor in New York Harbor.

They were sober men. There were no dreamy-eyed intellectuals or draft card burners here. They were far from hot-eyed fanatics, yammering for an explosion.

They simply asked for the status quo. It was change they resisted. It was equality with the mother country they desired. It was taxation with representation they sought. They were all conservatives, yet they rebelled.

It was principle, not property, that had brought these men to Philadelphia. Two of them became presidents of the United States. Seven of them became state governors. One died in office as vice president of the United States. Several would go on to be U.S. Senators.

One, the richest man in America, in 1828 founded the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. One, a delegate from Philadelphia, was the only real poet, musician and philosopher of the signers (it was he, Francis Hopkinson - not Betsy Ross who designed the United States flag).

Richard Henry Lee, A delegate from Virginia, had introduced the resolution to adopt the Declaration of Independence in June of 1776. He was prophetic in his concluding remarks:

"Why then sir, why do we longer delay? Why still deliberate? Let this happy day give birth to an American Republic. Let her arise not to devastate and to conquer but to reestablish the reign of peace and law. The eyes of Europe are fixed upon us. She demands of us a living example of freedom that may exhibit a contrast in the felicity of the citizen to the ever increasing tyranny which desolates her polluted shores. She invites us to prepare an asylum where the unhappy may find solace, and the persecuted repost. If we are not this day wanting in our duty, the names of the American Legislatures of 1776 will be placed by posterity at the side of all of those whose memory has been and ever will be dear to virtuous men and good citizens."

Though the resolution was formally adopted July 4, it was not until July 8 that two of the states authorized their delegates to sign, and it was not until August 2, that the signers met at Philadelphia to actually put their names to the Declaration.

William Ellery, delegate from Rhode Island, was curious to see the signers' faces as they committed this supreme act of personal courage. He saw some men sign quickly, "but in no face was he able to discern real fear."

Stephan Hopkins, Ellery's colleague from Rhode Island, was a man past 60. As he signed with a shaking pen, he declared: "My hand trembles, but my heart does not."

"Most glorious service"

Even before the list was published, the British marked down every member of Congress suspected of having put his name to treason. All of them became the objects of vicious manhunts. Some were taken. Some, like Jefferson, had narrow escapes. All who had property or families near British strongholds suffered.

- Francis Lewis, New York delegate saw his home plundered and his estates in what is now Harlem, completely destroyed by British soldiers. Mrs. Lewis was captured and treated with great brutality. Though she was later exchanged for two British prisoners though the efforts of Congress she died from the effects of her abuse.

- William Floyd, another New York delegate, was able to escape with his wife and children across Long Island Sound to Connecticut, where they lived as refugees without income for seven years. When they came home they found a devastated ruin.

- Philips Livingstone had all his great holdings in New York confiscated and his family driven out of their home. Livingstone died in 1778 still working in Congress for the cause.

- Louis Morris, the fourth New York delegate, saw all his timber, crops, and livestock taken. For seven years he was barred from his home and family.

- John Hart of Trenton, New Jersey, risked his life to return home to see his dying wife. Hessian soldiers rode after him, and he escaped in the woods. While his wife lay on her deathbed, the soldiers ruined his farm and wrecked his homestead. Hart, 65, slept in caves and woods as he was hunted across the countryside. When at long last, emaciated by hardship, he was able to sneak home, he found his wife had already been buried, and his 13 children taken away. He never saw them again. He died a broken man in 1779, without ever finding his family.

- Dr. John Witherspoon, signer, was president of the College of New Jersey, later called Princeton. The British occupied the town of Princeton, and billeted troops in the college. They trampled and burned the finest college library in the country.

- Judge Richard Stockton, another New Jersey delegate signer, had rushed back to his estate in an effort to evacuate his wife and children. The family found refuge with friends, but a Tory sympathizer betrayed them. Judge Stockton was pulled from bed in the night and brutally beaten by the arresting soldiers. Thrown into a common jail, he was deliberately starved. Congress finally arranged for Stockton's parole, but his health was ruined. The judge was released as an invalid, when he could no longer harm the British cause. He returned home to find his estate looted and did not live to see the triumph of the revolution. His family was forced to live off charity.

- Robert Morris, merchant prince of Philadelphia, delegate and signer, met Washington's appeals and pleas for money year after year. He made and raised arms and provisions which made it possible for Washington to cross the Delaware at Trenton. In the process he lost 150 ships at sea, bleeding his own fortune and credit almost dry.

- George Clymer, Pennsylvania signer, escaped with his family from their home, but their property was completely destroyed by the British in the Germantown and Brandywine campaigns.

- Dr. Benjamin Rush, also from Pennsylvania, was forced to flee to Maryland. As a heroic surgeon with the army, Rush had several narrow escapes.

- John Martin, a Tory in his views previous to the debate, lived in a strongly loyalist area of Pennsylvania. When he came out for independence, most of his neighbors and even some of his relatives ostracized him. He was a sensitive and troubled man, and many believed this action killed him. When he died in 1777, his last words to his tormentors were: "Tell them that they will live to see the hour when they shall acknowledge it [the signing] to have been the most glorious service that I have ever rendered to my country."

- William Ellery, Rhode Island delegate, saw his property and home burned to the ground.

- Thomas Lynch, Jr., South Carolina delegate, had his health broken from privation and exposures while serving as a company commander in the military. His doctors ordered him to seek a cure in the West Indies and on the voyage he and his young bride were drowned at sea.

- Edward Rutledge, Arthur Middleton, and Thomas Heyward, Jr., the other three South Carolina signers, were taken by the British in the siege of Charleston. They were carried as prisoners of war to St. Augustine, Florida, where they were singled out for indignities. They were exchanged at the end of the war, the British in the meantime having completely devastated their large landholdings and estates.

- Thomas Nelson, signer of Virginia, was at the front in command of the Virginia military forces. With British General Charles Cornwallis in Yorktown, fire from 70 heavy American guns began to destroy Yorktown piece by piece. Lord Cornwallis and his staff moved their headquarters into Nelson's palatial home. While American cannonballs were making a shambles of the town, the house of Governor Nelson remained untouched. Nelson turned in rage to the American gunners and asked, "Why do you spare my home?" They replied, "Sir, out of respect to you." Nelson cried, "Give me the cannon!" and fired on his magnificent home himself, smashing it to bits. But Nelson's sacrifice was not quite over. He had raised $2 million for the Revolutionary cause by pledging his own estates. When the loans came due, a newer peacetime Congress refused to honor them, and Nelson's property was forfeited. He was never reimbursed. He died, impoverished, a few years later at the age of 50.

Lives, fortunes, honor

Of those 56 who signed the Declaration of Independence, nine died of wounds or hardships during the war. Five were captured and imprisoned, in each case with brutal treatment. Several lost wives, sons or entire families. One lost his 13 children. Two wives were brutally treated. All were at one time or another the victims of manhunts and driven from their homes.

Twelve signers had their homes completely burned.

Seventeen lost everything they owned. Yet not one defected or went back on his pledged word. Their honor, and the nation they sacrificed so much to create is still intact.

And, finally, there is the New Jersey Signer, Abraham Clark.

He gave two sons to the officer corps in the Revolutionary Army. They were captured and sent to that infamous British prison hulk afloat in New York Harbor known as the hell ship "Jersey," where 11,000 American captives were to die. The younger Clarks were treated with a special brutality because of their father.

One was put in solitary and given no food. With the end almost in sight with the war almost won, no one could have blamed Abraham Clark for acceding to the British request when they offered him his sons' lives if he would recant and come out for the King and Parliament. The utter despair in this man's heart, the anguish in his very soul, must reach out to each and one of us down through 200 years with the answer: "No."

The 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence proved by their every deed that they made no idle boast when they composed the most magnificent curtain line in history. "And for the support of this Declaration with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

- Rush H. Limbaugh, Jr.



books

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Widown of gettysburg by Jocelyn Green

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Widow of Gettysburg
River North; New Edition edition (April 12, 2013)
by
Jocelyn Green

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jocelyn Green is a child of God, wife and mom living in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She is also an award-winning journalist, author, editor and blogger. Though she has written nonfiction on a variety of topics, her name is most widely recognized for her ministry to military wives: Faith Deployed. Her passion for the military family was fueled by her own experience as a military wife, and by the dozens of interviews she has conducted with members of the military for her articles and books, Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives and its sequel, Faith Deployed...Again: More Daily Encouragement for Military Wives. She is also co-author of both Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan and Stories of Faith and Courage from the Home Front (forthcoming, May 2012). Her Faith Deployed Web site and Facebook page continue to provide ongoing support, encouragement and resources for military wives worldwide.

ABOUT THE BOOK

When a horrific battle rips through Gettysburg, the farm of Union widow Liberty Holloway is disfigured into a Confederate field hospital, bringing her face to face with unspeakable suffering--and a Rebel scout who awakens her long dormant heart.

While Liberty's future crumbles as her home is destroyed, the past comes rushing back to Bella, a former slave and Liberty's hired help, when she finds herself surrounded by Southern soldiers, one of whom knows the secret that would place Liberty in danger if revealed.

In the wake of shattered homes and bodies, Liberty and Bella struggle to pick up the pieces the battle has left behind. Will Liberty be defined by the tragedy in her life, or will she find a way to triumph over it? Widow of Gettysburg is inspired by first-person accounts from women who lived in Gettysburg during the battle and its aftermath.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Widow of Gettysburg, go HERE.



books

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Teaser Tuesdays - Prayer Warrior Mom



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!  

I've found that our culture's obsession with technology can  become toxic and all-consuming if we let it.  (We tend to do a lot of mindless eating when we watch TV too.)  The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that for children over the age two, we limit our kids' screen time to a total of two hours or less per day (including TV, computer, video games, etc.).  The AAP does not recommend any TV or screen time at all for children under age two.  A recent New York Times article states that , according to the AAP, "screen time provides no educational benefits for children under age 2 and leaves less room for activities that do, like interacting with other people and playing."  .....

I also recently read a sobering article in Parenting magazine stating that the time we spend reading to our kids should be twice the amount of time they watching TV.

~taken from p. 132 & 133 Prayer Warrior Mom by Marla Alupoaicei




I WAS FREE!  My husband had agreed to watch the kids for a bit so I could spend a rare couple of hours at my local Christian bookstore.  I swung through the Starbucks drive-thru and grabbed a skinny latte on my way over. 


~taken from  Prayer Warrior Mom by Marla Alupoaicei



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