CROSSROADS
a Miller’s Creek novel and Christian contemporary romance
A former soldier battles for the soul of a prodigal…
After a devastating divorce, a bitter single mom and atheist starts her own real estate company in the nostalgic and picturesque town of Miller’s Creek, Texas. Then her young daughter’s disturbing symptoms lead doctors to discover that her leukemia has relapsed. With her new life now turned upside down, Mara Hedwig struggles to keep her business afloat. And her daughter’s worsening condition forces her to rethink her beliefs about Carter Callahan and his God. Will Mara make the return to Christian faith in the face of life’s greatest challenge?
An ex-military operative struggles with the return to civilian life while coping with his rebellious teen-aged daughter. During a house-search, Carter meets Mara, a headstrong Realtor who wants nothing to do with his God. But when Mara’s little girl is diagnosed with leukemia, the clock begins ticking for him to convince Mara to return to a life of faith. Just as he seems to be making headway, circumstances beyond his control throw his efforts into a tailspin. Can Carter learn to rest in the sovereignty of God?
Click here to read or download the first chapter of CROSSROADS.
Thoughts:
“Crossroads are like that, aren’t they?
They force us to choose. To make a decision.”
CROSSROADS is an emotionally charged story!
Cathy Bryant welcomes readers back to the community of Miller’s Creek in Book 6 of her Miller’s Creek series. While fans of this acclaimed series are sure to welcome its newest addition, CROSSROADS can also be read as a stand-alone novel.
I always enjoy visiting Miller’s Creek and its residents. Cathy Bryant’s writing is wonderfully descriptive and filled with such depth and emotion! In this complex story, Mara Hedwig and Carter Callahan are strong characters who are struggling with major issues in their lives. As they face tremendous challenges, both physical and spiritual, they reach a crossroads and must make some important decisions. Their journey through these trials and tribulations is heart-wrenching and heartwarming. I really enjoyed this compelling drama and touching story!
My thanks to the author for the complimentary review copy of CROSSROADS. I appreciate the opportunity to read this story and share my honest opinion.
Cathy is graciously giving away a print copy of CROSSROADS to one lucky Buzzing About Books reader! To enter, please leave a comment, along with your email address.
This giveaway is open to US residents only and ends Monday, May 4 at 11:59 p.m. CDT. The winner will be drawn and announced on Tuesday, May 5. Good luck!!
To earn additional entries, you may do the following:
◦Follow this blog, Buzzing About Books
◦Share this giveaway through Facebook, Twitter, your blog, or email
Be sure and leave a comment letting me know what you have done to earn additional entries.
Recipes from Cathy Bryant and CROSSROADS:
Not only am I a foodie, but I married a foodie. And as a self-confessed foodie, I see it as my responsibility to tantalize my reader’s taste buds with lots of food descriptions in the course of the Miller’s Creek novels. (In writer’s lingo, it’s called sensory detail.) 😉
Anyway, I thought you might enjoy some of the recipes that the characters in the latest stand-alone book CROSSROADS enjoy. Bon appetite!
Carter, the brawny soldier-turned-policeman and hero of CROSSROADS, uncovers the heroine’s penchant for seafood. He creates this special seafood dip for a picnic lunch the two share.
Carter’s Crab Dip
INGREDIENTS:
1 8-oz. cream cheese and 1 3-oz. cream cheese, softened
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. lemon juice
2 T. mayonnaise
1/2 small finely chopped white onion
garlic powder and salt to taste
1/2 bottle of cocktail sauce on top (can substitute Tabasco sauce if you want the heat)
1 7-oz. can of crab meat
fresh or dried parsley
cocktail crackers
DIRECTIONS:
1. Blend the first six ingredients together well, and spread thin on a serving dish.
2. Spread the cocktail sauce on top as a sort of icing.
3. Garnish with fresh or dried parsley.
4. Chill in the refrigerator, and serve with cocktail crackers.
Mara, the bitter single mom, cynic, and heroine from CROSSROADS, knows full well that Carter Callahan is a meat-and-potatoes kinda guy. She fixes this meal when he and his daughter Chloe come over for dinner.
Mara’s Roast Beef
INGREDIENTS:
1 (3-1/2- to 4-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed
1/2 c. soy sauce
1 can beef broth
1 bay leaf
3 to 4 peppercorns
1 t. dried and crushed rosemary
1 t. dried thyme
1 t. garlic powder
12 French sandwich rolls, split
Provolone cheese
sautéed onion (if desired)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Place trimmed roast in a 5-quart slow cooker. Combine soy sauce and next six ingredients; pour over roast. Add water to slow cooker until roast is almost covered.
2. Cook, covered, on LOW for 7 hours or until very tender. Remove roast and reserve the broth for dipping, if desired. Shred roast with a fork.
3. Can be eaten alone or with sandwich rolls. If eaten with rolls, place the roast on the open-faced rolls, add sautéed onions (if desired), and Provolone cheese. Place in your oven on high broil, until bread is toasty and cheese is bubbly.
Yield: 12 servings (or one hungry policeman).
Hope you enjoy these delightful delicacies from Mara and Carter, the hero and heroine of CROSSROADS. To find out more about the book, please visit: http://www.CatBryant.com/Crossroads.
For more mouth-watering recipes from the back-roads Texas town of Miller’s Creek–where folks are friendly, the iced tea is sweet, and Mama Beth’s front porch beckons–snag this free PDF download of the Miller’s Creek Cookbook: http://www.catbryant.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Millers-Creek-Cookbook-1.pdf
YOU’RE INVITED!
What: CROSSROADS Book Launch Party
Where: Facebook (from the comfort & convenience of your own home)
When: April 30, 2015 ~ 7:00-8:30 p.m. (Central time)
Why: To celebrate the book launch of CROSSROADS (a Miller’s Creek novel and Christian Romance by Cathy Bryant)
LOTS of Fun, Games and Prizes!
Prizes Include: Miller’s Creek pens, tote bags, t-shirts, mugs, digital books, autographed print books, Amazon gift cards, and
an Amazon Kindle Fire HD6!
Click here to RSVP and enter the Kindle Fire drawing.
Amazon best-selling author Cathy Bryant writes Christian fiction set in the heart of Texas. Her popular romance and romantic suspense novels take place in the fictional town of Miller’s Creek, where folks are friendly, the iced tea is sweet, and Mama Beth’s front porch beckons. All the Miller’s Creek novels have been on the Amazon Best-Seller list and are rated at 4.5 stars or higher on Amazon. Her debut novel, TEXAS ROADS, was a 2009 ACFW Genesis finalist. Since then five other stand-alone novels have been added to the series, one of which was a reader-nominated 2013 Grace Award nominee (PILGRIMAGE OF PROMISE). Readers have compared her work to that of Karen Kingsbury and Nicholas Sparks.
A native Texan, Cathy currently resides in the beautiful Sangre de Cristo mountains of northern New Mexico with her minister husband of over thirty years. She’s written devotions for The Upper Room devotional magazine, two devotional books in collaboration with other Christian authors, and for online sites. She also has released a Bible study book, THE FRAGRANCE OF CRUSHED VIOLETS. In addition to her writing, she enjoys thrift store shopping, romping in the great outdoors, and mini-farming. To learn more about Cathy and her books, visit her website at http://www.CatBryant.com or make contact with her in these places:
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Buzzing About Books 
Crossroads sounds great! Thanks, Britney!
Thanks for dropping by to enter the giveaway, Melanie! 🙂
You’re welcome, Melanie! Good luck in the giveaway!
Looks like my kind of book…I love to share recipes with my readers, too.
I seem to have a penchant for writing food scenes in my books, Penelope. (You can tell where my mind is at…) So I decided to share the recipes from the story. I’m in trouble if I ever make one of my lead characters a chef! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
It’s great to see you here, Penelope! Good luck in the giveaway!
Thank you for this interview and review and for sharing the recipes. This sounds like a wonderful read!
I follow your blog.
I shared on Twitter
https://mobile.twitter.com/cps1950/status/592798559042412544
Blessings!
Connie
cps1950ATgmailDOTcom
Thank you, Connie. Glad you could stop by! 🙂
You’re welcome, Connie! Thank you so much for sharing the giveaway! Good luck to you!
Would love to read “Crossroads” – love the storyline!! Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!!
I am a blog follower, and shared this post!!
bonnieroof60(at)yahoo(dot)com
Thank you, Bonnie! (And thanks for sharing the post!)
Thank you so much for following my blog and sharing the giveaway, Bonnie! Good luck to you!
I would love to win this book. It is by one of my favorite authors. I follow your blog and I shared this post. mommystuck1(at)optonline(dot)net
Thank you for the kind words, Tammy. And thanks for sharing the post! 🙂
Thanks so much for following my blog and sharing the giveaway, Tammy! Best of luck to you!
This sounds so good! And the recipes, too! sonja dot nishimoto at gmail dot com
Thanks, Sonja! And I can personally attest to the yummy recipes! 🙂
Best of luck in the giveaway, Sonja!
Britney, thanks so much for taking the time to read and review CROSSROADS and for hosting this leg of the book’s virtual tour. Sorry I’m so late in arriving. We’ve been on the road today, and our hotel’s internet connection is slower than the Pony Express… I appreciate your help in spreading the word about the book’s release! 🙂
You’re very welcome, Cathy! It’s my pleasure!!
I have read Crossroads and loved it. I read it in e-book and would love to win a print copy for my library. Thanks for the chance to win a copy.
You’re welcome, Ann! Good luck in the giveaway!
Great way to share books! Thank you, Ann. 🙂
Sounds like a great new contemporary story!
Good luck in the giveaway, Patty!
I’d love to read Crossroads.
I am a follower.
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net
Thank you so much for following my blog, Beth! Best of luck to you!
I would love to win this book to give to my church library, after I read it first.
Janet E.
Best of luck in the giveaway, Janet!
Love it when readers share books with their church libraries! Thank you!
I’d love to read Crossroads – it sounds great! Except, will I get hungry reading all those recipes??? jkmarko@cox.net And I shared on Facebook
Thanks so much for sharing the giveaway! Good luck!
The answer is YES! 🙂
Wow! A book I haven’t read! Nice cover and relish too!
Sounds like a fantastic read! I follow your blog and shared on Facebook.
mo1202007ATyahooDOTcom