The world can wait

The British charts have been taken by storm over the past week as Wherever You Are entered on Mon 19 Dec and became the Christmas No 1 on Dec 25 - less than a week later. While their husbands were on active duty in Afghanistan, the wives of bases at Chivenor and Plymouth were visited by Gareth Malone and the BBC as part of a tv series The Choir. He wanted to give the women a voice, something to keep them occupied while their men were fighting thousands of miles away. None of them expected this. Given the opportunity to perform at the Festival of Remembrance, a week after the men returned, Gareth asked the women for letters they and their husbands had exchanged. The song was composed by Paul Mealor from those letters. The title comes from a bracelet one husband gave his wife before he left. I can't embed this for some reason click this link, watch the video then come back here. Oh and grab a tissue first. This song has had the Entire Country in tears - more than once.

Something I wrote last year. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20HoJZecNqM This is Christmas - Kutless The tall carpenter stood in the stable, looking down at the tiny newborn baby in his arms. Mary, his wife, lay exhausted on the pile of straw beside him. He loved her so much, didn’t think they’d have make it. Especially with everywhere full and Mary in labour. He’d never tell anyone how scared he was the last few hours. And as for delivering the baby himself... He shuddered. He’d done it, but never again. He sat down slowly, the babe still sleeping peacefully in his arms. The angel said this babe was the son of God. It wasn’t his flesh and blood he knew that. He’d known for months. He’d been ready to divorce Mary, furious that she’d cheated on him, but the angel had set him right on that score. His faith and love for the woman nest to him wasn’t misplaced or in vain. He stroked the babe’s cheek. “I will protect you, love you, raise you as much as any children I may have in the

Twas The Night Before Jesus Came Anonymous Twas the night before Jesus came and all through the house not a creature was praying, not one in the house. Their bibles were lain on the shelf without care, in hopes that Jesus would not come there. The children were dressing to crawl into bed, not once ever kneeling or bowing a head; And mom in her rocker with baby on her lap, was watching the late show while I took a nap; When out of the East there arose such a clatter, I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter; Away to the window I flew like a flash, threw open the shutters and threw up the sash. The light of His face made me cover my head, it was Jesus returning, just like He said. And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth, I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself. In the book of life, which He held in His hand, was written the name of every saved man. He spoke not a word as He searched for my name, when He said, "It's not here!" my

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree © 2011 Delia Latham Part 1 if you missed it Part 2  if you missed it Part 3 Raising her gaze to his, not even bothering to bemoan what she knew must be a swollen, splotchy, make-up stained face, Jo shook her head. "You're here now . What has changed?" "Monty Colafax was killed yesterday in a shoot-out with police and FBI. He won't be bothering me or anyone I love, ever again." "Oh." Jo digested this information slowly. "What about his people?" Dean shrugged. "FBI says with him out of the picture, the operation will almost certainly dissolve. Immediately. However…" He lifted her chin and met her gaze. "If you'll have me back, Jo—and you can't possibly know how much I hope you will—I'd feel much safer somewhere else. Some other town, even another state." "Another state?" Jo's mind whirled. It was too much, too fast. "Just…

My Free Read is now available  HERE Collecting the cat from the vet should be simple. Right? Not when the paths are icy and the local Christian vet is drop dead gorgeous. Kady Harris has done as much as she could to win his heart and failed. Rory O’Leary figured he’d missed his chance with the beautiful girl who sits opposite him in church -- after all, she's married. Until he learns things aren’t what they seem when she winds up injured in his arms. Someone once called snowflakes 'kisses from heaven.' Can a snow covered landscape covered in God's kisses work it's spirit of love on Kady and Rory?

And I can see my editor cringing over my bad grammar from here LOL After The Fire hits an unsuspecting world on Feb 17th 2012. Avaliable as both Print and Ebook. Blurb : Private Investigator, Freddie Flynn, wants nothing to do with the man who left her fifteen years ago, or the God he left her for. Especially if the reports of corruption within the high ranking levels of the company are true. Finding missionary life unfulfilling, Jason Bryant returns to Headley Cross and takes a position in the same firm as Freddie. Wanting to make amends, he is halted by a file which states she’s a traitor. Thrown together on a case that could cost them everything, including their lives, can they see beyond their hurt and work together? Is all lost in the fire? Or will they find forgiveness in the still small voice of love. Excerpt: She paused. "I’m sorry, Jason. I shouldn’t have said all that stuff, and I shouldn’t have been rude to you. I suppose you called the office and to

There is just something about the smell of gingerbread at Christmastime. There is also something about the taste of gingerbread at Christmastime. There are a billion different recipes out there featuring combinations of ginger and molasses. Some are for functional gingerbread, such as for building a house. Others are cookies, either dropped or made into men or other shapes. Others make actual bread in loaf form or as bars. I've tried a number of recipes over the years. When it comes down to TASTE, this is the best by far. It also helps that they are super-easy to make and also travel well; when my husband was in the Navy, I even mailed these to him during deployments! The sealed-up bars remained soft and delicious, even after a week of abuse in transit. EASY GINGERBREAD BARS 1 1/4 cups sugar 1 cup butter, softened 1 egg 3 tablespoons molasses 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons ground ginger For the top: 2 tab

Today I have a guest blog here - http://lasrguest.blogspot.com/ mine is here But there are over 100 authors being spotlighted between 19 and 30 Dec and every single one is giving away something. The more you comment the more likely you are to win. All commenters on my post go into a draw on Dec 30th to win a PDF copy of Time's Arrow My friend and fellow author Marianne Evans has reviewed Time's Arrow here Another friend and fellow author Delia Latham has reviewed Cassie's Wedding Dress and Season For Miracles here

Christmas Eve Vigil                            by Robin Bayne “Mom-Mom, I hear him,” I whispered, sitting up slightly in bed. With the covers sliding off, I leaned toward the other twin bed where my grandmother slept, or tried to, during my all night vigil watching for Santa. Cool air touched my skin, but my excitement warmed me. “I hear something on the roof.” I still recall the sweet scent of her beauty-salon hair-do, as she shook her head and whispered for me to go to sleep, or Santa couldn’t come visit our house. Mom-Mom stayed overnight every Christmas Eve, it was a family tradition. I was no more than five at the time, but the memories of that dark night have never faded.  I knew Santa was out there, somewhere, nearby, and likely to sweep in close when I wasn’t looking. I had been good all year, and had faith that Santa knew that. Deeper in the night, I looked over and saw my grandmother, appearing to be sitting upright in a rocking chair. When I woke her to t

Christmas is a busy time with lots of wrapping and decorating...and baking. As standard now I make my own bread sauce and cranberry sauce. And today I'm going to share the recipes with you. Bread Sauce Dad makes the most amazing bread sauce ever. I asked him how to make it, as I'd forgotten to buy any. 3 slices bread, including crusts. Tear into small pieces then make into breadcrumbs. (I use a tiny food mixer - it's actually hubby's coffee grinder. He had to buy a new one lol.) Place into a saucepan with some onion salt. Add mik. Bring to boil. Simmer gently for 2-3 minutes. I looked at him. "How much milk?" He grinned. "You'll know." Funnily enough yeah, you do know. Cranberry sauce 300g pack fresh cranberries Juice and finely grated zest of 2 clementines 110g light brown muscovado sugar 2 tbsp orange juice or port Method Place the cranberries and the juice and zest of the clementines into a small pan with 150ml cold

From today til end of Dec there's a lot going on HERE . Today my friend and fellow author Delia Latham is there. I'm there on the 21st Dec. Each day there will be a guest post and a book give away. Come over and see what the different authors have to say. BTW I'm also HERE today :)

Today I bring you part two of Delia's story. If you missed part one - where were you? LOL - it's HERE Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree  Part Two © 2011 Delia Latham "Wait!" Jo grabbed a handful of Dean's jacket and jerked him backward. "You're leaving? Just like that? Without explaining yourself?" She fisted both hands and planted them on her hips, only to lift one and dash away a hot tear that dared to escape. Dean sighed, but one corner of his firm, precisely curved lips quirked upward in that familiar, I'm-trying-not-to-laugh semi-grin that haunted her every time she closed her eyes. Right now she narrowed them in a threatening glare. "Well now, darlin', I don't rightly know what to do here. Am I stayin' or goin'?" Jo crossed her arms, partly reacting to the chill from the open door, and partly to keep from wrapping them around him. "You're staying, just long enough to tell me whe

Today we have author Tanya Hanson and her new book - Right to Bragg. Blurb : Disowned by her family, Tiffany Vickers faces a lonely Christmas and takes great comfort in the baby boy in her care. Her faith is in tatters, and she guards her heart against the baby's uncle, handsome cowboy, Bragg Martin. It's the season for forgiveness, and while Bragg longs to open his heart and family to the lovely nanny, he doesn't understand her interest in his arch enemy. Saving a man's life and saving Tiffany's faith bring the couple together...and home to Hearts Crossing Ranch. Excerpt: “Shhhhhh. Matty’s asleep.” She was already twisting a long scarf around her neck. “John’s getting me at seven. Everybody’s home from college. We have our first mini-reunion out at the Double D…” Mini-reunion? What was that about? She’d been out of high school, what, six months? “…and I’m heading toward the Bumble Bee for a manicure and highlights in my hair.” “What’s

Today we have author JoAnn Carter and her new release Hidden Paths. Well, here we are at the close of another story... Hidden Paths. I have to chuckle a bit at the irony of the situation. You see, that's the perfect title for my own personal journey that the Lord has been guiding me through. Although I have other books in circulation, this was the very first story I ever drafted fifteen years ago. I started writing on a whim. Don't ask me why. In fact, have you ever watched Night at the Museum? The first time we saw that movie I cracked up. I am so like that museum director. Some days it seems as if I can't put a complete thought -- let alone sentence -- together to save my life. Couple that with dyslexia and grammar and spelling that would make any English major cringe and... yup, that's me. Yet, here I find myself, walking down the path that once seemed so elusive and hidden to me. Quite a few years after I wrote this book, I went to a writer's retreat. I prayed

Today we have Merry Stahel. Her new novel is releasing on Dec 19th BLURB : Dea Lacey is on the run. Scared and alone, she has to protect her endangered nephew. If she can find Garrett's father, perhaps he'll keep the boy safe and learn to love the child she'd trade her life to keep. Jesse McTavish has lost his family. Abandoning his faith, the seeds of destruction are sown. As he struggles with grief, the last thing he needs is a woman showing up with a child who's the mirror image of his dead son. But he can neither ignore nor reject the woman and child who threaten to break through the protective shield he's built around his heart. Through the ensuing storm of pain and loss, Christmas teaches Dea and Jesse about faith and forgiveness. Sanctuary may be what we ask for, but God gives us so much more. EXCERPT : A second chance. Aunt Amelia was aware of Dea’s life crumbling away. How had the woman known they weren’t safe? How many people had seen and known and fel

Today we have author Nicola Beaumont with us. Nicola has written several books including The Lighthouse which I am spotlighting today. BLURB: DANGEROUS LIAISON... Rachel is in love with her best friend, but when Malachi doesn't seem interested, she turns to an international stranger whom she meets on the internet. At first, conversation is just a pastime, but soon, romantic fantasies form in her mind. Why not consider a man who travels across an ocean to meet her-a man who makes her feel wanted? After all, Malachi might as well be a world away-even if his concern does seem genuine when he warns her about the intriguing Frenchman. RESCUE ON THE WAY... Malachi has sworn not to interfere in Rachel's relationship, but he's in love with the head-strong woman who is determined to continue her budding romance...Yet, Malachi senses something isn't right about the playboy who has suddenly consumed Rachel's time, so he vows to save her from the stranger-and herself-even

From the Heart by Tara Manderino © 2009 Shoving his hands deeper into his coat pockets, and hunching his shoulders to pull his coat collar closer to his neck, Steven stared at the animated display in the store window. Nearly life-sized penguins wearing brightly colored toboggan hats rode up the escalator, and slid down the plastic slope, waddled across the silver pond to start all over again. Smaller home sets of the display were stacked strategically in the display area. The wind ruffled his hair, and he took it as a cue to move to the displays on the side of the building where nearby buildings made a windbreak. He stopped to watch the animated figures decorating the Christmas trees. Steven had always enjoyed this time of the year, looking at the displays, sharing the warmth of the season and the people he would meet. The glow of the light from the department store window was usually enough to send a warmth through him, but not this year. He shov