Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Last chance for Laura Scott's Free book! #laurascottbooks

 

 Thanksgiving is over (I'm still stuffed, lol) and we are now looking forward and preparing for Christmas. This is such a busy time of year for parents and grandparents so I know reading time is at a minimum but this is the last chance to get my book Sealed with Courage for free.

Download it and read it later, maybe on the one day when you have all your wrapping and gift buying and cookie baking finished. Or after the holidays, too. Ebooks can sit on your device without being read immediately, despite my urge to always read my new books!

I was inspired to write this retired Navy SEAL K-9 series because of a friend of mine who was injured overseas. Giving up your identity as a SEAL is not easy and dealing with the aftermath of an injury is even harder. But I wanted to write about this particular team who rallied together after they came home, and end up finding the love they were missing in their lives.

Yes, the holiday madness is here, but let's remember that God is always watching over us. And maybe, just maybe we deserve a few hours alone. To meditate, nap, relax, do yoga, or read.

What is your favorite way to relax? Drop me a note to let me know.

Sealed with Courage by Laura Scott FREE


Will they find the kidnapped boy in time?

Sign language teacher Aubrey Clark feels responsible when ten-year-old Lucas goes missing. She’s determined to find her deaf student and knows more than she should from reading the lips of the man involved in the boy’s disappearance. Now she’s in the killer’s crosshairs too. Aubrey has little choice but to accept Navy SEAL Mason Gray’s protection, grateful for his help in searching for Lucas.

Mason’s last op as a Navy SEAL had gone sideways, leaving him deaf in one ear and hard of hearing in the other. But he’s not going to let his handicap prevent him and his K9 scent tracker, Bravo, from rescuing a deaf child. Mason has never balked at putting his life on the line for his country or to ensure the safety of women and children. But risking his heart? That wasn’t supposed to be part of the plan . . .

Saturday, November 26, 2022

Thanks for the "Little" Things, by Susan Aylworth

As this post appears, I will be far from home visiting with a son and his family. I'm grateful for easy air travel that makes this trip possible. We in the U.S. have just celebrated Thanksgiving and the opportunity to consider our blessings. We all think of those for which we are most thankful such as our beautiful families, good friends, and loaded tables. 

A friend recently reminded me of the many small things I daily take for granted. When I have lived without them, I have remembered how important they are. Here are just a few.


I'm grateful for hot and cold running water, light at the flip of a switch, and window screens that allow me to have natural light without fighting flies and mosquitoes.


I'm grateful for days when the sun shines brightly and cloudy days when we expect rain. In drought-plagued California, I'm especially and deeply grateful for rain, whenever and however it comes.

I'm grateful for headlights on cars so we can drive at night, and I'm deeply grateful for tail lights on everyone else's cars so I can see them and not have a meeting of the minds in the middle of a dark city street.

I'm especially grateful for tail lights on large trucks. By following them at a safe distance, I can drive securely on a dark night when our valley is thick with fog.

Modern HVAC systems are a blessing we often neglect to consider. I hate to think of how my recent ancestors managed in below-zero temperatures in the Rockies without central heat. My grandparents lived in the sweltering central Arizona desert (sometimes in the low 120s!) without air conditioning. In their earliest days, they managed without evaporative coolers or fans. In contrast, I can set the temperature in my hallway thermostat and stay comfortable. I appreciate it!


I appreciate the glasses that allowed me to see for many years, the intraocular lens implants that are helping me see now, and the sunglasses that keep the light from blinding me when I'm outside on a bright day. 

I'm thankful for a supermarket nearby so I don't have to grow all my own food, for people who grow the food I eat, and for safe agricultural practices that help me trust the food I buy. 

At this season and in this year, I'm glad to be part of the "Puppies for Christmas" series produced by the authors of Sweet Romance Reads. If you haven't purchased your puppies books, this is a good time to do so. <wink, wink>

In fact, the more I consider, the more blessings I remember. I'm thankful for all the big things, but I'm also deeply grateful for those "little" blessings that make my comfortable life possible. Today I'm thankful for you, my friends, for all of you who read and live and love. May this coming year be your very best ever.

Susan Aylworth is the author of 23 published novels including four books in the Christmas Town series. Watch for Book 5 coming in time for Valentine's Day. Susan lives in northern California with Roger, her writer husband of 52 years. Contact her at her website: susanaylworthauthor.com, @SusanAylworth, or via susan.aylworth.author@gmail.com. Susan loves travel, music, her large and scattered family, and perfect raspberry jam. She also loves to hear from readers, especially if you'd like to have your name as a character in a future book. (Beware: You may be the plucky sidekick or jealous rival!)







Friday, November 25, 2022

 

November New Releases



MAVIS'S FOREVER CHRISTMAS
Lyn Cote

Is falling in love only for the young?

Never married, Mavis, a retired college librarian, has made a new life for herself near her “adopted” niece Ellie. Over a year ago, John lost his wife, who was Mavis's best friend for nearly forty years. He has spent months traveling with his trailer, trying to figure out this new life. But when his only daughter Ellie faces complications with a difficult pregnancy, he’s pulled back to her hometown.

Helping Ellie brings Mavis and John close once again, and new feelings and attractions spark. Maybe falling in love isn’t just for the young, but is it right? Or is it a betrayal of his wife or her best friend? By a Carol Award-winning author, this emotional, small-town, family drama will touch your heart. And an adventurous little puppy will make you smile.



DAY NOT PROMISED
Pat Simmons

Pat Simmons introduces a new Christian fiction series that reminds readers that the bad guys don't always win, especially when the Lord fights our battles.

Omega Addams thought it was a typical work day until a detour on the way home changes everything. She's almost killed, but an innocent bystander, Mitchell Franklin, takes a bullet for Omega during a gas station robbery.

In the aftermath, Omega has no idea that God expects her to “pray it forward” until a spiritual battle unfolds before her eyes. Another innocent bystander is in trouble; unless Omega gets her prayer life together, others will die without Christ. It's a chain reaction that highlights the responsibility of a Christian--hot, cold, or lukewarm. It’s time to get our acts together. We are our brother’s keeper.



COLLATERAL DANGER
Roxanne Rustand

Josh Bryant is back in Wolf Creek. And now, mountain guide Tessa McAllister has more to fear than drought, wildfires, and underhanded rivals.

Years ago, the handsome photojournalist had broken her heart, leaving her with a secret to harbor alone. Now he is back in town. Distracting her. Making her remember their past.

But someone is watching them. Waiting. Someone dead-set on destroying any chance for second chances. And perhaps, planning to do far worse.

Immerse yourself in another suspense-filled inspirational romance by USA Bestselling Roxanne Rustand, author of forty novels.

Download today, and stay up all night!




PUPPY LOVE AND CHRISTMAS COOKIES
Merrillee Whren

When Lesley Ackerman meets Alex Randall, she’s smarting from the recent breakup with her long-time boyfriend. She isn’t interested in a rebound romance, but his sweet kids steal her heart.

Alex Randall has moved to Hallburg to take a position as the high school basketball coach, and he hopes moving to a new town will help him get over his wife’s death. He’s not interested in the standoffish young woman their mutual friends keep pushing at him. But he’s desperate to find someone to watch his kids while he’s away at a basketball tournament. She fits the bill, but she comes with a 
confession that shakes both of them.

Can Christmas cookies, a cute puppy, and two matchmaking children 
help Lesley and Alex overcome hurts from the past and find love?

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0B8WZZ3K5//
 
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/puppy-love-and-christmas-cookies-merrillee-whren/1141976446?ean=2940186736035
 
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/puppy-love-and-christmas-cookies
 
https://books.apple.com/us/book/puppy-love-and-christmas-cookies/id6443262695
 
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Merrillee_Whren_Puppy_Love_and_Christmas_Cookies?id=c_uVEAAAQBAJ&gl=US



SEALED WITH A CHRISTMAS PROMISE
Laura Scott

A promise to protect . . .

After months of searching, former SEAL turned cop Bryce Flynn and his K9, Kirby, has finally found Callie Burgess. He needs to question her about her former boyfriend, a member of the Desert Death Rays motorcycle gang, who was recently murdered. But when shots are fired through the window of the diner where she’s working, he realizes she’s in danger too.

After being betrayed by a police officer in the past, Callie doesn’t trust cops. But when a gunman comes after her, she has little choice but to accept Bryce’s promise to protect her. Her life is in shambles—no money, no job, no place to live. The only redeeming factors are the stray puppy she’s found and Bryce himself.

As the Christmas holiday approaches, will Bryce keep Callie safe and convince her to give love a chance?

 





A Very Christian Christmas
Josie Riviera

This collection includes the following 3 inspirational books:

A CHRISTMAS TO CHERISH
There’s nothing a Christmas kiss won’t cure. Except perhaps a shattered heart…

A CHRISTMAS PUPPY TO CHERISH
You don’t need ears to hear God’s plan. All you need is an open heart…

Holly’s Gift
Miracles don’t always come easy. Sometimes it takes a secret wish to light an angel’s way.


Thursday, November 24, 2022

It's THANKS-giving by Pat Simmons

 Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  When I was a little girl, this holiday meant eating, eating, and some more eating.

When I married, the tradition included parades.

And abbreviated church services. I miss those the most now. We will have a virtual service instead of an in-person experience. Covid is still an issue. There is something special about kicking off the holiday to the sound of the choir singing, listening to people testify about what the Lord had done for them to make them thankful, and seeing the college graduate return home for the holidays to visit family and friends.

This year, my husband and I are away from home visiting our daughter. We will share Thanksgiving dinner at a friend's home who relocated to Houston from St. Louis.

As I get older, I've come to appreciate the memories we share with friends and loved ones on the holidays. There is no guarantee whoever is with us this Thanksgiving 2022 will be with us Thanksgiving 2023, so please make your holiday special.

After Thanksgiving, it's Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and Gift-giving Tuesday! The authors at Sweet Romance Reads have all the bases covered to inspire you with romance, mystery, and comedy. Don't forget to check out our Puppies for Christmas collection and be blessed.

--------------------------

For Thanksgiving

Pat Simmons introduces a new Christian fiction series that reminds readers that the bad guys don't always win, especially when the Lord fights our battles.
Omega Addams thought it was a typical workday until a detour on the way home changes everything. She's almost killed, but an innocent bystander, Mitchell Franklin, takes a bullet for Omega during a gas station robbery.
In the aftermath, Omega has no idea that God expects her to “pray it forward” until a spiritual battle unfolds before her eyes. Another innocent bystander is in trouble; unless Omega gets her prayer life together, others will die without Christ. It's a chain reaction that highlights the responsibility of a Christian--hot, cold, or lukewarm. It’s time to get our acts together. We are our brother’s keeper.


-------------------------------

For Black Friday Bargains

Read about these fantastic reads on my Amazon page: Amazon.com: Pat Simmons: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle.

 In the mood for a puppy love story?


After shopping in stores or online, relax with my latest audiobook: 
From Book 1: Cinderella had a prince; God has a happy ending for Karyn Wallace too. While Karyn served four years in prison for an unthinkable crime, she embraced salvation through Crowns for Christ outreach ministry. After her release, Karyn stays strong and confident, despite the stigma society places on ex-offenders. Since Christ strengthens the underdog, Karyn refuses to sway away from the scripture, “He whom the Son has set free is free indeed.” Levi Tolliver, for the most part, is a practicing Christian. One contradiction is he doesn’t believe in turning the other cheek. He’s steadfast there is a price to pay for every sin committed, especially after the untimely death of his wife during a robbery. Then Karyn enters Levi’s life. He is enthralled not only with her beauty but her sweet spirit until he learns about her incarceration. If Levi can accept that Christ paid Karyn’s debt in full, then a treasure awaits him. Book 2: JET Back Story (short story); Book 3: LOVE LED BY THE SPIRIT

------------------
Pat Simmons is a multi-published Christian romance author of forty-plus titles. She is a self-proclaimed genealogy sleuth passionate about researching her ancestors, then casting them in starring roles in her novels. She is a five-time recipient of the RSJ Emma Rodgers Award for Best Inspirational Romance and recipient of the 2022 Leslie Esdaile Trailblazer Award. Christmas Dinner was also an Emma Award winner for Book of the Year. Christmas Dinner and Here for You were featured in Woman’s World Magazine. As a Christian, Pat describes the evidence of the gift of the Holy Ghost as a life-altering experience. She has converted her sofa-strapped sports fanatical husband into an amateur travel agent, untrained bodyguard, and GPS-guided chauffeur. They have a son and a daughter. Pat holds a B.S. in mass communications from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, and has worked in radio, television, and print media for more than twenty years. Visit her at www.patsimmons.net.





Tuesday, November 22, 2022

Be bored


The weather here in California has been nice lately, although it does get a bit cold in the evenings. I recently started exercising again, now that my IBS is doing a little better, and I’ve been enjoying running outside.

I was listening to an audiobook, What I Talk about When I Talk about Running: A Memoir by Haruki Murakami. The author is a very famous writer in Japan who has won tons of awards, although to be honest I haven’t read his fiction since the more literary style of his books aren’t to my taste. But I bought the audiobook since it was about two subjects I wanted to hear, writing and running.

The author apparently has been running for decades, and has run numerous marathons and even an ultra-marathon. His training methods aren’t as scientific as what I followed when I trained for the Honolulu Marathon, but his discipline is no joke. I liked the way he compared and contrasted his writing with his running.

One thing that especially struck me was the “void” (I’m afraid I can’t remember the exact terms he used at the moment), the state of not thinking (or not thinking much) as he runs, aside from listening to music.

It actually reminded me of something I read in the book Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. The author mentions that one step in training yourself to focus and concentrate is to learn how to be “bored,” how to not do anything rather than striving to fill the empty times with looking at your phone or watching TV.

I think this is similar to how God tells us to be still and know that He is God.

If I have a free moment where I’m not doing anything, I will ALWAYS pull out my phone. Sometimes I’ll do something productive like go through my Japanese language study flashcard app. Sometimes I’ll jot something down in my bullet journal. Sometimes I’ll read an ebook. But I always fill the time with something.

I think I’m actually afraid of being bored with nothing to do. The thought of being bored actually causes me to feel a bit of stress! I don’t think this is a good thing.

So lately I’ve been only listening to music as I run. I’ve been used to listening to audiobooks so that I can engage (or rather, distract) my mind from my running, but I wanted to try this concept of the “void.”

It’s made me notice my surroundings more, the trees and flowers, but also the feel of the sun and the wind, the smell of the dried weeds and grass. (It also made me notice the doggy poop on the ground, but we’ll forget about that for the moment.)

I want to overcome this strange fear of being bored. I want to open my mind to this quietness and stillness, and maybe enable God to speak to me in His soft whisper.

I think this concept of stilling your mind is especially useful during this week. I don’t know about you, but I’ll be busy cooking for Thanksgiving (although thankfully my husband makes the turkey). When things get so hectic, I start to feel frazzled, and that’s not a good mindset when the holiday is all about being thankful!

So today, I challenge you to be bored. Whether you go out walking or just sit quietly, still your mind.

I will be doing the same. While trying to avoid doggy poop.

Monday, November 21, 2022

Thanksgiving Desserts by Janice Lynn

In my Wrapped Up in Christmas series from Hallmark Publishing, each story has a Thanksgiving meal that's a sharing of family and friends who are grateful to be together. It's idyllic, of course. (It's Hallmark, remember.) Ours are always a bit hectic trying to get food finished up, get to where we're supposed to be, and hoping we didn't forget anything and that we won't have any major spills along the way.  I'm blessed that I have several Thanksgiving meals to enjoy. Two of them are on Thursday and I'm serving a meal at my home on Friday evening. I'll be bringing a few main dish type items to the ones on Thursday, am cooking lots of main dish type things for Friday, but I've yet to decide on my desserts. Eek. I am definitely running out of time. I waver between scouring through recipes, thinking, "Oh, that looks yummy!" to thinking, "Hmm, maybe I should just run to a local sweet shop and pick up a few desserts." 

Last year, I bought my dressing from a local restaurant/caterer who was selling it by the pan. It's my daughter Reesee's favorite dressing, so that was a hit. I like my sweet potato casserole and squash casserole better than anyone else's so I prefer making those over buying them. I buy a Honey-baked ham from a school fundraiser each Thanksgiving and Christmas and my husband smokes the turkey. My guests will be bringing a few items, too, so we're going to feast, for sure. But then there's dessert...decisions, decisions. 

Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving dish? What about dessert? Any suggestions on what I should serve as dessert? 

Happy Thanksgiving from my home to yours! I hope you have a very blessed day Thursday and every day.


Janice's Wrapped Up in Christmas books from Hallmark Publishing are still available, currently.

Buy Your Copy HERE

USA Today, Wall Street Journal, & Publishers Weekly Bestselling author JANICE LYNN lives in Tennessee with her Prince Charming and their princes and princesses, her vivid imagination, an adorable Maltese named Halo who's the true royalty of the house, and bunches of unnamed dust bunnies that moved in after Janice started her writing career. In addition to writing romance, Janice is a nurse practitioner, a quilter, an exercise queen, a military mama, and an avid supporter of the Quilts of Valor Foundation. Just kidding on the exercise queen. www.janicelynn.com  The WRAPPED UP IN CHRISTMAS books are available at AMAZON Barnes & Noble WALMART & many other place where you buy books. 

Friday, November 18, 2022

Travel Hacks by Merri Maywether

This week I was at a writing conference in Las Vegas. It was s a week of catching up with friends and talking with other authors about things that make my family’s eyes glaze over when I try to discuss author concepts with them. 

While I love, connecting with friends, the disruption to my routine is stressful. By day four, my stomach challenges my commitment to authorly learning. 
This year, I picked up some habits that changed everything. 

 1-The hotels where I stay, don’t have coffee pots. So, I bought a silicone kettle and pour over  coffee filter. The cost of the pot, filter, and 12oz bag of coffee cost less than stopping by the coffee kiosk once a day. 

2- We bought a box of tea. Ending a day full of stimulation with a couple of minutes of quiet, helped with the transition from the day to the evening routine. 

3-We bought a box of our favorite cereal and a half-gallon of milk. It was enough of our regular routine to sustain a sense of normalcy. 

The best part. We saved a lot of money. This was the first time we took a concerted effort to maintain a little bit of normal, despite the travel. 

Now that I’ve caught on to the fact that traveling doesn’t have to be uncomfortable, I’m looking for more ways to keep some normalcy when the routine is changed. Do you have any travel hacks? 

🍁🍁🍁



In a cozy town nestled 
at the foothills of a mountain, love touches the heart of those who seek it. 

Paradise Hills Christmas is a collec
tion of three novellas, Meet Me By The Christmas Tree, Holiday Wishes
, and Holiday Kisses. The collection is available at Amazon for 99¢. Visit the Amazon Store to get a copy of Paradise Hills Christmas 
                                                                🍁🍁🍁


Merri Maywether lives with her husband in rural Montana. You can find her in the town's only coffee house listening to three generations of Montanans share their stories. Otherwise, she's in the classroom or the school library, inspiring the next generation's writers. 



Wednesday, November 16, 2022

A Humorous Thanksgiving Memory by Kimberly Rose Johnson

When I was a girl my family would often gather with my mom's side of the family at my Grandparents' home for Thanksgiving. It was such a fun time to see all my cousins. We kids would color, play games, nibble on snacks, and have an all out good time together. One year though we had to dash out as soon as meal was over. There was no lingering like in past years.

My dad wanted to get to Montana by the evening of Thanksgiving. He had arranged for us to sleep in the church basement of the church my parents attended when they would visit Montana. I'm guessing we arrived around midnight, though I can't say for certain. My memory is a little fuzzy, but I don't think we turned on any lights. We simply rolled out our sleeping bags and went right to sleep.

The following morning  my mom awaked my sister and I in a panic. In the light of day she realized we were sleeping in a preschool! Yep, the church apparently had a preschool. She made us get up and we had to quickly dress and pack up anything we had out before the kids showed up. What a way to start a day!

As the clock ticked past eight in the morning and then nine she decided they must have closed the school for the holiday. Which made perfect sense to me since we were given permission to stay there. 

Though not funny at the time, I have fond memories of that crazy morning.

Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving memory?

If you enjoy stories that feature Thanksgiving I have one. It's called A Love that Lasts. It's included in a series compilation. Which can be found on Amazon.

Award winning author Kimberly Rose Johnson married her college sweetheart and lives in the Pacific Northwest USA. From a young child Kimberly has been an avid reader. That love of reading fostered a creative mind and led to her passion for writing. She especially loves romance and writes contemporary romance and romantic mystery and suspense with a heart.

Kimberly holds a degree in Behavioral Science from Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington, and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. 

Monday, November 14, 2022

A FREE BOOK --LIKE AUTHENTIC HISTORICAL NOVELS?


 ENDS TONIGHT, THE 15TH!

A young small town girl finds herself in the shadowy world of WWII espionage~


Coming of age in the deep Depression, Bette faces a troubled world. Her parents have taken in Gretel, a Jewish girl her same age sent by her family from Nazi Germany. In the KKK South this is met with animosity. As she finishes high school, Bette falls in love with a young man who applauds her family’s decision. The two become informally engaged and Bette dreams of a future as a wife and mother with him, clipping recipes and living the quiet life. 


But Hitler and others who seek world domination interfere with her plans. As her fiance attends college in Georgetown, she works as a secretary in the War Department. And that job leads her into the murky world of espionage. The US, Canada and England have banded together to foil German spies working to gain American military secrets. Bette never considered being a spy even in her wildest dreams. But she will do anything to stop these enemies, those who are persecuting Gretel’s family. But after swearing an oath, she can tell no one--not even the man she loves.


The Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor. War crashes over them all and again Bette and her fiance are separated. And another man enters her life, one who works with her to foil Hitler. A man she resists but who won’t take no for an answer. When the war ends, which will she choose--the young man she fell in love with as a girl or the man who taught her how to be a spy?


The Carlyle Women-four generations, 

each facing the challenges of her time 

and each harboring her own painful secret~


Once again Lyn Cote's presentation of an era fills the reader with a new look at an overexposed time of history. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE.--Lyn Cote



 

Puppies for Christmas Bargains by Merrillee Whren

 

Puppies and Christmas! A great combination. Make sure to get all the Puppies for Christmas novellas. They are all 99 cents. What a bargain!

This week Susan Aylworth's Mischief and Mistletoe in Christmas Town releases on Tuesday November 15.

Amazon

 

Next Tuesday, November 22, you can get Lyn Cote's Mavis's Forever Christmas

Amazon

 

The final week in November brings you Roxanne Rustand's The Last Christmas Puppy on November 29.

Amazon

The first week in December brings you Kimberly Rose Johnson's Found: An Almost Perfect Christmas.

Amazon

 

Puppy Love and Christmas Cookies is already available. Remember all the books are 99 cents! Grab them all now for great Christmas reading. 


You can find buy links here. 

 

Merrillee Whren is the winner of the 2003 Golden Heart Award presented by Romance Writers of American. She is married to her own personal hero, her husband of forty-plus years, and has two grown daughters. Connect with her on her Facebook page and sign up for her newsletter.




Saturday, November 12, 2022

The Prodigal's Shotgun Wedding by Vickie McDonough

 


The days are getting shorter, and now that we're off Daylight Savings Time, the evenings seem longer without the sun's light. It's the perfect time to curl up with a blanket in a comfy chair to read a holiday story. Let me tell you about this one.


A prodigal’s hope for a happy homecoming is derailed.

Clay left home after his brother’s death—a death for which he was responsible. After years away he’s finally returning, hoping for reconciliation with his father. But when the stagecoach he’s riding in wrecks and he is injured, he finds himself in a fight for survival. 

Jolie is fleeing a nightmare situation. She desperately hopes becoming a mail-order bride doesn’t land her in a worse place. When the stage crashes, and she spends the night alone with a wounded man, she can't help wondering if her intended will still want her. If he doesn’t, what will she do? She has no money and nowhere to go. 

Okay, so I know there's no mention of Christmas, but trust me, it's part of the story. The Prodigal's Shotgun Wedding is a story of forgiveness, redemption, and restoration. Here's a sneak peek. This scene is from the heroine's point of view. She's traveling across the country to become a mail-order bride. Mr. Peavey is the man she is going to marry.


    Would Mr. Peavey be at the depot in Cedar Springs to meet her? Would he be young or old? Tall or thin? How would she recognize him? What would he expect of her?
    Jolie took a deep breath. “Stop being a ninny,” she whispered to herself. Of course, he'll be there. The road leveled out and became smoother. Jolie laid back her head again, and this time it wasn’t shaken half off her neck. Her eyelids closed, and her body relaxed.
    A loud noise jolted her awake. At the blast of gunfire, she sprang to the window and peered out, her breath coming in quick bursts. 
    “Robbers!” The coach driver yelled.
    “Fool woman. You want to get shot?” Mr. Jackson, now in her seat, yanked her backward. 
    She fell into his lap, arms flailing. “Unhand me.” 
    He grabbed her arms, pinning them to her side. “Stop. I’m trying to help.”
    A bullet ricocheted off the doorframe, sending splinters of wood flying. Her captor threw her to the dirty floor between the seats. Gunfire erupted from inside the stage as Mr. Jackson fired his revolver at their attackers. She covered her head. The odor of gunpowder mixed with the scent of dirt and wood. What had she gotten herself into? 
    The stage seemed to pick up speed, and Jolie was jostled in all directions, unable to regain her balance enough to even sit. Mr. Jackson stepped on her leg, and she jerked, nearly knocking him on top of her. 
    “Lie still,” he snapped.
    Shots blasted all around her. She peered up and saw light shining through a hole in the door. Glory be, it must have just missed her head. Would she even live long enough to meet her husband-to-be? “Father in heaven, help us.”
    “Amen,” Mr. Jackson yelled. 
    His gun fell silent, and Jolie peeked up again. He wrestled to stay on the seat and reload his weapon at the same time. His bullets suddenly flipped out of his hand and showered down on top of her. The carriage bounced and shook as if a madman drove it.
    “Hold on,” yelled the driver. 
    Jolie glanced at the window. Trees whipped past in a blur, and her heart flew up to her throat. The horses’ hooves thundered down the road, and the carriage creaked and groaned. 
    “Whoa! Whoa!” the driver yelled.
    The floor slanted as the coach careened down a steep hill. Mr. Jackson slid off the seat and landed on top of her, pinning her down.
    She pressed her hand against the door near her head, trying to brace herself. The stage rocked viciously back and forth then gradually slowed and rolled to a halt. Jolie dared to breathe again. Dared to move. But she could hardly catch a breath or budge with Mr. Jackson’s large body weighing her down. She pushed against his back, trying to lift him up, but he was too big. Too heavy. Why didn’t he move?
    "Mr. Jackson, could you please get off of me.” She jerked her legs and shoved his shoulder, but when she got no response, she lifted her head up. A large red circle stained the left shoulder on the back of Mr. Jackson’s shirt. 

Vickie McDonough is the CBA, EPCA, and Amazon best-selling, award-winning author of 54 books and novellas.

Get your copy of The Prodigal's Shotgun Wedding here:

Amazon / Free on KU

Friday, November 11, 2022

Daylight Saving Time Debate by Josie Riviera


On Sunday, November 6, 2022, in the US and elsewhere around the world, we turn our clocks back an hour.

 This is called Daylight Saving Time, which is also referred to as "Fall Back," or "Winter Time." Please note the term is "Saving," not "Savings." I've often referred to the term wrong!

Expect sunrise and sunset to be about an hour earlier, and more light in the morning.


Did you know that over 70 countries use Daylight Saving Time?

Some of the main reasons include:

Conserving energy by using more natural light, rather than artificial light.

Decreasing road accidents during the heavier traffic hours.

However, dairy farms often protest that changing our clocks twice a year makes milking cows and getting the milk collected a challenge. Although our modern dairy farms often utilize robots for cow milking, farmers in developing countries are affected.

What are your thoughts on Daylight Saving Time? Is it time to "fall back"?  Please leave your comments below.


New Release and just in time for Christmas!

I'm thrilled that my newest boxed set, A Very Christian Christmas, will be release on November 16th.


Cozy up with your favorite beverage and lose yourself in the special, joyful season of love and faith.

This collection includes the following books:

A CHRISTMAS TO CHERISH
There’s nothing a Christmas kiss won’t cure. Except perhaps a shattered heart…

A CHRISTMAS PUPPY TO CHERISH
You don’t need ears to hear God’s plan. All you need is an open heart…

Holly’s Gift
Miracles don’t always come easy. Sometimes it takes a secret wish to light an angel’s way.

These books are also published as solos and in other collections.

Grab your copy of A Very Christian Christmas today!

Available in ebook, Paperback, and Large Print paperback. Audiobooks for each book sold separately.


Josie Riviera is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary, historical, and inspirational romances that read like Hallmark movies. She lives in the Charlotte, NC, area with her wonderfully support husband. They share their home with an adorable shih tzu, who constantly needs grooming, and live in an old house forever needing renovation.


Sign up for her newsletter and get a FREE ebook on her website: josieriviera.com