Easton Paul Nolt

Our second grandson Easton Paul Nolt has arrived.
8 pounds 6 ounces
22 inches
March 27th at 1:03 a.m.

Mommy and baby Easton are doing fine.

Singing the Songbird's Praises

About the book:
The year is 1945. The war is over and 21-year-old Betty Lake has been invited to Europe to sing in a USO tour for American soldiers who now occupy Hitlers Germany. The first nights performance is a hit. Betty becomes enthralled with the applause, the former Nazi-held mansion theyre housed in and the attention of Frank Witt, the US Army Signal Corp Photographer. Yet the next night this songbird is ready to fly the coop when Bettys dear friend, Kat, turns up missing. Betty soon realizes Franks photographs could be the key to finding Kat. Betty and Frank team up against post-war Nazi influences and the two lovebirds hearts may find the answers...in each other. But will they have a chance for their romance to sing? The truth will be revealed under a German moon.

About the author:
Tricia Goyer is an awardwinning author of twelve novels, more than 300 articles and six nonfiction books. In researching for her WWII novels, Tricia has interviewed over one hundred veterans and service women involved in support efforts. She has also traveled to Germany, the Czech Republic, and Austria for research. She lives with her husband and three children in Kalispell, Montana.

My review:
My husband's father was a POW in WWII. As I read Tricia Goyer's Songbird Under a German Moon, I hoped my dear father-in-law would have someone like the main character of the book (Betty Lake) to lift his spirits during those difficult days.

Ms Goyer is a gifted writer and has a refreshing writing style. You actually get the feeling you are there and know her characters personally. If you know someone, who loves WWII stories, you must get them this book. They will love it!

I highly recommend this book. You will enjoy it immensely!



Thanks to LitFuse Publicity and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book to review.

Liz Curtis Higgs Kept Me Burning My Candle

Here Burns My Candle
by Liz Curtis Higgs

About the Author

It’s been 4 years since Liz Curtis Higgs’s last novel, and she’s made good use of that time studying Scottish history and the Scriptures. And now she offers a retelling of the beloved Old Testament story of Ruth and Naomi set in 18th Century Scotland. Visit the Lowlands in Here Burns My Candle.

About the Book

A mother who cannot face her future.
A daughter who cannot escape her past.
Lady Elisabeth Kerr is a keeper of secrets. A Highlander by birth and a Lowlander by marriage, she honors the auld ways, even as doubts and fears stir deep within her.
Her husband, Lord Donald, has secrets of his own, well hidden from the household, yet whispered among the town gossips.
His mother, the dowager Lady Marjory, hides gold beneath her floor and guilt inside her heart. Though her two abiding passions are maintaining her place in society and coddling her grown sons, Marjory’s many regrets, buried in Greyfriars Churchyard, continue to plague her.
One by one the Kerr family secrets begin to surface, even as bonny Prince Charlie and his rebel army ride into Edinburgh in September 1745, intent on capturing the crown.
A timeless story of love and betrayal, loss and redemption, flickering against the vivid backdrop of eighteenth-century Scotland, Here Burns My Candle illumines the dark side of human nature, even as hope, the brightest of tapers, lights the way home.

My Review

If you need sleep, don't pick up Liz Curtis Higgs newest book Here Burns My Candle. You won't be able to put the book down once you start reading the riveting story of Lady Elisabeth Kerr, a Highlander by birth and a Lowlander by marriage. I was burning my candle into the wee hours of the morning because every page gripped me. The book is ADDICTIVE! I may need a support group because I find myself sipping tea with my pinky finger extended and dreaming about the characters in Here Burns My Candle.

The book is not all fluff. There is substance and sustenance as the plot thickens. Hope rises with the dawn when eternal lessons are learned.

If you want a good read and a 'stay-cation,'(vacation at home) pick up a copy of Higgs' Here Burns My Candle. You'll be glad you did. And who knows, Lady Elisabeth Kerr might just add a little culture to your life.

I highly recommend this well-crafted book. Bravo, Liz Curtis Higgs! Thanks for penning a story with depth and excellence.


Here you can see different options where you can purchase the book online:

http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog

This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

Book Signing at Greene Iowa Library

I was invited to read my books to some wee ones at the Greene, Iowa, Public Library.
Those little ones charmed my heart. Hope you enjoy the pictures.
Dixie

From Tragedy to Triumph

I am overjoyed my story The Champion was included in Guideposts' newest book From Tragedy to Triumph. I've been blessed reading all the inspirational stories.

Ring of Fire

In 2008, while my husband Paul was recuperating from a kidney transplant, I 'stumbled' across the website for the first Write2Ignite Conference. Although I had been making a little money at writing and been fortunate to be published by Abingdon Press, Standard Publishing, Eldridge Publishing, LIVE Publications and employed as a ghostwriter, I had never attended a writing conference. What complicates my story is the Write2Ignite Conference was held in North Carolina and God had planted my feet and family on rich Iowa soil. It would be a major trip, but it just so happened my big brother only lived a few miles from where the conference was held. (My big brother is always coming through for his baby seester!) My attending all depended on my husband's condition. If he was gaining strength and okay with my leaving, I felt I could go, but if he was the least bit apprehensive, I knew my going was out of the question. Paul practically pushed me out the door. I think his words were, "You've been under enough stress. Go enjoy yourself."

When I walked into the 2008 Write2Ignite Conference, as Johnny Cash would say, "I fell into a burning ring of fire!" I thought for sure someone was going to have to call the fire department. (Especially during the closing session when Pam Zollman lit the candles.) The emphasis was about ministry writing. Honing your craft, but not relying on your ability to be published. Allowing God to enlarge your writing influence. Someone spoke of when preparation meets opportunity! That has been etched in my mind's eye.

In that closing session, I felt like the little boy who gave Jesus his lunch. I was giving him my stories and life's experiences. "Lord, I'm ready to have you use me or not be used at all. You choose for me."

I left the 2008 Conference inspired. My moist eyes were on Jesus and my hand was on the plow.

Writing opportunites came from the north, south, east and west. More ghostwriting (or should I say Holy Ghostwriting) assignments showed up in my inbox.

When I learned about the 2010 Write2Ignite Conference, I made plans to attend. It was slightly more complicated because this time the conference was held in South Carolina and my feet were still planted in northern Iowa - almost to Minnesota, but I made it and am I glad I did.

I have never seen so many 'cheerleaders' in one place. (a round of pom poms for all) The presenters poured their knowledge and expertise into the attendees. Each one exemplified a true servant's heart. There was something for the every writing level.

I look forward to the next Write2Ignite Conference. Whew! It's getting hot in here.

Cole.... I Love You to the Moon and Back

Product Description
Aaron Dean Ruotsala, 24-year-old husband, father, business owner, and pilot shares a true story about a heart-wrenching experience he calls the best and worst experience of a lifetime. This story will provoke you to laughter, tears, and cause you to examine yourself and your role as a human on this temporal journey. His prayer is that all who read this amazing story will learn from the experience in which they had no choice, to realize that when life brings you to the darkest, deepest, loneliest point imaginable, you will recognize what really matters in life. So, please laugh, cry, share, examine, and mostly enjoy this book that is certain to make you ask the question: "What if this happened to me?" The reality is that it could. Recommended It's amazing how God used a single event to speak to and transform the lives of thousands of people. Three-year-old Cole Ruotsala's short eight-week battle with cancer and his ultimate death, was one such event. The story of this brave little man and his courage and compassion through the toughest of times, is a touching example of God's love and strength in the face of death. Also, the honesty with which it is written will make you face some important questions in your life. I know that you will be encouraged and challenged by this book. Pastor Bruce Estola Ironwood, MI

My Review:

Cole... I Love You to the Moon and Back is a book that will take your emotions to the moon and back time and again. The picture on the cover of a darling toe-headed, blue-eyed boy is enough to make you fall head over heels in love with Cole, but then you begin to read his family's story and you are literally sent into orbit over what this precious family went through. I would recommend this book for families who have lost a child. COLE GIVES HOPE. It's like the Bible says, "though he's dead yet he speaks...." (Hebrews 11:4)

Cole has gone past the moon and is with the SON..... and I believe with all my heart JESUS has a rocking chair in Heaven for the little ones who are there, and with Mr. Cole there, Heaven is sweeter. Though he cannot come back to us, we will one day go to be with him.

Thanks Ruotsala family for your story.... I see the "SON" in your eyes.

Songbird Under a German Moon

About the book:
The year is 1945. The war is over and 21-year-old Betty Lake has been invited to Europe to sing in a USO tour for American soldiers who now occupy Hitlers Germany. The first nights performance is a hit. Betty becomes enthralled with the applause, the former Nazi-held mansion theyre housed in and the attention of Frank Witt, the US Army Signal Corp Photographer. Yet the next night this songbird is ready to fly the coop when Bettys dear friend, Kat, turns up missing. Betty soon realizes Franks photographs could be the key to finding Kat. Betty and Frank team up against post-war Nazi influences and the two lovebirds hearts may find the answers...in each other. But will they have a chance for their romance to sing? The truth will be revealed under a German moon.

About the author:
Tricia Goyer is an awardwinning author of twelve novels, more than 300 articles and six nonfiction books. In researching for her WWII novels, Tricia has interviewed over one hundred veterans and service women involved in support efforts. She has also traveled to Germany, the Czech Republic, and Austria for research. She lives with her husband and three children in Kalispell, Montana.

My review:
My husband's father was a POW in WWII. As I read Tricia Goyer's Songbird Under a German Moon, I hoped my dear father-in-law would have someone like the main character of the book (Betty Lake) to lift his spirits.

Ms Goyer is a gifted writer and has a refreshing writing style. You actually get the feeling you are there and know her characters personally. If you know someone, who loves WWII stories, you must get them this book. They will love it!

I highly recommend this book. You will enjoy it immensely!



Thanks to LitFuse Publicity and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book to review.