Diva Love: Comfort & Joy by The Christmas Lights Collection



 

I am delighted to help kick-off this blog tour for Comfort and Joy by The Christmas Lights Collection!

I enjoyed this delightful collection of Christmas stories from different Christian book genres. I am a huge fan of Toni Shiloh and was immediately drawn to this set because she was included. She did not disappoint me. Having great admiration for books, I loved the bookstore setting in her story with a romantic twist. I enjoyed reading stories from the other authors, as well. It was a new experience for me to read a suspenseful Christmas story, such as the one by Alana Terry, but she presented sensitive subjects with care. I liked the heritage aspect in Cathe Swanson's romance and Chautona Havig's mysterious tale was fun. Be sure to check out the bargain price and the giveaway below!

About the Book



Book: Comfort & Joy

Author: The Christmas Lights Collection: Alana Terry, Toni Shiloh, Cathe Swanson, Chautona Havig

Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance, Cozy Mystery, Suspense, Christmas

Release Date: October 16, 2018



The third-annual Christmas Lights Collection is pleased to present: Comfort & Joy–four Christmas Novellas. From contemporary romance to cozy mystery and suspense, this diverse collection celebrates the comforts and joys of Christmas.



Click here to purchase your copy!

 

 

 

 

About the Authors





Alana Terry: Pastor’s wife Alana Terry is a homeschooling mom, self-diagnosed chicken lady, and Christian suspense author. Her novels have won awards from Women of Faith, Book Club Network, Grace Awards, Readers’ Favorite, and more. Alana’s passion for social justice, human rights, and religious freedom shines through her writing, and her books are known for raising tough questions without preaching. She and her family live in rural Alaska where the northern lights in the winter and midnight sun in the summer make hauling water, surviving the annual mosquito apocalypse, and cleaning goat stalls in negative forty degrees worth every second. You can find her at alanaterry.com








Toni Shiloh: Toni Shiloh is a wife, mom, and Christian fiction writer. Once she understood the powerful saving grace thanks to the love of Christ, she was moved to honor her Savior. She writes to bring Him glory and to learn more about His goodness. You can find her at tonishiloh.wordpress.com

She spends her days hanging out with her husband and their two boys. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the president of the ACFW Virginia Chapter.







Cathe Swanson: Cathe Swanson lives in Wisconsin with her husband of 32 years, and the long Wisconsin winters are perfect for writing and reading books! Cathe enjoys writing stories with eccentric characters of all ages. Her books will make you laugh and make you cry – and then make you laugh again. You can find her at catheswanson.com

















Chautona Havig: Amazon bestselling author of the Aggie books and Past Forward, Chautona Havig lives and writes in California’s Mojave desert where she uses story to connect readers to the Master Storyteller.



 

Guest Post from Chautona Havig

Why Do So Many Christians Love to Celebrate Christmas?

“We don’t celebrate Christmas because we were ordered to celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. We were never commanded to celebrate His birth.”

Something about that statement didn’t sit well with me, but I was honest enough with myself to admit that it might be because I happened to love Christmas, and the idea of not celebrating it didn’t sit well with my twelve-year-old mind.

No, I didn’t go in for the Santa thing. I never had. As later my children were taught to say, Santa wasn’t “invited to our family celebration.” But still, the family, the joy, the music, the spirit of the thing moved me.

So, I did what I always did when I didn’t understand something. I asked Dad. “Why do we celebrate Christmas?”

If I recall correctly, Dad took a sip of coffee and watched me for several long seconds before he said, “What is Christmas?”

Ever the teacher, Dad had to put on his Socratic robe and make me work for it. I answered. “What we call the day Jesus was supposedly born. His birthday.”

“Okay. So, we celebrate Christ’s birthday on Christmas—on Christmas.”

“Yes.”

He gave me that slight smirk that always meant something good was coming. “And what did God do when His Son was born?”

Dad stumped me there. I blinked. “I don’t know.”

“He sent out the biggest birth announcement ever known to man—a star, angels, music.” Then Dad continued his leading questions. “He…”

I got it. “Celebrated the birth.”

“Yes.” Sometimes Dad was a man of few words.


But I couldn’t be satisfied—not yet.

“So, why do we give presents to each other if it’s Jesus’ birthday? Isn’t that backward?”

“Isn’t all of Christianity backward to the fallen mind?” When I didn’t answer, he smiled again. “What does Christ say about doing things for others?”

It wasn’t word-for-word Scripture—not even close. Just as he would have prompted again, I remembered Jesus’ story of the man who was fed, clothed, and given a drink. “When you do things for others, it’s like you’re doing them for Jesus.”

Dad shrugged then. “Maybe it’s just justification for continuing a beloved tradition, but it brings me joy to give you gifts. And Christ had something to say about how fathers love to give good gifts to their children.”


That brought me back to the original question.

“What about the fact that we’re told to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus? We aren’t told to celebrate the birth. Does that make it wrong?”

This time, Dad’s jaw hardened. I saw it twitch, and prepared for a blasting. After all, I had kind of argued with him. I hadn’t meant to, but I could see how it might be taken that way.

“Chautona,” he said, “don’t ever put rules on yourself that God hasn’t. We may not be commanded to celebrate Christ’s birth, but we aren’t forbidden, either. We have God’s example to emulate, and we have this truth.” His voice gentled when he saw he’d startled me. “We would never have been able to celebrate Christ’s death if He had not been born. If that’s not a reason to celebrate, I don’t know what is.”


What does all that have to do with Christmas novellas (or “noellas” like I prefer to call them)?

Well, people ask me all the time. “Why do you write so many Christmas books? Why do these Christmas collections? Why focus so much on the birth of Jesus and the trappings of cultural Christmas when it’s inferior to the “big thing”—the Resurrection?”

Dad’s answer is mine. Because it points to it. It draws attention to it. And because Christmas is one time of year—the only time of year in which you can walk into almost any building in America and still hear praises sung to God at some point. They slip in between love songs about giving away your heart at Christmas and rocking around Christmas trees to “Jingle Bell Rock.”

And even the more “secular” versions that aren’t an outright praise to God like “Silent Night” or “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” sometimes throw in Jesus anyway because they can’t quite leave out, “Merry Christmas” in some place or another.

So maybe our Christmas books are inferior to what “Easter” books could be. Maybe they are. But if Christmas trees, caroling, and “ghost stories” keep Jesus at the forefront of someone’s mind in October, November, or December, then I think that’s a pretty cool thing.

Happy Birthday, Jesus. Thanks for coming.


Blog Stops

A Diva’s Heart, November 29
Multifarious, November 30
Bibliophile Reviews, December 1
Britt Reads Fiction, December 1
Vicky Sluiter, December 2
Remembrancy, December 2
Among the Reads, December 3
A Reader’s Brain, December 3
KarenSueHadley, December 4
Quiet Quilter, December 5
Lots of Helpers, December 5
Simple Harvest Reads, December 7 (Mindy Houng)
Mary Hake, December 8
Carpe Diem, December 10
Bigreadersite, December 10
Kat’s Corner Books, December 11
Texas Book-aholic, December 11
Aryn The Libraryan, December 12

Giveaway




To celebrate their tour, the Christmas Light Collection is giving away a grand prize of a 6-month Kindle Unlimited subscription!! Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click here to enter.

Thanks for stopping by!

Michelle
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Diva Love: Beating Cancer One Truth at a Time





Please help me welcome journalist and award-winning author, Marianne C. McDonough today with her book Beating Cancer One Truth at a Time.

I grew up watching different members of my family in courageous battles with cancer at least once every decade since I was a toddler. Sometimes twice. They have all passed away now, but I was still drawn to read this book written by a survivor. The target audience for this book is newly diagnosed cancer patients, yet I found it helpful in seeing what a patient might go through and how caregivers and family members can try our best to understand this journey. Marianne poses questions that may come up in a cancer patient's mind and tells them where to seek answers. She discusses how to go about reducing stress, treatment planning and seeking support. My favorite part is when she talks about developing a mindset for survival. She confronts myths about the disease and applies a bit of biblical inspiration without preaching or passing judgement. A must-read for anyone confronting a cancer diagnosis or supporting a cancer patient.

About the Book







Book: Beating Cancer: One Truth at a Time



Author: Marianne C. McDonough

Genre: Non-fiction, health and disease



Release Date: November 6, 2018



Like eagles soaring above a storm, cancer patients tackle an unpredictable disease. To navigate the turmoil, they must dispel the myths surrounding cancer, understand the facts, and determine how they want their journey to look. Armed with their convictions, they can create a path that achieves maximum health and gives them peace. Although support helps, ultimately, they must make their own decisions.

This book is about choices and the beliefs from which those choices emerge.

Beating Cancer One Truth at a Time encourages patients to:


  • Confront cultural myths about cancer
  • Clarify their own truths
  • Proactively plan treatment and prehab activities
  • Acquire positive and hopeful mindsets
  • Create a vision worth fighting for
  • Develop cancer smarts for survivorship
Designed for self-reflection and/or group discussion, Beating Cancer One Truth at a Time guides readers toward empowerment and freedom for a journey they never wanted but have to master.



Click here to purchase your copy!



About the Author





Journalist and author of award-winning 8 Steps to Getting Real with Cancer, Marianne C. McDonough believes the way to beat cancer is one truth at a time. She tells patients, “This is your journey. You’re the best person to lead it.” A cancer survivor since 2012, Marianne wants patients to assess the hard questions cancer presents and discover their own truths. She understands patients are stressed, anxious, and exhausted. From her personal experience, she offers a straight-forward book that inspires hope. A Minnesota native, Marianne enjoys lake activities at her cabin with her family, musicals, baseball, bridge, dancing, and walking through the woods or a nearby park.



Guest Post from Marianne

Why did I write this book?

Because I’ve battled cancer, and I know what it’s like to face mortality, fall to my knees, and fight an enemy that has lodged itself in my own body.

Cancer changed me. I don’t know how anyone goes through it without changing. The initial sense of powerlessness is overwhelming. It challenged me to the core. I remember learning words, concepts, treatments, statistics, prognoses, and a myriad of data I had never even heard before.

I was tired and confused. But I was also angry with cancer and determined to beat it.

Right after I was diagnosed, trying to figure out what to do, I went to a class at my oncology center because I wanted to talk to other cancer patients. When I introduced myself and said I had just been diagnosed, the other patients said something I didn’t expect and can now affirm, “You’re going through the hardest part.”

They were right, and as a survivor for six years, I am writing what I wish I could have found during that initial period of cancer. I didn’t have time for long books or theoretical treatises, so I tried to find short, practical, quick-read books that would give me solid tips for the journey. And I wanted someone to encourage me in simple, no-nonsense terms that I even had a future. But I couldn’t find those books.

Most of all, I needed a gut-level confidence that cancer was not in charge of my life, because cancer lies to patients and pompously declares, “From now on I’ll make all your decisions about what you’re going to do, when, and for how long.”

Cancer thrives on myths, misconceptions, and fear. Our best weapons are counteracting truths based on reliable data, firm convictions based on faith, and hope based on clarity of vision.

My first book 8 Steps to Getting Real with Cancer was released in 2016 and won the Midwest Book Award in the health division. I geared that book towards patients and those who love them. This second book evolved because my oncologist suggested my approach would work well for support groups. Since 8 Steps was primarily narrative, I decided to write a second book that could be read or discussed, even journaled if desired. Imagining a one-on-one conversation with my readers, I focused more on cancer myths and specifically addressed patients, although family and friends can surely benefit as well.

Beating Cancer One Truth at a Time isn’t about me or my journey. It’s about patients finding their own truths in their own way to beat cancer on their own terms. The subtitle states the main premise of the book: what you believe determines your journey.

If you are a cancer patient and you are discovering this book today, please know that the fight is worth it. You can do this. Let’s believe together for a journey you can be proud of.


Blog Spots

Texas Book-aholic, November 6
Artistic Nobody, November 8 (Spotlight)
cherylbbookblog, November 9
Bibliophile Reviews, November 10
Carpe Diem, November 11
Janices book reviews, November 12
A Diva’s Heart, November 14
Bigreadersite, November 15
Just the Write Escape, November 16
Reading is my Super Power, November 17 (Interview)
Mary Hake, November 18
margaret kazmierczak, November 19 (Interview)

Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Marianne is giving away a grand prize of a personalized yeti tumbler!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/d6b7/beating-cancer-one-truth-at-a-time-celebration-tour-giveaway

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Diva Love: Miles From Where We Started




Today, I am pleased to host the tour for Miles From Where We Started by Cynthia Ruchti.

 I enjoyed the witty dialogue in this book and the author's strong attention-to-detail along. The unique adventure along the road trip that took place somewhat paralleled the relationship between the main characters, Mallory and Connor. There were twists and turns, reflective moments and things turned out a bit differently than they imagined. An overall good read about the downside of a new marriage.

About the Book



Book Title: Miles from Where We Started

Author: Cynthia Ruchti

Genre: Christian Romance/Family Life

Release date: October 16, 2018

These no-longer-newlyweds want out of this road trip—and their marriage. Too bad they can’t find the off ramp.

Weeks away from their one-year wedding anniversary, Mallory and Connor Duncan can’t even agree on how to end their marriage. But when a last-minute crisis lands them on a three-thousand-mile road trip together, Mallory wonders if their story may not be over after all.

The trip begins to unravel before the key is even in the ignition, and an at-risk, trouble-seeking missile of an eleven-year-old is unexpectedly launched into their travel plans. Close quarters get even tighter, and the couple believes this whole experience will spell disaster.

Their first year of marriage hasn’t been the arm-in-arm togetherness they expected. How can they find a new beginning when the road ends?

Click here to purchase your copy!



About the Author

Cynthia Ruchti tells stories of hope through novels, nonfiction, devotionals, and speaking events. She serves as the professional relations liaison for American Christian Fiction Writers and is a frequent speaker at writers’ conferences across the country. She married her grade school sweetheart, and the two live in the heart of Wisconsin, not far from their three children and five grandchildren.



Guest Post from Cynthia

I have a confession to make. I heart millennials.

My other novels have had a few millennial characters. Some even played starring roles. But I knew there was more to the heart of millennials than I could gain from listening to the often unfair sighing or comedy routines about that generation. As a person, I wanted to know them better—what are they really like? What challenges do they face with which previous generations saddled them? What strengths to they offer our culture?

Until now, I hadn’t written a story about a millennial couple whose marriage was in crisis. Like, serious crisis. I-don’t-want-to-be-married-to-you-anymore. That kind of crisis.

As any good novelist knows, part of what we do to our characters is make the situation worse. So, millennial couple, approaching their one-year anniversary, ready to call it quits because “This marriage thing is really hard. Is it supposed to be so much work?” But what if…? What if they were forced to be together for three weeks…in a micro-camper…on America’s backroads…with an 11-year-old foster boy troublemaker…and both the husband’s AND the wife’s jobs depended on the trip’s success?

Plot idea in hand, I set off to write Miles from Where We Started, not entirely sure when I began the journey where they would end up or how they’d get there. It was an education for me in so many ways. The impact of the turning point of the story? In the words of my millennial friends, “That’s lit!”

Side note: I’m a big fan of a young teen musician at our church. The boy has mad skills as a keyboard artist. He approaches life as if it’s an endless game of Ninja Warrior. Why walk when you can vault into the room? Why walk up a flight of stairs when you can hop four at a time? He also sports a perpetual smile and is famous for his kindness, but his eyes give away that a little mischief may be hiding behind that smile. I asked Judah’s permission to use his name (and a little bit of his personality) as the foster child character in Miles from Where We Started. I can’t wait for him to read the part he inspired.

Can’t wait for you to read it, too.

Hemmed in Hope,

Cynthia


Blog Stops


The Power of Words, October 25
All-of-a-kind Mom, October 26
Lighthouse Academy, October 26
Quiet Quilter, October 27
cherylbbookblog, October 28
Simple Harvest Reads, October 28 (Guest Post from Mindy Houng)
Remembrancy, October 28
Godly Book Reviews, October 29
By The Book, October 29
Maureen’s Musings, October 30
Spoken from the Heart , October 30
SusanLovesBooks, October 30
Mary Hake, November 1
Book by Book, November 1
amandainpa , November 1
Pause for Tales, November 2
Just Commonly, November 2
Baker Kella, November 3
Bibliophile Reviews, November 4
Texas Book-aholic, November 5
Carpe Diem, November 6
A Diva’s Heart, November 7
Bigreadersite, November 7

Giveaway




To celebrate her tour, Cynthia is giving away a grand prize of the Adventure begins” large tote bag, “This way to adventure” travel notebook, “Home is Where We Park It” metal wall hanging, a teardrop camper birdhouse, PLUS a $50 gift Visa gift card…to start your adventure fund!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/d4ea/miles-from-where-we-started-celebration-tour-giveaway


I hope you enjoyed today's featured book. Thanks for stopping by!

Michelle
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