Winners...and an Update

 
Can I just humbly admit that I have been the biggest slacker this week?  Please?  Confession is good for the soul, or so I've been told. :o)

I should've announced the winners from last week's Birthday Bash a whole...three...days...ago.  But I've sorta kinda taken an internet break this week, spent some time evaluating my blog goals (more on that later), and choosing the winners was the last thing on my mind.

But I know you're anxious to see if you won something, so here we go!  :o)

The winner of Vickie McDonough's latest book, Long Trail Home is...Julie W!

The winner of Pack One of books from the Giveaways Galore post is...Kathy C!

The winner of Pack Two of books from the Giveaways Galore post is...Melanie D!

The winner of Pack Three of books from the Giveaways Galore post is...Beth M!

The winner of Ginger Garrett's latest book, Desired, is...Julie L!

The winner of Lori Copeland's latest book, Lost Melody is...Carol W!

And last, but not least, the winner of any one of Julie Lessman's books is...Sandy A!

All of the winners have been notified, and have 48 hours to respond with their mailing addresses.  Congrats to all you ladies!  You're in for some real good reading!  :o)

***

Oh, right...I promised you an update here, too, didn't I?  Well, here goes.

I'm in a rut.  An all-encompassing rut.  

I still love reading, but I don't know how much I love blogging about reading.  There is so much time and effort that is required when there's a deadline to review a particular book.  I know I'm not alone here, but I feel enormous guilt when I haven't gotten something read by a tour date, or when I promised someone, or close to a release date, etc.  Don't get me wrong...I love the camaraderie of blogging, meeting new people, comparing what we love and don't love, the occasional recommendation from a friend, and so on. 

But is that enough to continue, considering the dedication it takes to keep it going?

I read a blog post this week from my dear friend Casey about how after she finished with one week jam-packed with blog posts, she was simply exhausted.  And she's right...being on "go" all the time will wear you out quicker than you can blink.  Last week was like that for me.  Don't get me wrong...I had so much fun, I could hardly stand it, but by the end of the week, I was flat exhausted.  I was spending an hour or more every night gearing up for the next day's post. 

So, all that leads me back to whether or not it's worth the effort.  How much of an impact is being made with the content on this blog?  A little?  A lot?  None at all?  Do the reviews here convince anyone to go out and buy a book?  Do people really enjoy meeting Christian fiction authors through the weekly interviews on Southern-Style Meet & Greet?  Did you enjoy this post when I did a little twist on an author interview?  Do people think I'm crazy because I'm a Southern girl who sounds like she's from the sticks once in awhile?  Or do people just come because of the book giveaways?

These are the things that have been running through my head all week long.  At this point, I just don't know which direction I want to go.  I know this much...I don't want this blog to become stagnant.  But on the flipside, I know I don't have as much time as I use to for promoting, tweeting, facebooking, etc.  Does a happy medium really exist?

What are your thoughts?  Have you gotten in a rut before, and if so, how did you get out of it? 

Birthday Bash Day 5 with Special Guest Julie Lessman!

Well, all good things must always come to end, but at least we're going out with a bang!  You're gonna love *everything* about today's post with my very special guest, Julie Lessman, so why don't we just get right to it, k?  :o)

***

What’s one of the most memorable gifts you ever received for your birthday?

Well, I can’t remember if it was my birthday or Mother’s Day, but my wonderful artist husband gave me something so unique and beautiful, that I will treasure it always. He’d just built us a beautiful media room in our basement, a work of art really, because the man is incredibly creative and handy, and it had these multi-colored pillows on our leather sectional couch. Would you believe he took a picture of one of those pillows and designed three different versions in the same colors, then superimposed them on canvas frames as a wall grouping?

“It’s beautiful, babe,” I said, amazed once again at his mind-boggling creativity. “Look closer,” he said, and I squinted a bit, suddenly seeing our entire life before my eyes. Yes, you guessed it—this incredible man actually super-imposed pictures of each of us—me, my son, daughter and himself—over the multicolored canvases to create living artwork that captured US (I hope it shows in the pix I took)!! WOW!! Let me tell you—I teared up on the spot and threw myself into his arms, giving him the biggest, most grateful kiss I could!  What can I say—MasterCard has nothing on him—he’s “priceless.”

Awww, Julie, I love those pictures!  You've got a keeper of a husband!

Do you have any special memories of the year you turned 30?

Oh, honey, at my age, do you really think I can remember back that far??? 

Mmm... let me see (straining brain here)... not, 30 so much, but I will NEVER forget age 32! Why, you ask? Well, you see, I was an infertility patient who was desperately trying to have a baby. It was a very traumatic time for me with LOTS of tears, but as with everything when God is involved, He turned it around to be one of the greatest lessons of my life on the power of praise. Anyone who would like to read about it in my article entitled “Clean Heart, Dirty Diapers,” can do so on the Hannah’s Prayer Ministry (an infertility blog) website called HELD at http://hannahsprayerblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/clean-heart-dirty-diapers.html, but keep in mind that I no longer monitor the comments.

Anyway, the day I found out I was finally pregnant is emblazoned in my memory! I was helping my neighbor paint her bedroom and needed to call the doctor for the results of the pregnancy test, but I didn’t want her to know. So I ran home to call privately (this was WAY before I owned a cell phone), and when that nurse told me the rabbit died (smile), I’m telling you right then and there, I just about did too!! I had had SO many months of disappointment after disappoint with infertility drugs, sonograms, charting my temps and my poor hubby in boxers, that I literally gasped and yes, started sobbing like a baby myself! Let me tell you, it was sheer murder trying to act calm and nonchalant in front of my neighbor after that, but I managed because I wanted Keith to be the first person I told, and I wanted to do it in person when he got home that night!!

Wow, what a story, Julie!  I can see you now...trying to act "calm and nonchalant!"

If you could only give one book to me for my birthday (not including your own), what book would I find underneath the wrapping paper?

Mmmm...well, since this is the Southern Sassy Things blog, I’m guessing you already have a copy of Gone With the Wind, so that rules that out! ;) So … I would probably give you a copy of Prayers That Avail Much by Germaine Copeland because after the Bible, that book has impacted my life more than any other. Mind you, all it is is a compilation of prayers for any possible need you can imagine—from depression or fear, to buying a home or wayward kids, etc. The prayers are simply Scriptures strung together in a heartfelt and poignant petition for whatever trial you are undergoing, BUT … they are SO powerful because think about it—it’s 100% Word of God put into a prayer! I bet I have given at least 20 of these books to various people over the years, it’s that good!

Yes, I do have a copy of GWTW (that ashamedly, I haven't read yet), but that prayer book sounds like one I might like to have someday.  It reminds me a great deal of a similar book, Daily Light by Anne Graham Lotz.  It's more of a devotional with a series of scriptures to read each morning and evening, and they all flow together in the greatest way.  I've given a couple as gifts, too.

And the most important question of all... What’s your favorite flavor of birthday cake? :o)

LOL!! Yes, indeed, a MOST important question!! White cake tops the list, followed by red velvet—lure me with either of those two, and I’ll follow you anywhere! :)

Who says we can't have both today?!  White cake is oh-so-yummy, and while I'm personally not a fan of the red velvet, I'm sure we have a reader or two that is.  :o)  (Oh, and I can never think of red velvet cake without thinking of Steel Magnolias, either!)

***

Y'all, I'm so sorry that this week has come to an end!  I hope that each and every one of you has had as great of a time as I have, and in just a couple more days, a few of you will be the big winners!

Now, for today's "present," we've got something a little different...a reader's choice, so to speak.  If you sign up for today's giveaway, you have your choice of receiving any of the following:

Any one of Julie's books, including her newest release, A Heart Revealed,

OR

a writer's critique and the detailed handout from my and Ruth Axtell Morren's ACFW Workshop, A Kiss is NOT Just a Kiss.

To enter today's giveaway, simply fill out the form below to be entered. We're getting close to the end of the week, and that means you've only got 3 DAYS to enter Julie's contest! All contests are open until Sunday, December 4th, and winner will be announced Monday, December 5th. US addresses only, please.



And if you've missed any of the other posts this week, get your entries in while you have the chance!

Click here for Vickie McDonough's interview and giveaway.

Click here for a post chock full of book giveaways!

Click here for Ginger Garrent's interview and giveaway.

Click here for Lori Copeland's interview and giveaway.

Once again, thank you all SO MUCH for spending this week with me!  I appreciate all the wonderful comments more than you possibly know, and I feel like I have made some new friends this week, too.  :o)  Y'all don't be strangers now, ya hear?  And when it's your birthday, I hope you'll consider inviting me to your par-tay...I'll bring the cake!

Birthday Bash Day 4 with Special Guest Lori Copeland!

I am so happy that I have been able to spend this birthday week with so many friends, both old and new!  If you're new here to the Southern Sassy Things blog, let me take this moment to give you a warm welcome!  I hope you won't be a stranger now...  :o)

To keep this Birthday Bash going, I hope you'll give a great big howdy to today's guest--Lori Copeland!

***

If you could choose one place in the whole world to visit for your birthday, where would you want to go and why?

If I could go anywhere, I would choose Germany and a cruise along the Reine. My brother served in the army there, and that was his favorite thing to do.

You're the second person this week to want to go to Europe.  Vickie wants to go to Ireland.  :o)

Do you have any special memories of the year you turned 30?

The year I turned thirty I thought life was downhill from there. I discovered there was a lot of uphill left!

If you could only give one book to me for my birthday (not including your own), what book would I find underneath the wrapping paper?

If I could give you one book for your birthday it would be a copy of The Message. I hear the groans, but reading it would enhance anyone's life.

I have a Message Bible, and it is one of my favorite translations.  In some ways it feels like I'm reading a novel.

And the most important question of all... What’s your favorite flavor of birthday cake? :o)

My favorite cake......drumroll....... White Wedding Cake with tons of gooey icing! Someday, when I'm close to death, I'm going to eat at least all of a top layer!

YUM!!!!  Now, I know we all want some of that!!

***

Now, y'all don't shoot me, but....

I actually had a real version of Wedding Cake this week for my birthday...

with cream cheese icing...

and it was good, even though I know it all went straight to my hips!

(Believe me, I would've grabbed a piece for all my friends, too, if I knew it would've traveled well in the mail...and been fresh by the time it arrived!)

But alas, gotta carry on with today's "present"--a brand-new copy of Lost Melody by Lori and her author buddy, Virginia Smith!  Just like every day so far this week, simply fill out the form below to be entered in the giveaway.  We're getting close to the end of the week, and the days remaining to enter the contests are getting less and less!  All contests are open until Sunday, December 4th, and winner will be announced Monday, December 5th. US addresses only, please.

And if you've missed any of the earlier posts this week, then, you're about to get some homework!  Don't worry...if our homework was this easy growing up, we'd have all gotten straight A's!

Click here for Vickie McDonough's interview.

Click here for a post chock full of giveaways!

Click here for Ginger Garrent's interview.

Birthday Bash Day 3 with Special Guest Ginger Garrett!

Y'all, this has just been the greatest week ever, and we're only at the halfway point!!!  If I haven't personally thanked you yet in the comment section, let me take this moment to let everyone know how much I have appreciated all the birthday wishes and comments.  :o)  Yesterday was indeed a wonderful birthday, and from now on, I'm convinced that I will forever be "29."  My new boss took me out for a wonderful lunch today, and my husband and I spent the evening with my family at one of my favorite Italian restaurants.  And even better...I actually did get to eat a *real* slice of coconut cake.  :o)

But now, time for today's special guest--Ginger Garrett!!

***

If you could choose one place in the whole world to visit for your birthday, where would you want to go and why?

Texas! My birth place and favorite place on earth. I'd visit the Alamo and say hello to the picture of James Garrett, a martyr who died there. We claim him as part of our family, but I don't know how certain that is.

My husband has been to Texas a couple of times, and the farthest I've ever been inside the state is Texarkana (doesn't really count, in my opinion).  :o(  I really would like to actually visit someday!

Do you have any special memories of the year you turned 30?

I had been told I would never have children, and had lost a pregnancy after a car accident. I was heartsick beyond repair. But my husband invited all my friends and family over for a birthday party, and I looked around the room, seeing all these smiling faces. It healed me. I was loved. And for that night, it was enough.

Sounds like you have a keeper of a hubby.  :o)

If you could only give one book to me for my birthday (not including your own), what book would I find underneath the wrapping paper?

Beowolf in hard cover. I named my beloved Bearded Collie after Grendel, so it's a story I will always cherish. Nothing ever made me giggle more than waiting in the vet's office, and having a technician call out, "Grendel's mother? Come this way please..." If you know the story, you know that she was the most horrid, ugliest monster in all the world!

And the most important question of all. What's your favorite flavor of birthday cake? :o)

German Chocolate!!

Oooo, that's one of my favorites!  I could eat the icing alone by the spoonful!

***

Well, I hope all of y'all grabbed your slice of German Chocolate cake today!  I know I did!  And while you eat it, take a look at today's present--a copy of Ginger's latest book, Desired.  :o)

First of all, isn't that cover just gorgeous?!  And secondly, if you haven't had the chance to read this vivid retelling of Samson and Delilah, then I hope you'll sign up for today's giveaway.  Just like the previous two days, simply fill out the form below to be entered in the drawing.  Contest is open until Sunday, December 4th, and winner will be announced Monday, December 5th. US addresses only, please.

Also, if you missed Monday or Tuesday's post, click here for Monday's visit with Vickie McDonough plus a giveaway of her newest book, and here for Tuesday's post for a chance to win a pack of three books!!

Thanks for stopping by again today!  I hope you've been having a blast with all this fun this week!

Birthday Bash Day 2 with Giveaways Galore!

Thank you so much for stopping by for Day 2 of my Birthday Bash!

And ya know what...

...today is my birthday!  The big 3-0!

Of course, we're going to have cake today, too, so grab a glass of milk, a cake plate, and put that fork in my most favorite flavor--yummy, delicious coconut cake!  I have loved coconut cake since I was a kid, mostly because of my fond memories of making them every summer with my grandma.  I would spend anywhere from 1 week to 4 weeks with her every year, and we would make a coconut cake at least once, usually in time for Sunday lunch with my parents when they came to pick me up until the next visit.  Those cakes were sooooo moist that when she divided up the leftovers, she basically had to spoon it into a container!  (Then I had to "fight" with my dad to get as much as I could in the days that followed!)  

So, enjoy that virtual, melt-in-your-mouth coconut cake today!  What I wouldn't give to have my grandma here so we could make the real thing.  :o)

Now, while you're here, let's celebrate because I've got LOADS of books to giveaway!  I can't keep all these books, and I need to share the book love.  No doubt about it, there's sure to be something down there that'll strike your fancy.

 ***

PACK ONE

House of Secrets by Tracie Peterson

False Witness by Randy Singer - ARC

 Baby, It's Cold Outside by Susan May Warren

PACK TWO

Captive Trail by Susan Page Davis

 A Lasting Impression by Tamera Alexander

 Beyond All Measure by Dorothy Love

PACK THREE

 Captive Trail by Susan Page Davis

 A Necessary Deception by Laurie Alice Eakes

Wings of a Dream by Anne Mateer

***

There you have it!  Three different packs, and LOTS of great books!

Enter to win one pack...enter to win them all!  Simply fill out the form below to be entered in the drawing.  :o)  Contest is open until Sunday, December 4th, and winner will be announced Monday, December 5th. US addresses only, please.

And if you missed out on yesterday's present, click here to be taken to a fun interview with historical author, Vickie McDonough, and a chance to win her newest book, Lone Star Trail.





Oh, and don't forget your cake!  :o)

Birthday Bash Day 1 with Special Guest Vickie McDonough!

 

Thank you so much for visiting my blog this week for my Birthday Bash!  

Ya know, I need something to get my mind off of my big 3-0 birthday this week, and what better way than to have a party with some of my favorite authors.  But this isn't your typical birthday party...nope.  Why's that?  Because all of the presents are being given away to all my friends!!  It doesn't get much more fun than that.  :o)  So, pull up a chair this week, enjoy some brief chats with some great CF authors, and grab a piece of cake...there'll be a different flavor every day.  :o)

Now, for today's special guest...Vickie McDonough!

***

If you could choose one place in the whole world to visit for your birthday, where would you want to go and why?

We have ancestors from Ireland, and I've always wanted to visit there.

Do you have any special memories of the year you turned 30?

I was the frazzled mom of 3 boys, all under 8 years old then. That was back in our days when all the boys played soccer. I remember one day when it was very cold out, and my dad and I had parked the car almost behind the goal box where my third son was playing. He was just five then. I remember one of his team mates racing toward toward the goal, but the goalie caught the ball. Then the goalie lobbed the ball over his head, and Eric was standing just a few feet away. I was afraid Eric was going to get hit in the face, but just as the ball got to him, he bent forward. The ball hit the top of his head, bounced off, and into the net. Dad and I both yelled. That was only one of the few goals Eric ever made, but it sure was a memorable one.

If you could only give one book to me for my birthday (not including your own), what book would I find underneath the wrapping paper?

You're asking a book lover to choose only one book? That's so hard. One of the best books I've read in a while was A Tailor Made Bride by Karen Witemeyer. The interaction between the hero and hero was fantastic!

That one's been sitting in my TBR for awhile now, so it's great to hear a good recommendation for it.  *smile*

And now for the most important question of all... What’s your favorite flavor of birthday cake? :o)

Would you believe my family doesn't do birthday cakes? We do birthday pies--and my favorite is French Silk. But if you twist my arm and make me choose a cake flavor, my favorite is plain, ole vanilla or else carrot cake with cream cheese icing.

The horrors of not doing birthday cake?!  Haha...just kidding.  :o)  I'd take a slice of French Silk pie any day, too...although vanilla cake and carrot cake would do in a pinch.

***

Now, for today's present!

 There's one copy of Vickie's latest book, Long Trail Home, up for grabs.  Simply fill out the form below to be entered in the drawing.  :o)  Contest is open until Sunday, December 4th, and winner will be announced Monday, December 5th. US addresses only, please.