Empty Nests & New Release!

When we returned from Europe recently, we soon found that a mother Robin had made a nest atop our front entryway light! An unconventional place for our yard (we have lots of nests in various huge mature trees we have in our yard) and I wasn't real happy with mama bird!

She had already deposited three beautiful blue eggs into her nest. I gave a big sigh and told my husband. We ordinarily go out the back of our house. Now going out our own front door was an issue because it scared mama bird off the nest. Another big sigh.

And if I accidentally came out the front door they started squawking as if I was mama bird and gonna give them some yummy worms to eat. Ummmm, not!!! The one on the right always had his or her little beak open when I accidentally exited through my very own front door.

Then I got this rather sweet sigh-worthy shot! The baby robins were maturing! They were getting ready to fly on their own! This was so cool!  Meanwhile, I had my very own book baby trying to make its way finally into the world.

Mercy in a Red Cloak is a story I worked on for almost a decade. Unlike these robins, the hatched notion for my baby took a long time from egg to flight! I feel like my hero, Shadrach Clark, has finally flown off on his own!

Then, one day recently when I took a picture of the nest with my iPhone, look what I found! The nest was empty! I told my husband. Shortly thereafter, my own book baby took flight off to Kindle world. I don't know where the robins are, but I do know that my story is now out there ready to fly all over the world!

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Giveaway: A Kindle copy of Mercy in a Red Cloak to one of my readers. Answer this question: Have you had a transition or a nest that has emptied recently? What kind of situation was it?

Diana's Review Of Secret Sister - An Amish Christmas Tale By Sarah Price

Secret Sister: An Amish Christmas Tale By Sarah Price

Realms, Oct. 2015

Reviewed By Diana Flowers

~5 stars~

(No spoilers!)

        It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

In Secret Sister, author Sarah Price has written a heartwarming Amish yuletide tale of bewildering secrets and love lost—set amongst the fragrant scent of pine, the soft glow of candles, and crystalline snowflakes ushering in the Christmas season.

Feeling so very alone and heartbroken from recently losing Menno – the love of her life – not to mention her children growing up and moving into different communities, Grace Beiler is truly suffering in silence. It is the Amish way to accept God's will in all things and not to question or complain about one's lot in life. Although her Amish community is kind to her, Grace feels like a fifth wheel when they offer to give her rides or invite her places with their families. Soon strange events begin to take place when Grace starts receiving notes and gifts that cause her to reflect on meaningful incidents in her past—when she and Menno were young and courting, and their subsequent life with their children. Apparently Grace has a "secret sister" who is seeking to encourage her, but who is she?...and how is she aware of these things that are only significant to Grace? As she attends her favorite event of the year which happens to be the Christmas program, Grace receives another gift—one that will change the course of her life forever.

In Secret Sister masterful storyteller, Sarah Price, has written an exquisite novel destined to become a Christmas classic! What an intricate, unpredictable plot! In one evening I literally read half of this book trying to figure out who the "secret sister" was and I never did. Being an empty nester myself, I could truly identify with Grace's inability to know just where she belonged after devoting her whole life to raising her children. I didn't just have tears in my eyes at the wonderful conclusion—they were literally streaming down my cheeks—I was that moved. For those of you who don't want to read a story about a more "mature" woman (lol)...have no fear. The book goes back and forth between past and present and there is plenty of blushing romance and drama, too! Highly recommended read for any time of the year!
 

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This book may be purchased through Amazon, CBD, BAM, and your local bookstore.
 

GIVEAWAY: Sarah Price has generously offered a copy of Secret Sister to one blessed commenter. To be eligible, please leave your email address written (at) and (dot) to prevent yourself from spammers.


Raising a Son and Transitioning to College - by Jen Turano

Author Jen Turano

From a very early age, I knew that the one thing I wanted to be in this life was a mom.  While my friends were dreaming about becoming doctors, lawyers, and other high-powered career ladies, I really only dreamed about taking care of a little one, a girl if I’m being honest, and a girl who’d love to have her hair done, nails painted, and would enjoy shopping with her mom and then going out to lunch.

Funny how things don’t always go as planned, but funny how God gives you exactly what you never dreamed of, but something that turns out to be one of the best things in your life.

Dominic, my one and only child, came into the world eighteen years ago, and from that moment, I was given my very own version of a Denise the Menace.  Trouble should have been his middle name, and there wasn’t a child-proof devise that could hold him back.  Toilets turned into his own private little ponds, stuffed with star wars characters and whatever else he seemed to have on hand, which meant the plumber soon became one of my best friends.

Some called my son strong-willed, but quite frankly, I thought of him, and not always fondly, as a complete terror.  He was incredibly independent, had his own ideas about everything, and I do believe, when he got his tongue stuck to a frozen pole, that I looked up at the sky (as I was trying to figure out how to get him unstuck since we were out in the middle of nowhere) and said, “Really, God….a frozen pole?”  God, I’ve come to believe, obviously has a great sense of humor, and had to have been grinning down at me on that particular day.

Dom Turano

Dom wasn’t exactly keen to get his hair done, or have his nails painted, so I spent the years of his childhood trekking through streams, looking for frogs, building traps to catch that pesky Easter bunny, and far too often, sinking up past my knees in mud when he’d get it into his head to investigate places like swamps and beaver dams – I don’t recommend investigating beaver dams – turns out that the mud surrounding the dams is somewhat like quicksand, and the white shorts I had on the day Dom sunk in that sand will never be the same.

But, all the mischief, trouble, and scary experiences aside, I was given the opportunity to be a mom to a boy who has now grown into an extraordinary young man.  That sense of independence he embraced from such an early age has allowed him to experience the world as I was never brave enough to do.  He loves pulling all types of different people together to experience new adventures, and even though those adventures give me heart palpitation, he’s living his life on his terms and enjoying every minute of it.

I sent him off this week for his first year of college, and I have to say, this new adventure he’s undertaking has been incredibly difficult for me.  He knows not a soul at this college, which worries my mother’s heart to no end, and I cried the entire way home after telling him goodbye.  But, God gave me this wonderful, strong, hard-headed boy to raise, and in doing so, He allowed me an opportunity to grow as well and experience life as I would have never experienced it without Dom , (although…I’m not sure I needed the experience of being thrown out of the raft into raging waters because we had to try out a stretch of “super cool” rapids.)

Dominic Turano, Senior picture

I’m now traveling on a new adventure of my own, along with my husband of twenty-five years.  We don’t know where that adventure will lead us, but when Dom sent me a text this morning, telling me he’d organized a group of guys to go long-boarding last night, and then asked if I thought he should shave before a meeting he has today, I realized that everything will be okay.  I’m still Dom’s mom, he still needs me just a little, if only to give him that great shaving advice, and God will watch over my son for me.  I  have to believe He knew exactly what He was doing when He sent me Dominic – a rough and tumble little boy who will always be the love of my life, and who is now a young man I’m incredibly proud to call my son. 


Giveaway: We have a paperback copy of Jen's novel "A Talent for Trouble" (which I consider a perfect "10"!) as an extra giveaway this week (USA only.)

Interview With Lisa Wingate

Lisa Wingate at Book Signing

Lisa, welcome to Overcoming With God.  We appreciate your willingness to share your testimony of overcoming with our readers.  

Well aside from dealing with empty nest -- I'll be the first to admit that it was just plain rude of these boys to grow up and actually want their own lives -- I think I struggle with something many women struggle with. It's hard to separate other peoples' judgement from God's judgement. We're supposed to shrug off the one and base our opinions and our self-evaluations on the other.

In life and in publishing, that's not an easy thing to do.

The publishing process doesn’t end up being only between you and God, and neither does life.  Every worldly concern enters, other people bring in their personalities and opinions, and it can be bruising.  

I struggle with all of that, quite honestly.  I’m a youngest kid in the family, and I had two older brothers picking on me all the time (I wouldn't trade them now, but I would have then).  I bruise easily.  Many writers do—that sensitivity is part of what makes you a writer.  I’ll ignore twenty-five good reviews and be hurt over one bad one.  That’s just human nature, for many of us, especially as women.

On the other hand, I know I’ll never write the perfect story, because everything I write comes from a point of imperfection,  from a vision through the dark glass.  But God is so capable of taking the imperfect things we create and using them in absolutely perfect ways.  A story is an endless possibility.  You never know when your story may hold the hand of someone else through a dark night of the soul.

Would you tell us about one of the most difficult things in your life you have had to overcome, with God’s help? (transparency appreciated!)

I think I've sort of combined Question 1 with Question 2. It's a lifelong struggle, really. I'm always working on it. I don't like it when people are mean -- does anybody? I struggle to let it go and trust God to be work on other people while I work on me.  My snap reaction is more toward wishing they'd get a dose of salmonella in their next hamburger. (Oh, did I say that out loud?)

Which, of course, only means I'm still working on me. It's also a good reminder that I need to put into the world what I want to take out of it. If I want kindness, I need to put in kindness. 

Wildwood Creek by Lisa Wingate

Disability friendliness: Is this latest release available in audio format or do you have any other works available on audio?  Do your e-books have audio capability? Do you have any in large print?  

Yes.  All of my books are available in audio (thought sometimes the audio release is a few months behind the book release) and in large print. We've also given approval for Library For the Blind to offer audio versions.

The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate

In this latest work, do you have any topics useful for bibliotherapy, or therapeutic influence through reading about a disorder or situation? 

Both The Prayer Box and Wildwood Creek deal with women, children, and families recovering from abuse.   Wildwood Creek is brand new, but The Prayer Box is already being used in bibliotherapy, as is the concept of prayer boxes, themselves. The act of taking time to write prayers on paper, put them in a prayer box, and close the lid is symbolic (and therapeutic) as a means of releasing those things to God.  Prayer boxes can go pretty much anywhere a greeting card can go. They're useful for bereavement, new marriages, and family communication, among other things, and can be life-changing.


Bio:

Lisa Wingate is a journalist, inspirational speaker, reviewer for the New York Journal of Books, and the author of over twenty novels.  Her novels combine elements of history, romance, mystery, and women's fiction with nuggets of Southern culture, from the sublime to the humorous. She is a seven-time American Christian Fiction Writers Carol award nominee, a Christy Award nominee, an Oklahoma Book Award finalist, a Christianity Today Book Award nominee, an Inspy Award nominee, and a two-time Carol Award winner. Her works have been selected for Booklist’s Top Ten List in 2012 and in 2013. 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.

Links:

My website: www.Lisawingate.com

Twitter:   http://twitter.com/#!/lisawingate

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lisa-Wingate-Readers-Circle/132187520154779

Pinterest:  https://pinterest.com/lisawingatebook/

http://us-mg5.mail.yahoo.com/http://www.youtube.com/lisawingate

Thank you, Lisa, for agreeing to answer these questions! And congrats to Lisa for The Prayer Box being a finalist for ECPA Christian book awards!

Giveaway: This week we'll be giving away winners choice of any of Lisa's books, including her new releases (choice of format, international winners--ebook only.) Lisa has graciously added a signed copy of her paperback Firefly Island (USA only) to our giveaway this week! 

Are you sensitive?  How has God given you grace?

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