October 09th, 2014

I live in West Texas so we aren't seeing falling leaves or changing colors, but the weather has gotten cooler. Lately, the temperatures have been between 85 and 90, which compared to this summer, seems wonderful. I'm especially enjoying the early mornings, when the air has a chill to it. 

Falling Leaves, Falling Prices
To celebrate the fall season, the amazing Clean Indie Reads group has a sale going on. If you haven't checked the Clean Indie Reads Fall Sale out, you need to! I'm planning on going shopping later today - it's taken me this long to narrow down what I'm going to purchase because there truly are so many wonderful books available. 

Blog Hopping
I'm so excited to not only be a part of the sale, but to participate in this Blog Hop as well. I hope those of you who have been following the blog hop are having fun! I know I've enjoyed learning more about my fellow authors. Please make sure you check out all of the blogs participating as many are doing a giveaway and the deadlines aren't until the sale is over!

October 5:
Linda Covella
Mary Ellen Bramwell
Tina Webb
Logan Crowe

October 6:
Tara Fairfield
Barbara A. Martin
Shanna Hatfield

October 7:
Sally Sue Fleischmann Ember
Zelda Benjamin

October 8:
Kelley Crandall
Jennifer Pitkin
Mari Barnes
Chrystal Lynn Miles Gauthier

October 9
Sharon Skretting
James DiBenedetto 

October 10
Felicia Rogers
Ruth O’Neil
Debbie Brown

October 11
Faith Blum
Kristin Wallace
Elizabeth Kaiser

Blog Hop Question

Do the changing seasons influence your writing and/or the choice of books you read? 
This is a question that all of the bloggers participating in the blog hop have been asked. For myself, I do find that I am more inclined to write a book that takes place in colder months during the summer, and vice versa. In fact, these last two months I've worked on Finding Peace, where the story plays out during the month of January. I found myself enjoying the idea of colder weather and snow during the hot summer we've had here in West Texas. I have a feeling that the opposite may be true when I'm shivering this winter, double socks on my feet, and a mug of hot chocolate sitting on my desk. LOL 

I don't know that the changing seasons really affect what books I read, save for one exception: I tend to only read Christmas or holiday novels during November and December. Otherwise, I choose novels based on the mood I'm in at the time. 

Reviews
I just wanted to say that, when you read a book, authors love it if you have a moment to leave a review. Reviews are a great way to provide some honest feedback and help future readers choose a book. I know I truly appreciate them, and other authors do as well.

Thank You!
I am so glad that you took time today to come by my blog. I would love to hear from you! What is your favorite thing about fall? Does it affect what books you enjoy reading?

Information About My Novel
My book, Calming the Storm, is on sale for $0.99 through October 11th. If you enjoy Christian romance, I hope you'll give it a try. The story itself was on my heart for several years before I wrote the book. The song, "Sometimes He Calms the Storm," performed by Scott Krippayne on his album, "Wild Imagination," inspired the book. This song has been a huge help at difficult times in my life. The words in the chorus remind me that, no matter what I'm going through, God is there with me. Even when God doesn't calm the storm that I'm struggling through, He's here holding me as I weather it. I am so incredibly thankful for His love, peace and guidance. 

In Calming the Storm, Rachel had a rough childhood and continues to feel like she has no control over her life. She has always felt that she was at the mercy of life's storms. When her sister - the only immediate family she has - is killed in a car accident, Rachel finds herself caring for her young niece. Struggling to find a job and a permanent place to live, Rachel is at risk of losing custody of her niece. 

Brandon teaches a class that Rachel attends, but when she has to drop out of college to take care of her niece, he becomes concerned. Learning about the difficult situation she's in, he does the only thing he can think of to help: He suggests a marriage of convenience. With that agreement, she would have a stable living situation, a new job through his parents, and health insurance. All things that would hopefully lead to Rachel being able to adopt her niece and give her the kind of childhood she never had herself.

Brandon reaches out to Rachel as he tries to break through the walls that she's built up over the years. With love and patience, he hopes to help Rachel realize that, even when she experiences storms in her life, she isn't alone. 

Calming the Storm is available on Kindle as well as paperback through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and CreateSpace.

Coming in November

My next book, Finding Peace, is the first in my Love's Compass series. The book itself is done and I'm currently in the editing process. I'm so excited about this title and I can't wait for my readers to get to know these new characters.

Kentucky "Tuck" Chandler is a police officer in the small town of Kitner, Texas. When Laurie Blake walks in on a robbery at her photography studio, Tuck is assigned the case. 

What seems to be a simple break-in soon becomes a string of incidents. They appear to have no connection, but with each new case, more people are in danger.

Can Tuck find the answers he needs to keep Laurie safe and bring peace back to the residents of Kitner?