WHEN I FALL IN LOVE – Hawaiian Chef Challenge & Kitchen Aid Mixer Giveaway!

Hawaii was the last place Grace Christiansen ever imagined she’d vacation, much less fall in love. But when her family surprises her with a cooking retreat in paradise, she is pulled—or maybe yanked—away from her predictable, safe life and thrown headfirst into the adventure of a lifetime.
Max Sharpe may make his living on the ice as a pro hockey player, but he feels most at home in the kitchen. Which is why he lives for the three-week culinary vacation he takes each year in Hawaii. Upon being paired with Grace for a cooking competition, Max finds himself drawn to her passion, confidence, and perseverance. But just when Grace dares to dream of a future beyond her hometown, Max pulls away.

Wrestling with personal demons, Max fights against opening his heart to a love he knows he should never hope for. And as his secrets unfold, Grace is torn between the safe path in front of her and what her heart truly desires. If love means sacrificing her ideal happily ever after, Grace’s faith will face its toughest test yet.

Learn more and and purchase a copy at Susan’s website.

Contemporary, realistic, modern-day romance, that is what When I Fall in Love is.  The third book in the Christiansen Family Saga; the third family romance.  Each book in the series highlights a different Chistiansen family member;  Each with either own stories to tell.  If you are looking for charming and unique romance novels then Susan May Warren may be your author, she'll pull you in with the first word and you'll be wanting more as you read the last word.  It's an unforgettable family and you'll keep turning the pages to learn more.  

Susan May Warren is the bestselling, RITA Award–winning author of more than forty novels whose compelling plots and unforgettable characters have won acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. She served with her husband and four children as a missionary in Russia for eight years before she and her family returned home to the States. She now writes full-time as her husband runs a lodge on Lake Superior in northern Minnesota, where many of her books are set. She and her family enjoy hiking, canoeing, and being involved in their local church. Several of her critically acclaimed novels have been ECPA and CBA bestsellers, were chosen as Top Picks by Romantic Times, and have won the RWA's Inspirational Reader's Choice contest and the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year award. Five of her books have been Christy Award finalists. In addition to her writing, Susan loves to teach and speak at women's events about God's amazing grace in our lives. She also runs a writing community for authors. Visit MyBookTherapy.com to learn more. For exciting updates on her new releases, previous books, and more, visit her website at www.susanmaywarren.co

 A Christiansen Family Novel | When I Fall in Love

Susan May Warren's newest book in the Christiansen Family Collection, When I Fall In Love,  has won over readers' and critics' hearts alike. With critical reviews like, ". . . an exquisite romance. Profoundly touching on the topic of facing fears, this book is a true gem," and more than 60 five-star reviews at Amazon, When I Fall in Love is sure to please.

Susan has teamed up with some amazing food bloggers for a fun food challenge and a KitchenAid Mixer giveaway!

  One grand prize winner will receive:

• A KitchenAid Mixer
• The first three books in the Christiansen Family Collection.
• Melissa Ringstaff’s Kitchen Planner
• Jackie Brown's Freezer Inventory sheet

Grab your aprons and wire whisks and buzz on over to the When I Fall in Love website to learn more and enter the Hawaiian Chef Showdown! Susan is challenging you to make a Hawaiian-inspired dish using coconut, mango, or one of the other ingredients mentioned in the book. You’ll get extra points for creating your own recipe—plus she might share it on the When I Fall in Love site! Or if you're not up for an adventure in the kitchen just click one of the icons below for easy entry.

Hurry, the giveaway ends on August 10th. All winners will be announced August 13th at Susan's blog.

Don't miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to visit Susan's blog on the 13th to see if you won!

A copy of this book was provided for in exchange for my review and hosting this tour by...

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!

TWITTER | FACEBOOK | BLOG

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

Undeniably Yours by Becky Wade

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Undeniably Yours Bethany House Publishers (May 1, 2013) by Becky Wade
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

During her childhood in California, Becky frequently produced homemade plays starring her sisters, friends, and cousins. These plays almost always featured a heroine, a prince, and a love story with a happy ending. She's been a fan of all things romantic ever since.

Becky and her husband lived overseas in the Caribbean and Australia before settling in Dallas, Texas. It was during her years abroad that Becky's passion for reading turned into a passion for writing. She published three historical romances for the general market, put her career on hold for many years to care for her kids, and eventually returned to writing sheerly for the love of it. Her first contemporary Christian romance, My Stubborn Heart, has been named a finalist for Romance Writers of America's RITA Award. Her newest release, Undeniably Yours, is available now.

These days Becky can be found failing but trying to keep up with her housework, sweating at the gym, carting her kids around town, playing tennis, hunched over her computer, eating chocolate, or collapsed on the sofa watching TV with her husband.

ABOUT THE BOOK

When Meg Cole's father dies unexpectedly, she becomes the majority shareholder of his oil company and the single inheritor of his fortune. Though Meg is soft-spoken and tenderhearted--more interested in art than in oil--she's forced to return home to Texas and to Whispering Creek Ranch to take up the reins of her father's empire.

The last thing she has the patience or the sanity to deal with? Her father's thoroughbred racehorse farm. She gives its manager, Bo Porter, six months to close the place down.

Bo's determined to resent the woman who's decided to rob him of his dream. But instead of anger, Meg evokes within him a profound desire to protect. The more time he spends with her, the more he longs to overcome every obstacle that separates them--her wealth, his unworthiness, her family's outrage--and earn the right to love her.

But just when Meg begins to realize that Bo might be the one thing on the ranch worth keeping, their fragile bond is viciously broken by a force from Meg's past. Can their love--and their belief that God can work through every circumstance--survive?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Undeniably Yours, go HERE.

Jennifer: An O’Malley Love Story by Dee Henderson

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Jennifer: An O’Malley Love Story Bethany House Publishers (May 1, 2013) by Dee Henderson
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dee Henderson is the bestselling, award-winning author of 15 previous novels, including the acclaimed O'MALLEY series and UNCOMMON HEROES series. These days, most authors are out there energetically promoting their books in print and broadcast and via social media—wherever they can get attention. But Dee Henderson keeps a low profile. She avoids telephone interviews because of hearing problems, declined to provide a current photo, and will say only that she lives in Illinois.

ABOUT THE BOOK

It's a summer of change for Jennifer O'Malley. The busy physician has a pediatrics practice in Dallas, and meeting Tom Peterson, and falling in love, is adding a rich layer to her life. She's sorting out how to introduce him to her family--she's the youngest of seven--and thinking about marriage.

She's falling in love with Jesus too, and knows God is good. But that faith is about to be tested in a way she didn't expect, and the results will soon transform her entire family.


If you would like to read the first chapter of Jennifer: An O’Malley Love Story, go to HERE.

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: 

 

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...

Welcome author Sandra Byrd and her French Twist Series

Read to end of this tour as there is a free kindle download offer for this book and other special offers including a chance to win a delicious box of Divine Delights petit fours

Book One in the French Twist Series.

Lexi Stuart is at a critical crossroads. She’s done with college but still living at home, ready to launch a career but unable to find a job, and solidly stalled between boyfriends. 

When a lighthearted conversation in French with the manager of her favorite bakery turns into a job offer, Lexi accepts. But the actual glamour is minimal: the pay is less than generous, her co-workers are skeptical, her bank account remains vertically-challenged, and her parents are perpetually disappointed. Her only comfort comes from the flirtatious baker she has her eye–but even may not be who he seems to be!

So when a handsome young executive dashes into the bakery to pick up his high profile company’s special order for an important meeting–an order Lexi has flubbed–she loses her compulsion to please. Something inside Lexi clicks. Laissez la révolution commencer! Let the revolution begin! Instead of trying to fulfill everyone else’s expectations for her life, Lexi embarks on an adventure in trusting herself and her God with her future–très bon!

Be watching for my review on this book and others in the series.

You may visit the author's blog here.

After earning her first rejection at the age of thirteen, bestselling author Sandra Byrd has now published more than forty books. Her adult fiction debut, Let Them Eat Cake, was a Christy Award finalist, as was her first historical novel, To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn. To Die For was also named by Library Journal as a Best Books Pick for 2011 and The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr, was named a Library Journal Best Books Pick for 2012. Roses Have Thorns: A Novel of Elizabeth I, will publish in April, 2013.

Sandra has also published dozens of books for tweens and teens.

A former textbook acquisitions editor, Sandra has also published many nonfiction articles and books. She is also passionate about helping new writers develop their talent and their work toward traditional or self publication. As such, she has mentored and coached hundreds of new writers and continues to coach dozens to success each year.

Please visit www.sandrabyrd.com to learn more, or to invite Sandra to your bookclub via Skype.

Connect with Sandra on Twitter: www.twitter.com/sandrabyrd

Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandrabyrdwrites

Do you have a favorite writing spot...(corner nook, room, chair)

I have an office, which I love. Earlier in my writing career I wrote "just anywhere" and while that certainly worked, it's better to have a set-aside place where I can close the door! My office faces out, so I can see who is coming and going, and it has a lovely water view beyond it, too. I have book and books and books, and often prints on the wall that relate to whatever I am writing at the moment. I love listening to music while I write and found that gamer headphones, actually, work best!

Your favorite eating restaurant (cuisine) 

 It would be divided between Indian food and French pastries. For the main course, definitely Indian. I love Butter Chicken and, because my daughter is a vegetarian, Butter Paneer. One thing I love to do is, once I taste something I love in a restaurant, I try to recreate it at home. I'm working on Butter Chicken right now and just learned that the secret to the sauce, besides the spices, is ground cashews!

Favorite snack (prefer: sweet or salt)  

Oh dear, both, in their own place? I remember the day I discovered a lightly chocolate dipped potato chip. Heaven! I do like Lemonheads while I'm working, so I guess that would be sweet and tart, right?

Favorite dessert(prefer: cake or pie)

Cake. For Sure. Let Them Eat Cake! The very best cakes are made with cake flour - so tender. I'm planning to make buttermilk Red Velvet cupcakes for Valentine's Day.

Do you have a daily schedule with a writing slotted time?

I write from early in the morning till late at night, but the best times, I think, are early afternoon and early evening. I have the "busy work" of the day behind me and can put my headphones on and slip away into the story. What has been your most unique item that has promoted a story Well, I love the petit fours that we're giving away on this book tour. When this book toured for the first time in print, little jars of sprinkles were made up with a Let Them Eat Cake label, and I thought that was clever, too!

Special offer Feb. 10-14th only
to download a FREE Kindle copy of Let Them Eat Cake 

Sandra is also offering e-books two and three in the French Twist series, special price of 99 cents each during this tour Feb. 10-14 only
Bon Appetit 
Piece de Resistance

To Enter Sandra's Petits Fours Giveaway

open to US residents only click here

An ecopy of these books was provided by the author in exchange for this post and my honest review. 

Unexpected Christmas Hero Kathi Macias

Kathi has done it again.  I've not be disappointed by Kathi's books.  Kathi is one of my favorite authors I've been reading and writing reviews for Kathi's books since 2008.  She was one of my first book authors when I started reviewing.  She writes both fiction and non fiction and I've read her books in both category.  Her book Unexpected Christmas Hero is yet another winner for me the issue Kathi writes about in this book is homeless.  Your heart goes out to the characters Josie and her children, Susanna and Jacob, and the other homeless that are portrayed in her book; also those that open their homes and lives to the homeless. I just can't say enough how wonderful this message is that Kathi has written about.  Macias keeps you wanting to turn the page to see what is going to happen next, where they'll spend they next night and get their next meal.  It gives you chills as you see how the Lord works in each situation.  What better way to enjoy the Christmas season than to relax and read a wonderful novel by Kathi Macias. 

What a chance to win a copy of Kathi's book, Unexpected Christmas Hero, visit my guest post with Kathi here.

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.

Homelessness is a tough topic for Christmas. What inspired you to use that as the basis for your annual Christmas novel?

I’ve been involved in homeless ministries, to one degree or another, for decades, so I’m not new to this area of ministry. But I’ll admit that I had never considered writing a novel about it until someone in my family, who had personally experienced homelessness at one time in his life, suggested it. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed the perfect theme for a Christmas novel. After all, at Christmas we celebrate the birth of our Savior, who was pretty much homeless at that particular point in time and was born in a stable because there was no room for them at the Bethlehem Motel 6.

Despite having previous ministry and even personal experience with the homeless, were there still some difficult times for you as you researched and wrote this novel?

Absolutely! I always try to climb inside the skin of my characters, and when I thought of myself as the young mother Josie, attempting to care for and protect her two small children while living on the streets, I wept. There were times when my own children were little that we didn’t have a lot of material things and almost never had enough money at the end of the month, but we always had a roof over our heads and never wondered where we would find our next meal. When I consider that approximately 25 percent of the homeless in America are families (either single or dual-parent) with small children, it breaks my heart.

Can you give us a brief synopsis of Unexpected Christmas Hero?

This is a story about a young family—husband, wife, two small children—who seem to be living the American dream. But when the husband dies unexpectedly, the wife (Josie) not only has to deal with that loss but quickly discovers that they are destitute. Her husband had lost his job some months earlier but didn’t want to worry her, so he hid it from her, hoping to find another position. He didn’t, and eventually ran up all their credit cards, took out a second mortgage on the house, emptied their savings, and even cashed in his life insurance policy. It doesn’t take long until Josie and her children lose their home and find themselves living on the streets, depending on the charity of others to survive. Then they meet Rick, a homeless Vietnam vet who takes them under his wing and, in a most surprising and sacrificial way, becomes their unexpected Christmas hero.

Tell us about the “story behind the story,” which involves the man on the front cover.

When the publisher sent the designer out to find someone to pose as Rick, the homeless vet in the book, he spotted a man on the street who looked amazingly like him. He asked the man—whose name is Willard Parker—if he would pose for the book cover. The man readily agreed and then explained that he truly was homeless and hoped having his picture on the cover would somehow help him find his family, particularly his grown daughter. We are doing our best to stay in touch with Mr. Parker and also to spread his story across the Internet and on radio/TV in hopes of fulfilling his dream to be reunited with his family. If anyone looks at the picture on the cover and/or recognizes the man’s name (Willard Parker) and knows the whereabouts of any of his family, we would truly appreciate it if they would contact me at ezyrtr@ca.rr.com so we can take the necessary steps to try and make this reunion happen.

Where can people find your book?

It’s available on any of the main online venues (Amazon, ChristianBooks.com, Barnes & Noble, etc.) and many stores nationwide.

Can you give us your website info?

Sure! You can find me at www.kathimacias.com or www.boldfiction.com. I’d love it if people would stop by there and check out all my books, as well as the video trailers that go with them. They can also sign up to receive my weekly devotional, or check out where I’ll be speaking in the near future. Above all, click on “contact” and send me an email. I’d love to hear from them, and I promise to answer.

A Message from Christian Speakers Services:

 Now here's how to put a BANG on the end of a book tour ... this just in from Kathi Macias ...

MOST EXCITING NEWS FOR YOU ALL! It's a Thanksgiving miracle!!! You may know that we've been trying to help Mr. Willard Parker, the homeless man who so graciously posed for the cover of my Christmas book find his family. Well, I just got off the phone with his grown daughter! Someone saw the book and told her about it, she tracked it down, and sure enough, it was her long-lost daddy! Both she and her other grown sister can't wait to see him--and to introduce him to his four grandchildren. Oh, God is soooo good!!!

This virtual book tour is hosted by: 

 

I was given a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for posting the author’s interview and/or book review on my blog. This blog tour is managed by Christian Speakers Services (http://ChristianSpeakersServices.com).