Saturday, August 31, 2024

Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: Guess Who Is in God's Family by Karen Ferguson

Book: Guess Who Is in God’s Family

Author: Karen Ferguson

Genre: Children’s Picture Book

Release date: June 24, 2024

When Lucy comes across some old family pictures, she has a lot of questions for Papa Joe.

Who are these people?
Why doesn’t she look like them?

As Papa Joe tells Lucy about her family, he shares with her the uniqueness that God created in each of us from the very beginning, all the way back to our first ancestors, Adam and Eve.

What follows is a wild adventure through the Bible, where Lucy and her papa discover God’s love and faithfulness for all people throughout all of history.

In this second book in the Questions for Kids series, discover how much God loves diversity and how God created your family in the most beautiful and perfect way.

Click here to get you copy!

I believe Children's Book are a very important Genre. The earlier a child is read to or reading it becomes a lifelong enjoyment. Guess Who is in God's Family by Karen Ferguson is the most recent Children's book that I have read. It is Book 2 in the Question for Kids series.

Book 2 features Lucy Lu and Papa Joe from Book 1. Lucy Lu is asking questions to Papa Joe about why she doesn't look like the people on the pictures she has found. Papa Joe gets the opportunity to answer Lucy Lu's questions once again. He goes all the way back in the Bible, beginning with Adam and Eve and through other characters of the Bible. He explains how God created everyone to be different from one another. Lucy Lu learns that families were created by God and how even within families there are differences.

I really LOVED reading this book to the Little Ones at Sunday School and the kids really enjoyed this one as much as the first book. I really LOVE how Papa Joe tells Lucy Lu that God created everyone with their own unique features and personalities. I really love the theme of the book that God doesn't make mistakes when creating us and we are all uniquely and wonderfully made. Lucy Lu is a very inquisitive young girl and I LOVE that Papa Joe answers here questions with Biblical Foundations. I am looking forward to more books in this series! WONDERFUL BOOK!

Karen Ferguson is a freelance writer and children’s book author with a background in K-8 education. A grateful wife, mom, and grandmom she is passionate about writing stories that grab and hold young readers’ attentions, while teaching them all about God’s unchangeable truths, and His unchanging love for them. She wants every child to know their life matters. Her first children’s book, Guess How Much God Loves You, was published through Ambassador International in 2022. Now a seven book series, her newest book, Guess Who Is in God’s Family is scheduled to release June 2024.

More from Karen

Did you know the cherubim that guard the Garden of Eden have four faces – that of an ox, human, lion, and eagle? You’ll find their description in Ezekiel 10:14, and it’s quite different from most angels you’ll see in traditional children’s books. But you will see them beautifully illustrated in this second installment in the Questions for Kids picture book series, all about the First Family in the Garden of Eden.

You see, my mission from the very beginning has been to present accurate biblical accounts to young readers that are foundational to increasing their understanding of the Bible and growing a solid faith in God. Kids are bombarded with so many counterfeit messages these days that contradict the Bible, and it’s leaving them confused and hopeless. Is truth relative? Absolutely not! The real Truth lies in God’s Word, and I am grateful to play a part in counteracting the lies of our culture by presenting Truths straight from the Bible, in a fun and dynamic way.

In this book (and book series), you won’t find a regurgitation of Bible facts (that never worked for me as a child). Rather, you’ll find a young girl with many questions about God and life, much like our own children and grandchildren. And you’ll find her loving grandpa who is happy to answer those questions by pointing her to the Word of God. Their adventures into unique periods in Bible history, driven by some serious 7-year old questions, will help pull young readers into the narrative and connect the Bible to their world. It’ll also open doors to faith-building conversations with parents, grandparents, caregivers, and teachers.

The hardest part of writing these books? Keeping it short enough to fit into the picture book category ;).

I pray you and your young reader will be blessed as you journey with Lucy and her Papa Joe into the Bible to discover God’s power, His faithfulness, and His never-ending love.

Blossoms and Blessings, August 24 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, August 25
Beauty in the Binding, August 26 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 27
Guild Master, August 28 (Author Interview)
Lots of Helpers, August 28
Locks, Hooks and Books, August 29
A Reader’s Brain, August 30 (Author Interview)
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, August 31
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, September 1 (Author Interview)
Labor Not in Vain, September 2
Fiction Book Lover, September 3 (Author Interview)
Cover Lover Book Review, September 4
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, September 5 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, September 5
Artistic Nobody, September 6

To celebrate her tour, Karen is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and a signed hardcover copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf5423

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Thursday, August 29, 2024

JustRead Tours Blog Tour: Hidden Secrets Between Them by Mindy Obenhaus

Hidden Secrets Between Them JustRead Takeover + Review Tour

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for Hidden Secrets Between Them by Mindy Obenhaus hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

Title: Hidden Secrets Between Them

Series: Hope Crossing #5

Author: Mindy Obenhaus

Publisher: Love Inspired Books

Release Date: August 20, 2024

Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance

He never meant to be a father.

But it could be the life he’s always wanted.

In Hope Crossing, Texas, nurse practitioner Kirsten Reynolds has found her dream job. The only problem is that the tiny town also has Deputy Brady James…the father of her four-year-old sons. And he doesn’t know the boys are his. But as he steps into this new role he never planned for, Brady gets a hopeful glimpse into a life with children. Will he let the fear of the unknown keep him from a future he never imagined…or will an adorable pair of twins—and their mother—change his mind?

I really enjoy Christian Romance books and I also enjoy the Love Inspired Books. Hidden Secrets Between Them by Mindy Obenhaus is Book 5 in the Hope Crossing Series. I have been enjoying this series since Book 1!

WOW, this storyline had me from the very first pages. Kristin Reynolds and Brady James are the main characters in this book. They were in a relationship in the past, but broke it off because Brady didn't want children. Kristin discovers she is pregnant with twin boys, but never tells Brady. She moves back to Hope Springs when the boys are 4 years old. She knows she will need to tell Brady about the boys as he is the Deputy of Hope Springs and she realizes the boys look like him. He also has a secret that he has been keeping from her as to why he didn't want children. I really LOVE the communication between the 2 and how they rekindle their relationship once secrets are revealed. I also LOVE the strong Christian message in this story, especially how they both realize they weren't trusting God but leaning on their own understanding. They had look deep into their own secrets and lives to be able to be parents together. The romance and care for one another is Soo sweet! The book is one of Faith, LOVE, and Second Chances! I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian Romance. AWESOME BOOK!

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook | Bookshop

Also Available:

Mindy Obenhaus

Best-selling author Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, two sassy pups, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching heartwarming romance movies.

Connect with Mindy by visiting MindyObenhaus.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

(1) winner will receive a signed copy of Hidden Secrets Between Them and a $25 Amazon gift card!

Hidden Secrets Between Them JustRead Giveaway

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight August 28, 2024 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on September 4, 2024. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

Enter Giveaway

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

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Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: Weaving Roots by Heather Wood

Book: Weaving Roots

Author: Heather Wood

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction with Romance

Release date: June 25, 2024

Baltimore, 1828

Spinning. Turning flax to fine linen thread for her family’s weaving business keeps Betha’s hands occupied all day, but it’s the concerns spinning in her heart that never truly rest. How can she give her nephew Henry a secure, loving home when his father remains indifferent? How can she guide the boy who calls her “Ma” to know and follow the Lord for himself? And when past secrets and future changes collide, will she lose Henry altogether?

Colm Gallagher is passionate about teaching boys using innovative educational methods. But is his kind and thorough instruction enough if he is not allowed to give his students the ultimate truth of God’s Word? Confronted by his student Henry Young and the boy’s lovely but determined aunt, Colm considers if he has allowed practical considerations to outweigh his deepest-held beliefs.

Even as Betha and Colm are drawn to each other, family loyalties, financial pressures, and personal uncertainties push them further apart. Will the threads of their lives unravel or become knit together into something stronger?

Weaving linen is her family’s legacy. Weaving roots of truth and grace is her calling.

Click here to get your copy!

Christian Historical Fiction is one of my favorite genres. Weaving Roots by Heather Wood is the latest in this genre that I have read. The story is Book 1 in the A Gathering Mercies series. Heather Wood is a new to me author and I was so excited to read a book from an author I am just discovering.

I was reeled into this book from the very first pages. The setting of 1828 in Baltimore is a favorite time era of mine. The main characters in the book are Betha, Colm and Henry. Betha spends her days spinning for the Family Weaving Business. She has taken on the raising of her nephew Henry. She really wants to raise him for a LOVE of the Lord, but she worries that she cannot do her best. Colm is a local teacher who teaches with an very interesting method and really has a passion for helping Boys grow in their faith. The fact that Colm wants Faith in the Classroom does bring controversary, although I felt it was a good aspect of the book. Betha and Colm are both very strong Christians who want the best for Henry. I really LOVE that Betha and Colm grow closer together throughout the story and their romance is a sweet Romance. The Faith aspect in this book from all the Characters was strong! I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who loves Christian Historical Fiction. I am looking forward to reading this entire series as more books are released! WONDERFUL BOOK!

Heather Wood grew up in the Chicago suburbs, loving history, classic literature, writing stories, and Civil War reenacting. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree in Bible/Theology from Appalachian Bible College, she settled in Virginia with her husband David. Her early passions fuel her writing today, although she spends most of her days now working to infuse her love for God and good literature into the hearts of her four children.

More from Heather

I’ve gone through a lot of phases in my life. I’ve been involved in different hobbies and activities, only to have them fizzle out after a few years. So when I started writing, I thought it was the same thing—that it was another short-lived hobby and soon I would get back to my regular life.

My third book was about to be released when one day, it felt like God turned a light bulb on in my mind: This is what I’ve been preparing you to do all along. When I look back at my parents, my education, and the experiences of my life, I realized that God had specially equipped me to do exactly what I was doing: write Christian historical fiction about real American church history.

The epiphany was more scary than exciting. I’m a “one idea at a time” kind of author. I don’t have multiple projects going at once. I had no idea, as I went to publish my third book, if I would even be able to come up with a plot and characters for a fourth. Would I announce to my friends that this writing thing was here to stay only to find I never got another story idea? What about the sacrifices it would require of my husband and kids?

That was just in 2022. Releasing this summer is Weaving Roots, my fifth book and the first in a whole new series with entirely new characters. I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest of the series unfolds from the idea seeds God has planted! I regularly offer my writing up to God, willing to walk away if He were ever to ask me to do so. Until then, I will work diligently and trustingly at the work He has given me to do.

You see, while each book does start with an idea seed, it’s watered by real history. As I take my spark of inspiration to the history books, I delight in finding out what God was doing in the time and place I’m writing about. My plots grow up around the real people He used and the work He was doing (although I usually make people who really lived into minor characters at best. Most often, I merely refer to them off the page while using what I do know about them to inspire my characters). I always try to drop vivid characters into the world as it really existed and watch and see how they respond. I dig into Scriptures and the theologians and Christian thinkers of their era or the one before to round out my themes and take the book’s message deeper. As a result, I am always the first one who is convicted and challenged by the message God brings to my stories.

Weaving Roots introduces us to the father of the siblings in my Finding Home series when he was just ten years old in 1827. He’s a second-generation Irish immigrant in a family of linen weavers in Baltimore, more than a decade before the Irish Great Famine. To the best of my knowledge, no one in either Christian or general market fiction has written about this time, place, and people group. Not everything on the page will be what you expect, as this generation between Colonial and Civil War/ Victorian Americans was very unique in their beliefs, struggles, and priorities. Henry Young is brought to Baltimore by his father, who is looking for a fresh start for his son and himself. Henry soon finds that his new schoolmaster is not what he expects and his father has more major changes coming into his life.

I can’t wait to share Weaving Roots with you and see how God uses His words to bless and encourage you!

Vicky Sluiter, August 17
Stories By Gina, August 18 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, August 18
Locks, Hooks and Books, August 19
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 20
Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, August 21 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 21
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, August 22
Devoted To Hope, August 23
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, August 24
Batya’s Bits, August 25
For Him and My Family, August 26
Labor Not in Vain, August 27
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, August 28
The Sacred Line, August 29
Books You Can Feel Good About, August 30

To celebrate her tour, Heather is giving away the grand prize package of a paperback of Weaving Roots, a special handstitched bookmark and a sticker designed especially for Weaving Roots, a copy of The Virginia Housewife, an 1820s cookbook referenced in Weaving Roots, and a $15 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2ddab/weaving-roots-celebration-tour-giveaway

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Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: Winter's Maiden by Morgan L. Busse

Book: Winter’s Maiden

Author: Morgan L. Busse

Genre: Adult Viking Fantasy

Release date: August 6, 2024

Warrior. Survivor. Daughter of the North.

From the moment she is born, Brighid fights to survive in the wastelands of Nordica as a clanless one. But when a new power arrives offering a trial to join the Nordic warriors, Brighid enters, hoping to rise above her station. Soon she becomes one of their fiercest fighters and joins the war against the south.

Kaeden carries the blood of the ancient Eldaran race in his veins but turns away from his heritage after the death of his parents. Years later, he is called back to his homeland and invited to be a healer for the southern forces. With the help of an old mentor, the power inside of him starts to awaken. However, his life is turned upside down when a mighty warrior of the Nordic forces is captured.

As Kaeden interacts with the enemy, he discovers there is a darkness behind the Nordic Wars, one that is manipulating the people of the north. But who will believe him? And is there a power strong enough to break the hold of this hidden adversary? Or will the world burn in the flames of war?

Click here to get your copy!

Christian Fiction is a great genre that I enjoy. Winter's Maiden by Morgan L. Busse is the latest in this genre that I have read. It is Book 1 in the Nordic War Series.

I will say that it took a couple of chapters for me to get into the storyline. I wasn't understanding the characters and story until I got to Chapter 3. The book then became intriguing and interesting. I have always enjoyed books from the Viking era, so once the book began focusing on that storyline, I was really into it. Brighid and Kaeden are the 2 main characters of the book, although the book focuses on Brighid for the first few chapters. Brighid has wandered the Nordic Wastelands since she was born and fighting to survive. She joins the Nordic Warriors and that is when Kaeden comes into the story. Kaeden is trying to convince others that the Nordic North is being manipulated. Both Brighid and Kaeden have had rough childhoods, so being a part of the Nordic Warriors is a great accomplishment for both of them. I will say that this book doesn't have much of a faith base to it. The book would be of GREAT interest to those who enjoy Christian Fiction Fantasy. GOOD BOOK!

Morgan L. Busse is a writer by day and a mother by night. She is the author of multiple series including The Ravenwood Saga and Skyworld series. She is a three-time Christy Award finalist and won the INSPY, Selah, and Carol Award for best in Christian speculative fiction. During her spare time she enjoys playing games, taking long walks, and dreaming about her next novel.

More from Morgan

A long time ago when I wrote Daughter of Light (the first book in my Follower of the Word series), I mentioned the Nordic Wars and how it changed people’s perspective on beings with power. It was a side comment to answer my main character’s question, but I was intrigued with the idea and knew someday I wanted to write about it.

Now almost twenty years later, here is that story.

Some questions I’m asked when people realize Winter’s Maiden ties in with Daughter of Light is do they need to read my first series? The answer is no. Winter’s Maiden takes place 400 years before the events in Daughter of Light. It involves a country and culture I never explored in my previous series, not to mention the world looked different back then. However, fans of my first fantasy series will appreciate seeing familiar places, races, and what happened back then to create the world in Daughter of Light.

So, what do new readers have to look forward to? Here are a few: a Viking-Inspired culture with my own twist, a female character who is strong but doesn’t need to prove that, a healer who is built like a berserker but is actually a pacifist, a power that allows a person to see inside the soul of another, battles that don’t read like a historical textbook, and deep questions I’m known to explore in my novels.

In the end, I love that I was able to revisit a world I created over twenty years ago and write a story that’s been on my heart for almost as long. I consider it one of my best books yet and cannot wait for readers to finally get to read Brighid’s story.