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Blog Tour and GIVEAWAY- Wishing on Buttercups
17 Feb
I am thrilled to be participating in the blog tour for Wishing on Buttercups. Each tour stop will be giving away one print copy of Wishing on Buttercups, U.S. residents only, so be sure and visit each stop to increase your chances of winning! Giveaway details are given at the bottom of the post.
February 10th – A Book Lover’s Retreat
February 11th – Shelley’s Book Case
February 12th – For the Love of Literature
February 13th – The Book Bag
February 15th – HomeSchooling4boyz
February 17th – Buzzing about Books
February 18th – Stuck on Books
February 19th – The power of words..
February 20th – My Recent Favorite Books
February 22nd – Melina’s Book Blog
February 24th – The Front Porch
February 26th – My Devotional Thoughts
February 28th – Diana’s Tea Time Reviews
February 28th – Create with Joy
Synopsis:
Can Love Survive When Secrets Collide?
She’d kept her secrets safely hidden—those from her past, and those in the present. Some things, Beth Roberts knows, a lady simply doesn’t share, even in the 1880’s West. The townspeople would never understand. No one ever has.
Jeffery Tucker, a handsome young writer, has kept his own secrets. He doesn’t have a right to pry into Beth’s affairs but finds himself strangely drawn to her and intrigued by the whiff of mystery surrounding her.
Beth knows that one day someone will unravel the threads of her past. And when two men from her past arrive, the truth might just hurt . . . Beth’s future and her heart.
As shadowy memories surface, Beth sketches the scenes she sees and is shocked by what—and who—her illustrations reveal. Dare she risk her heart again?
Thoughts:
Wishing on Buttercups is the second book in Miralee Ferrell’s Love Blossoms in Oregon series. This captivating story imparts a wonderful message. “God looks at the heart, not the outward appearance.”
Having read Blowing on Dandelions, I was eager to continue this series! I loved returning to Baker City, Oregon, and delving deeper into the lives of Beth Roberts and Jeffery Tucker. Both of these characters harbored secrets from their pasts and unanswered questions plagued them. This intriguing storyline, coupled with complex characters, kept me turning the pages and wanting to know more.
I also enjoyed catching up with the other colorful characters who were introduced in Blowing on Dandelions. It was a pleasure to revisit the boardinghouse, which continued to bustle with the activities of its residents.
Miralee Ferrell has penned a story that is full of heart and emotion; one that will draw you in and surround you with comforting hope. I highly recommend Wishing on Buttercups and eagerly await more stories in this wonderful series!
You can order your copy of Wishing on Buttercups from Amazon, other online retailers, or your favorite bookstore.
Biography:
Miralee Ferrell is a speaker, accredited counselor, and former ACFW chapter president who has published multiple contemporary and historical romance novels since starting to write in 2005. She enjoys horseback riding, gardening, and family gatherings around their eleven-acre property in Washington State’s beautiful Columbia River Gorge. Miralee has had eight books release, both in women’s contemporary fiction and historical fiction, with another 5 under contract. She’s an award-winning author of Western fiction, and her newest novel, Wishing on Buttercups released February 1, and is the second in a series set in Baker City, Oregon, 1880s.
Interact with Miralee:
Website: www.miraleeferrell.com
Facebook Author page: www.facebook.com/miraleeferrell
Twitter: www.twitter.com/miraleeferrell
Giveaway:
To be entered to win a print copy of Wishing on Buttercups, please ask Miralee a question in the comments below. Be sure to include your email address! Miralee would love to answer questions concerning her books, writing, publishing career, pets, or her hobbies. She will stop by periodically to answer questions, so drop in again to read her replies!
Please note: Winners will be drawn on March 2. There will be one winner drawn per blog and no winner may win more than one book in this tour.
Welcome back, Miralee. It is such a pleasure to visit with you again! I have heard authors say they were surprised by a character, scene, or other element in their writing. Did you encounter any surprises while you were writing Wishing on Buttercups?
The Baby Rescue
12 Feb
The Baby Rescue by Margaret Daley
Synopsis:
OPERATION BABY RESCUE
To rescue an abducted infant from a baby-smuggling ring, U.S marshal Colton Phillips has to work with FBI agent Lisette Sutton. But their tactics couldn’t be more different. The too-pretty agent goes by the book, whereas Colton breaks rules to get the job done. Colton vows to keep his heart out of the job, but his unwanted attraction to Lisette lowers his guard. Now Lisette—and an innocent child—are in grave danger, and Colton will stop at nothing to save them.
Thoughts:
The Baby Rescue is the 2nd book in the Love Inspired Witness Protection continuity series. Each written by a different author, these books can be enjoyed as a series or read as stand-alone stories.
Margaret Daley is a master of suspense and has written an action-packed story. With strong characters and a dramatic storyline, The Baby Rescue will keep you turning the pages, eager for more!
Colton Phillips, U.S. Marshal, sees the atrocities of the world through his job and clings to his faith for strength and reassurance. Issues from her past have caused FBI Agent Lisette Sutton to question her faith. Both must learn to trust and draw strength from each other in order to rescue an innocent child. “Evil is in our world. It’s how we deal with it that’s important.”
Mounting suspense, dangerous situations, and undercurrents of romance make this a most enjoyable book and one I highly recommend! You can order your copy from Amazon, other online retailers or your favorite bookstore.
Biography:
Margaret Daley is an award-winning, multi-published author in the romance genre. One of her romantic suspense books, Hearts on the Line, won the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year Contest. She has also won the Golden Quill Contest, FHL’s Inspirational Readers’ Choice Contest, Winter Rose Contest, Holt Medallion and the Barclay Gold Contest. Margaret wrote for various secular publishers before the Lord led her to the Christian romance market. She currently writes inspirational romance and romantic suspense books for the Steeple Hill Love Inspired lines, romantic suspense for Abingdon Press and historical romance for Summerside Press. To learn more about Margaret, please visit her website at: www.margaretdaley.com.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review, which I have given.
Blog Tour Kickoff- Wishing on Buttercups
10 Feb
The Wishing on Buttercups Blog Tour kicks off TODAY! Each participating blog will give away one copy of Miralee Ferrell’s Wishing on Buttercups. Giveaways open to U.S. residents only.
To enter, simply visit a blog stop, read the post, and ASK MIRALEE A QUESTION in the comments section. Visit as many blogs as you wish!
Also, on Tuesday, February 11 at 8 p.m. Eastern, there will be a one-hour Twitter party. Everyone who asks a question during the party will be entered to win two books, signed by Miralee. Use and follow #WishingOnButtercups to participate!
The blog tour schedule is posted below. As you can see, I am one of the stops on the tour. I hope you will stop by and join the fun, right here, next Monday! Good luck!!
February 10th – A Book Lover’s Retreat
February 11th – Shelley’s Book Case
February 12th – For the Love of Literature
February 13th – The Book Bag
February 15th – HomeSchooling4boyz
February 17th – Buzzing about Books
February 18th – Stuck on Books
February 19th – The power of words..
February 20th – My Recent Favorite Books
February 22nd – Melina’s Book Blog
February 24th – The Front Porch
February 26th – My Devotional Thoughts
February 28th – Diana’s Tea Time Reviews
February 28th – Create with Joy
Free eBook- Blowing on Dandelions
3 Feb
http://www.dccebooks.com/products/blowing-on-dandelions
Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to download a free copy of Blowing on Dandelions by Miralee Ferrell!
A Special Giveaway
29 Jan7 Best-Selling Amish Authors, 27 books, 9 Winners, 1 Great Book Giveaway!
TODAY, January 29, 7 authors are joining together for a great Amish book giveaway!
All you have to do is stop by the following author’s websites and leave a comment TODAY. Each author will randomly pick one or two winners. Each winner will receive a trio of books from 3 of the participating authors.
Jennifer Beckstrand: http://www.jenniferbeckstrand.com/
Vannetta Chapman: http://vannettachapman.com/
Amanda Flower: http://www.amandaflower.com/
Amy Clipston: http://www.amyclipston.com/
Mary Ellis: http://www.maryellis.net/
Shelley Shepard Gray: http://www.shelleyshepardgray.com/
Kelly Irvin: http://www.kellyirvin.com/
Winners!
27 JanThank you so much for joining me in celebration of the release of The Quilted Heart! I appreciate each and every comment and hope you will join me again. I love sharing great books and have many more giveaways planned.
Due to the tremendous response I received in this giveaway, I decided to give away an additional copy of The Quilted Heart.
Congratulations!
Katie J. and Nancee
The Quilted Heart Character Interview
24 JanI am thrilled that Mona has so graciously shared this character interview with us. You will get to know Elsa Brantenberg through this delightful interview and you will love this special woman in The Quilted Heart!
Welcome, ELSA BRANTENBERG!
1. How would you describe yourself to others?
A busy widow and Oma to my granddaughter, with no time to fuss over what was or could’ve have been.
2. Do you have any favorite pastimes or special skills?
I’ve got lots of experience at running a farm and tending an apple orchard. Some say I’m a fine quilter. Talked me into starting a quilting circle and teaching quilting in my home.
3. How would the women in your quilting circle describe you?
I’m a hugger. No woman gets past my porch, either direction, without a hug.
4. What is most important to you?
That my sweet little Gabi girl, my granddaughter, grows up knowing she is loved. The assurance that you’re loved and cared for can carry you a long ways.
5. How do you face disappointments in life?
I grit my teeth. Probably stomp my foot. Whisper or shout a prayer. Then I embroider a tea towel, make apple crisp, for finish a quilt and take it to someone who needs the encouragement even more than I do.
6. What do you put off doing because you dread it?
Explaining to Gabi that the war has been over for several months, and that if her papa hasn’t returned by now, he is dead, or alive without any intention of returning.
7. You buried your husband then your daughter, and lost your son-in-law to grief, how did you keep going?
I had a farm to run and a precious granddaughter to raise, and I knew the good Lord was at my side. Always is. It was after I buried Gretchen that I started the quilting circle out here on the farm. Many of those dear women are like daughters to me. A couple of them like sisters.
8. What is the thing you love most about the Quilting Circle or Quilting Circle Thursday?
The laughter and the tears. The smiles and the sighs. Hearing the other women grow in their confidence to share the Scripture with one another and their commitment to pray for one another.
9. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My emotions can swing like the pendulum on that fancy clock at the bank. If I could change, I would not be so passionate. I’d rather my emotions be steady, unwavering. At least, slower so my brain can catch up.
10. Do you have a life verse, a passage of Scripture that holds special significance to you?
Yes, from Psalm 119:104. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” I may not always be able to trust my feelings and emotions, or anyone else’s for that matter, but the Word of the Lord is completely and consistently trustworthy.
The Quilted Heart Omnibus
Like a beautiful patchwork quilt, the three novellas in The Quilted Heart tell stories of lives stitched together with love and God’s unending grace.
Once a week, Elsa Brantenberg hosts the Saint Charles Quilting Circle at her farmhouse on the outskirts of the riverside town of St. Charles, Missouri. The ladies who gather there have all experienced heartache related to the intense hardships of the Civil War, and together, they are facing their painful circumstances with friendship and prayer. Can the tattered pieces of their hearts be stitched together by God’s grace?
Click here to purchase your paperback or eBook copy of The Quilted Heart. http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?work=220625
Biography:
Mona Hodgson is the author of nearly 40 books, historical novels for adults and children’s books, including her popular Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek Series, The Quilted Heart novellas, and Prairie Song, Book 1 in her Hearts Seeking Home Series. Her children’s books include bestseller, Bedtime in the Southwest, six desert and princess Zonderkidz I Can Read books, Real Girls of the Bible: A 31-Day Devotional, and her six I Wonder books.
Mona’s writing credits also include several hundred articles, poems and short stories, which have appeared in 50 different publications. Mona is a speaker for women’s groups, Christian women’s retreats, book clubs and reading groups, schools, and conferences for writers and librarians.
Connect with Mona:
https://www.facebook.com/Author.Mona
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/602227.Mona_Hodgson
http://www.pinterest.com/monahodgson/
http://www.novelcrossing.com/author/3004/monahodgson
https://twitter.com/MonaHodgson
Giveaway Opportunities:
1. BUZZING ABOUT BOOKS DRAWING
I am giving away one copy of The Quilted Heart here on my blog. See Monday’s post for details and comment to win.
2. BLOG TOUR DRAWING
Leave a comment here, then comment on Mona Hodgson Author Page before Friday, January 31st to enter the BLOG TOUR DRAWING for one of three signed copies of The Quilted Heart. Tell Mona which blog you visited (Buzzing About Books) and commented on! You can enter once for each Participating Blog you visit and comment on.
3. BOOK RELEASE PARTY
Don’t miss Mona’s Facebook Release Party for THE QUILTED HEART!
The Book Release Party on Facebook is TODAY! Join Mona in the Notes Section on her “Mona Hodgson Author Page” from 4 pm to 6 pm (Mountain Time). To calculate what time this is for you, click here: http://www.thetimezoneconverter.com.
Mona will answer questions, give away prizes, and share photos and behind-the-scenes stories about the three novellas included in The Quilted Heart omnibus, set in Saint Charles, Missouri.
Author Interview- Mona Hodgson
22 JanThe celebration continues! The Quilted Heart by Mona Hodgson released yesterday and I am thrilled to share Mona’s interview, as well as several giveaway opportunities. I hope you enjoy this delightful author interview and will join us again Friday for a special character interview with Elsa Brantenberg. Also, don’t miss the giveaway details given at the bottom of the post!
Welcome, Mona! Thank you so much for joining us!
Hi, Everyone! Britney, thanks so much for the opportunity to join you all here. I appreciate your interest in my Historical Fiction.
Mona, please share with us the inspiration for The Quilted Heart novellas.
Intersections inspired the concept of The Quilted Heart novellas. First, a visit to Historic Saint Charles, Missouri, in 1999 and the desire to write a story set there. Then, the idea to use quilting and a quilted heart as a metaphor for a transformed heart in a series of talks for Christian Women’s Retreats. Next, a heightened awareness of the effects of Retinitis Pigmentosa on my extended family and a desire to tell the story of a women struggling with blindness. When I had an opportunity to write a grouping of novellas as a prequel to Prairie Song, Book 1 in Hearts Seeking Home, a wagon train series, all of the above factors intersected to create The Quilted Heart omnibus–Dandelions on the Wind, Bending Toward the Sun, and Ripples Along the Shore.
I am drawn to book titles and each of these novella titles has such special meaning, as does the title of the omnibus, The Quilted Heart. How did you choose your titles?
The poet in me loves imagery and metaphor. I mingled that with my appreciation for God’s creation and the characters’ situations for the titles to the novellas. Dandelions on the Wind, Bending Toward the Sun, and Ripples Along the Shore. The Quilted Heart is a transformed heart, again, a metaphor for the way God’s transforming love makes us into a new creation.
The Quilted Heart is full of historical details and descriptions. How did you research the various aspects of life in Saint Charles, Missouri, following the Civil War?
I perused websites and books about Saint Charles and the Civil War, but, at heart, I am a hands-on researcher. In March 2012, I returned to St. Charles. I toured the area with someone from the tourism bureau, met with the archivist at the St. Charles County Historical Society, wandered through several museums in the area, and strolled the cobblestone streets and along the river.
One of my favorite things about these novellas is the spiritual wisdom that is shared when the women of the St. Charles quilting circle gather together. Who are some of the special women in your life who have shared their spiritual wisdom with you?
June Adams, after whom I fashioned the character of Hattie Adams—Miss Hattie–in The Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek Series. Patsy Clairmont, a National Conference Speaker, who said things like “Normal is only a setting on your dryer.” She wrote a book by that title.
Quilts are so special and each one tells a story. Are you a quilter and/or do you have any quilts that are special to you?
It was the imagery and metaphor that led me to first speak at women’s retreats about The Quilted Heart and then write these stories. I’m not a quilter, but I had two grandmothers who were and my Sis Linda is a quilter. I have the first quilt Linda made to commemorate the birth of my first daughter, Amy.
Rather than being three individual stories, the characters in The Quilted Heart can found throughout the novellas as well as in the Hearts Seeking Home series. How did you decide to write these stories this way?
I love exploring community, which leads me to write ensemble casts. I like to “live” in community with my characters from story to story (even series to series). In my first series, The Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek, the four novels feature four sisters and a sister-in-law whose journeys take place in the backdrop of a boardinghouse and mining community. In The Quilted Heart, it’s the farming and riverside community of St. Charles, Missouri. In Prairie Song, the story that follows The Quilted Heart, the members of The Boone’s Lick Wagon Train Company, journeying west, provides the ensemble cast of characters.
The Quilted Heart is a prequel to the Hearts Seeking Home series. Prairie Song is the first book in this series and was released in August. After reading The Quilted Heart, I felt like I was catching up with old friends in Prairie Song and I can’t wait to continue their stories! What can you share with us about Book 2? Do you have a release date?
Mountain Whispers is the sequel to Prairie Song and the conclusion to the wagon train company’s journey west. Unfortunately, I don’t have a release date yet for Mountain Whispers but as I do, you’ll be able to find it on my blog and Facebook Mona Hodgson Author Page, https://www.facebook.com/Author.Mona
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions! How can readers connect with you online?
It was my pleasure to join you all here, Britney. Here’s where you can find me online:
https://www.facebook.com/Author.Mona
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/602227.Mona_Hodgson
http://www.pinterest.com/monahodgson/
http://www.novelcrossing.com/author/3004/monahodgson
https://twitter.com/MonaHodgson
Giveaway Opportunities:
1. BUZZING ABOUT BOOKS DRAWING
I am giving away one copy of The Quilted Heart here on my blog. See Monday’s post for details and comment to win.
2. BLOG TOUR DRAWING
Leave a comment here, then comment on Mona Hodgson Author Page before Friday, January 31st to enter the BLOG TOUR DRAWING for one of three signed copies of The Quilted Heart. Tell Mona which blog you visited (Buzzing About Books) and commented on! You can enter once for each Participating Blog you visit and comment on.
3. BOOK RELEASE PARTY
Don’t miss Mona’s Facebook Release Party for THE QUILTED HEART!
Please save the date for a Book Release Party on Facebook, Friday, January 24th! You’ll find her in the Notes Section on her “Mona Hodgson Author Page” from 4 pm to 6 pm (Mountain Time). To calculate what time this is for you, click here: http://www.thetimezoneconverter.com.
Mona will answer questions, give away prizes, and share photos and behind-the-scenes stories about the three novellas included in The Quilted Heart omnibus, set in Saint Charles, Missouri.
The Quilted Heart Celebration and GIVEAWAY
20 JanJoin me this week in celebration of the release of The Quilted Heart!
Today, I am sharing my thoughts and offering one copy of The Quilted Heart to be given away. Wednesday, I will feature an author interview with Mona Hodgson, as well as details on how to enter her three book giveaway. Friday, I will share a character interview with Elsa Brantenburg, as well as more giveaway opportunities!
The Quilted Heart by Mona Hodgson
The Quilted Heart releases tomorrow, January 21. You can order your copy from Amazon, other online retailers, or your favorite bookstore.
Synopsis:
Like a beautiful patchwork quilt, the three novellas in The Quilted Heart tell stories of lives stitched together with love and God’s unending grace.
Once a week, Elsa Brantenberg hosts the Saint Charles Quilting Circle at her farmhouse on the outskirts of the riverside town of St. Charles, Missouri. The ladies who gather there have all experienced heartache related to the intense hardships of the Civil War, and together, they are facing their painful circumstances with friendship and prayer. Can the tattered pieces of their hearts be stitched together by God’s grace?
Dandelions on the Wind
When Maren Jensen took a job on Elsa Brantenberg’s St. Charles, Missouri farm, she never expected to call the place her home. As she grows to love Mrs. Brantenberg and her granddaughter, Gabi, Maren is transformed from a lonely mail-order bride-without-a-groom to a beloved member of the Brantenberg household. But when Gabi’s father, Rutherford “Wooly” Wainwright, returns to the farm unexpectedly, everything changes for Maren, and she feels compelled to find another job. Are her choices in obedience to God, or is she running from His plan?
Bending Toward the Sun
Dedicated to her education and to helping her father in his general store, Emilie Heinrich is convinced she doesn’t have time for love. But when a childhood friend returns to St. Charles, Missouri, after serving in the Civil War, his smile and charm captures Emilie’s eye and her heart. Will she be forced to choose between honoring her father and a future with a husband and family of her own?
Ripples Along the Shore
Change is brewing in St. Charles. A group of brave souls are preparing to head west on the Boone’s Lick Wagon Train, led by the mysterious and handsome Garrett Cowlishaw, who served as a Confederate soldier in the war that killed Caroline’s husband. Despite her dislike for him, Caroline is tempted to join the wagon train and start fresh somewhere new, but when Mr. Cowlishaw forbids her—a single woman—to travel with them, will one man’s prejudice destroy Caroline’s hope for a new future? Or will the ripples of God’s love bring the answer she needs?
Thoughts:
Mona Hodgson’s wonderful characterization brings the characters of The Quilted Heart to life. Each character is special and their life stories are beautifully quilted together in this novella collection. “Like a quilt is made up of remnants…scraps, so is your life and mine.”
The Quilted Heart novellas are bursting with details and descriptions, adding richness and depth to their engaging storylines. I clearly envisioned Saint Charles, Missouri, its residents and its businesses. I delighted in learning of the goods bought and sold, foods prepared, and quilts made with loving hands.
The spiritual elements are one of the most endearing facets of The Quilted Heart. The wisdom and scriptures that are shared are a blessing to all who read this book. “God, the Divine Quilter, has the perfect patchwork pattern for our lives. Each will be different as sunshine and snowfall.”
The Quilted Heart is a book that I love having on my shelf and is one I will read and enjoy again and again! It is also a book that I want to share, so I have ordered one copy to give away. Please see the giveaway details below and enter to win!
Biography:
Mona Hodgson is the author of nearly 40 books, historical novels for adults and children’s books, including her popular Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek Series, The Quilted Heart novellas, and Prairie Song, Book 1 in her Hearts Seeking Home Series. Her children’s books include bestseller, Bedtime in the Southwest, six desert and princess Zonderkidz I Can Read books, Real Girls of the Bible: A 31-Day Devotional, and her six I Wonder books.
Mona’s writing credits also include several hundred articles, poems and short stories, which have appeared in 50 different publications. Mona is a speaker for women’s groups, Christian women’s retreats, book clubs and reading groups, schools, and conferences for writers and librarians.
GIVEAWAY:
I am excited to be giving away one copy of The Quilted Heart by Mona Hodgson.
Leave a comment, along with your email address, to be entered.
To earn additional entries, you may do the following:
- Let me know you follow my blog
- Sign up to follow my blog if you are not a follower
- Share this giveaway through Facebook, Twitter, your blog, or email
- Comment on any of The Quilted Heart posts this week
Be sure and leave a comment letting me know what you have done to earn additional entries.
This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only and ends Saturday, January 25 at midnight CST. The winner will be drawn and contacted January 26. Good luck!!
I was blessed to receive a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review, which I have given.
Buzzing About Books 