Nine Year Book Anniversary -- Return to Shirley Plantation!!!

This is the beautiful new cover by Roseanna White, in ebook and paperback format, which released six years ago.The Ebook on Kindle is on SALE this week for only 99 cents in celebration of my book baby's anniversary and my Debut in Christian Fiction anniversary!!! 

Here's my original cover from my debut in Christian Fiction Nine Years ago!!! This novella was part of the Cry of Freedom American Civil War Series and it's my only fiction book actually set during the Civil War. 

The Return to Shirley Plantation audiobook, narrated by the amazing Cecily White, released only four years ago this coming June. 

This novella now has some other brothers and sisters in the James River Romances series!!! Love's Escape was recently re-released in expanded form and is available in ebook and paperback formats! Dogwood Plantation and The Steeplechase are both available in audiobook as well as ebook and paperback formats!

Giveaway: Winner's choice: An audiobook code for any one of the three on audiobook, ebook or paperback on any of the books. Answer this question: Where is the James River located? (No cheating by googling or asking someone else!!!)

New Release from Kathleen L. Maher -- The Meddlesome Maverick

 Cowboy Cousins is a novella collection by Scrivener Press which includes three novellas from: Molly Noble Bull, Kathi Macias, and our featured author, Kathleen L. Maher. This book is a FREE read for Kindle Unlimited subscribers! Available in ebook and paperback through Amazon.

Kathleen's novella, The Meddlesome Maverick,  was adorable. I had the blessing of critiquing this novella so I got to read the story before it released. I highly recommend this fun, sweet, and enjoyable story! What a spunky heroine and what a heartthrob of a hero!

Here's the blurb:

The Meddlesome Maverick by award-winning author, Kathleen L. Maher: A new job as a bronco buster on a Lincoln, Nebraska ranch offers Boyd Hastings a fresh start. Cured of romance after a kiss-and-tell flirt falsely accused him, he must flee his hometown and cousins who have been like brothers. Banjo picking for a music show would lure him to the big city, but an opinionated tomboy with a heart of gold makes grand plans for him. Can he trust a meddlesome maverick to steer him true, or will she lead him into a briar patch of trouble?


Congratulations to Kathleen on this new release!!!

Giveaway: Answer this question: What do you enjoy about cowboy stories? --  for a chance to win your choice of an ebook or paperback copy of this new release, Cowboy Cousins,  in Christian historical romance! Bonus points if you Like/Follow Kathleen on her author Facebook page!

Love's Escape -- New Release & Giveaway

Endorsement from award-winning author Kathleen L. Maher:

"Have to share my wow!"
Sweet romance with a flavor of suspense and historical drama. Wonderful storyline, memorable characters and intriguing plot twists. A winning, quick read, but you’ll want to take your time and savor every scene.

Thank you, Kathy!!!

My new release in Christian Historical Fiction is Love's Escape. This novella is part of my James River Romance series now! This is an expanded version of the novella that originally released in Barbour's Captive Brides collection. 

One liner: The son of a funeral home owner and his friend, a sea captain, transport the women they love, two enslaved women from Virginia plantations, North.

Blurb: Letitia, a light-skinned house slave of the prominent Burwell family, learns that her father is the master of the plantation. As she helps them dress and fetches tea for the Burwell women, including her half-sister by blood, Lettie becomes more determined that she’ll not live out her days in servitude. But she's afraid of what could happen. When her mother dies from a beating that Burwell sanctioned, Lettie seeks any means of escape.

Nathan Pleasant, a bookkeeper and son of a well-respected Richmond funeral home owner, is smitten with the Burwells' slave. He meets secretly with Letitia. Nathan begins transporting slaves from Virginia and onto the Underground railroad. His dear friend, a ship captain, has also lost his heart to an enslaved woman. When the women's lives are at stake, the two men risk all by transporting them North. Can they get them to freedom? Who is pursuing them? Once they can shake their shackles of slavery, would the two women even welcome romance with their Underground Railroad conductors? Or will the two men find themselves alone and far from the James River, where they grew up and where their families still live?

Love's Escape is FREE on Kindle Unlimited, if you have that subscription on Amazon! Available for purchase in ebook and paperback versions!

Giveaway: A copy of Love's Escape in either ebook or paperback! Leave a comment to enter.

Song for the Hunter by Naomi Musch

Available through Barnes & Noble, Lifeway, Christian Book Distributors, Amazon, and others.

Tragedy brought them together. Now truth might tear them apart.

Wed to a trading company partner to escape life in Montreal under her harsh father's thumb, Camilla Bonnet finds herself widowed and pregnant in the Upper Country frontier. When her brother fails to return for her from Fort William, she is cast on the mercy of the trading post owner's family. She also draws comfort from Bemidii Marchal, a Métis hunter who soothes away her misgivings as he finds his own refuge on Lake Superior's Madeline Island.

Bemidii’s thoughts of courting a maiden are cut short when he raises his knife against a company man at Fort William’s Great Rendezvous. No one will believe he killed to protect his sister—least of all the beautiful Frenchwoman on Madeline Island who stirs his affections—not when she learns that her brother is dead and Bemidii stands accused of his murder. As the sharp blade of truth divides them, will Bemidii survive the justice of powerful men who are a law unto themselves?

*~*~*

I had the opportunity to read this novel for endorsement. I loved the fact that it was set in the area where my MIL grew up and I've been there to Madeline Island in Wisconsin. The setting, the time frame, and the characters are unique and compelling. This is a strong historical Christian fiction book that fans of Lori Benton, Pegg Smith, and Shannon McNear will love! In fact, Benton and McNear both offered endorsements for the book:

"What a beautiful tapestry Musch weaves of loss and longing, risk and reward!"

~Shannon McNear
Award-winning author of The Blue Cloak and Daughters of the Lost Colony: Elinor

"Hope triumphs in this latest offering from gifted wordsmith and lover of history, Naomi Musch."

~Lori Benton
Christy Award-winning author of Burning Sky

Giveaway: Choice of ebook or paperback copy of this new release by the talented Naomi Musch!

Lumberjacks & Ladies Giveaway

Lumberjacks & Ladies

From Barbour Publishing

By Pegg Thomas, Naomi Musch, Candice Sue Patterson, and Jennifer Lamont Leo

Lumberjacks and Ladies Work Together to Build America
Struggling to remain independent in the 1800s, four women reluctantly open up to help from lumberjacks—and love.

All That Glitters by Candice Sue Patterson
1851—Maine
Winifred finds herself running the family lobstering business when her father and brothers join the California gold rush. Will she stubbornly reject help from a local lumberjack?

Winter Roses by Pegg Thomas
1865—Michigan
Elizabeth cooks for a logging crew, determined to escape that life for something better, until reoccurring gifts capture her attention. Will she follow her dreams—or her heart?

Not for Love by Naomi Musch
1881—Wisconsin
Widowed, Maggie seeks a husband—in name only—from the logging camps, but the man who answers her letter is a surprise. Can she open her heart to love again?

Undercover Logger by Jennifer Lamont Leo
1890—Idaho
Carrie will not sell her timberland and allows the banker’s nephew to sign onto her logging crew to ferret out the reason she is losing money at an alarming rate. Will truth be revealed to her forlorn heart?


CFP: I'm listening to this collection on audiobook right now. I tried listening to the first one, but there's an unsympathetic character (at least unsympathetic to the heroine of the story!) by the name of Carrie. Yup. My name. So I kept getting pulled out of the story every time the narrator said, "Carrie". May go back to that one later. Pegg Thomas's story is one I'm listening to right now. I really like the hero and heroine. It's set in Michigan post Civil War, which is about a generation before my family began logging in Michigan. The narrator does a great job in bringing out the personalities of the characters. Looking forward to finishing my listens on this new audiobook!

If you love lumberjack fiction like I do (I have a bunch of lumberjack stories myself) you'll love this story and how awesome is that to have it on audiobook!!!

Giveaway: A copy of this new release in your choice of format: ebook, paperback, or audiobook.

Unexpected Blessings

 Did you get any unexpected blessings this Christmas? I sure did! One of my hometown friends posted part of the above image on my Facebook wall the week before Christmas. It featured the original cover of The Fruitcake Challenge which released over five years ago and was a Selah Award finalist. I looked at the picture that Terri placed on my wall and looked, and then squealed! One of my fave women's magazines, which I purchase at the check-out stand, had recommended my story! (You can subscribe to Woman's World magazine like I did, at this link: https://womansworldmagazine.secure.darwin.cx/**HMBW)

The Fruitcake Challenge just released in audiobook last year. 

The ebook is now available for FREE read through Kindle Unlimited on Amazon if you have KU membership!

This story was originally part of the Christmas Traditions series. A blessing there, a few years back, was that the entire collection was a #1 Christmas book beating out one of my fave authors, Debbie Maccomber, for that spot for a while, and remained one of the top bestsellers that fall!

The Fruitcake Challenge got repackaged into the Christy Lumber Camp series: 

The Fruitcake Challenge (Book 1)

The Lumberjacks' Balls (Book 2)

 and Lilacs for Juliana (Book3)

I'm thrilled to announce that later in 2022 the three books will be under one new beautiful cover as a three-in-one book! 

Giveaway: Audiobook code for The Fruitcake Challenge, or any one of the Christy Lumber Camp series paperbacks or ebooks, or the three-in-one releasing in 2022! What do you think of the new three-in-one cover and which giveaway would you like to receive

Tackling the Holidays By Leslie L. McKee & Giveaway of Hope Amid the Pain

 

Tackling the Holidays

By Leslie L. McKee

It’s hard to believe that the holidays are already upon us. It’s my favorite time of the year, and it may be yours as well, but if you are someone who, like me, lives with chronic pain and illness, this time of year presents a whole new set of challenges that others may not face.

Holidays can be busy and stressful for anyone. Our to-do lists are jam-packed with activities such as shopping, planning menus, and hosting get-togethers. It’s a time for families and friends to celebrate. However, the holidays can also be a time for anxiety and increased pain to take over if we’re not careful.

I’d like to share a few tips to help you this holiday season. And while they are extremely important for people living with chronic pain and illness, these reminders can be beneficial to those without chronic pain and illness, too!

First and foremost, it’s important to remember that you can’t do it all by yourself. It’s okay to ask for help.

Here are three keys to remember: pace, prioritize, and delegate. This is a list of some ways to help you do just that.

· Create a schedule. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and planning a holiday celebration shouldn’t be either. And when you’re working on your schedule, be sure to build in a recovery day after the holiday, as well. Your body will need time to recuperate.

· Set realistic goals. Determine what truly needs to be done, keeping in mind that “less is more.” Then choose those items that only you can do and prioritize them. Slowly work on the things that you need to do, and delegate the rest to trusted friends or family members. In doing so, you may find that there are some things that aren’t truly essential and can be removed from your to-do list all together.

· Let go of the need for perfection. We all like things to go as smoothly as possible, but pushing ourselves to achieve an impossible quest isn’t helpful. In fact, it can increase your stress level and steal your joy, in general, not just during the holiday season.

· When possible, prep as much as you can in advance. Some items, such as cookies, can be made early and frozen, making things a lot easier than trying to do it all at the last minute.

· Order groceries and gifts online. This can save both time and money, as you’re less likely to grab those impulse buys.

· Use gift bags. You can find cute bags to fit each person on your shopping list, and you can save pain by not spending hours trying to get the wrapping paper on “just so.”

· Instead of hosting the event yourself, find a restaurant that is open for the holiday celebrations, and let them do the work for you.

· Set boundaries. Let others know when you are starting to feel overwhelmed. Your health comes first.

· Take rest breaks as needed. Trust me. Your body will thank you for it. Taking time to breathe will also allow you to enjoy the time with your loved ones vs. watching it fly by.

Book Blurb:

Why me? Is God punishing me? Is my faith not strong enough for God to heal me? How can I achieve my dreams? What’s my purpose?

If you’re someone living with a chronic illness or chronic pain, these are just a few of the questions you’ve likely asked on more than one occasion. You may feel overlooked or even resentful. You try to stay positive, but some days it’s hard. It’s natural to feel this way and grieve, but it’s still possible to have a hope-filled life. God has a purpose for the pain.

Christians aren’t immune from pain and illness, but we don’t have to go through it alone. Jesus promised that He would “never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV).

Millions of women suffering from chronic pain and illness want the reassurance they’re not alone. The devotions in HOPE Amid the Pain are written by a chronic pain warrior with over twenty-five years’ experience will point them to hope and encouragement. It’s possible to Hang On to Positive Expectations (HOPE) even amid the pain.

Purchase Links:

• Amazon Link for paperback copy of HOPE Amid the Pain: https://amzn.to/3Anl7SL
• Amazon Link for hardcover copy of HOPE Amid the Pain:  https://amzn.to/3BVJ1Wd
• Amazon Link for Kindle copy of HOPE Amid the Pain: https://amzn.to/39fOlHl
• Barnes and Noble Link for paperback copy of HOPE Amid the Pain: https://bit.ly/3pecPKr
• Barnes and Noble Link for hardcover copy of HOPE Amid the Pain: https://bit.ly/3peuvW7
• Barnes and Noble Link for Nook copy of HOPE Amid the Pain: https://bit.ly/3vE7JZf
• Kobo Link for HOPE Amid the Pain: https://bit.ly/3lUeSkH
• Booktopia Link for HOPE Amid the Pain:  https://bit.ly/3vpviVn

 Social Media Links:

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Goodreads 

Amazon author page: https://amzn.to/3aXGTkU

 (@leslielmckee on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter)

Bio:
Leslie is an editor, author, and reviewer, but editing, writing, and reviewing are not merely jobs—they are her passions. Leslie is an avid reader with an eye for detail. Leslie has been a chronic pain warrior for more than twenty years, so she is familiar with the peaks and valleys associated with living with a chronic illness. She has felt God come alongside her through His Word and remind her that the battle is His and she’s not alone. Leslie is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and The Christian PEN. Her devotional journal (HOPE Amid The Pain: Hanging On to Positive Expectations When Battling Chronic Illness and Pain) was released on October 26, 2021, with Ambassador International. She has had devotionals published in Ellie Claire/Worthy Publishing compilation books, and she’s also published flash fiction stories. In her spare time, Leslie enjoys reading, playing piano, crocheting, spending time with family and friends (and her turtle!), and rooting for the NY Giants. You can find Leslie at www.leslielmckee.com or on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @leslielmckee.

CFP: THANK YOU Leslie for this wonderful and encouraging post and for readers for coming by to visit us at the OWG blog! This looks like an amazing book and is on my self-gift list!

GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment for a chance to enter for a copy of Leslie McKee's New Release -- Hope Amid Pain!