Amy Wallace’s latest installment of the “Defenders of Hope Series” is a great read.

In Enduring Justice, Hanna Kessler’s childhood secret has remained buried for over two decades. But when the dark shadows of her past threaten to destroy those she loves, Hanna must face the summer that changed her life and the man who still haunts her thoughts.

Crimes Against Children FBI Agent, Michael Parker knows what it means to get knocked down. And when the system fails and a white supremacist is set free, Michael’s drive for retribution eclipses all else.

A racist’s well-planned assault forces Hanna and Michael to decide between executing vengeance and pursuing justice. When the attack turns personal, is healing still possible?

This thought-provoking novel deals with healing from sexual abuse, the balance of justice and mercy, and maintaining mixed-race friendships in the midst of racial tension. Readers who enjoy investigative thrillers by Dee Henderson, Colleen Coble, and Catherine Coulter, and who watch crime dramas like Law & Order: SVU, Criminal Minds, and Without a Trace will love this book—and the entire series.

Author Bio:

Amy Wallace is the author of Ransomed Dreams and Healing Promises, a homeschool mom, and self-confessed chocoholic. She is a graduate of the Gwinnett County Citizens Police Academy and a contributing author of several books including God Answers Moms’ Prayers and Chicken Soup for the Soul Healthy Living Series: Diabetes. She lives with her husband and three children in Georgia.

Having just celebrated another Mother’s Day, these books are timely. Plus, I have a fun giveaway to tell you about as well.

Here are two non-fiction books that address concerns most moms can relate to ~ or at least grapple with from time to time.

First up is a book by Melody Carlson entitled Dear Mom: Everything Your Teenage Daughter wants you to know but Will Never Tell You.

Every mom knows how communicating with a teenage girl can be difficult, even impossible at times. One-word answers. Defensive conversations. Daily arguments. How typical for teens to put up such barriers. All the while, moms truly long to know what their daughters really think.

Best-selling author Melody Carlson, whose books for women, teens, and children have sold more than three million copies, bridges this chasm with trusted insight. She speaks frankly in the voice of the teen daughters she’s written for and she tells it like it is: struggles with identity, guys, friendship, and even parents—it’s all here. The straight-talk to moms covers such things as

• “I need you, but you can’t make me admit it,”
• “I’m not as confident as I appear,” and
• “I have friends. I need a mother.”

Instead of focusing on outward behaviors, Dear Mom looks at a young woman’s heart and reveals to moms:

• how to talk to teens so they hear,
• how to connect despite the differences of perspective or years and experiences,
• and how strengthen the bond every mom and daughter ultimately wants.

The lively chapters in Dear Mom can be dipped into topically or used as a read-through tool by moms and daughters alike to understand what motivates or deflates, troubles or inspires—and just in time for Mother’s Day and all the Mother’s Days ahead.

Author Bio:
Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of more than one hundred books for adults, children, and teens, with sales totaling more than three million copies. Beloved for her Diary of a Teenage Girl and Notes from a Spinning Planet series, she’s also the author of the women’s novels Finding Alice (in production now for a Lifetime-TV movie), Crystal Lies, On This Day, These Boots Weren’t Made for Walking, and A Mile in My Flip-Flops. A mother of two grown sons, Melody lives in central Oregon with her husband and chocolate lab retriever. She’s a full-time writer and an avid gardener, biker, skier, and hiker.

Learn More:
To learn more about Dear Mom, including how to purchase it online visit Random House’s page featuring Dear Mom

Mama’s Got a Fake I.D.

Secondarily, here’s a book that most EVERY mom can relate to on some level or another. This books focuses on the struggle to maintain our identity after becoming a mom. God gave you unique passions, gifts, and talents that the world ~ and you ~ may fail to see and utilize once the title of Mom rules supreme in your life.

In Mama’s Got a Fake I.D., Caryn Rivadeneira helps you to get back in touch with the woman God created you to be. This is not a book to throw off the bands of motherhood or to condemn those who consider motherhood the pinnacle of their achievements. Rather, this book sheds light on how to “discover who He made you to be – in your family and beyond.”

I love the way the back cover summarizes it:

No one begins life as a mom. Before you have children, you are an amazing combination of friend, daughter, confidant, visionary, encourager, and thinker. You start out in life using your gifts and abilities in a surprising variety of settings.
Then you have children and the role of mom–as wonderful as it is–seems to consume you. It’s easy to lose your identity when others see you as a mom and little else. What happened to the artist, the team-builder, the organizer, the entrepreneur, the leader–the person you’ve lost touch with?

About the author:
Caryn Dahlstrand Rivadeneira is the former managing editor of Marriage Partnership and Christian Parenting Today. She’s been writing for and speaking to women for over a decade. Today she is the managing editor of GiftedForLeadership.com, and online community for Christian women in leadership.

Ready to Get Back in Touch with Your Identity?
To help you “reveal the real you hidden behind all that mom” the good folks at Waterbrook Press have provided me with a copy of Mama’s Got a Fake I.D. to give away to one of my readers.

Here’s how to enter to win:

1. Simply subscribe to or follow my blog and then leave a comment letting me know. = 1 entry
2. Tweet or blog about the giveaway and link back to this post. Please leave a separate comment with a link back to your tweet or post. = 1 entry

Winner will be chosen and announced on May 20th. So, check back here April 20th to see who won. (I’ll email the winner so be sure I can get in touch with you.)

Click here to leave a comment!

With Earth Day being this week, it’s a perfect time to focus on the new book, Gardening Eden, by Michael Abbaté. It’s seems the latest trend is for everyone to be on board with taking care of the Earth, recycling, and being as “green” as possible. For many years this was taboo in the Christian circle and many were frowned upon as aligned themselves with “tree-hugging liberals” but that stigmata is changing.

Very clearly God’s original design was for man to be stewards of His creation. There is a LOT of mention in the Bible about stewardship – from finances to natural resources. So, in keeping with that vein of stewardship, shouldn’t we care for our environment just as much, if not more than, our forefathers?

Abbaté advocates “spiritual environmentalism” and throughout the book gives practical advice on how to achieve that. For instance, there is a whole section entitled, “Becoming a Gardener” with tips on how to do just that (don’t worry there are some easy ones to start with).

I’m a big fan of buying local and supporting local farmers so this section really resonated with me. As I’ve been learning more about food and taking care of myself, it seems only logical to eat local, organic foods. But that’s just one dimension of this book.

Take a Closer Look:

Gardening Eden:
Before the snake, the apple, and the Ten Commandments, God created a garden, placed humans in it, and told them to take care of it.

“Spiritual environmentalism” did not start out as an oxymoron—it was an invitation. Yet today, many believe God’s original job description for humankind has been replaced by other worthier pursuits. So when did this simple instruction become so controversial? How does one sort through all the mixed messages? Is making the world a healthier place for the next generation really a responsibility—or even possible?

Gardening Eden is a new understanding of how the spiritual dimensions of life can find expression and renewal through caring for our incredible planet. Empowering, simple, and never polemical, Michael Abbaté outlines the Bible’s clear spiritual benefits of caring for creation, exploring new motivations and inspired ideas, and revealing the power of our basic connection to all people and living things through the growing interest in spiritual environmentalism.

Green living is no longer a fad—simple lifestyle solutions are now available to everyone. Gardening Eden shows readers how this shift transforms not only our world, but their very souls as they’re drawn into deeper harmony with the Creator. This book invites them to discover the powerful spiritual satisfaction of heeding the call to save our world.

Author Bio:

A nationally recognized expert in “green” development strategies, Mike Abbaté is a founder of GreenWorks, an award-winning landscape architecture design firm. He frequently speaks to students and leaders about practical ways to minimize the impact of building and landscape design on natural resources. Abbaté’s work has been featured in national magazines such as Metropolis and Landscape Architecture and in many local newspapers and trade publications. He and his wife, Vicki, have two adult daughters and live near Portland, Oregon.

Purchase the Book:

You can get a copy of the book through Amazon and most large book retailers.

Focusing on “Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving,” this petite tome packs quite a punch. To some, this book will be radical and contain some inflammatory ideas, but as always when money is the center of the text – especially ‘YOUR’ money – things can get quite opinionated and heated.

Randy Alcorn advocates that ‘your’ money is instead ‘His (God’s)’ money. To that end, his content focuses on Matthew 6:19-21:

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

In the text, Alcorn establishes what he calls, “Treasure Principle Keys.” There are six in all and they include such statements as:

• God prospers me not to raise my standard of living, but to raise my standard of giving.
• My heart always goes where I put God’s money.

In theory, I agree with most of what Alcorn says, but some of his assertions are easier left in theory than put into practice. That is where most readers will stumble over his words – putting them into practice. It is one thing to postulate about giving 90% of your income to charity and quite another to “walk it out.”

I’m not saying I disagree, just that this type of radical faith living is at the extreme for most modern-day Christians living in America. It certainly flies in the face of the “Prosperity Gospel” that has been popular in recent years. Alcorn is not saying that God won’t bless and prosper His people; it’s just that this prosperity should not be lavished solely upon ourselves. Wealth is given for a purpose.

In times of economic downturn, this teaching is even more difficult to adopt for most church-goers. Yet in my own life and in the lives of my friends I have seen God bless when we gave beyond what others would call “comfortable.” God blesses giving and the Bible upholds that blessings will be poured out to those who give.

This is a great book and excellent for an afternoon of reading. I’d recommend this book for those who want to take your giving to the next level. As with all teaching books, read with discernment and allow God to speak to you about the content. Randy Alcorn is not saying to give all your 401k and the inheritance money away. Instead, learn to wisely use what you have been given to you.

Want to Win a Copy for Yourself?

I’m giving away a copy of this book here on the blog. Simply follow the instructions below to be entered to win.

Contest closes: Tuesday, April 21
Winner will be announced Wednesday, April 22

To enter:

Leave a comment about a time you gave to others when you didn’t really have the extra cash or tell me about what you would give to (or underwrite completely) if money was no longer a hindrance.

*Be sure to leave me a way to contact you in case you are the winner. That means either include your email addy or make sure there is a way to contact you on your profile or website. Thanks!

Buy a copy:

Even is you don’t win, you can purchase a copy of the book for your personal library by clicking on the Amazon link below.

From the first sentence until the last, Daisy Chain engages you and pulls you deeper into Defiance, Texas and the mysterious events of that hot summer thirty years past.

DeMuth’s words are exceptionally evocative, allowing the book to play like a movie across the screen of your mind. Admittedly, some of the content is not comfortable to read, much less envision. When you think of a lazy summer day – especially in the late 70’s -- most of us were not contending with issues as difficult as those presented in Daisy Chain. However, these struggles occur far too often in real life and are frequently treated as the “elephant in the room” – especially within the context of Christian homes.

DeMuth does an excellent job of exposing this “elephant” and while other reviewers are lambasting her for not presenting enough redemption and hope, I say they should withhold judgment. Life is not like a sitcom. It does not always reach a suitable conclusion within a thirty minute timeframe. And a single book does not a trilogy make. Said reviewers should remember that this is BOOK ONE of a three-part story. The author has merely parted the clouds to let us view the storm roiling within Defiance and the hearts of her characters.

(OK . . . I’ll climb down off my soapbox now :o) and return you to our review.)

Back to Book One: I believe that redemption and hope are woven throughout this story. They show up where you least expect, clothed in garb that makes them hard to recognize for what they are. Bear in mind that light shines brightest in the darkness. In the considerable darkness of Defiance, Texas and the Pepper family, I have a feeling that light is about to break forth. I anxiously await the next two installments of the series and the conclusion of this trilogy.

Let’s take a look at what Daisy Chain is all about:

The abrupt disappearance of young Daisy Chance from a small Texas town in 1977 spins three lives out of control-Jed, whose guilt over not protecting his friend Daisy strangles him; Emory Chance, who blames her own choices for her daughter’s demise; and Ouisie Pepper, who is plagued by headaches while pierced by the shattered pieces of a family in crisis.
In this first book in the Defiance, Texas Trilogy, fourteen-year-old Jed Pepper has a sickening secret: He’s convinced it’s his fault his best friend Daisy went missing. Jed’s pain sends him on a quest for answers to mysteries woven through the fabric of his own life and the lives of the families of Defiance, Texas. When he finally confronts the terrible truths he’s been denying all his life, Jed must choose between rebellion and love, anger and freedom.

Daisy Chain is an achingly beautiful southern coming-of-age story crafted by a bright new literary talent. It offers a haunting yet hopeful backdrop for human depravity and beauty, for terrible secrets and God’s surprising redemption.

About the Author:

In my previous post, I featured a little Q & A with Mary DeMuth regarding her newest book, Daisy Chain.

Mary DeMuth is an expert in the field of Pioneer Parenting. She helps Christian parents plow fresh spiritual ground, especially those seeking to break destructive family patterns. Her message guides parents who don’t want to duplicate the home where they were raised or didn’t have positive parenting role models growing up.

An accomplished writer, Mary’s parenting books include Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture, Building the Christian Family You Never Had, and Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God. Her real-to-life novels inspire people to turn trials into triumphs: Watching the Tree Limbs (2007 Christy Award finalist, ACFW Book of the Year 2nd Place) and Wishing on Dandelions (2007 Retailer’s Choice Award finalist).

Mary is a frequent speaker at women’s retreats and parenting seminars, addressing audiences in both Europe and the United States. National media regularly seek Mary’s candid ability to connect with their listeners. Her radio appearances include FamilyLife Today, Moody Midday Connection, and U.S.A. Radio network. She also has articles published in Marriage Partnership, In Touch, and HomeLife.

As pioneer parents, Mary and her husband Patrick live in Texas with their three children. They recently returned from breaking new spiritual ground in Southern France where they planted a church.

Learn more about Mary at http://blog.myfamilysecrets.org/.

My Personal Take on Daisy Chain:

For those of you who have made it this far in the review, I wanted to include a little aside, in the form of a confession. You see, I knew better than to get involved with something like Daisy Chain. Typically I read series after at least two books have been published. That way I don’t have the pain of waiting on the next installment. I don’t lie awake at night daydreaming about the characters, wondering how they are and what life has held for them since last we interacted. I’ve guarded myself against this for quite some time.

But I let my guard down with Daisy Chain and now it’s firmly entrenched in my heart and mind. I long to check in on Jed and Sissy, to see if someone finally gave Hap what he deserved, and to make sure Hixon and Muriel are OK. I want – no I NEED – to know the rest of the story.

Truthfully, I’ve not felt like this in many years about a piece of literature. For many years, I’d given up on Christian fiction books and only recently have started exploring more of them. It’s not that I was such a great writer (this post is proof positive of that); it’s just that I was exposed to such great literature and was a connoisseur of it before becoming a Christian. In my mind, Mary DeMuth has joined the likes of Francine Rivers, Brock and Bodie Thoene, Angela Elwell Hunt, and Susan Meissner as authors worthy of accolades in the Christian fiction genre.

I eagerly await my next trip to Defiance. I can’t wait to peer into the lives of the characters again. I am anxious to hear the story unfold as DeMuth delivers what I’m sure will be another compelling and excruciatingly beautiful novel.

Get a Copy for Yourself

I know you want a copy for yourself. Order from Amazon by clicking the link below.

Sometimes the best thing we can do for our spouse (or significant other) is to work on the relationship and remember to give it your best. This is especially true if you’ve been together for years.

Recently, I had the privilege of reviewing three books that help you do just that. Better still, thanks to the good folks at Multnomah Books* and Waterbrook Press*, I have a set of these same books to giveaway to one faithful blog reader.

Each of these three books focuses on a unique portion of the relationship, but all trace back to endeavoring to truly love one another.

In his new book Love as a Way of Life Devotional, best-selling author Dr. Gary Chapman will rouse a desire to let “love guide the way you respond to others in every situation.”

“These ninety short devotionals—perfect for reading on your own, with your spouse, or with a friend over coffee—deliver the inspiration and encouragement you need to make love a lasting habit.” As you delve into the book, applying its principles to your life, you will cultivate a new lifestyle of loving others built around the seven characteristics of authentic love.

Each devotional entry showcases biblical truths that guide a life of love, offering fresh insight and practical guidance in how to consistently love others. Over the course of three months, readers will learn to follow God’s lead as they practice the characteristics of a loving person: kindness, patience, forgiveness, courtesy, humility, generosity, and honesty.

Ideal as a gift or to read for personal enrichment, this little book will significantly impact all of your relationships – not just the one with your spouse or significant other.

I Do Again by Cheryl and Jeff Scruggs details the fascinating real-life story of a couple whose relationship seemed shattered beyond all hope until a spiritual awakening led them to reconsider their definitions of “happily ever after.”

With their professional success and adorable twin daughters, Jeff and Cheryl Scruggs looked like the perfect couple. But their polished facade “concealed a widening chasm between two people unable to connect on an intimate, soul level.”

“After years of frustration, Cheryl’s longing for emotional fulfillment led to an affair and, finally, divorce. Yet, incredibly, seven years later, Jeff and Cheryl once again stood at the altar, promising to ‘love, honor, and cherish’ one another. A new and vibrant love had risen out of the ashes of this family’s pain.”

“A riveting account of the power of prayer and redemption, this remarkable book offers renewed hope for even the most troubled marriages—and reveals why the rewards of restoration are well worth the wait.”

“Cheryl and Jeff are the founders of Hope Matters Marriage Ministries, and for the past several years they have shared their incredible story of a marriage restored with audiences across the nation.” Whether happily married or trapped in a troubled marriage, this book has the power to touch all who read it.

For Couples Only by Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn combines two wonderful resources, For Women Only and For Men Only providing the perfect resource to help you understand what the woman or man in your life needs most.

“Since their debut, these revolutionary guides have sold well over a million copies, been translated into fifteen languages, and sparked many fascinating water-cooler conversations around the country. Now together in the For Couples Only boxed set, these books provide the perfect resource to help you understand what you never knew about the woman or man in your life.

Each volume is based on input from more than a thousand members of the opposite sex—including an unprecedented nationwide survey and hundreds of personal interviews. This innovative approach yields candid and surprising answers about everything you don’t “get” about your significant other—even what that person deeply wishes you knew. It also produces simple but groundbreaking awareness of how you can best love and support the one who is most important to you.

So whether you are newly dating or have been married fifty years, get ready to know each other in a whole new way. The adventure is just beginning!”

Purchase the books:

Win a copy of each of the books listed above:

As mentioned above, thanks to the folks at Multnomah Books* and Waterbrook Press*, we have one copy of each of the books to giveaway to a faithful blog reader. To win all three books in the prize set follow the guidelines below.

1. To enter simply leave a comment on this blog ~ any comment will do. That qualifies as one entry.
2. Tweet or blog about this contest and link to this post. Then comment here with the permalink for your blog entry or tweet. That qualifies for another entry.
3. Want two extra entries? Subscribe to or Follow this blog and you’ve got ‘em. Just let me know how you subscribed.

Giveaway Details:
The winner will be contacted by email. So, be sure to have it on your blogger profile or leave it in the comment.

You can enter until 5 pm Eastern on February 19, 2009. At that time the comments will be closed. The winner will be selected at random and announced on February 20, 2009.

Ready! Set! Leave a Comment!

*Both Multnomah Books and Waterbrook Press are divisions of Random House Inc.

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Get your daily dose of blog giveaways, contests and free online sweepstakes from Sweeties Sweeps.

Concise, cross-referenced, and crucial – these are fitting descriptors for the Christian Writers’ Market Guide. Any aspiring Christian writer will save valuable time and effort by utilizing the tools and contacts gathered by Sally E. Stuart.

This year’s Guide is even handier with a CD-Rom included that features the full text of the book for easy searches of topics, publishers, and markets, as well as 100 pages of exclusive content including indexes and writing resource listings.

“For 24 years running, the Christian Writers’ Market Guide has remained the most comprehensive, complete, essential, and highly-recommended resource for beginning and veteran Christian writers, agents, editors, publishers, publicists, and those teaching writing classes.”

Completely updated and revised to feature the latest on…

• more than 1,200 markets for the written word
• 416 book publishers (32 new)
• 654 periodicals (52 new)
• 96 literary agents
• 100 new listings in Resources for Writers
• 226 poetry markets
• 316 photography markets
• 25 African-American markets
• and 166 contests (29 new)

The sheer volume of resources on the CD alone is worth more than the cost of the book. You will find links to Elements of Style, Freelance jobs, help for new writers, web page development, websites for locating quotes and information, legal guides, self-publishing information, tax help for writers, and so much more.

This book would be a great gift for your friends or a fantastic way to leverage your writing skills for greater profit and exposure. Every avenue is covered: from publishers to writing contests, the greeting card market to comprehensive lists of periodicals accepting submissions.

Truly worthy of the space it will occupy on your desk and guaranteed to not gather dust, this reference is one you will reach for time and again during your writing career.

Get a Copy of the Book:
Click below to purchase through Amazon.

Author Bio:

Sally E. Stuart is the author of thirty-six books and has sold more than one thousand articles and columns. Her long-term involvement with the Christian Writers’ Market Guide as well as her marketing columns for the Christian Communicator, Oregon Christian Writers, and The Advanced Christian Writer, make her a sought-after speaker and a leading authority on Christian markets and the business of writing. Stuart is the mother of three and grandmother of eight and lives near Portland, Oregon.

“For the first time ever, all of the statements Jesus made in the New Testament have been brought together and organized under more than 200 topics. When you want to know his will in a specific area of life, or you’re seeking the answer to a perplexing question, or you are desperate for his encouragement, comfort, or wisdom–you can easily find the help you need.
The moment you turn to the appropriate topic heading, you will have access to the breadth of Jesus’ teaching on that subject. You can also use this book as a guide for studying Jesus’ wisdom on any topic of interest, such as prayer, forgiveness, eternity, anger, temptation, relationships, grace, or knowing God.”

Although not a book you read from cover to cover, it is one you will reach for continually. A wealth of knowledge is contained within its pages, and during the time I’ve owned the book, it has come in handy on several occasions, proving useful in locating just the right passage of Scripture time and again. This book is an exceptional resource and one that any student of the Bible would desire to have in their personal reference library.

Perhaps more amazing than the topics covered in this book are the ones that aren’t. Out of curiosity, I would look to see what Jesus had to say on certain topics only to find there weren’t any entries pertaining to that subject. It certainly sheds new light on the issues of life that were closest to his heart, and allows you to see the depth of teaching on any subject of interest.

To Purchase the Book:
This book is available online at Amazon by clicking the link below or you can purchase it at most fine bookstores.

Practical and no-nonsense in its approach, you are certain to find this book informative and a ready reference as you embark on your wellness journey. While it revisits tried and true methodology for long term weight loss, it offers fresh perspective for those who have been in cyclical yo-yo dieting. The book affirms what we know to be true: diets don’t work for long-haul, life-sustaining weight loss. The focus rests clearly on lifestyle changes, choices, and the fact that you are truly the only one who can take steps to overcome years of deadly eating habits.

Accompanying the book is a 16 week “journal” to help you track weight loss and exercise goals. It is filled with motivational tips and exercise routines. While I have not completed it, I am looking forward to tracking the full 16 weeks of progress toward my personal weight loss.

I believe this would be an excellent resource for those who are tired of the fad diets and claims to quick and easy weight loss without lasting effects. This is the good old-fashioned “Eat Right and Exercise” method tweaked to focus squarely on choices and owning each decision you make for your personal health and wellbeing.

It is refreshing to read a book on weight loss from someone who has actually lost a LOT of weight herself and who has successfully kept if off using the same methods she is discussing in the book.

You can purchase the book by itself or with the accompanying Personal Fitness Trainer (journal). Here are the specifics as well as a synopsis of the book and Bio for the author.

Synopsis:
After years of failed diet attempts, Chantel Hobbs discovered the missing ingredient to permanent weight loss: to change your life, you first have to change the way you think.

She developed a balanced plan for exercise and nutrition and lost two hundred pounds. Now, through writing, speaking, and her work as a personal trainer, she inspires others to achieve far more than they thought possible.

In Never Say Diet, Chantel provides everything readers need to lose weight for good, including:

• Simple, step-by-step workout routines that fit into a normal weekday schedule
• A realistic approach to nutrition that helps people break their bondage to food
• Strategies for staying motivated when life takes unexpected turns
• Keys to dealing with discouragement by relying on God’s strength
• The secret to moving beyond past failures and getting over old excuses

Chantel helps readers make the five commitments that are necessary for changing their lives. Her high-energy, no-nonsense approach inspires readers to achieve results that last in body, mind, and spirit.

Personal Trainer: Her newest book, The Never Say Diet Personal Fitness Coach, now allows readers to have Chantel show up each week to inspire, encourage, and energize them on the journey to a healthy life that centers on body, mind, and spirit.

This fitness guide helps readers set new weight-loss goals and create an exercise schedule that works in the midst of life’s constant demands. Readers will be inspired with Scripture, and they will welcome Chantel’s healthy eating plan with simple, energy-and-nutrition-packed recipes. Weekly checklists and personal evaluations direct readers in reaching their goals. Plus, Chantel’s personal and entertaining stories provide the motivation needed to get through even the most frustrating days.

With Never Say Diet and The Never Say Diet Personal Fitness Coach readers will establish new fitness habits that burn off excess weight, increase strength, and establish a new, healthy way of living.

Author Bio: Chantel Hobbs is a personal trainer, certified spinning instructor, and motivational speaker whose no-excuses approach to fitness has won her a grateful following across the country. The author of Never Say Diet, Chantel hosts a weekly fitness program on Reach FM radio and is a regular guest on Way FM. Her “Ditch the Diet, Do the Weekend” bootcamp takes place several times a year in a variety of locations. She has presented her unique approach to lasting fitness in People magazine and on Oprah, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Fox News, The 700 Club, Living the Life, and Paula White Today. Chantel enjoys life with her husband and their four children in South Florida.

I admit it; I'm a sucker for lists! And the subtitle to Only Nuns Change Habits Overnight - 52 Amazing Ways to Master the Art of Personal Change - had me hooked.

This book is more than just lists, however. It's a humorous, plainly-spoken approach to achieving the dreams and goals you have set (or need to set) for your life.

It both encompasses the New Year’s Resolution variety of change, and plunges headlong into tackling lifelong hindrances and goals that seem to perpetually reside just out of reach. With a few exceptions, it’s not exactly new information, just re-framed. But, if you’re anything like me, restating information is a necessity if you want it to stick.

The summary of the book states that “Linamen shows readers the link between dissatisfaction and transformation, how to remodel habits, the little-known truth about procrastination, how to generate the energy they need to pursue the life they desire, how to benefit from options and resources they never dreamed they had, and much, much more!”

Admittedly, I thought I knew all there was about procrastination since I am an expert in that field, but there was a true “A-ha” moment as I read the “little-known truth about procrastination” that the author shares in her book.

Although this book is marketed to women, the information and tips apply universally to both sexes, and as long as your significant other doesn’t mind the pink on the cover, I can guarantee he will learn something as well. In fact, this would be an excellent book to work through as a couple or in a group setting. The author has included discussion starters and questions at the close of each chapter to facilitate both group discussion and personal reflection. Additionally, all 52 of the action points listed in the book could be completed as a group or with a buddy. So, if you need that extra bit of motivation, grab a friend or two and use this book as a great kickoff for 2009.

~About the Author~

Believe it or not, even though Karen Scalf Linamen has ten other books marketed to women, this was my first encounter with her work. She is a popular motivational speaker and has been featured on more than one hundred radio programs, including FamilyLife Today. Publishers Weekly describes her as “funny, forthright and unforgettable.” Linamen lives with her family in Colorado Springs, Colorado. You can visit her website at http://www.karenlinamen.com/

~ Two Ways to Get the Book~

First, you can purchase it outright from online retailers such as Amazon.com or in most fine bookstores. Here’s a link:

Secondly, I happen to have a copy to give away thanks to the great folks over at WaterBrook Press. If you want to be eligible to win a copy, simply follow the instructions below:

1. Leave a comment on this blog regarding a change you’d like to make this year. It can be anything: learn to drive, lose 10 pounds, quit procrastinating and write that book already. Anything! This earns you one entry.

2. To get a second entry, simply post about this contest on your blog and then link it back here.

It’s that simple! Comments will remain open until midnight Eastern Time Monday, January 5 and the winner will be announced Tuesday, January 6.

I don't normally start reading with the last book of a trilogy or in the middle of a series because I like to enter the characters' world at the beginning. I made an exception for When the Soul Mends by Cindy Woodsmall. This delightful book is the third in the Sisters of the Quilt series.

As the story unfolded I felt like sufficient background was supplied so that I was brought up to speed with the storyline. Yet, I didn't think the redundancy was so heavy that faithful readers would believe the author was wasting time reiterating material. As a newcomer, it took me a chapter or two to get comfortable in the book but I didn't feel handicapped by not having read the other two novels. In fact, I now am yearning to locate the two predecessors to this novel!

In When the Soul Mends, the reader is ensconced in the world of the Amish Mennonite and Old Order Amish. The Plain life is faithfully portrayed by Cindy Woodsmall as she concludes the story of Hannah Lapp, a young woman ostracized from the community in which she was raised.

Hannah returns at the behest of her sister and is forced to face the lifestyle and loved ones that she left behind nearly two years earlier. It is a time of discovery, on many levels, and she finds herself torn between the Englischer world and the Plain life.

~ Author Information ~

Cindy Woodsmall is a best-selling author, who has garnered strong praise for the first two novels in the Sisters of the Quilt series. When the Heart Cries was a finalist for the ECPA Novel of the Year in 2007 and received the Reviewer’s Choice Award from the Road to Romance website. When the Morning Comes was named among the Best Books of 2007 for Crossings Book Club. Cindy lives in Georgia with her husband of thirty years.

If you like novels with an Amish flavor then you will definitely enjoy this book. This was my first fictional journey into their world and I was immediately intrigued by this old-fashioned, alternate lifestyle that coexists within modern-day America. I appreciated the way in which the author resolved the conflict within this novel. I'm not sure how to properly phrase this, but I was pleasantly surprised that honor remained intact while allowing for growth in the characters. This fact alone is proof positive that salacious content is not necessary for a novel to land on the New York Times Bestseller list.

I would definitely recommend this as a great book to while away the hours during these long winter nights. In fact, you can grab a copy of the book for yourself by participating in my blog contest!

~ Book Giveaway Information ~

I have one copy of When the Soul Mends to give away. To play, simply leave a comment on this blog recommending a good book you've recently read. Comments will close on December 11th and the winner will be announced on the 12^th.

~ Purchase When the Soul Mends ~

If you like to read fiction books - especially historical fiction - and you've been around this blog for any length of time, then you should have noticed my book review for The Shape of Mercy. If not, go read it here. If you don't have your own copy of this book purchase one or borrow it if you have to -- you won't be sorry!

Most of you know that I am pretty hard on Christian authors. I feel like most don't have the chops that their 'secular' counterparts do when it comes to building a plot and developing believable and engaging characters. Susan is in the handful of Christian authors that I think have the goods. I loved The Shape of Mercy so much! I actually had to stop myself from doing a Google search on Mercy Hayworth -- she's a fictional character, for crying out loud! But that just goes to show you how well written this novel is.

Anyway, I digress!

My point in this blog entry is to let you know that Susan is doing something that I've never seen before -- and I think I'm gonna like it. She's starting a blog so that the characters from The Shape of Mercy can continue to flesh out their storyline. Love it!!

Here's the link to the blog: http://theshapeofmercy.blogspot.com/

So, here's what you need to do next:

1. Read the book


2. Subscribe to the blog


3. Enjoy! :)

As a lover of historic fiction, it didn't take me long to become completely engrossed in Susan Meissner's most recent book, The Shape of Mercy. This novel is an elegantly crafted work of fiction whose superb storyline whisks the reader through time, transporting them to an era when hysteria reigned and darkness prevailed. The story so completely envelops the reader in a perfectly plausible, yet not too predictable, plot that I actually had to remind myself it was a work of fiction.

The main characters grapple with timeless conflicts as the author subtly draw parallels which compel the reader to reexamine long-held motivations and thought patterns, all the while keeping you immersed in the storyline.

The Shape of Mercy tells the tale of Lauren Durough who "is a college student longing to break free of family expectations when she stumbles into a project for eighty year old Abigail Boyles -transcribing the journals of Mercy Hayworth, a seventeenth-century victim of the Massachusetts witch trials."

During this transcription process, Mercy and her plight are reframed in both the lives of Abigail and Lauren. Each lady must walk out her own version of Mercy's conflicts and find resolutions to stigmata and rash judgments.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys historic fiction where the "moral of the story" that undergirds the plot does not detract from the narrative being so perfectly woven by the author. In my opinion, Meissner is one of few Christian authors who writes credible plots that are not heavy-handed. I found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable book that would appeal to a wide audience and I heartily recommend both the book and the author.



To order your own copy of the book visit Amazon.com
The Shape of Mercy: A Novel




Author's Bio:
From early school-day projects to becoming editor of a local newspaper in Minnesota, Susan Meissner's love for writing has been apparent her entire life. The Shape of Mercy is her latest novel in a string of books that delve into the deeper issues of life. She is the author of nine novels and lives with her family in San Diego, California. Find out more about her at http://www.susanmeissner.com/.