The world can wait

Christmas. Baubles. Tinsel. Snow. Turkeys. Reindeer. Last-minute shopping on Amazon Prime. Except, if you're reading this, you're probably more into the real meaning of Christmas, aren't you? Jesus. Mary. Joseph. Shepherds. Angels. Magi. Magi? What are they? Well, if you're into romantic fiction (which I'm not), I imagine the Magi are just the kind of people for you. Mysterious strangers, from far-off lands. Matthew describes them, in the second chapter of his gospel (Matthew 2:1-12). Why not read that before you carry on here? Whether we're fans of Christian romance or not, we should certainly find these mysterious Magi fascinating. Why? Not just because of the intrigue of the unusual. But because of what Matthew tells us they do. See, the chief priests and teachers of the law. The ones who knew the Scriptures which spoke about Jesus. They should have been the ones worshipping Jesus. But they didn't. They ignored him. And King He

A barren wife. A baby who needs a home. A husband adamantly opposed to adoption.     Infertility casts a shadow over Robert and Hannah’s marriage in 1891 New York City. So does her newfound faith in Christ, a result of Dwight L. Moody’s evangelistic campaign. Their world is further rocked by their immigrant maid’s pregnancy, and by Jacob Riis’ shocking exposé on life in the city’s tenements. Penny Musco’s The Christmas Child intertwines the themes of childlessness and cultural differences in an exciting inspirational story.  —— Infertility is an unspoken subject in the Jessup household, yet Hannah feels the pain keenly. Her newfound faith, a result of Dwight L. Moody’s 1890 New York City crusade, is another source of tension with her husband, Robert. When their unmarried maid Rosa offers them her unborn baby, Robert refuses and banishes Rosa from their home. How will God answer Hannah’s desperate prayers for children and for her husband’s salvation?   —— Link

Christmas, Yes! Christmas is a wonderful time of year—the most wonderful if the song can be trusted.   From Thanksgiving to December 25 th , we overload the DVR with Christmas movies.   Carols, albeit beautiful, are played exhaustively, and we regale the traditions of family and all manner of wonderful things.   Even for Christians, the holiday has become so commercialized and sappy (don’t get me wrong, I love a good dose of sap every now and again—my DVR is full) that we sometimes forget that Christmas brings with it some serious messages we shouldn’t forget . One of those messages is the importance of saying, “Yes” to God, even when we don’t know what consequences will come because of it—or even when we do know. We’ve heard the annunciation story: once upon a time an angel came to Mary; she said yes. Joseph wasn’t convinced until he received his own angelic visit, and then everything was ab-fab until there was no room at the inn and the baby Jesus was relegated to the barn…

Yes, you read that right. I managed to track him down and ask him some questions at this busy time of year. :) Thank you for taking time out at this busy season to answer my questions. 1. Do you prefer Father Christmas, Santa or St Nick. I prefer Father Christmas 2. Where do you live? I have an ice palace at the north pole. 3. What are you reindeer called? Do you have a favourite one? Their names are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen. My favourite is Prancer because he is so lively and full of spirit. How do you manage to deliver all the presents in one night? It needs a lot of organisation, and I rely on lots of Mums and Dads to get it all done. What do you do on Christmas Day? I go to the Christmas services at my local Church. How many elves work for you? Do you pay them? Do they get a day off each week? There are 9 elves and they all get the national minimum wage, with Sunday off each week. Where do you go for your summer h

As Savannah turned her run-of-the-mill, four-door sedan onto the town square, she spotted a sign claiming she was entering Historic Downtown Ellijay. Typical of small Georgia towns, in the square were a barbeque joint, an antique shop, a few mom-and-pop businesses, and an old-fashioned courthouse. Savannah’s eyes also glimpsed a small salon. Good! At least I have somewhere nearby to get my hair done. After circling the square twice in search of a place to park on the street, Savannah spotted a relatively empty lot off to the side. She decided it’d be nice to walk and headed in that direction. Once parked, she did a quick hair-and-makeup check in the rearview mirror, grabbed her purse, and hopped out of the car. The cynic in her wanted to roll her eyes at every fake-friendly wave of passersby as she traipsed through town. Instead, she gritted her teeth and offered her own saccharine smile. There was a time when Savannah would have relished the happy gesture from

blurb: When compelled to spend Christmas on the private island of her father’s intended bride, Jeanine must cope with pirate legends, unexpected storms, and murder. Will she and her family discover the truth about Anne Bonny’s connection to the Banet family before someone else winds up dead? Back cover blurb:  Compelled to spend Christmas on a private island with her father’s future bride and family, Jeanine learns that Margo Banet is descended from a pirate queen. Relatives and friends all have their reasons for attending the festivities—including the legendary treasure. But when Margo’s nephew winds up dead and a violent storm cuts them off mainland, Jeanine has to wonder if they will solve the mystery before someone else dies trying. Book excerpt This was an odd Christmas. At least I had my family around me. We negotiated our way back to the house as soon as allowed. As we went around the bend closest to the front door, I saw something blue in the bushes. It seemed

THE SECOND TIME AROUND / LOVE AT CHRISTMAS INN – MARIANNE EVANS BLURB:             Dus tin Farrell is expected to succeed. He’s gifted with the means and ability to take the world of business development by storm…and he’s doing just that, right on plan. As Christmas approaches, he’s called home, to Hope Creek, Tennessee. He’s been given a slam-dunk objective from his investors: Take a small, local art shop and expand it into the retail mainstream. Lillianna Bennett, Dustin’s former high school classmate, is part owner of Purple Door Art Market. Long ago, her shy sweetness captured his imagination, but nothing came of the affectionate flame between them. Until a reunion at Christmas Inn. Dustin presents his offer, realizing the wallflower of his youth has bloomed into a confident, talented woman with the kind of free-spirited heart for which he always longed. And he wonders: Is a life of expectation, and ‘more’ what he really wants? Will his professional quest end up

Book Blurb : Hit radio show host Annalise Waters is challenged on-air when one of her listeners, social studies teacher Christopher Sanders, accuses her of being cold-hearted toward the needs of the local children’s hospital. Afraid of public backlash, the station arranges a fundraiser for the hospital, with Annalise at the head. But it’s a fundraiser that drags up painful memories from Annalise’s past. Christopher hadn’t intended to be hustled into a fundraiser—he’d only wanted to make a point. But as he spends more time with Annalise, and realizes his mistaken judgment, he can’t deny the growing feelings for this woman who is anything but cold-hearted. Will she ever forgive his on-air accusations and see the depth of his true feelings? EXCERT: Annalise pulled two steaming cups close as she scooted past a coworker in the hallway. Sam stood down the hall at the door of the studio, with her hands on her hips and an exasperated expression on her face. “You’re on in thirty

BLURB for THE COWBOY’S MIRACLE Despite rodeo star fame and a veterinarian license, Seth Holmes is a social outcast because his father bilked investors out of millions. Among his father’s papers, he discovers a photograph of his grandparents’ farm in New Jersey. Seth never knew he had relatives. He sets out to find the farm, hoping to leave behind the angry investors seeking revenge. Gabriella Cavallo runs a farm with alpacas, a greenhouse, and a carriage house, which is rented for events. Her godparents took her in when her parents died, but now her godmother is in the nursing home. She’s skeptical when Seth arrives at the door claiming to be her godmother’s grandson, but he bears a strong resemblance to photos of his father. Then someone targets the alpacas by trying to poison the animals. Seth pitches in and soon wins Gabriella’s trust. But Seth begins to suspect the bilked investors have found him—and this time they’re targeting Gabriella as well. EXCERPT FOR THE