The Parting Gift

This book was a delighful Christmas Novella. A father looses the love of his life, and his son all in one day. One to death, the other to his own grief.  Stubborn hard hearts turn colder as time progresses till not even the shell of a father and son relationship remain.  Years later a dying wish brings hope to a forsaken home, and a nurse is determined to make that wish come true. You gotta love a book historically based after the World Wars and so full of that spunk that was true to the era!  The nurse edge completed that "feel" for me. 

I really enjoyed this book! by the end I was in tears, not because it was so sad, but because the ending was so emotionally satisfying and beautiful! While addressing issues of betrayal, unforgiveness and destroyed relationships, the authors brought the entire book full circle redeeming everything that was broken.  This is not easily done, especially in such a eloquent manner without a hint of being trite. The romance is braided with interwoven strands of hope and grace.  While having a strong Christian theme, the book is not preachy, rather the Christian themes in the book are what make the book so emotionally captivating and heartfelt.

I have to admit that I am a huge fan of Rachel Van Dyken's books.  If you haven't checked out her other titles, I'll post those links as well as the link to purchase "The Parting Gift." 

The Parting Gift   http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006DTZ28C/ref=cm_cr_error
The Ugly Duckling Debutaunte  http://www.amazon.com/The-Ugly-Duckling-Debutante-ebook/dp/B005PTY15G/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1322290207&sr=8-2
Every Girl Does It  http://www.amazon.com/Every-Girl-Does-It-ebook/dp/B0052FZVS4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1322290207&sr=8-4

Snow and a Good Book

What is it about snow that makes you want to curl up with a good book, a hot cup of tea/coffee/cocoa and snuggle under a quilt while watching the snow fall?  That was me today.  We had our first real snow.  "Real" meaning we got an inch rather than a few flurries.  I picked up an old Zebra romance I picked up at a used bookstore and lost myself in the simple story with a cup of hot cider.  While reading I was stuck with the idea that reading is a comfort, like chicken soup is a comfort food when your sick.  Reading is a comfort food for my soul.  As I read my imagination takes off and I can stay in my snug house surrounded by those I love, and have an adventure, or "watch" someone fall in love for the first time.  The snow outside magnified that comfort feeling because of the great feeling of, "it's freezing outside and I'm snug inside."  You know that feeling.  Its the same one you get when the wind is howling outside your window and you hear the rain pelt the glass and you squirm under the covers of your bed and revel in the warmth and comfort of your bed.  I love that feeling.  Today I was reminded just how great book can be on a cold, blustery, snowy day.  What is your favorite thing to do inside on a "snow"day? 

Review on "Double Crossing" by Meg Mims

Reading "Double Crossing" by Meg Mims was quite an adventure.  Being a fan of " Reilly's Luck" by L'amore, I was really looking forward to another adventure in the wild west. Meg did a wonderful job of including historical towns, stations and protocol that were very accurate to the time period.  Her "hint of romance" truely was that, a hint.  The main story was based on the desperate attempt to not only find the deed to the mine, but find her father's killer while remaining alive herself.  A compliment to Meg Mims and her editor, there weren't any distracting editing issues, the format was clean.  I don't want to put to much of the story in the review, I want others to find out for themselves, but know this, I never knew riding a train could be so dangerous, or thrilling.  "Double Crossing" was full of life, a spunky heroine, filthy villans and a lot of adventure. 

"Double Crossing" by Meg Mims

This week we're visiting with Astraea Author, Meg Mims! Her new release, "Double Crossing," is fantastic, I can say this because I've read it.  I'll post a review later this week, but for now, here's a blurb from Meg on this thrilling western:

DOUBLE CROSSING

 A murder arranged as a suicide … a missing deed  … and a bereft daughter whose sheltered world is shattered.

August, 1869: Lily Granville is stunned by her father’s murder. Only one other person knows about a valuable California gold mine deed — both are
now missing. Lily heads west on the newly opened transcontinental railroad, determined to track the killer. She soon realizes she is no longer the
hunter but the prey.

As things progress from bad to worse, Lily is uncertain who to trust—the China-bound missionary who wants to marry her, or the wandering Texan who
offers to protect her … for a price. Will Lily survive the journey and unexpected betrayal?

Please leave Meg a comment if you have any questions about her new book or questions from our interview!

Meet our Author of the Week, Meg Mims!

Love a cowboy? Didn't we just talk about a man who could "chop wood" earlier in our hero post?  Well Meg really did a great job capturing that masculine trait in her new book,"Crossroads."  We'll talk more about her book as the week progresses, but for now, lets learn about the woman behind it! 


Ok Meg, is it Meg or Megan and why?  

...It's actually Margaret. Ugh. I am published in the children's market (long ago) under that name. Thought I'd use the shorter version
      for my books. Plus I started Tweeting and using Facebook as Meg, so that made it easier promotion wise. :-)

Big City Girl, or Small Town Girl? 

....I'm a small town girl living in a city that thinks it's a small town, surrounded by a huge metro area.  It's complicated. I want to live where there's a LOT less traffic, woods around, a nice pond or creek for ducks and such, but hasn't happened yet. SIGH.

Favorite guilty pleasure?

 ....COOKIES. Chocolate drizzled shortbread, to be exact. Or any crunchy cookie.

Bucket list number 1 and 2 

.... IRELAND tour, including castles, pubs, music, the whole shebang. And I'd love to do an 1800's style cross-country train trip.

Did you always want to be an author, or did it pick you?   

.... Hmm. Both, I think. The "dream" finally became reality when I took action to make it come true.

When you're not writing, what are you doing? 

.... painting watercolors, gardening, crafting. I ought to be cleaning house, LOL. And grocery shopping.

Current Obsession?  .... NCIS. Great writing, nice twists.

So you're writing a mystery with a dose of romance, what did you like most about that combination?

...I love solving the puzzle in mystery -- and why not throw in what readers crave with a romantic angle? I am a big fan of Remington Steele, the TV series, and prefer to keep the hero/heroine on their toes and apart. It's more fun that way.

What type of hero/heroine do you like to write about? Strong-minded independent women. No wimps. Men who can be a bit macho, but with a heart of gold buried deep.

What's a great quote from your newest release "Double Crossing." 

"Ace Diamond was the last man I’d ever consider an angel of mercy. With my luck, he might have already left Omaha. If not, then I’d take that as a sign of divine intervention. His fists might come in handy if I hired him to protect us on the long journey west. He knew far more about weapons and fighting than I did. An ex-Confederate soldier, a Texan no less, who engaged in street brawls.Then again, beggars couldn’t be choosers."

Anything else you want to say to your readers?
Thanks for buying my book, and keep an eye out for the sequel, Double or Nothing!


Thanks Meg!  It was great to see into your world a little bit!!!  Stay tuned for more on Meg!!  You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter with these links!

 megmims@gmail.com, http://www.megmims.com/ and http://www.double-crossing.com/

Review of " Hauntings of the Heart" By Joselyn Vaughn

Wow.  Reading "Hauntings of the Heart" was delightful. A quick overview:  Minnie's dreams died when she left for the Peace Corps and left her heart behind,  Gordon never recovered from his families loss and the loss of his heart to Minnie so long ago.  Now, years later, they have a chance to make things right, as long as old heartache, misconceptions and hidden betrayals don't stand in their way. Throw in some "paranormal" activity and some ghost hunters, as well as some meddling old ladies and you have a fantastic mix.  One of the things I really enjoyed about this book was the writers ability to keep the storyline very clean, understandable and relateable.  I didn't get lost in "typos", rabbit trails in the plot, or ends that didn't get tied up in the end.  I also didn't feel the book had a really predictable flow which was really refreshing.  I enjoyed every aspect of the plot, and laughed out loud a few times...I love books that make me do that!  Minnie was fantastic, I want to be like her when I get older!  Joselyn Vaughn did a fantastic job breathing life into this story. Not only is she a gifted writer, but also, her storytelling skills are first rate.  I look forward to reading more from her!

You can purchase Joslyn's book, " Hauntings of the Heart " at:
Astraea: http://astraeapress.com/#ecwid:category=662245&mode=product&product=7355585
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hauntings-of-the-Heart-ebook/dp/B005Z8WJRY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1319568032&sr=1-1
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1106922258

Interview with Joselyn Vaughn

Our featured author, Joselyn Vaughn, agreed to let me play 20 questions.  So maybe there's not exactly 20 but you get the idea...

Let's start out easy, what's your favorite thing to do, beside write?

I’ve recently discovered Pinterest.com. If you are into anything crafty, it is fabulous. It is also a great way to procrastinate. I love sewing and thrift store shopping and this site is giving me so many ideas. The problem is that my sewing machine which was recently haunted is still broken, so I can’t sew anything until it is fixed. I also enjoy running and have been able to run several races with my sisters this year. My whole family entered a 5k earlier this summer and we had matching shirts. It was really cool. I also did a Race for the Cure this fall with my sisters. My sister went through cancer treatment this year and it was incredible to be there with her.

That is amazing, When you were a little girl, what did you dream of becomming "when you grew up"?

I always thought it would be pretty awesome to be a writer and write books for a living. At that time, I didn’t know how hard that actually was and how many other things are involved in being an author. Writing books is definitely awesome though. It’s so much fun to hear from people who I’ve never met.

As an author that is probably a good thing! I'm sure you get lots of mail from new people.  I can see how that would be exciting.  So are you a city girl? Small town girl?

Definitely a small town girl. We lived in Seattle for a year right after we got married and that was enough. I think it was mostly the traffic that got to us. We liked being close to so many things, but it took forever to get anywhere, so we might as well have been far away. Right now we live in a small town and it’s great. A traffic back up is four cars lined up at the four-way stop.

Being from a small town myself, we had more cows than people, I love the asthetic of small town life.  No traffic is just one of the perks! Ok, what is your guilty pleasure?

Sitting and reading a book. Things are generally pretty crazy in the Vaughn household, so there isn’t a lot of downtime where it’s possible to even sit and open a book and actually read a paragraph or two before a preschooler crawls on top of you. When I get to do any reading at all, it ends up being on my iPod, which is really handy because no one can steal my bookmarks then. When a get to read a paperback or hardcover book, it feels very decadent.

I hear ya, ok Bucket list #1 and 2

This is a hard one. I haven’t thought about it very much. I know some people who have them written down. I would to visit Greece and Italy sometime. I find the ancient cultures that grew from there fascinating. As well as the art and the food.

I'm all about the food..Now, what made you want to start to write?

I’ve always wanted to write. It just took a while for the motivation and opportunity to present itself. A friend and I had been joking about programs we could develop for the library where we worked. One program involved a crafting club and somehow that morphed into an Internet dating service. Eventually it found life in the Ladies Night Out Social Club in my first book CEOs Don’t Cry. The ladies have provided fodder for Sucker for a Hot Rod and Hauntings of the Heart.

Thanks Joselyn!  We'll have more on her interview tomorrow so check back to learn more!  Until then, check out Joselyn's Website:  http://joselynvaughn.com/ and also check out her newest release, "Hauntings of the Heart." You can purchase it at: 

Astraea:  http://astraeapress.com/#ecwid:category=662245&mode=product&product=7355585

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hauntings-of-the-Heart-ebook/dp/B005Z8WJRY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1319568032&sr=1-1

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1106922258

I'm reading it right now and it is some spectactular writing!