CFBA Blog Tour: Maggie's Journey by Lena Nelson Dooley

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Maggie's Journey Realms (October 4, 2011) by Lena Nelson Dooley

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Award-winning author, Lena Nelson Dooley, has more than 675,000 books in print. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers http://www.acfw.com/ and president of the local chapter, DFW Ready Writers. She’s also a member of Christian Authors Network, CROWN Fiction Marketing, and Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas.

Lena loves James, her children, grandchildren, and great grandson. She loves chocolate, cherries, chocolate-covered cherries, and spending time with friends. Travel is always on her horizon. Cruising, Galveston, the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, Mexico. One day it will be Hawaii and Australia, but probably not the same year. Helping other authors become published really floats her boat, with fifteen signing their first book contract after her mentoring. Three of her books have been awarded the Carol Award silver pins from American Christian Fiction Writers and she has received the ACFW Mentor of the Year award at their national conference. The high point of her day is receiving feedback from her readers, especially people whose lives have been changed by her books. And she loves chocolate, especially dark chocolate.

Her last release is Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico, from Summerside Press recently won the Will Rogers Medallion Award for excellence in publishing western fiction. Lena is currently under two 3-book contracts with Charisma House/Realms.

In addition to her writing, Lena is a frequent speaker at women’s groups, writers groups, and at both regional and national conferences. She has spoken in six states and internationally.

Lena has an active web presence on Shoutlife, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and with her internationally connected blog where she interviews other authors and promotes their books. You can check out her books and find out more about her on her blog.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Near her eighteenth birthday, Margaret Lenora Caine finds a chest hidden in the attic containing proof that she's adopted. The spoiled daughter of wealthy merchants in Seattle, she feels betrayed by her real parents and by the ones who raised her. But mystery surrounds her new discovery, and when Maggie uncovers another family secret, she loses all sense of identity. Leaving her home in Seattle, Washington, Maggie strikes out to find her destiny. Will Charles Stanton, who's been in love with her for years, be able to help her discover who she really is?

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

Southern-Style Meet & Greet with Jenny B. Jones Plus Giveaway

Thank you so much for joining me on my front porch for this week's Southern-Style Meet & Greet! So sorry for the lateness of this week's post.  When you have a first day on the job...well, the best laid plans don't always go as planned.  So, thanks for sticking with me this week for an evening post of SSM&G.  :o)

Before we get to this week's author, let me announce the winner of last week's giveaway for a copy of Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin.  Thanks to Random.org, the winner is:

Cindy (cynthialambrecht@...)

Cindy, your book will be on it's way to you shortly.  I hope you'll enjoy it!

And now for this week's author...Jenny B. Jones!
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When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

Like many say, I've always known. I can remember being in first grade and writing one act shows. Nothing like making yourself the star.

What genre do you most like to write?

YA and romantic comedy for women.

Do your own personal experiences, or those of family and friends, ever find their way into one your stories?

Travel finds its way into my books. A couple of years ago I went to Ireland and fell in love with the country and the people. So I set There You'll Find Me there.

I've always wanted to visit Ireland...or England...or anywhere in Europe, actually. 

What do you hope readers “take away” with them after they read one of your books?

I hope they have fun, have some laughs, and come away with hope and something to think about.

What is your latest book release?

There You'll Find Me released this month.  Here's the back-cover blurb:

Grief brought Finley to Ireland. LOVE WILL LEAD HER HOME.

Finley Sinclair is not your typical eighteen-year-old. She's witty, tough, and driven. With an upcoming interview at the Manhattan music conservatory, Finley needs to compose her audition piece. But her creativity disappeared with the death of her older brother, Will.

She decides to study abroad in Ireland so she can follow Will's travel journal. It's the place he felt closest to God, and she's hopeful being there will help her make peace over losing him. So she agrees to an exchange program and boards the plane.

Beckett Rush, teen heartthrob and Hollywood bad boy, is flying to Ireland to finish filming his latest vampire movie. On the flight, he meets Finley. She's the one girl who seems immune to his charm. Undeterred, Beckett convinces her to be his assistant in exchange for his help as a tour guide.

Once in Ireland, Finley starts to break down. The loss of her brother and the pressure of school, her audition, and whatever it is that is happening between her and Beckett, leads her to a new and dangerous vice. When is God going to show up for her in this emerald paradise?

Are you currently working on another novel, and if so, can you give us a snippet about it?

I've actually taken 2011 off from writing to recharge the batteries. It's been great. I do have a book brewing in my head and am thinking of starting in a few weeks. We'll see if the extended break was worth it...

What was the last Christian Fiction book that you read that you couldn’t put down?

I like anything by Christa Allan, Susan Meissner, Marybeth Whalen, Cara Putman, Rachel Hauck, Nicole O'Dell, Kim Cash Tate, Kit Wilkinson, Mary DeMuth. I could do this all day....someone stop me...

I know what you mean.  :o)

Where can readers find you on the web?

www.jennybjones.com

What is your most favorite thing about the South?

All of it. I love Southern culture. I love the beauty of my part of the state, the history around us, the culture of a place like Charleston, the value on food and family and iced tea.

Iced Tea—sweet or un-sweet?

Unsweet. Daily. It's my weakness for sure.

Sweet tea is my weakness. It's a miracle I still have all my teeth.

BBQ Pork or BBQ Beef?

I'm not much of a pork girl, but when it comes to BBQ, it's gotta be pig all the way.

Dolly Parton or Elvis Presley?

Dolly. She's so smart and funny and talented and humble. There is so much more to that woman than big chest and big hair. And I love that she met her husband at a place called the Wishy Washy.

I never knew that! See what you learn if you're not careful. :o)

Historical House—Plantation or Log Cabin?

Plantation

Country gal or city gal?

Country for sure.

You, you all, or y’all?

Please. Y'all.
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Yep, you guessed it...there's a copy of Jenny's newest book, There You'll Find Me, up for grabs this week! Please fill out the following form to be entered in the contest, and use the comments section on the blog post below for any other thoughts.  All entries must be received by Sunday, November 6, and a winner will be chosen on next week's Meet & Greet. US residents only.

Book Review: A Time for Peace by Barbara Cameron/3 Stars

About the book:

After Years of Hardship, Jenny’s Life Appears Perfect. So Why Does Something Seem to Be Missing?

Jenny Bontrager finally feels loved and cherished by her husband, Matthew, and his children. Life seems golden with both her family and career as a writer.

Then one day her grandmother, Phoebe, falls ill, and Jenny cares for her. As she reaches into Phoebe’s closet for a robe, Jenny finds a letter from her father dated the summer when she was nearly eighteen.

As she struggles to understand her father’s words, Jenny’s love for him, and her recently renewed faith and trust in God are thrown into question again. And without warning, her perfect life is thrown into question . . .

My thoughts:

As someone who reads a lot of Amish fiction, I was eager to read a book by a fairly new Amish author, Barbara Cameron.  Several reviewers have had wonderful things to say about her books, and I was curious to see if I would enjoy them for myself.

In my opinion, fans of Wanda Brunstetter and Shelley Shepard Gray would enjoy Barbara's stories and writing style because neither was really a fit for me with this book.  Without going into a lot of detail lest I spoil the experience for someone else, there were several areas that seemed to need some improvement.  For example, the first 60-70 pages were used to set up the story, and it could've been done in about 30-40 without the repetition that was present.  Also, the faith aspect of the book was watered down and almost non-existant. I expected there to be at least one mention of them going to church, or a visit with the bishop about spiritual matters, but neither was a part of this book.  Knowing that the Amish have a faith and belief system that is very important to them, it was a big surprise to see that it wasn't included.

Now, I've not read either of the previous books in this series, but that wasn't a problem.  This book was great as a stand-alone, and I had no trouble following along with some of the other characters from those previous novels.  Another bonus from this book was all the content in the back--a glossary (which is always helpful for those words you think you know, but don't), discussion questions (don't read them until the end because there are spoilers), and lots of yummy recipes (potato soup, here I come).

Even though it wasn't my favorite book, I do plan to read another of Barbara's novels in the future because I've always been a firm believer in giving an author a second chance.  There's no telling sometimes when they'll surprise us!

3 Stars

Southern?  No
Sass?  Phoebe had just a touch of it...ornery old coot.  :o)

**Many thanks to Maegan Roper and Netgalley for providing a copy for review.

Unemployed One Day...Employed the Next!

I never thought in a million years I would ever see the day when I would be laid off from my job.  I loved the people there, the family-like atmosphere, the whole bit.  So when my 2 bosses were ready and waiting for me Thursday morning to drop the bombshell, I was shocked.  Absolutely.  Totally.  Shocked.  I just never saw it coming.  And like many other people that have experienced this, all I could think of was, "How in the world am I going to find another job in this economy?  Don't y'all know what the unemployment rate is?" 

So, I gathered my stuff in that lovely white box, and walked out the door.  Cried like a baby when I got in my car and called my husband.  Barely kept it together when I called my dad.  Prayed to God that His will would be done, and that we could make it.

In the back of my mind, I was already thinking that I would wait until next week to really hit the pavement to find a new job.  I knew I wasn't in a great state of mind having never been in this position before.  I needed time to compose myself, and not get emotional when I thought about what had been lost.

But I thought I ought to call just one person that I knew--someone that was one of our vendor reps--and see if she knew of anyone who might be hiring.  Turns out that she did, plus it was for the same company that I've been working for, just at a different location.  I called her to see what she was looking for...then promptly got called in for an interview.  Amazing, right?  :o)  I wasn't counting on that at all. 

So, I go to the office, meet with the agent, and after talking for an hour, I've practically had a job land in my lap.  But I was nervous, though.  The hours are a little less.  The pay is a little less.  The benefits are a little less.  But you know what?  We'd be able to make it.  I'll be doing the exact same thing that I've been doing for the past 5 years, just with a new boss.  I call that a God thing.  :o)  He knew exactly what we needed before we asked, and He provided.  I haven't been able to thank Him enough. 

Thanks to all of you for praying, for commenting...we have appreciated it so, so much!  All the praise goes to Him!