Oct 8, 2014

Meet Author Ronda Hinrichsen

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Ronda Hinrichsen is the author of romantic suspense, mystery, speculative, and adventure novels. Some exist in the real world; others do not. And some are written under her real name while others are written under her pen name, Kathleen Marks.

Her numerous magazine and internet writing credits include fiction and nonfiction for both children and adults. She also enjoys teaching writing and speaking in various venues.

Ronda first knew she wanted to be a writer when she was in the 6th grade. Her English teacher had been reading S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders to the class. When she reached the section where Johnny urged Ponyboy to stay "gold," Ronda realized she wanted her own novels to encourage the "golden" in others. That remains one of her goals.

Ronda loves to hear from readers... Website | Facebook | Twitter | Email

TEN FUN THINGS TO KNOW 
ABOUT RONDA

10. I frequently get book ideas from dreams.

9. My favorite museums are the Louvre and the Vatican.

8. My favorite television show is Castle.

7. My husband and I have a small farm. That’s how I know I’m not very fond of goats. Or cows.

6. I have been in 21 countries. My favorites are Austria and New Zealand.

5. The country/place that most changed my life was Auschwitz in Krakow, Poland.

4. I am a soprano soloist.

3. I have an ancestor who crossed the plains as a child and later wrote for the LDS church publications. In fact, I have written some of his stories for The Friend.

2. I am from Rexburg, Idaho, and I was in the Teton Dam Flood (I was a child).

1. I LOVE green salads, especially if they include shrimp. That’s often what I order when I go out to eat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TO SLEEP NO MORE is Ronda's NEWEST book under her pen name~ It's a "Castle meets the Parent Trap gone paranormal." :)

She's broken-hearted...

He's the man who loves her...

Preternatural Scientist Alexandra Dalton and her estranged husband Richard Dalton, a treasure hunter, join forces to unravel a mysterious "Night Hag" murder at Watson Manor


Other books by Ronda Hinrichsen:

TRAPPED
A forged letter, a golden vial, an ancient curse...

Her expression remained somber, but excitement crept into her voice. You are the Firstborn She...You must go to them. You want me to act as bait? Not bait, Emi. A spy. Our Trojan horse.


When Emi Warrin wakes one night to find a thief in her mother's house, she has no idea the intruder has planted a trap--a mysterious letter that will change her life forever. Lured to the Austrian Alps with Daniel, the man she loves, Emi is thrown into a perilous, mafia-like world of feuding families and a devastating curse that spans generations. As the Firstborn She--the only firstborn female in hundreds of years--only Emi can free her family from the curse that will soon afflict her as well. But for Emi to break the curse, she must delve into her family's dark past, and she must gain the trust of those who would use her for their own evil designs.

As Emi struggles to understand her destiny as the Firstborn She, she learns that everything isn't as it seems and that all choices have consequences.


MISSING
A BYU-Idaho choir tour in British Columbia turns out to be anything but ordinary when soloist Stacie Cox spots a kidnapped child from Rexburg during a performance. Before Stacie can alert the authorities, the little girl disappears. Stacie vows to find and rescue her, a choice that forces her to deal with her guilt-ridden past and another little girl that haunts her dreams. When the handsome Matt Brennan helps Stacie in the search, she tries to resisit the attraction she feels for him. Yet as he gains her friendship and trust, her resolve to never fall in love begins to crumble. And after a series of harrowing events, Stacie must decide if she is willing to sacrifice her life-and a possible future with Matt-to save a stranger.


HEROES OF THE HIGHEST ORDER BUNDLE SET
THE DARK ENEMY NEVER RESTS. BUT NEITHER DO THE HEROES OF THE HIGHEST ORDER.

Book 1 (The Hidden Kingdom): A magical playground whisks Dan and Page into the Hidden Kingdom where a skinny giant quickly registers them for hero training camp. There, they learn they must gain skills and earn powerful treasures by travelling back in time and walking in the footsteps of a real pioneer hero.

Book 2 (The Prisoner of the Shadows): Dan finds out he's even more powerful than he thought when he and Page search the catacombs in Italy, race through the streets of India, and follow in the footsteps of Mother Teresa in order to rescue their grandfather from the Prison of the Shadows.

Book 3 (The Mouth of the Dragon): Tadeusz Pankiewicz, a real-life hero, helps Dan and Page rescue two children from the Nazis in World War II Poland.


WITH WONDERING AWE
Enjoy rich holiday memories with this heartwarming collection of true Christmas stories from favorite LDS authors---everyday people who have received tidings of comfort and joy. From miraculous to dramatic, profound to heartwarming, this touching anthology will fill your soul with lighthearted surprises, faith-affirming treasures, and thought-provoking insights about the greatest gift of all. Keep the storytelling tradition alive in your family with these wonderful, true holiday treats that will resonate year after year as they remind you and your loved ones of the true meaning of the season. See MY REVIEW


AND COMING SOON


Oct 7, 2014

Snow Angels

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Book Details
Author: Lezlie Anderson
Release Date: October 2014
Publisher: Sweetwater Books
Genre: Christmas

This is THE PERFECT BOOKLET to start off the holiday/winter season!
Sweetly told and perfectly presented!
You will treasure this story for many years to come!

Family Night has come and the kids are grumbling and gripping and fighting...sound familiar?

Well Mom has a plan!

With the recent snow storm Mom has decided to give a SHORT LESSON on service and then go out an ACTUALLY DO the service.

What is the service?

Shovel snow without getting caught!

Again met with grumbling and gripping and fighting Mom simply states..."let's go."

As the kids get into the shoveling their attitudes start to change.

Afterwards one child drops down into the snow-covered yard and starts to make a snow angel.

Grab this booklet to see what happens next :)

LOVED. LOVED. LOVED. THIS. BOOKLET.
PERFECT TO READ!
PERFECT TO GIVE AWAY AS A GIFT!

This year join the ranks of the 
SNOW ANGELS



About the Author
Lezlie Anderson has loved books since she learned to read at age four. She and her sisters used their wild imaginations in their backyard, playing games ranging from being princesses to being attacked by giant grasshoppers. The first books she remembers loving are My Father's Dragon and The Trouble with Miss Switch.

Lezlie is married to a wonderful man, Steve, and they have three wonderful children, three crazy cats, one tortoise, and a fish that has survived more hazards than should be possible.

She loves chocolate, Dr. Pepper, and anything that her husband barbecues.

(A review copy was provided, however, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

Oct 6, 2014

The Crucible of Doubt

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Book Details
Authors: Terryl Givens and Fiona Givens
Release Date: September 2014
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Gospel Teachings

This book is ONE OF THE BEST!

I LOVE the caption on the front cover:

"The body of Christ needs its full complement of members--
the devout, the wayward, the uncomfortable, the struggling."

Do you feel as if you fit into one of those descriptions? 

But as the jacket says "Questioning is not the problem, after all, the restoration unfolded because a young man asked questions."

Difficulties within the body of the Saints "arise when questions are based on flawed assumptions or incorrect perceptions."

SO MANY amazing thoughts and ideas are contained within these pages...

I will give you a few that really stood out to me:

"The Atonement is not a backup plan in case we happen to fall short in the process; it is the ordained means whereby we gradually become complete and whole."

"We know more than we think, even if we know less than we would like."

"We know that the main purpose of Sabbath observance is to partake of the Lord's Supper. But we sometimes grow frustrated with all the peripherals....What if we saw lessons and talks as connections to the sacrament rather than as unrelated secondary activities?

"We love God by learning to love each other."

"I am not asking you to pretend to faith you do not have. I am asking that you be true to the faith you do have.~ Elder Jeffrey Holland."

"Instead of explaining our suffering, God shares it.~ Nicholas Wolterstorff"

This book is FOR EVERYONE! 
Those who stand strong in the gospel and those who carry a vessel of doubts.


About the Authors
TERYL GIVENS holds the James A. Bostwick chair of English and is Professor of Literature and Religion at the University of Richmond and the author of several books. His writing has been praised by the New York Times as “provocative reading” and includes, most recently,When Souls Had Wings, a history of the idea of premortal life in Western thought; a biography (with Matthew Grow) of Parley Pratt: The Apostle Paul of Mormonism (winner of the 2012 Best Book Award from the Mormon History Association); andWrestling the Angel: The Foundations of Mormon Thought.

FIONA GIVENS is a retired modern language teacher with undergraduate degrees in French and German and a graduate degree in European History. She is now an independent scholar who has published in several journals and reviews in Mormon studies, including Journal of Mormon History, Exponent II, andLDS Living. Along with Terryl, she is the author of The God Who Weeps: How Mormonism Makes Sense of Life. Terryl and Fiona are the grandparents of five—fonts of delight; and the parents of six—sources of intellectual challenge and inspiration.

(A review copy was provided, however, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

Oct 4, 2014

Meet the Monsterlingz

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Book Details
Release Date: October 2012
Genre: Children's Picture

This is how the story starts out...
Wonderful rhyming makes it ideal to read aloud!
Go ahead and try it out :)



Grab the book to meet the rest of the family...

Find out about their personalities and what they bring to this family of monsterlingz.

Read with a small child to hear giggles abound!

I LOVE how colorful these monsters are!
DARLING. DARLING. DARLING. BOOK!


About the Author
Sarah Holmlund is a Swedish digital illustrator who loves cute, wacky characters - especially monsters. She has now combined her love of rhyming with monsters and started creating fun, colorful books full of charming monster characters.


Sarah is a stock illustrator and digital artist from Sweden. She creates pictures in different 3d-programs – mostly in Poser and Vue. She does all her post editing in Photoshop.

If you would like to see more of her pictures, and maybe buy some of them, you can check out her portfolio on Shutterstock, CanStockPhoto or BigStock. Or you can E-MAIL her.

Oct 3, 2014

Citizens of Logan Pond: Life w/ Giveaways

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Book Details
Author: Rebecca Belliston
Release Date: September 2014
Publisher: Crescent Moon Press
Genre: Dystopian

"Her home. Her parents. Her freedom. Gone
His dreams. His sister. Himself. Lost
Two people.
One future."

When the stock market crashes for the second time, people begin to lose everything-- including their citizenship to the United States.

Living illegally in abandoned houses the people of Logan Pond rely on each other and a patrolman who is wiling to look the other way.

Life is hard, but it is better than the work camps or the prisons where everyone else has gone.

Then Greg Pierce and his mom show up.

Greg has grand ideas to help the citizens of Logan Pond.

1- Everyone move to one street.

2- Block the entrance.

3- Build wells.

4- Find a doctor to join the clan.

5- Give the patrolman what he really wants to insure he will never turn on them...the girl named Carrie.

Carrie Ashworth has done a lot for the clan and her surviving siblings.

She finds Greg both interesting and frustrating all at the same time.

She is willing to help save her clan...

But to what extent?

I LOVE Rebecca Belliston's books!
So well written!
Fantastic story lines!
This one will keep you reading and pondering the entire book!


FUN QUESTIONS TO ANSWER - leave answers in a comment
What would YOU do to stay alive and safe?

What is one non-essential item you would keep?

What responsibility would you have in a clan like this? 
It has to be something essential: food, clothing, or shelter related.

Would you have stayed in Logan Pond or moved back to a municipality? Why?

Which citizen are you? 


BLOG TOUR GIVEAWAY

Win a signed copy of Citizens of Logan Pond: LIFE 
plus a $25 Amazon gift card
a Rafflecopter giveaway


About the Author
Rebecca Lund Belliston is the author of the romantic suspense novel, Sadie, it's sequel, Augustina, and a new trilogy entitled Citizens of Logan Pond. Rebecca also composes piano and vocal music. When she's not writing fiction, music, or chasing her five kids, she can be found cuddled up with a good book. She and her family live in Michigan.


(A review copy was provided, however, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

Oct 2, 2014

Mountains Between Us

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Available FREE with Bookshelf Plus
Book Details
Author: Jenny Proctor
Release Date: August 2014
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Genre: Contemporary Romance

What an INCREDIBLY WONDERFUL READ!
Filled with depth and love and hope!

Eliza has just taken a position at Rockbridge Academy, a rehabilitation facility for troubled teens.

She finds the work challenging, but rewarding, and living in the woodsy out-doors is a bonus.

She is intrigued with fellow employee, Henry.

He is of her same faith, however, everyone tells her that he keeps to himself.

She also quickly realizes that another employee, Flip, finds her attractive and seeks her friendship.

When her past family troubles catch up with Eliza, Henry offers to help.

Not really knowing why he was so bold in that move Henry finds Eliza's company comforting.

As each open up their hearts they are drawn towards one another.

Yet something is holding Henry back.

He has never let anyone get so close, especially after losing Allison.

Can they find a way to get around the 'mountain that is between them?'

I LOVED THIS BOOK!

While Eliza and Henry's stories are the main theme there are also DELIGHTFUL details and insights into the lives of Flip and AJ and Amber and Bill and others that will also touch your heart!

The writing is FABULOUS!
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book!


About the Author
The question people ask the most is when on earth I ever find time to write. The honest answer is that many days, I don't. I have six babies, see? And they keep a Mom most mighty busy. But somehow, by some miracle, my genetic code allows for me to exist on minimal hours of sleep. For the most part, my first book was written in between the hours of 11 PM, and 3 AM. My husband swears I took years off my life by staying up so late. And perhaps he's right. But what's a girl to do? When there are stories to be written, I can't very well not write them. I'm not very good at staying up late these days, so I've started writing early in the morning, before children are awake. I never thought I'd be a morning person, but there's truly something magical about 5:30 in the morning. . . (Did I really just say that?)

I've lived in Western North Carolina all my life. I love it here and hope I don't ever have a reason to leave. I love to hike with my family and spend time outside. I love to eat fabulous food. I love to swim and bike and run. (This is only because I love eating fabulous food, and well, that'll catch up with you.) And, of course, I love to write.

(A review copy was provided, however, all reviews are of my own opinion :)
* This post contains affiliate links. I am an affiliate with Amazon.com and the Deseret Bookshelf Plus Services Affiliates Program. Both of these help me without any extra costs for you. Thank you!

Oct 1, 2014

Focused w/ SIGNED Book Giveaway

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Book Details
Author: Noelle Pikus Pace
Release Date: September 2014
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Inspiration

We already know and love this woman from the Olympics

She has won many titles and took the silver medal in the 2014 Winter Olympics


Now she shares her knowledge about 
Keeping your Life on Track, Once Choice at a Time

Her book is packed with stories, pictures, memes, and life's lessons.

Just look at these chapter titles:
*You Always Have a Choice
*Can I Sit Here
*Dare to Stand Alone
*A Model of Perfection
*One Foot in Front of the Other
*Useless Runners
*and MORE

Learn about some of her crashes and how she kept going.

Listen to her talk about her family and feel of the love she has for them.

Read about her accident and her comeback.

Share her experiences she has had with her other team members.

Study what she does to keep a balance in her life.

Let her be a role model for you...she is WONDERFUL!


A TRULY PHENOMENAL BOOK!
SO WORTH READING!
IT WILL TOUCH YOUR SOUL!

EXTRA INFO
My husband and I had the unique opportunity to be in on a Questions & Answers session with Noelle.

First of all she is DARLING! FUN! and VERY ENERGETIC!

Her "light" truly shines from her and makes you want to be a better person.

We learned some very fun fact about Noelle.

*Did you know her husband made her winning sled. And she lines it with chocolate to make it the correct weight.

*Noelle loves chocolate cookies and came in the room grabbing one from the table saying "Hey, I'm not in training anymore :)"

*Noelle used to train for 3 hours a day BEFORE her children got up. Otherwise it wouldn't get done.


*She has always had a dream of writing a book and has kept track throughout her life of lessons she has learned that can be passed on. She also has a dream of writing a children's book.

*Noelle's favorite holiday is Halloween.

*She won her 6th grade school spelling bee.

*She wants to become fluent in Spanish and in Sign Language.

*When she was younger she and a friend went to the fabric shop and purchased all the nylon fabric they could get. They then came home and made a parachute from it jumping from the second  floor of her home.

*She is the owner of SnowFire Hats.

After the Q&A Noelle signed books for us...
I was able to get an extra copy to GIVE AWAY to one of my followers :)
(US Address only PLEASE)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
About the Author
Noelle Pikus Pace graduated from Mountain View High School in 2001. In high school she competed in soccer, basketball, softball, track and field, bobsled and also skeleton. She then went on to run track and field at Utah Valley University and graduated in 2005 1st team All-American with a bachelor degree in Community Health. During that time she also broke the UVU high jump record and was the NJCAA National Discus Champion. She became the first woman to ever win the Overall World Cup Title in skeleton that same year. She was favored to win the Gold Medal going into the 2006 Winter Olympics. At the U.S. Olympic trials in October of 2005 an unfortunate accident kept her from competing at the Olympic Games. A bobsled unexpectedly came out of the track and hit her. She sustained a compound fracture to her lower right leg and because of this injury she was unable to compete in the Olympics. The following year, she came back to win the World Championships by the largest margin the history of the sport.

She continued on with her education and received a Masters degree in Business Administration in 2007. In 2008 Noelle decided to take a year off from competition and she and her husband Janson had a little girl, Lacee Lynne Pace. During this time, she started her own hat business, SnowFire Hats, and continued to compete the following year. Noelle competed in the 2010 Winter Olympics, on a sled that her husband built, and was the top U.S finisher finishing 4th to spend more time with her family and Noelle and Janson had a baby boy named Traycen in 2011. Following a miscarriage at 18 weeks pregnant in April of 2012, Noelle and Janson decided that she would give it one last try to earn an Olympic Medal, but only if their family could all travel together. Through the support of family, friends and sponsors it was made possible. Competing in 32 national and international competitions over two years, she finished on the podium 29 times, concluding her career by triumphantly winning the Silver Medal at the Olympic Winter Games in Russia and jumping into the stands to share that moment with her family and the world.

(A review copy was provided, however, all reviews are of my own opinion :)


Noelle will be one of the speakers at the Friday Night session
TIME OUT FOR WOMEN
November 21-22, Maverik Center, Salt Lake City, UT

Meet Author Jo Noelle

2 comments
Jo Noelle grew up in Colorado and Utah but also spent time in Idaho and California. She has two adult children and three small kids.

She teaches teachers and students about reading and writing, grows freakishly large tomatoes, enjoys cooking especially for desserts, builds furniture, sews beautiful dresses, and likes to go hiking in the nearby mountains.

Oh, and by the way, she’s two people—Canda Mortensen and Deanna Henderson, a mother/daughter writing team.

They write sweet romance stories with contemporary, paranormal, fantasy or time-travel twists.


5 FUN Things about Deanna
1. Obsessed with the color green
2. Would like to live out of the country (soon)
3. Dream job would be to be a residential interior designer
4. I listen to every kind of music
5. I've been accuse of being a conflicted hippie (my love of concrete v. my love of natural things)

5 FUN Things about Canda
1. Rock. I like rock. Not soft rock—it’s not really rock. I like alternative too.
2. I've ridden in a hot air balloon
3. I love vacations but hate to travel
4. I've jumped on a moving train
5. I wear flipflops all year (winter included)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jo Noelle has TWO NEW BOOKS~

NEWBIE
The housing market is crashing, and Sophie’s life is crashing with it. 

At twenty-four, her successful real estate career evaporates. She’s broke, can’t find a job, or pay her bills, leaving Sophie wondering how her successful lifestyle became so fragile.

At the urging of her roommate, Sophie accepts a job in her fallback career—teaching six-year-olds. She hopes it’s temporary. After all, how long can a tanking economy last anyway? The best part of the new job is Liam, another employee at Rio Grande Elementary. The worst part of the new job is, well, teaching.

Sophie has a surprise real estate closing from a contract she wrote months ago, leading her to a niche in the real estate market and to a new partner, Kevin. Sophie must choose between Liam or Kevin and between a lucrative career or recess duty.


Lexi's Pathetic Fictional Love Life
Falling in love is easy in fiction--- in high school, not so much.

Lexi Middleton has been socially invisible to her classmates, but starting her junior year, that’s going to change.

First, she’s determined to hook a boyfriend, ensuring dates with flowers and possible kisses on the doorstep. 

Second, she wants to be a writer for the school paper, even though it freaks her out to think of everyone judging her by her punctuation and metaphors. 

High school is difficult enough—keeping up her grades, dealing with increasing sibling rivalry, and trying to stay out of the way of her personal nemesis, Amberlee—but when Lexi catches the eye of her long-time crush, she also becomes the focus of mean-girl tactics. 

Caught between who she was and who she wants to be, Lexi must decide how to confront a bully, and choose who to let into her heart.


And the winner is....

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And the winner of the
$200 Amazon Gift Card is ...


PATRICIA G.



THANK YOU to the 
12 AMAZING authors 
for writing GREAT books 
and for sponsoring this giveaway~


Click on the image to read a summary of each book :)

 



GIVEAWAY ends 9/30/14

No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older and legally able to receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code. This giveaway is not associated with Rafflecopter, Facebook, Twitter or any other entity unless otherwise specified.
VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway was organized by I Love to Read and Review Books :) 
and sponsored by the participating authors.
Stephanie Fowers
Maria Hoagland
Danyelle Ferguson
Paul Mark Tag
Tara C. Allred
Rachel Rossano
Jaleta Clegg
Virginia Ripple
Tricia Ballad
Lisa Swinton
Victorine E. Lieske
Julie Wright
 

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