The Choice by Suzanne Wooods Fisher

Today we join the blog tour sponsored by LitFuse Publicity for Suzanne Woods Fisher's book The Choice.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Suzanne is a wife and mom, raiser of puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind, and an author of Christian books, both non-fiction and fiction.

Her relatives on my mother's side are Old Order German Baptist Brethren, also known as Dunkards. That's where her interest in Anabaptist traditions began. Suzanne's grandfather was born into a family of 13 children, started his career as a teacher in a one-room school house in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and ended it as one of the very first publishers of Christianity Today. "We called him "Deardad" even though he was a very stern fellow. Still, Deardad's life inspired me to write."

After college, Suzanne was a freelance writer for magazines and became a contributing editor to Christian Parenting Today. Her work has been featured in Today's Christian Woman, Marriage Partnership, Worldwide Challenge, among others. She took the plunge into books a few years ago and now she's hooked. To learn more about Suzanne, visit her website at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com <http://www.suzannewoodsfisher.com> 

 ABOUT THE BOOK!

One  moment, Carrie Weaver is planning to elope with Lancaster Barnstormer  Solomon Riehl, leaving their Amish community behind. The next, she is  staring into a future as broken as her heart. Now Carrie faces a  choice. An opportunity. But will this decision, this moment in time,  change her life forever?
  "Fisher kicks off a refreshing new series, Lancaster County  Secrets, with characters that are strong, both in body and spirit.  They also have weaknesses that develop into strengths with the  choices they make."
 4 stars, Romantic Times 


My Review:

Many times, when we make decisions, we don't always consider the consequences of our choices—not only for ourselves but for many others as well. The Choice considers these consequences in a wonderful story of God's leading and provision when all seemed lost. Carrie has to make difficult decisions at the spur of the moment. And it seems that her own wishes and dreams will not be made real. Yet she begins to see how God's plans are always best, even when we don't understand what He's doing to accomplish those plans. An excellent story that brings to life a people and a way of life that is foreign to most of us. I loved the characters and the simple way of life portrayed while being challenged to consider my choices in life in light of God's plans for me.

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Becca by the Book by Laura Jensen Walker

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Becca By The Book

Zondervan (January 1, 2010)

by

Laura Jensen Walker





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Laura Jensen Walker is an award-winning writer, popular speaker, and breast-cancer survivor who loves to touch readers and audiences with the healing power of laughter.



Born in Racine, Wisconsin (home of Western Printing and Johnson’s Wax—maker of your favorite floor care products) Laura moved to Phoenix, Arizona when she was in high school. But not being a fan of blazing heat and knowing that Uncle Sam was looking for a few good women, she enlisted in the United States Air Force shortly after graduation and spent the next five years flying a typewriter through Europe.



Her lifelong dream of writing fiction came true in Spring 2005 with the release of her first chick lit novel, Dreaming in Black & White which won the Contemporary Fiction Book of the Year from American Christian Fiction Writers. Her sophomore novel, Dreaming in Technicolor was published in Fall 2005.



Laura’s third novel, Reconstructing Natalie, chosen as the Women of Faith Novel of the Year for 2006, is the funny and poignant story of a young, single woman who gets breast cancer and how her life is reconstructed as a result. This book was born out of Laura’s cancer speaking engagements where she started meeting younger and younger women stricken with this disease—some whose husbands had left them, and others who wondered what breast cancer would do to their dating life. She wanted to write a novel that would give voice to those women. Something real. And honest. And funny.



Because although cancer isn’t funny, humor is healing.



To learn more about Laura’s latest novels, please check out her Books page.



A popular speaker and teacher at writing conferences, Laura has also been a guest on hundreds of radio and TV shows around the country including the ABC Weekend News, The 700 Club, and The Jay Thomas Morning Show.



She lives in Northern California with her Renaissance-man husband Michael, and Gracie, their piano playing dog.





ABOUT THE BOOK

Sales clerk, barista, telemarketer, sign waver...



At twenty-five, free-spirited Becca Daniels is still trying to figure out what she wants to be when she grows up. What Becca doesn’t want to be is bored. She craves the rush of a new experience, whether it’s an extreme sport, a shocking hair color, or a new guy. That’s why she quit her bookstore job, used her last bit of credit to go skydiving, and broke her leg.



And that’s why, grounded and grumpy, Becca bristles when teased by friends for being commitment-phobic. In response, Becca issues an outrageous wager—that she can sustain a three-month or twenty-five date relationship with the next guy who asks her out. When the guy turns out to be “churchy” Ben—definitely not Becca’s type—she gamely embarks on a hilarious series of dates that plunge her purple-haired, free-speaking, commitment-phobic self into the alien world of church potlucks and prayer meetings.



This irrepressible Getaway Girl will have you cheering her on as she “suffers” through her dates, gains perspective on her life’s purpose, and ultimately begins her greatest adventure of all.



If you'd like to read the first chapter of Becca By The Book, go HERE


Margie's comments: I can always count on a fun read with Laura Jensen Walker's book. Even when she deals with difficult subjects. And Becca by the Book doesn't disappoint. I love the Getaway Girls, have enjoyed reading the earlier books in this series. The author nails Becca's character, as well as making the others come alive. Overall, a very good read.

Verse of the Day

I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And will glorify Your name forever. (Psalm 86:12)

Verse of the Day

As your day, so shall your strength, your rest and security, be. (Deuteronomy 33:25 AMP) I'm so grateful for this verse. God gives me exactly what I need for each day.

Verse of the Day

"I have refined you but not in the way silver is refined. Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering." (Isaiah 48:10 NLT)

Kelly's Chance by Wanda E. Brunstetter

This week, the


Christian Fiction Blog Alliance


is introducing


Kelly’s Chance Barbour Books; Reprint edition (January 1, 2010)


by


Wanda E. Brunstetter





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A Note From Wanda:



Ever since I was a child, I wanted to be a writer. When I was in the second grade, I wrote my first poem about a moth. Luckily, I received encouragement from my teacher. During my teen years, I wrote skits that my church teen group performed during special holidays.



It wasn’t until 1980 that I took a course on writing for children and teenagers. I became serious about a career as an author. Soon after that, I began to write stories, articles, poems, and devotionals, which appeared in a variety of Christian publications. Later, I had 5 books of puppet/ventriloquist scripts published. *These books are currently available by contacting me. (wanda@wandabrunstetter.com)



My first novel was released by Barbour Publishing’s book club, Heartsong Presents, in Dec. 1997. I have now written nearly fifty books, with over 4 million books in print. Many of the novels I've written are Amish-themed.





ABOUT THE BOOK

Life for Kelly McGregor is a daily drudge of driving her overbearing father’s mules along Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Canal. She dreams of one day owning an art gallery where her own drawings and paintings are on display. But these dreams don’t include marriage. . .not after seeing what her father has done to her mother. How then can Mike Cooper, a general store owner, make her realize he is different than her father and wants to support her artistic talent? Will Kelly learn that dreams can walk hand in hand with a love created by God?



If you would like to read the first chapter of  Kelly’s Chance , go HERE.


Margie's comments: If you're looking for a sweet historical romance, Wanda Brunstetter's Kelly's Chance is a good choice. Wanda's historical books are well researched, as are her Amish books. I enjoy reading about part of the country that I know little about. And I love history. So it's always a treat to pick up one of Wanda's historicals. Today, Wanda answers a couple of questions about this new series.

Can you give some background on your research for the Brides of Lehigh Canal series and why you wrote it?
Wanda: My husband grew up in Easton, PA, which is near the Lehigh Canal. He played there a lot when he was a boy and swam in the canal. The first time I walked the towpath there with him, I became fascinated, and after our first ride on a canal boat I knew I had to write about the canal era.

What scripture inspired you in writing Kelly's Chance and what do you hope your readers learn from the story?
The scripture that spoke to Kelly in the book is found in Romans 8:28: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose." It's my hope that readers will realize after reading Kelly's Chance that it is possible to move beyond our past and be open to God's will for our lives.

Verse of the Day

Friends, when life gets really difficult, don't jump to the conclusion that God isn't on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner. (1 Peter 4:12–13 MSG)

Verse of the Day

The LORD Almighty has sworn this oath: "It will all happen as I have planned. It will come about according to my purposes. The LORD Almighty has spoken – who can change his plans? When his hand moves, who can stop him?" (Isaiah 14:24, 27 NLT)

Verse of the Day

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. (Psalm 138:8 ESV)

Verse of the Day

We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary--we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! (Romans 5:3–5 MSG)