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Coffee Cottage Collection by Lynn Watson

 

Lynn U. Watson has incorporated her
love for Jesus and passion for essential oils into a three-volume devotional
Collection, sharing spicy and aromatic essences of Scripture. Her devotions
encourage you to diligently cultivate your heart and grow your roots deeply in
an intimate relationship with Jesus. Lynn holds a BA in Journalism from
University of Memphis, a certificate in aromatherapy, and is a practicing
reflexologist.
 
 She and Steve have been married since 1973 and call Bartlett,
Tennessee home. Their lives are blessed with two adult children, their spouses,
and five beautiful, of course, grandchildren. Jasmine, her tuxedo kitty, runs
the house. Her current work-in-progress is a novel inspired by a painfully
challenging event in the life of her great-grandmother, changing the course for
her family forever.

 

All three of the Cinnamah-Brosia devotionals in one ebook volume! 
 
Fruits; spices; essential oils; & botanicals of all kinds sprinkled over
& planted on the pages of the Bible provide insights into God’s word. Our
Coffee Cottage’s fictional characters, Cinnamah-Brosia and friends,
courageously use the essences to season the world around them with an
overflowing measure of Jesus. All three volumes of Cinnamah-Brosia’s
Inspirational Collection for Women are featured in this single e-book.

“The Essence of Courage: Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit in Solomon’s
Locked Garden and in Your Heart”

As you breathe in the fragrant aromas found in Solomon’s Locked Garden (Song of
Solomon 4), you’ll harvest the Fruit of the Spirit and cultivate it in the
garden of your heart.


“The Essence of Joy: Filling Your Heart with the Aromas of Jesus’
Nativity”

The scents of Christmas invite our imaginations into the holiday season. What
emotions flood your heart when the holidays aromas waft your way?

You’ll meet women of the Bible and contemporary women (Cinnamah-Brosia and
friends) like you and me who will encourage you to discover the refreshing
essence of a life lived in the presence of Jesus. Let JOY fill your heart with
the aromas of His nativity.


“The Essence of Humility: Live and Love Like Jesus”

We live in a culture overwhelmed with disrespect, egos, entitlement, rudeness,
and offense — lives focused on self, rather than God or others.

Jesus entered our world and walked among us. He placed no importance on rank or
position. Jesus’ life reflected love because it reflected humility, and He
invites us to live and love like Him.

You’re invited to travel with Cinnamah-Brosia and friends once again to meet
real-life people — our contemporaries and those on the pages of God’s word, who
encountered the same real-life challenges you and I face each day. Learn the
blessings of a life lived like Jesus lived —- with love and humility.

 

Q&A With the Author:
What do you do when you’re not
writing?
 
My other job is reflexologist. I serve
about 8 clients a week. That helps pay the bills, (yes, I have those, too)
giving me freedom to write. I have a few online game obsessions like Words with
Friends and Wonka’s World. Mostly they’re a great escape from life’s demands. I
also bake bread for my family from freshly milled grain, read, craft, travel a
little, and spend time with my grandchildren. It’s summertime, and I’m eager to
get in the pool.
What would you say is your interesting
writing quirk?
 
As a child, I learned to focus on books,
homework, and projects while tuning out many distractions around me.  It became a coping and survival skill – one
carried throughout my life. Not always a positive thing, when sometimes I tune
out important stuff, too. So, there’s usually noise in the background when I
write, don’t ask me what songs they played on the radio. I won’t have a clue,
but I will have accomplished much in my writing world even in the midst of
television shows, others’ conversations, radio blaring and more.
Do you have any suggestions to help
budding authors become better writers? If so, what are they?
            Attend
writers’ conferences. They are available throughout the year at different
locations. Many are very affordable. Soak up all you can from those who lead
these workshops. Make connections with other authors on many different mile
markers along their writing journeys. Many will become treasured friends.
            Encouragement
from a well-published devotional writer during a one-on-one session at a
writers’ conference in 2016, led to the three devotional books which are
compiled here as the Coffee Cottage Collection.
            During
a first chapter critique group at the same conference this year, we were given
a resource list of great books to help us really learn how to “craft” our
books. I’ve completed one of them and started on a second. My work-in-progress
is a Christian Historical Fiction novel. A novel is definitely uncharted water
for me. Reading the books, I’m learning so much to make my story shine. Make
the investment.
Where do you get information and ideas
for your books?
            In
2004 I discovered essential oils and their properties and aromatic influences.
God gave me many fresh insights into different passages of Scripture where the
plants are mentioned. Almost from the beginning of my essential oil journey, He
laid the task of putting knowledge I gleaned into book form. Through prayer,
and over time, the devotional books look much different than I ever expected.
I’m thankful it all came together perfectly and in God’s perfect timing.
            Many
of the stories in the devotional collection came from friends, family, and even
strangers willing to share snippets of their lives that fit the chapter themes.
            Inspired
by events in the life of my great grandmother, I stepped up to the challenge of
fictionalizing and writing her story as a novel. There is so much more I don’t
know about her than I do, but I believe the story will be used to bring beauty
from ashes almost 150 years later. Her noble cause: a voice for the unborn. I’m
praying a trip to her home in Germany will become reality this summer. I count
on even more insight, walking where she walked.
            Most
authors, I believe, would agree. Research, research, research, for accurate
facts and information. I remember the tediousness of card catalogs and
periodical indexes from school term paper days, and sing praises for the ease
and extent of research made possible by the internet today.  
What do you think makes a good story?
            Characters
inviting us into their lives honestly and authentically. Their flaws and
troubles, their positive attributes, and their quirks are visible. The
characters also willing allow us to witness their changed lives often through
perils and less than ideal circumstances. By the story’s conclusion, they leave
the reader with an encouraging dose of truth and hope. 
Tell us about your favorite summer
vacation? Or what do you like to do in the summer?
            Long
weekend getaways to more places than occasional long trips are my favorites,
and keep it interesting. We joined friends in Charleston, South Carolina a few
years ago. Our rented cottage on the beach offered perfect sunrises. Up early
and coffee in hand, I caught them from the third floor deck each morning. The
history and architecture of the city, the friendly people, wonderful cuisine, a
sunset sailing adventure, and seagrass baskets along with good company, made
for a memorable get-away – one I would repeat in an instant!

 

To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page 

 

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The Memory House by Rachel Hauck

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Read with Audra in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

The Memory House by Rachel Hauck was such a sweet story.  I have read several other books by this author and I think this one might be my favorite one.  Beck bugged me right from the start and even as she grew and changed through the book, she always just bugged me.  I felt bad for the things that she had lived through, but she is just one of those characters that seemed to get under my skin for some reason.  I liked Bruno right from the first moment he was introduced to us.  I also loved getting to know Everleigh as I was reading as well.  I really enjoy books that jump between time period as you are reading because it always holds my interest and at times make me feel like I am reading 2 books at one time.  All in all, I really did enjoy this book and I was sad to say goodbye to the characters because I fell in love with this story even though I couldn’t stand Beck.

About The Book

When Beck Holiday lost her father in the North Tower on 9/11, she also lost her memories of him. Eighteen years later, she’s a tough New York City cop burdened with a damaging secret, suspended for misconduct, and struggling to get her life in order. Meanwhile a mysterious letter arrives informing her she’s inherited a house along Florida’s northern coast, and what she discovers there will change her life forever. Matters of the heart only become more complicated when she runs into handsome Bruno Endicott, a driven sports agent who fondly recalls the connection they shared as teenagers. But Beck doesn’t remember that, either.

Decades earlier, widow Everleigh Applegate lives a steady, uneventful life with her widowed mother after a tornado ripped through Waco, Texas, and destroyed her new, young married life. When she runs into old high school friend Don Callahan, she begins to yearn for change. Yet no matter how much she longs to love again, she is hindered by a secret she can never share.

Fifty years separate the women but through the power of love and miracle of faith, they each find healing in a beautiful Victorian known affectionately as The Memory House.

Click here to read an excerpt!

About The Author

Rachel Hauck is an award winning, New York TimesUSA Today and Wall Street Journalbestselling author.

Her book The Wedding Dress was named Inspirational Novel of the Year by Romantic Times Book Reviews. She is a double RITA finalist, and a Christy and Carol Award Winner.

Her book, Once Upon A Prince, first in the Royal Wedding Series, was filmed for an Original Hallmark movie.

Rachel has been awarded the prestigious Career Achievement Award for her body of original work by Romantic Times Book Reviews.

A member of the Executive Board for American Christian Fiction Writers, she teaches workshops and leads worship at the annual conference. She is a past Mentor of The Year.

At home, she’s a wife, writer, worship leader and works out at the gym semi-enthusiastically.

A graduate of Ohio State University (Go Bucks!) with a degree in Journalism, she’s a former sorority girl and a devoted Ohio State football fan. Her bucket list is to stand on the sidelines with Ryan Day.

She lives in sunny central Florida with her husband and ornery cat.

For more information, visit http://www.rachelhauck.comFacebook (@rachelhauck)Twitter (@RachelHauck) and Instagram (@rachelhauck).

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Death at the Dakota by Trudy Genova

Marni Graff writes two award-winning mystery series: The Nora Tierney English Mysteries and The Trudy Genova Manhattan Mysteries. She teaches writing workshops and mentors the Writers Read program, and is Managing Editor of Bridle Path Press. 
 
 
 
Graff also writes the crime review blog Auntie M Writes, http://www.auntiemwrites.com.

 

Nurse Trudy Genova is making plans to take her relationship to NYPD detective Ned O’Malley to the next level, when she lands a gig as medical consultant on a film shoot at the famed Dakota apartment building in Manhattan, which John Lennon once called home. Then star Monica Kiley goes missing, a cast member turns up dead, and it appears Trudy might be next. Meanwhile Ned tackles a mysterious murder case in which the victim is burned beyond recognition. When his investigations lead him back to the Dakota, Trudy finds herself wondering: how can she fall in love if she can’t even survive?

 

Readers of Death Unscripted, the first book in the Trudy Genova Manhattan Mystery series, will find the same pleasures in this sequel: fast pacing, engaging characters, twists and turns on the way to a satisfying close. Once again M.K. Graff reveals her talents in crafting this delightful mix of amateur sleuth and police procedural.

 

First, let’s Find out what others are saying about the book:
 
Part procedural, part cozy, Death at the Dakota is a well-crafted and highly entertaining mystery.- Bruce Robert Coffin, #1 bestselling author of the Detective Byron mysteries.   
 
I fell in love — not only with co-protagonists, Trudy and Ned, the richly detailed and historic setting of The Dakota, and the unique cast of characters, but with the unusual plot of Death at the DakotaSherry Harris, Agatha Award nominated author of the Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mysteries
 
 
And now for the Cover
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Find all of Marni Graff’s books here
Universal Amazon Link ~ 
Good reads ~

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Heart Strings by Donna Hatch

 

Donna Hatch is the author of the best-selling “Rogue Hearts Series,” and a winner of writing awards such as The Golden Quill and the International Digital Award. A hopeless romantic and adventurer at heart, she discovered her writing passion at the tender age of 8 and has been listening to those voices ever since. She has become a sought-after workshop presenter, and also juggles freelance editing, multiple volunteer positions, and most of all, her six children (seven, counting her husband). A native of Arizona who recently transplanted to the Pacific Northwest, she and her husband of over twenty years are living proof that there really is a happily ever after.

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Fleeing an unwanted engagement, a young harpist follows her music passion to London. Becoming entangled with a handsome violinist who seems too aristocratic for a working-class musician may be more problematic than dodging her erstwhile fiancé, sleeping in the streets, or staying alive when a madman targets her for murder.
 
Q&A With the Author:
1.     Tell us about things you enjoy — what you do for fun or personal satisfaction besides writing? I love to sing, ballroom dance, go for walks, try out new recipes, watch historical movies and romantic comedies, and read (for pleasure–not just for research).
2.     When did you first realize you were an author?  I have always liked to write but didn’t consider myself a “real” author until I got published. Now, I wish I’d realized that I was a “real” author the moment I finished a rough draft or decided to get published someday.  
3.     Have you done anything writing-related, but besides actually writing your books, that seemed to get a lot of positive response? Something that encouraged you? My blogs get a lot of good feedback because they are primarily dedicated to sharing historical research, but the most positive thing I do is teach writers’ workshops. One that I recently taught was Dressing the Regency Lady. It was a lot of fun to cover everything from the unmentionable to the hats and I had a live model that I dressed.
4.     What is the thing you struggle with the most while writing? And how do you defeat it? Self-doubt is constant and I’m not sure there is a way to defeat it–mostly I fight it back each day by writing despite those doubts. Reviewing my goals and the reasons for my goals helps, as does reciting my mantra: I write because I must…because I can’t NOT write. 
5.     What is the “message” of your writing? To write beautiful, inspiring stories that give readers hope for a better tomorrow and restore faith in that elusive happily ever after.
6.     Are your characters/stories/scenes, etc. based on anything in real life? The emotions and values come straight from my heart, but all the events and characters are purely fictional.
  

 

7.     What are your future projects? I’m working on a rough draft of book 5 of the Rogue Hearts series and plotting several others that I plan to write.
 
 

 

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2019 Margaret Margaret

Valentine Countdown Blitz – 12 Days Of Clean Romance

 

 

When she was in Paris, Kimberley Montpetit spent most of her souvenir money at the La Patisserie shops with their beautiful and delicious pastries. She grew up in the fabulous city of San Francisco, loves all things chocolate, and now lives in a small town along the Rio Grande with her engineer husband and three sons.

She once stayed in the haunted tower room at Borthwick Castle in Scotland and didn’t sleep a wink, sailed the Seine in Paris, rode a camel in the ancient world wonder of Petra, shopped the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, and spent the night in an old Communist hotel in Bulgaria.

Kimberley also writes Award-winning Middle-Grade novels with Scholastic and Young Adult novels with Harpercollins under the name, Kimberley Griffiths Little.

Connect with the Author here:

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 A makeup artist for the Phantom of the Opera with a tragic past. A mysterious man hiding a scar worse than the phantom from the Broadway show.

Linden Adair is a talented makeup artist on the New York Broadway show, Phantom of the Opera, creating the hideous scar for the actor who plays the phantom every night. But nobody knows the deep scars Linden carries after the divorce from her husband, Mark Denly—the famous director of Phantom.

Why didn’t somebody ever tell her that marrying your director was a bad idea, especially when he has a wandering eye?

Desperate to get away after enduring several years of heartache and scars, Linden takes a cross-country trip to visit her best friend in Seattle. While driving on a deserted stretch of highway late at night, she hits a deer and crashes the rental car into a gully outside of Snow Valley, Montana.

A devastatingly handsome stranger with a tow truck rescues Linden and her smashed vehicle, but when she catches sight of him in the light, she’s shocked. Anton Baldwin possess a terrible scar on his face—just like the phantom she created every night for the theater.

But Anton is hiding more than the truth behind his scar, and during a whirlwind week while being recruited for a television show being filmed in Snow Valley, the secrets of this enigmatic man turn her world upside down.

When Anton helps Linden open up to the world around her, Linden wonders if the small town of Snow Valley might hold the magic she needs to heal the scars on her broken heart.

If you like sweet romance and second chance love stories, then you’ll love THE SECRET OF A KISS, A Snow Valley Romance.

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Q&A With The Author:

  1. Tell us about things you enjoy — what you do for fun or personal satisfaction besides writing?

It’s easy to be a workaholic in this business and your mind is always going, going with ideas and deadlines so to relax I have to leave my workspace completely. My kiddos are super fun and funny. We love to snuggle, make cookies, read books, go to the movies, go out to eat on the weekend, tell jokes, and can’t wait for family reunions with cousins far away at the beach or in the mountains. I also love having lunch with writer friends, or attending writer retreats.

  1. What is the thing you struggle with the most while writing? And how do you defeat it?

The biggest thing I struggle with is to actually get writing for the day. Inertia* is the HARDEST THING TO OVERCOME – IT IS EVIL! Of course, every day 10 new things come up that have to be done right away, or someone calls with a new crisis. Can I please have just ONE DAY where there are no appointments, broken cars, errands, appliances that need fixing, dental appts, shopping, bills to pay, or emergencies, and I can JUST WRITE ALL DAY LONG. It has yet to happen . . . I guess it’s called life!

*Inertia: Overcoming the terror of opening the Word document and begin typing actual words

  1. What are your future projects?

After my trilogy with Harpercollins was completed in 2017, I’m focusing on my sweet adult romance. My Secret Billionaire Romance series has been hugely popular and I have plans for at least two more titles this year. I’m also excited about a secret project I’m doing with Heather Moore Brown that will launch this summer. Gothic Romance! It’s going to be super fun, super awesome, and super romantic!

  1. What is the “message” of your writing?

I love writing clean romance about couples overcoming life’s struggles and griefs. Stories that inspire and uplift while delivering a heart-pounding adventure and swoony romance. It inspires me to know that I can push back against the raw and often insane world we live in and flood reader’s Kindles with good entertainment that people are craving. 😊

  1. Are your characters/stories/scenes, etc. based on anything in real life?

All writers draw from personal experience with loss, disappointment, love, discouragement, and self-doubt. I like writing about characters who are often braver and more courageous than I am when they take their life by the reins and plow full-steam ahead to create the life they dream about.

  1. Have you done anything writing-related, besides actually writing your books, that seemed to get a lot of positive response? Something that encouraged you?

I do a hands-on writing workshop called The Creative Diary that has turned out incredibly successful in schools. In only one hour using my Imagination Box and vivid story imagery, the students have written two complete stories. After leading them part-way through a story that they have to finish, the kids gasp with excitement and begin writing like crazy. It’s awesome to see their enthusiasm and how much they write in just ten minutes at a time – sometimes 2 whole pages! When I invite a few to come up and read their story aloud, I’m always impressed with how terrific and imaginative their stories are.

 

 
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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2018 Margaret Margaret

The Darkhorse by Selena Laurence

A bride… A soldier… An arranged marriage. Can Lisa and Jeff take a chance on something real this holiday season?

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Title: The Darkhorse
Author: Selena Laurence
Series: A Powerplay Novella
Genre: Contemporary Holiday Romance
Release Date: November 7, 2017

A bride.

Lisa Scotch is done with men. And especially military men like her ex who left her with three lifetimes worth of debt and disappeared. But one day a new soldier walks into the school where she teaches, and he wants to make her debt disappear like her ex did.

A soldier.

Colonel Jefferson Thibedeaux is one of the most powerful men in the Pentagon. Raised without family or money, Jeff found both when he started his military career. Now there’s a promotion that he wants and he can only get it if he has a wife. When he goes to speak at an elementary school, Jeff sees the answer to his dilemma in one very sexy school teacher.

An arranged marriage.

Jeff’s proposal is all business. He gets a promotion, and Lisa gets out of debt. It’s a one year arrangement that doesn’t include some of marriage’s more traditional…amenities. But when Lisa moves into Jeff’s house, and the holidays roll around, the fireplace isn’t the only thing heating up. As their attraction burns brighter than their Christmas lights, can Lisa and Jeff find something real in what was supposed to be pretend? Will the bride take a chance on another soldier? Can the soldier be the man his bride deserves? One thing’s for certain, Christmas will never be the same again.

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More from the Powerplay series:

Prince of the Press

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | Nook

The Kingmaker

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | Nook

POTUS

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | Nook

SCOTUS

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | Nook

 

About Selena Laurence:
Selena Laurence is an award-winning and USA TODAY bestselling author who loves Putting the Heat in Happily Ever After. Her super sexy stories take place everywhere from rock concerts to family ranches, and her books can be found around the world in four languages, at libraries, bookstores, online, and in audio.

Selena lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where she can often be found at a local coffee shop, hiking the trails, or watching soccer. At home Mr L, her kids, “goldendoodle” and “demoncat” keep her busy trying to corral chaos. A veteran Indie author, Selena also coaches writers through her blog and workshops on turning #Passion2Profession.

You can connect with her online at: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2017 Margaret Margaret