Lyn Cote here--Christmas Fun at Cheryl StJohn's Blog!

Love Inspired Author Cheryl StJohn always invites authors to her blog to share about their holiday decorations that have special meanings.

I took my turn today, but this goes on for several weeks so stop by and bookmark it! BTW, do you have a favorite decoration you love displaying each year???--Lyn
http://cherylstjohn.blogspot.com/2012/11/great-christmas-tree-tour-lyn-cote.html

Winners of Formula for Danger

Congratulations to the winners of Formula for Danger!

Julie G.
Sarah (jump5er)
Ladette K.
Marji Laine
Kara (wman4jc)
Heather H.
Rebekah
Katy Lee
Mrs. Becky
dnikerle

I have already emailed you but if you haven’t heard from me, please check your spam folder and be sure to email me back at camy {at] camytang {dot] com.

And don't forget that my January Love Inspired Suspense, Narrow Escape, is available for preorder in both print and ebook formats! Here’s the back cover blurb:

KIDNAPPED IN BROAD DAYLIGHT

Arissa Tiong and her three-year-old niece are snatched off the street by members of a notorious drug gang. Having lost her police officer brother to a drug bust gone bad, Arissa knows the danger she's in. But she has no idea why they want her. Desperate to protect the little girl, Arissa escapes and runs straight to Nathan Fischer. She knows the handsome, weary former narcotics cop hasn't told her everything about the night that ended her brother's life and Nathan's career. But he's all that stands between her and dangerous thugs who are after something she doesn't even know she has.

Camy Tang writes romance with a kick of wasabi. The fourth book in her Sonoma series, Narrow Escape, releases in January 2013. She is a staff worker for her church youth group, and leads one of the worship teams for Sunday service. On her blog, she ponders frivolous things like knitting, running, dogs, and Asiana. Visit her website to sign up for her quarterly newsletter.

Happy Thanksgiving to all our readers!

Thanks so much for being our faithful readers! We love writing for Love Inspired as much as you love reading their books! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I didn't have a Thanksgiving photo so here's one of my dog. :)

My Favorite Meal

I confess I really enjoy Thanksgiving dinner and usually overindulge despite my resolve not to. But my very favorite meal is dinner the next evening. A few pieces of turkey on a plate for each of us and a little stuffing, covered with gravy. Add some yams (not sweet potatoes; my mother was from Texas and insisted on yams). Zap the plateful of leftovers in the microwave and dinner is served.

So I wish you a lovely Thanksgiving with family and friends and too much food...and a relaxing meal the following evening with delicious leftovers.

Happy eating....
Char.....

Books that leave you smiling....

Counting My Blessings...

Jenna Mindel here.  Thanksgiving week is a good time to reflect on God's many blessings throughout the year.   Looking at where I was a couple of years ago, I am particularly blessed this Thanksgiving. 

For me, 2012 has been a year of confirmation.  I am grateful to God for blessing my dream of writing inspirational romance with the opportunity to write 3 more books for Love Inspired!

To make a long story short, I surrendered my writing to the Lord last year.  I mean FULLY surrendered.  And I finally understand what the Bible means about the freedom we have in Christ when we let go and let Him take over.  I stopped trying to force things and I stopped treating my writing like the idol it had become.  I bundled up my dreams and set them on the altar ready to sacrifice and watch them burn.
 
But God has a way of granting those inner most desires when we finally trust Him with them.  When we put Him first.  And so this Thanksgiving, I'm humbled, seriously grateful and free.


What are you thankful for this year?

Superstorm Sandy & Snowflake Sweethearts

Hi Friends, Carrie Turansky here, bringing you an update from New Jersey where we are recovering from Superstorm Sandy that blasted through our state Oct 29 - 30. We lost power for 4 days, but that was nothing compared to many who lost their homes and businesses near the shore. The rebuilding will take many months. Please pray for those who have been displaced and lost so much.

Our church, Calvary Chapel Living Hope in Robbinsville, was prepared and sent out teams to help members, neighbors, and strangers in need. We called to check on our members, then groups went out to cut fallen trees and clean up yards. We also provided meals for some who were sick and without power. It has been a busy two weeks, but I am thankful we could reach out and share to the love of Jesus with so many people.

Here's a photo of my neighbor's house and yard. Our team cut up her tree and enabled her to get out her front door. I cooked a meal for the team while they worked and served them chilli, rice, cookies and fruit from the tailgate of a truck. It felt good to help my neighbor and friends.

On a brighter note - My newest Love Inspired, Snowflake Sweethearts, released this week! I love this sweet holiday story, and I think readers will too. I am delighted with the cover design.

Bringing her daughter to the one place she feels safe, single mother Annie Romano returns to her hometown, Fairhaven, Washington. Though hoping to start a new life as a personal chef, Annie accepts a different job. Alex Jameson, the handsome man she secretly loved as a teenager, needs a live-in aregiver for his ailing grandmother. A big-city workaholic in town temporarily, Alex doesn't seem to realize how much he needs family, faith, and love. But the holiday season, his grandmother's matchmaking firends and one fiatherless little girl start pulling at both Annie's and and Alex's heartstrings . . . just in time for the best Christmas ever.

This is the final book in the Bayside Treasure Series. The first two are Seeking His Love and A Man To Trust. I hope you will pick up a copy today or order yours online here: http://www.carrieturansky.com

For all my US friends, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving next week and enjoy a relaxing time with family and friends.

Happy reading to all!
Carrie

Christmas Stalking

Hi, this is Margaret Daley. The title of my fourth book in my Guardians, Inc. Series for Love Inspired Suspense sounds like a nightmare at Christmastime. And in Christmas Stalking there are some times Ellie, Colt and Winnie don't think they are going to make it. Guardians, Inc. Series is about female bodyguard. Although this is the fourth book in the series, each book stands alone. There is a story about a different female bodyguard who works for Guardians, Inc. in each book. The first three books are Christmas Bodyguard, Protecting Her Own and Hidden in the Everglades. After Christmas Stalking there will be two more stories in the series--the fifth in the series called Guarding the Witness (June, 2013).

In this series I write about strong women who are take charge and used to protecting others. The heroes in these stories have to be equally strong--a battle of the titans. How do you feel about a strong heroine who can take care of herself?

I am giving away a copy of Christmas Stalking from the people who leave an answer to the above question and also their email address so I can contact the winner. I will pick a winner on November 17th.

Blurb for Christmas Stalking:

Bodyguard Ellie St. James has one objective: protect her client…without letting her know. Pretending to be Rachel "Winnie" Winfield's assistant lets Ellie stay close, but there's an unexpected complication—Colt Winfield. Winnie's grandson wasn't in on the plans, and the suspicious marine biologist isn't easy to fool. When the truth comes out, so do more threats to Winnie's life. Trapped on a Colorado mountain, Ellie and Colt must trust each other to guard Winnie and find the stalker. Before this Christmas becomes their last.

Purchase Christmas Stalking at Amazon

Purchase Christmas Stalking at Harlequin

Connect with me at:

Margaret Daley's website

Margaret Daley's blog

Facebook

Twitter

Is Thee Hungry?--Lyn Cote

Hi Lyn Cote here! My newest series, "Wilderness Brides" debuts this month with the release of Their Frontier Family, book one. My heroine Sunny, a former prostitute (from my book Her Healing Ways), is not a very good cook (lack of practice.) But she uses other ways to win her marriage of convenience husband's heart. 

But the old the way to a man's heart is through his stomach is not a bad idea. Several other Love Inspired Historical Authors, have put together an Old Family Recipe booklet. Here are the contributors:

·         Cheryl St.John http://www.cherylstjohn.net/

·         Valerie Hansen http://www.valeriehansen.com/

·         Janet Lee Barton www.janetleebarton.com  

·         Naomi Rawlings www.naomirawlings.com

·         Deborah Hale http://www.deborahhale.com

·         Victoria Bylin http://www.victoriabylin.com

·         Linda Ford  www.lindaford.org

·         Laurie Kingery LaurieKingery.com

·         Cheryl Bolen www.CherylBolen.com

·         Eva Marie Hamilton www.evamariahamilton.com

·         Rhonda Gibson http://www.rhondagibson.net

·         Regina Scott http://www.reginascott.com

·         Janet Dean www.janetdean.net

·         Winnie Griggs www.winniegriggs.com

·         Lyn Cote http://www.BooksbyLynCote.com

This started on our active GoodReads LIH group discussion at http://www.goodreads.com/

about old family recipes.

Some of the recipes:

•     Datch
•     Daffy Cakes
•     Dick Brown's Crabby Dip
•     Momma's Cracker Pudding!

If you'd like a copy, click any of the authors listed and they'll gladly email you a PDF copy of the booklet! And if you'd like to know more about Their Frontier Family, click here. Their Frontier Family (Love Inspired Historical).

Can you guess why I asked Is Thee Hungry instead of Are You Hungry? --Lyn Cote

Can I have your attention, please? Lenora Worth

I am a bit late today because my brain got confused. Easy for me. But now that I have your attention, I was wondering about being thankful and thinking about food that is far too fattening for me. You know, pumpkin pie, sweet potatoe pie, coconut pie. Yes, I have a thing for pie. So that is our subject for today. What kind of pie do you like? This is not a scientific poll. Nor a political poll, thankfully :) This is just me wondering why pie is such a comfort food. Is it the crust, all crumbly and buttery? Is it the filling, all gooey and creamy and sweet? Is it the whole package? With whipped cream on top? I think pie is a lot like a book. We like a good cover. We like to sink our teeth into the sweet stuff. And we like to explore the inside until we reach the end! So how do you see pie? Friend or enemy? Like an open book or more like a horror waiting to happen to your hips? Here's a little teaser to get us started:

Reader Appreciation

Susan Sleeman, here. I’m not going to do a long blog post today, but a short one to say thanks to all of the faithful Love Inspired readers who read this blog.

In honor of the release of Dead Wrong, book two in my new Justice Agency series for Love Inspired Suspense, I am giving away three copies of book one in the series to the Love Inspired blog readers only.

A PICTURE WORTH KILLING FOR

Photographer Jennie Buchanan unknowingly captures a drug-cartel meeting on film. And now she has become a killer’s next target. Even worse, her only protection from the danger that threatens her life is the man who threatens her heart. Dodging bullets almost seems safer than facing the feelings stirred up by seeing former FBI agent and ex-boyfriend Ethan Justice again.

Ethan vows to safeguard Jennie from the deadly men on her trail. And for a second chance at Jennie’s love, he’s willing to risk anything to expose the truth—about the drug smugglers, the past and the future together he still wants.

---

This contest has ended. Congratulations to Angie Adair, Jane Squires and Karen Ryan who each won a signed copy of Double Exposure.

---

SUSAN SLEEMAN is a best-selling author of inspirational romantic suspense and mystery novels. Her first romantic suspense title, High-Stakes Inheritance earned a spot on the ECPA bestseller list and her Garden Gate Mystery series, which features Nipped in the Bud, and Read Between the Tines has enjoyed time on Amazon bestseller lists as well. And The Christmas Witness was named a finalist in the 2011 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense.
Much to her husband's chagrin, Susan loves to look at everyday situations and turn them into murder and mayhem scenarios for future novels. If you've met Susan, she has probably figured out a plausible way to kill you and get away with it. Don't worry, she'd never follow through on it.
In addition to writing, Susan hosts the popular internet website www.TheSuspenseZone.com. She currently lives in Florida, but has had the pleasure of living in nine states. Her husband is a church music director and they have two beautiful daughters, a very special son-in-law, and an adorable grandson.

---

To connect with Susan outside her– Website

Visit any of these social media sites-

Southern Magic Readers Luncheon!



L to R: Christine Glover, Barbara Vey, Heather Leonard,
Pamela Mason, Debby Giusti and Lindi Peterson gather
Friday night before the Southern Magic Readers Luncheon.

 Debby Giusti here!

The Southern Magic Romance Writers of America Chapter hosted a delightful readers' event last weekend in Birmingham, Alabama.

Friday afternoon, Lindi Peterson and I drove from Atlanta to the Embassy Suites Hotel in Homewood, a Birmingham suburb, where we met up with Georgia Romance Writer Pam Mason.

That evening we gathered with other writers and readers who had traveled from as far away as Louisiana to attend the event. Publishers Weekly Contributing Editor Barbara Vey was there, along with luncheon speakers Dianna Love and Sherrilyn Kenyon. We had dinner at a cute Greek restaurant and spent the evening talking about books and writing and the publishing industry.

Dianna Love and Debby Giusti

Debby and Christy Reece

Lexi Georgia, Christine Glover and Debby

Author Naima Simone (l) and Debra Glass (r) show off the
gorgeous pillows Naima's mother (2nd from r) made for the ladies at
their table.

The next day we headed to the lovely Harbert Center in downtown Birmingham where Love Inspired author Debbie Kaufman and I hosted a table.  My dear friend Julie Muscari sat with us, along with new friends Georgann Cox, Kimberly Callegan and Britney Wyatt.  Georgann's mother reads my books but couldn't come to the luncheon so I'm sending a special shout out to her today! I hope we can meet at the luncheon next year. Britney and Kimberly are friends who met on Twitter and then created a website to talk about the books they love to read. Check out their blog: www.living-fictitiously.blogspot.com.

Front l to r: Georgann Cox, Kimberly Callegan and Britney Wyatt.
Back l to r: Debbie Kaufman, Julia Muscari and Debby Giusti

Farrah Gibson won my basket, and Saturday was her birthday.
What a great way to celebrate!

The Southern Magic writers are so wonderful, and it's always a joy to be with them, especially for such a fun event. Thanks to President Heather Leonard and Luncheon Coordinators Lisa Dunick and Katherine Bone for making the luncheon so special!

Wishing you abundant blessings!
Debby Giusti
www.DebbyGiusti.com
www.seekerville.blogspot.com

Allie Pleiter's Favorite November "Recipe"

Every November 1st at our house is a special day--it's Snickers Bar Salad day.  So while I polished off the last of my most recent batch of this tasty treat today, I'm sharing it with you.  It's the best use I know of all those fun-sized Snickers Bars that show up this time of year.

Snickers Bar Salad

6 bite-sized snicker bars, chopped into small bits (my friend says more are permissible if it's been a bad week or PMS is involved!!)
3 Granny Smith Apples, diced
one 5-oz package vanilla instant pudding mix
8 oz cool whip
1 c. milk

In a bowl, mix pudding mix and milk. Fold in Cool Whip. Mix in apples and Snicker Bars. Cool and enjoy.

Narrow Escape is available for preorder!

Camy here! I’m so excited because my January Love Inspired Suspense, Narrow Escape, is available for preorder in both print and ebook formats! Here’s the back cover blurb:

KIDNAPPED IN BROAD DAYLIGHT

Arissa Tiong and her three-year-old niece are snatched off the street by members of a notorious drug gang. Having lost her police officer brother to a drug bust gone bad, Arissa knows the danger she's in. But she has no idea why they want her. Desperate to protect the little girl, Arissa escapes and runs straight to Nathan Fischer. She knows the handsome, weary former narcotics cop hasn't told her everything about the night that ended her brother's life and Nathan's career. But he's all that stands between her and dangerous thugs who are after something she doesn't even know she has.

This is the 4th book in my Sonoma series, but each book is stand-alone. The hero is Nathan Fischer, who had a minor role in the 3rd book, Stalker in the Shadows.

To celebrate, I’m giving away 10 copies of the 2nd book, Formula for Danger! (You know what’s weird? Until this moment I didn’t realize the colors for Formula for Danger and Narrow Escape were so similar! But I promise, they’re very different storylines.)

So what do you have to do?

1) You get one entry into the contest when you sign up for my email newsletter at http://www.camytang.com/. If you already belong to my email newsletter, let me know!

2) You get a second entry into the contest if you Like my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CamyTangAuthor. If you already Like my Facebook page, let me know!

3) You get a third entry into the contest if you join my Goodreads group: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/49078. If you already belong to my Goodreads group, let me know!

4) You get a fourth entry into the contest if you follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/camytang . If you already follow me on Twitter, let me know!

5) In the comments section, list the email address you used to sign up for my newsletter (please use this format--you [at] yourmail.com--or something like that to prevent spammers from trolling for your email address). Also let me know if you joined/already belong to my Facebook page and Goodreads group, and if you follow me on Twitter.

Update: Spread the word because if I get 150 entries, I'll give away 10 more copies of Formula for Danger!

Leave your comment on this blog post only. U.S.A. and Canada only.

Please also leave an email address or website where I can contact you (please use this format--you [at] yourmail.com--or something like that to prevent spammers from trolling for your email address). It is the winner’s responsibility to check to see if you won and to email me if you haven’t yet heard from me.

I always email the winner and give them a week to reply, but if I don’t receive an answer, I will pull another person to win the book. I am not responsible for a lost opportunity if you are on vacation or leave an email address you don’t check frequently.

Maximum of 4 entries per person. The winner can expect their free book in 4-6 weeks.

I'll pick a name out of a hat on November 20th. (BTW, you can post a comment and NOT enter, too.)

P.S. Congrats to my winners from my giveaway last week!

Shirley Beekeeper5
Mimiladybug
Kandrajane
Jes jswaks
Donna dgrant76
Jennifer jennydtipton
Janet Estridge
Ashley Jones
Veronica Sternberg
Debbie Throgmartin

I have already emailed you but if you haven’t heard from me, please check your spam folder and be sure to email me back at camy {at] camytang {dot] com.

Camy Tang writes romance with a kick of wasabi. The fourth book in her Sonoma series, Narrow Escape, releases in January 2013. She is a staff worker for her church youth group, and leads one of the worship teams for Sunday service. On her blog, she ponders frivolous things like knitting, running, dogs, and Asiana. Visit her website to sign up for her quarterly newsletter.

Metamorphosis

met·a·mor·pho·sis

Kim Watters here. The other day I found what I thought were bird droppings on my lemon tree. That was until I realized they had eyes. What I'd really found were what are commonly known as orange dog caterpillars and they were eating my leaves and stripping entire branches bare. So, being the educational minded parent, I cut the caterpillars out of my tree and placed them in an aquarium so my kids can watch their metamorphosis.  Within a few days, they all formed their cocoons, and a few weeks later a Giant Swallowtail butterfly to emerged.

Metamorphosis:  Noun:

1. (in an insect or amphibian) The process of transformation from an immature form to an adult form in two or more distinct stages.
2. A change of the form or nature of a thing or person into a completely different one, by natural or supernatural means.

This is just another wonderful example of God's amazing power and how He continues to transform each and every one of us each day.

What have you witnessed lately?