Tag Archives: Lisa Wingate

#BookReview: Tending Roses by Lisa Wingate

1 Aug


Tending Roses is a tender and touching tale! Wingate deftly portrays the emotions of motherhood and the intricacies of family ties as Kate’s story unfolds. The entire cast of characters comes to life, but none more so to me than Grandma Rose. Her journey tugged at my heartstrings, and my emotions were stirred by the stories she shared and the wisdom found within her words. Tending Roses holds a special place on my keeper shelf and is a novel I highly recommend!

 

About the book:

When Kate Bowman temporarily moves to her grandmother’s Missouri farm with her husband and baby son, she learns that the lessons that most enrich our lives often come unexpectedly. The family has given Kate the job of convincing Grandma Rose, who’s become increasingly stubborn and forgetful, to move off her beloved land and into a nursing home. But Kate knows such a change would break her grandmother’s heart.

Just when Kate despairs of finding answers, she discovers her grandma’s journal. A beautiful handmade notebook, it is full of stories that celebrate the importance of family, friendship, and faith. Stories that make Kate see her life—and her grandmother—in a completely new way…

Learn more about the book and the author.

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#BookReview: Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

28 Jun

Lisa Wingate is an exceptional storyteller, enthralling and entangling readers in the lives of her characters and their remarkable journeys! Inspired by true events, Before We Were Yours brings attention to the Tennessee Children’s Home Society. The atrocities that transpired there shocked me, and the fact that they were perpetuated for decades is hard to comprehend. Intertwining two families, generations apart, Wingate brings this heartrending story full circle, making it one not soon to be forgotten!

 

About the book:

Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family’s Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge—until strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents—but they quickly realize that the truth is much darker. At the mercy of the facility’s cruel director, Rill fights to keep her sisters and brother together—in a world of danger and uncertainty.

Aiken, South Carolina, present day. Born into wealth and privilege, Avery Stafford seems to have it all: a successful career as a federal prosecutor, a handsome fiancé, and a lavish wedding on the horizon. But when Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions—and compels her to take a journey through her family’s long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to devastation . . . or redemption.

Based on one of America’s most notorious real-life scandals—in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country—Wingate’s riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong.

Learn more about the book and the author.

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Friday Freebies

1 Jul

Freebie Graphic- BuzzingAboutBooks.com

 

The Sea Glass Sisters

The Sea Glass Sisters by Lisa Wingate

Kindle | Nook

Elizabeth Gallagher has been balancing on the ragged edge for a while now. Then a rough case on the boards of her 911 operator’s job collides with a family conflict at home, and Elizabeth finds herself finally coming apart at the seams. A four-state road trip—trapped in a car with her mother—is the last thing she needs. Their destination may be beautiful Hatteras Island, but the reason for going is anything by pleasant. After one disastrous hurricane, and with a second one working its way up the coast, it’s time to convince Aunt Sandy to abandon her little seaside store on North Carolina’s Outer Banks and return to the family fold in Michigan. But when the storm sweeps through, the three women will discover that sisterhood and the sea can change hearts, lives, and futures . . . often in the most unpredictable of ways.

 

A Rush of Wings

A Rush of Wings by Kristen Heitzmann

Kindle | Nook

When fragmented images and unfocused panic force Noelle St. Claire to flee her wealthy, sheltered life in New York, she gains sanctuary on a ranch in the Rocky Mountains.  There Noelle finds solace in the breathtaking scenery she paints. But as the attentions of two brothers, Rick and Morgan Spencer, breach the wall she hides behind, the past she yearns to escape becomes a menacing threat from which she can no longer hide.

 

A Hidden Truth

A Hidden Truth by Judith Miller

Kindle | Nook

When Karlina Richter finds out that a new shepherd will be sent to East Amana, she fears she’ll no longer be able to help her father with the sheep. She’ll be relegated back to kitchen work, a job she dislikes. Her fears increase when Anton Becker arrives and shows little interest in the flock–or in divulging why he’s been sent to East. Dare she trust Anton to help her father, or is he keeping secrets that will impact them all?

After learning that her father will be transferred from Cincinnati to a job in Texas, Dovie Cates decides she wants to visit the Amana Colonies, where her mother spent her formative years. She writes to relatives still living in the Colonies and is invited to spend some time there. Soon after her arrival, Dovie meets Berndt, the handsome young man who delivers bread to the kitchen house each day. But when Dovie begins to ask questions about her mother’s past, no one seems willing to tell her anything, so Dovie decides to take matters into her own hands. Will her decision spell disaster for her future with Berndt?

 

Surrender the Heart

Surrender the Heart by MaryLu Tyndall

Kindle

Relive the rich history of the War of 1812 through the eyes of Marianne Denton and Noah Brenin, who both long to please their families but neither one wishes to marry the other. Noah is determined to get his cargo to England before war breaks out, and Marianne is equally determined to have a wedding so that her inheritance can be unlocked and her destitute family saved. When their stubborn games get them captured by a British warship, can they escape and bring liberty to their country—and growing love?

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Friday Freebie

20 Nov

A Sandy's Seashell Shop Christmas

A Sandy’s Seashell Shop Christmas: An Outer Banks E-short
Amazon

A magical place, an island Christmas eve, a broken family in need of healing….

For young military widow, Tiff Riley, Christmas isn’t just another day. It’s the worst of all days. Hiding out on Hatteras Island with three-and-a-half-year-old Micah, she’s desperate to once again ignore the anniversary of tragedy. The winter-season quiet of North Carolina’s Outer Banks is the perfect place to escape. It never feels like Christmas at the beach.

But in tiny Hatteras Village, the crew at Sandy’s Seashell Shop is determined to make sure no one is forgotten at Christmas. Is it possible for a magical Christmas Eve at the Seashell Shop to help mend one damaged life? On a night of miracles, in a place of miracles, can a young widow’s heart be reopened to joy, hope… and even love?

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Cover Reveal: The Sea Keeper’s Daughters

26 Feb

Lisa Wingate’s third Carolina book, following The Prayer Box and The Story Keeper, is releasing this September.  I can’t wait!!

The-Sea-Keepers-Daughters-smaller-cover

About the book:

From modern-day Roanoke Island to the sweeping backdrop of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains and Roosevelt’s folklore writers of the WPA Federal Writers’ Project, past and present intertwine to create an unexpected destiny . . .

Restaurant owner Whitney Monroe is desperate to save her business from a hostile takeover. The inheritance of a decaying Gilded Age hotel on North Carolina’s Outer Banks may provide just the ray of hope she needs.

But things at The Excelsior are more complicated than they seem. Whitney’s estranged stepfather is entrenched on the third floor, and the downstairs tenants are determined to save the historic building. Searching through years of stored family heirlooms may be Whitney’s only hope of quick cash, but will the discovery of an old necklace and a Depression-era love story change everything?

 Pre-order from Amazon
Add to Goodreads

 

Lisa Wingate Book Tour 2015

Lisa will be on tour this September and her preliminary agenda includes:

North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Virginia, and Northern Florida

While some tour events are already on the schedule, she’ll also have time for speaking at luncheons, teas, and book talks. Because she will be traveling in the areas listed above, your church, charity, or organization can hold an event without the cost of travel fees.

If you’re in these states (or know someone who is) and have an idea for a location, fundraiser, or tour event, CLICK HERE. 

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Review + Sale: A Sandy’s Seashell Shop Christmas

22 Dec

Lisa Wingate has written an e-short Christmas story, A Sandy’s Seashell Shop Christmas, and it’s only $0.99.   Proceeds will help fund a donation to Operation Military Kids, which serves military children who are dealing with the deployment of a parent.

A Sandy's Seashell Shop Christmas

A magical place, an island Christmas eve, a broken family in need of healing….

For young military widow, Tiff Riley, Christmas isn’t just another day. It’s the worst of all days. Hiding out on Hatteras Island with three-and-a-half-year-old Micah, she’s desperate to once again ignore the anniversary of tragedy. The winter-season quiet of North Carolina’s Outer Banks is the perfect place to escape. It never feels like Christmas at the beach.

But in tiny Hatteras Village, the crew at Sandy’s Seashell Shop is determined to make sure no one is forgotten at Christmas. Is it possible for a magical Christmas Eve at the Seashell Shop to help mend one damaged life? On a night of miracles, in a place of miracles, can a young widow’s heart be reopened to joy, hope… and even love?

Thoughts:

I adore this special little story! A Sandy’s Seashell Shop Christmas is a Christmas tale that warms your heart and begs to be read again and again! Lisa Wingate once again brings the wonderful residents of Fairhope to life, as they share a magical Christmas Eve with a young military widow and her little boy. Brimming with hope, healing, and the magic of Christmas, this little story is the perfect holiday read!

Purchase a copy of A Sandy’s Seashell Shop Christmas today!

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Review: Wildwood Creek

3 Nov

Wildwood Creek

Wildwood Creek by Lisa Wingate

 With love and loss tangled together, how was she to know where her life would lead?

Allie Kirkland has always heard the call of her father’s unfinished destiny. When she’s offered a production assistant’s job on a docudrama filming in the hills near Moses Lake, Texas, the dream of following in her director-father’s footsteps suddenly seems within reach. The reenactment of the legendary frontier settlement of Wildwood is a first step into the film industry. A summer on set in the wilderness is a small price to pay for a dream.

But in 1861, the real Wildwood held dangerous realities. Town founder Harland Delavan held helpless residents, including young Irish schoolteacher Bonnie Rose, in an iron grip. Mysterious disappearances led to myths and legends still retold in the region’s folk songs. Eventually, the entire site was found abandoned.   When filming begins, strange connections surface between Allie and the teacher who disappeared over a century ago, and everyone in Wildwood–including Blake Fulton, Allie’s handsome neighbor on the film set–seems to be hiding secrets. Allie doesn’t know whom she can trust. If she can’t find the answers in time, history may repeat itself…with the most unthinkable results.

Thoughts:

Lisa Wingate has woven an intriguing tale in Wildwood Creek! This story is uniquely told through dual storylines, one historical and one contemporary. Wonderful characterization, coupled with captivating suspense, will keep you turning the pages, eager to discover the answers to the mysteries that surround Wildwood.

Wildwood Creek is an incredible journey through past and present!

 

Lisa WingateLisa Wingate is a former journalist, inspirational speaker, and the author of twenty mainstream fiction novels, including the national bestseller, Tending Roses, now in its nineteenth printing. She is a seven-time ACFW Carol award nominee, a Christy Award nominee, an Oklahoma Book Award finalist, and a two-time Carol Award winner. Her novels are known for taking on gritty subjects while offering redemptive and uplifting themes. Recently, the group Americans for More Civility, a kindness watchdog organization, selected Lisa along with Bill Ford, Camille Cosby, and six others, as recipients of the National Civies Award, which celebrates public figures who work to promote greater kindness and civility in American life.

To learn more about Lisa Wingate, please visit www.LisaWingate.com. 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, which I have given.

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Friday Fun- Giveaways Galore

5 Sep

The Story Keeper

Susan Meissner shares a great interview with Lisa Wingate.  Visit Susan’s blog and enter to win an autographed copy of The Story Keeper.  A winner will be drawn at 10 AM Pacific on Sept. 12

http://susanlmeissner.com/new-from-lisa-wingate-a-giveaway/

 

 

 

MJagears

 

Get to know Melissa Jagears and enter to win a print copy of A Bride for Keeps or A Bride in Store.  Giveaway ends September 19. 

http://www.christianfictionsite.com/blog/featured-debut-novelist-melissa-jagears

 

vannetta-chapman-giveaway-banner

Donna from Donna’s Bookshelf is hosting a Vannetta Chapman Marathon during the month of September.  Visit her blog and enter to win one of four great prize packages!

  http://donnasbookshelf.wordpress.com/2014/09/01/vannetta-chapman-marathon-giveaway/ 

 

Driftwood Tides

5 copies of Driftwood Tides by Gina Holmes are being given away on Goodreads.  Giveaway ends Sept. 30.

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/99852-driftwood-tides

 

Book Table

Gina Holmes is also giving away a lovely book table!  Visit the Facebook event page for more information.

https://www.facebook.com/events/350696688420899/

 

Honor

5 copies of Honor by Lyn Cote are being given away on Goodreads.  Giveaway ends Oct. 2. 

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/104988-honor

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The Prayer Box

21 Aug

The Prayer Box

The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate

Synopsis:

When Iola Anne Poole, an old-timer on Hatteras Island, passes away in her bed at ninety-one, the struggling young mother in her rental cottage, Tandi Jo Reese, finds herself charged with the task of cleaning out Iola’s rambling Victorian house.

Running from a messy, dangerous past, Tandi never expects to find more than a temporary hiding place within Iola’s walls, but everything changes with the discovery of eighty-one carefully decorated prayer boxes, one for each year, spanning from Iola’s youth to her last days. Hidden in the boxes is the story of a lifetime, written on random bits of paper–the hopes and wishes, fears and thoughts of an unassuming but complex woman passing through the seasons of an extraordinary, unsung life filled with journeys of faith, observations on love, and one final lesson that could change everything.          

   

Review:

Tandi Jo Reese, a young mother with two children, has run away from a difficult past.  The Outer Banks of North Carolina is as far away from Dallas, Texas as she can get.  Here, Tandi seeks refuge in the only place she felt safe and loved as a child.  Memories of childhood days, spent with loving grandparents, flood Tandi and leave her hoping for something better for herself and her children. 

Finding temporary lodging in a guesthouse, Tandi Jo does not come to know her landlady, Iola Anne Poole, until after Iola’s death.  Desperate to find a way to make a fresh start, Tandi agrees to help sort through the Iola’s belongings and clean out her dilapidated house. 

Through the discovery of eighty-one prayer boxes, Tandi comes to know Iola Anne Poole and her loving Father.  The thoughts and prayers of one woman, recorded over her lifetime, open Tandi’s eyes and her heart.  In discovering the woman Iola was, Tandi Jo Reese discovers the woman she, herself, will become.

While The Prayer Box is a beautifully written novel of a young woman trying to find her way in life, it is also a story of faith, hope and redeeming love.   Once again, Lisa Wingate has eloquently woven love and the lessons we learn into the fabric of her newest novel, The Prayer Box.   Don’t miss this incredible journey!

 

You can read excerpts, explore Sandy’s Seashell Shop, watch the book trailer, and so many other fun things at:

www.ThePrayerBoxBook.com 

 

For more information about Lisa Wingate and her novels, visit her webiste at: www.LisaWingate.com or on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/LisaWingateAuthorPage

 

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Wingate Week Wrap-Up

9 Aug

Food & Fun

Sisters

 

Yesterday, as part of Sisterhood #12, my mother and I reunited our copy of The Prayer Box with author, Lisa Wingate.  This special book came full circle and what a joyous reunion it was!

We had so much fun with Lisa, her mother, Sharon, and the ladies of Gourmet Gallery.  We attended an event called, Cooking the Books.  Dishes were prepared that were mentioned in The Prayer Box.  Delectable crab cakes, sausage balls, and banana beignets were served.  The food certainly wasn’t the only thing that was scrumptious!

Listening to Lisa relate stories of the book, from inception to culmination, was simply delightful!  As she read passages from The Prayer Box, she breathed life into the written words and transported us all to the Outer Banks and into the lives of the citizens of Fairhope. 

Don’t miss your chance to take this incredible journey. 
Pre-order your copy of Lisa Wingate’s, The Prayer Box, today!

 

Banana Beignets

In honor of Iola Poole and The Prayer Box, I have included Emeril’s version of Banana Beignets.  Enjoy!

  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 large ripe banana (about 6 ounces), sliced lengthwise in half and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Vegetable oil for deep-frying
  • 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add the banana, flour, milk, sugar, baking powder, and salt, and whisk well to make a smooth batter.  Pour enough oil to come halfway up the sides into a large deep pot or electric deep fryer and heat over high heat to 360°F.  In batches, without crowding, drop heaping tablespoons of the batter into the hot oil (you can do 6 or 7 beignets at a time) and fry, turning them to brown evenly, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.  Sift the confectioner’s sugar through a sieve onto the beignets and serve warm.

Yield: 18 to 24 beignets

 

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