Overlooked Orchid

A few months ago I started a list of the books that I had read, and then things got busy, and I fell behind on updating it. I am rather disappointed that I fell behind as I really liked keeping track of how many books I had read each month. Here lately I am sure that the numbers would be incredible as I don’t have much else to do but read. NOT that I’m complaining!! Reading is one of my most favorite things to do!! I do miss all of the other things that kept me busy though.

Who knows, maybe I can resurrect my reading list, and give a little insight on what I really enjoy reading!

I’ve been currently reading Fern Michaels. Her Sisterhood series is pretty good, as well as her Kentucky and Las Vegas series.

Now it wouldn’t matter if she knew the fastest way to burn fat, she could do it with regular exercise, instead of the pills, and rigerous dieting. She was sure that she would be much happier in her new life! It would take some getting used to though, not counting every calorie, not living in a big town with everything at hand…it was mind boggling to think of it!

She was finally free. Free of her demanding job, free of her cramped apartment, and free of all she did to make herself look good enough for the work she did. The adult acne treatments, the makeup, the diets, the fitness. Not that any of that was a bad thing necesarily, but she had hated the feeling that if she had gained one pound that it would put her in jeopardy of losing her job.

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Never Say Never

Bethany House (February 1, 2010)

by

Lisa Wingate
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lisa lives in central Texas were she is a popular inspriational speaker, magazine columnist, and national bestselling author of several books. Her novel, Tending Roses, received dozens of five-star reviews, sold out thirteen printings for New York publisher, Penguin Putnam, and went on to become a national bestselling book. Tending Roses was a selection of the Readers Club of America, and is currently in its fourteenth printing.

The Tending Roses series continued with Good Hope Road, the Language of Sycamores, Drenched in Light, and A Thousand Voices. In 2003, Lisa’s Texas Hill Country series began with Texas Cooking, and continued with Lone Star Cafe’, which was awarded a gold metal by RT Bookclub magazine and was hailed by Publisher’s Weekly as “A charmingly nostalgic treat.” The series concluded with Over the Moon at the Big Lizard Diner.

Lisa is now working on a new set of small-town Texas novels for Bethany House Publishers. The series debuted with Talk of the Town and continued with Word Gets Around and Never Say Never. A new series is also underway for Peguin Group NAL, beginning with A Month of Summer (July 2008), and continuing with The Summer Kitchen (July 2009) and Beyond Summer (July 2010). Lisa’s works have been featured by the National Reader’s Club of America, AOL Book Pics, Doubleday Book Club, the Literary Guild, American Profiles and have been chosen for the LORIES best Published Fiction Award. In 2009, A Month of Summer was nomiated for the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year award.
ABOUT THE BOOK

Kai Miller floats through life like driftwood tossed by waves. She’s never put down roots in any one place–and she doesn’t plan to. But when a chaotic hurricane evacuation lands her in Daily, Texas, she begins to think twice about her wayfaring existence.

And when she meets hometown-boy Kemp Eldridge, she can almost picture settling down in Daily–until she discovers he may be promised to someone else. Daily has always been a place of refuge for those the winds blows in, but for Kai, it looks like it will be just another place to leave behind. Then again, Daily always has a few surprises in store–especially when Aunt Donetta has cooked up a scheme.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Never Say Never, go HERE

Well I finally got the go-ahead from Dad to find a house for us. *sigh* I only hope and pray that it will be easy to find something that will work for us!!

We have animals, so that makes it a bit harder to find a rental, plus we need a place for Chief, which makes it even more difficult. We have a portable corral and everything, so that simplifies fencing, but still we have to have room to set the corral up, and also it pretty much eliminates in town living.

I am confident that things will work out, that we will find the right place for us…but all prayers are appreciated!!

It amazes me how much time children are allowed to play their xbox games or whatever system they have. I am not against having an xbox, or playstation, or whatever, but I do think that kids need to be encouraged to read, play, ride bikes, and be active.

We have a playstation, and if I let them, the girls would play for hours at a time, but even they get bored to playing it, because I have always encouraged them to ride bikes, jump rope, walk, play soccer and baseball…

I can’t help it….I love books!!!! I’m not real particular as to what genera of books, but definitely have my favorite authors!!

I was pleased as punch when I arrived at the library to find they were having a book sale today. I found a few books for me, and several for the girls too!!

I also have lots of books at home that are mine. And as you know I love doing reviews on this blog…

Books are a passion of mine!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Laura Jensen Walker is an award-winning writer, popular speaker, and breast-cancer survivor who loves to touch readers and audiences with the healing power of laughter.

Born in Racine, Wisconsin (home of Western Printing and Johnson’s Wax—maker of your favorite floor care products) Laura moved to Phoenix, Arizona when she was in high school. But not being a fan of blazing heat and knowing that Uncle Sam was looking for a few good women, she enlisted in the United States Air Force shortly after graduation and spent the next five years flying a typewriter through Europe.

Her lifelong dream of writing fiction came true in Spring 2005 with the release of her first chick lit novel, Dreaming in Black & White which won the Contemporary Fiction Book of the Year from American Christian Fiction Writers. Her sophomore novel, Dreaming in Technicolor was published in Fall 2005.

Laura’s third novel, Reconstructing Natalie, chosen as the Women of Faith Novel of the Year for 2006, is the funny and poignant story of a young, single woman who gets breast cancer and how her life is reconstructed as a result. This book was born out of Laura’s cancer speaking engagements where she started meeting younger and younger women stricken with this disease—some whose husbands had left them, and others who wondered what breast cancer would do to their dating life. She wanted to write a novel that would give voice to those women. Something real. And honest. And funny.

Because although cancer isn’t funny, humor is healing.

To learn more about Laura’s latest novels, please check out her Books page.

A popular speaker and teacher at writing conferences, Laura has also been a guest on hundreds of radio and TV shows around the country including the ABC Weekend News, The 700 Club, and The Jay Thomas Morning Show.

She lives in Northern California with her Renaissance-man husband Michael, and Gracie, their piano playing dog.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Sales clerk, barista, telemarketer, sign waver…

At twenty-five, free-spirited Becca Daniels is still trying to figure out what she wants to be when she grows up. What Becca doesn’t want to be is bored. She craves the rush of a new experience, whether it’s an extreme sport, a shocking hair color, or a new guy. That’s why she quit her bookstore job, used her last bit of credit to go skydiving, and broke her leg.

And that’s why, grounded and grumpy, Becca bristles when teased by friends for being commitment-phobic. In response, Becca issues an outrageous wager—that she can sustain a three-month or twenty-five date relationship with the next guy who asks her out. When the guy turns out to be “churchy” Ben—definitely not Becca’s type—she gamely embarks on a hilarious series of dates that plunge her purple-haired, free-speaking, commitment-phobic self into the alien world of church potlucks and prayer meetings.

This irrepressible Getaway Girl will have you cheering her on as she “suffers” through her dates, gains perspective on her life’s purpose, and ultimately begins her greatest adventure of all.

If you’d like to read the first chapter of Becca By The Book, go HERE

I’ve been thinking about getting some life insurance quotes to extend my life insurance to make sure the girls are taken care of, if anything should happen to me. Things are starting to get crazy busy around here though, so the quotes will probably have to wait for a few weeks or months.

We are looking to move, as well as get another vehicle. On top of that, I am busy taking the girls to school and home again, and have been very busy with my blogging business lately.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A Note From Wanda:

Ever since I was a child, I wanted to be a writer. When I was in the second grade, I wrote my first poem about a moth. Luckily, I received encouragement from my teacher. During my teen years, I wrote skits that my church teen group performed during special holidays.

It wasn’t until 1980, that I took a course on writing for children and teenagers. I became serious about a career as an author. Soon after that, I began to write stories, articles, poems, and devotionals, which appeared in a variety of Christian publications. Later, I had 5 books of puppet/ventriloquist scripts published. *These books are currently available by contacting me. (wanda@wandabrunstetter.com)

My first novel was released by Barbour Publishing’s book club, Heartsong Presents, in Dec. 1997. I have now written nearly fifty books, with over 4 million books in print. Many of the novels I’ve written are Amish-themed.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Life for Kelly McGregor is a daily drudge of driving her overbearing father’s mules along Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Canal. She dreams of one day owning an art gallery where her own drawings and paintings are on display. But these dreams don’t include marriage. . .not after seeing what her father has done to her mother. How then can Mike Cooper, a general store owner, make her realize he is different than her father and wants to support her artistic talent? Will Kelly learn that dreams can walk hand in hand with a love created by God?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Kelly’s Chance , go HERE.