CHAPPY DEBBIE'S WEEK-IN-REVIEW!

Ship's Log

CONGRATULATION TO THE WINNER'S OF SIX LITTLE SUNFLOWERS, 

BY GINA WELBORN!

NORMA

and

JACKIE

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NO BLOG POST THIS WEEK...TAKING A BREAK.

CHAPPY DEBBIE'S WEEK-IN-REVIEW

SHIP'S LOG

              What I spied from the deck of me ship

                   March 12-March 18th

Ahoy Mateys! Welcome aboard, find yerself a nice spot on the deck and enjoy.

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                              BOOKS:                                          

This past week I had the pleasure of reading this great little novella by Gina Welborn. Six Little Sunflowers is a very well-written story build around a very unusual tradition. I will never look at Leap Year Day the same way again. Take my word for it, you will truly enjoy this tale.....added bonus: Gina's wonderful sense of humor.

About the author:

Gina Welborn loves watching The Goldbergs, playing Super Mario Bros with her middle child, and baking anything sweet and tasty in desperation not to hear her children say, "Chef Mom, you've been chopped!" 

Years ago, Gina worked at a news radio station scripting copy until she realized how depressing human tragedy was. Thus she fell in love with writing romances and now only thinks "It is time for a dead body?" when she's at a lull in her newest manuscript. (Disclaimer: Dead bodies are not found in Gina's writing.) Gina is a 2009 ACFW GENESIS historical romance finalist and a 2007 RWA GOLDEN HEART® inspirational finalist. She writes lighthearted historicals featuring spunky heroines and wild-at-heart heroes.

For eleven years, this Oklahoma-raised girl lived in Virginia with her youth-pastor husband and their five Okie-Hokie children before they headed back to Oklahoma. Gina is a lifetime member of the National Corvette Museum and a founding member of Southwest Oklahoma Corvette Club. She currently serves on the American Christian Fiction Writers Foundation Board. She is a member of ACFW and RWA. Two of her Barbour anthologies -- Mistletoe Memories and Lassoed by Marriage Romance Collection -- are ECPA best-sellers. She can be contacted via her website www.ginawelborn.com or through the Steve Laube Agency.

About the book:

Celebrate Leap Year with a boy and a girl and a not-so-simple proposal… February 29, 1908 - Wichita, Kansas - "The Sunflower State" Hotel chambermaid Félicie Richmond wants nothing more than to be the calligrapher for Wichita’s prestigious Carey Hotel. She invests in a new wardrobe to look the part, but days before her job is to begin, an electrical fire damages the dress shop. Félicie envisions one way out: the Leap Day tradition whereby a bachelor who refuses a marriage proposal must purchase the rejected lady a new dress. Finding a few stuck-in-their-ways bachelors guaranteed to refuse her proposal will be easy. Three dresses should do. Figuring out how to overcoming the humiliation of proposing marriage to multiple bachelors…. Easy-going fireman Carpenter Yeary has no need for a wife, not with all the little ol’ ladies in his church determined to find him one. When a strange woman proposes, Carp knows she’s after a free dress. In a moment of mischievousness, he accepts her proposal, but after their private conversation is overhead, “Carp’s getting married!” spreads like wildfire, and soon his precious church ladies have a wedding planned. For Carp and Félicie, the only way out is to convince the each other to call off the wedding…before love has time to bloom.

My review:

So much fun!

First of all, I had no idea this tradition existed....too funny. This was a very fun, fast-paced read. Gina's natural humor comes through and makes this such a great story. I highly recommend this book, or any other books by Gina, to those who enjoy fun and feisty reads.

Check out this and other books by Gina on her Amazon page:

GINA WELBORN

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                            MOVIES & TV

One of my favorite movies is Eight Below. I don't watch it often, because it is a very emotional movie for me. It stars Paul Walker, a good actor who shall be missed. This movie has the most amazing dogs in it...they truly steal your heart. I am a big "dog movie" fan...if there is a dog in it, I usually give it a look-see. If you watch Eight Below, be prepared for an emotional roller coaster.        

  

Another favorite is Snow Dogs. This movie is hilarious. It will keep you smiling throughout the entire movie. These dogs are gorgeous creatures and so smart. It stars Cuba Gooding Jr and James Coburn....very funny. Unlike Eight Below, the tears you shed watching Snow Dogs will be from laughing. I highly recommend both movies. Here are the links to their IMDb pages:

                  EIGHT BELOW                  SNOW DOGS

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                               NEWS:

 

Good Friday Day of Prayer is this coming Friday...March 25th. If you have a prayer that you wish the Guidepost's OurPrayer group to lift up for you, simply click the link below. For forty years, OurPrayer has set aside Good Friday as a special Day of Prayer. Volunteers are waiting to lift up your prayers. I have volunteered for this group for many years now and it is truly a blessing. 

                         DAY OF PRAYER

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                               BLOGS:                           

The Write Stuff

This week I'd like to introduce Eileen Hinkle Rife's blog THE WRITE STUFF. Eileen is a wonderful author who has a lot of great insights. I enjoy her blog posts...so much honesty...and her love for the Lord truly shines through. Stop on by and say hello.

About Eileen:

As a child, I loved writing and telling stories. Walking to school every morning, I created characters, then talked to them as I ambled down the road. One Sunday after church, a neighbor approached me and said, "Who were you talking to the other day on your way to school? Why you were going on at a great rate!" A shy child, I was embarrassed that my neighbor had witnessed my dream world. My creative spirit was not daunted, however. I grew up continuing my writing efforts, first through poetry and short stories, then through drama, which I not only enjoyed crafting, but also acting out on stage. Receiving good reviews on my acting ability I considered majoring in drama during college, but God had another idea in mind.



Full-time for the Lord 

After I received the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Savior when I was eight years old, I knew I wanted to serve God somewhere, somehow. Sensing the Lord's leading to enter full-time Christian ministry as a senior in high school, I was led to Southeastern Bible College in 1973 where I received a B. A. in Christian Education and met and married my college sweetheart who was also preparing to serve the Lord full-time. During the last 35 years, I have worked to put my husband, Chuck, through graduate school, received a minor in English from Liberty University, completed graduate hours in counseling from Liberty Theological Seminary, birthed babies, helped my husband enter a professional counseling practice, homeschooled my three precious daughters, and served in our local church and community, all the while dabbling here and there with my writing and speaking.
As a homeschool mom in 1999, I sensed God leading me to pursue my passion for writing/speaking. Chuck had been talking with me over the preceding years about teaming up with him to conduct marriage seminars. My oldest daughter had left for college in 1997, and while I still had two other daughters to navigate through homeschooling, I realized the empty nest loomed ahead. The time seemed right to test the writing/speaking waters.

You can check out her blog here:          

THE WRITE STUFF

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                           SHIP'S GALLEY:

Here's another easy idea!

CARAMEL EGG STUFFED EASTER CROISSANTS

All you need: some croissant dough and caramel Cadbury Eggs.

Roll up an egg and bake.

Simple and it looks so yummy!

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GIVEAWAY!!!!

 Gina Welborn has graciously offered to give away 2 digital copies of Six Little Sunflowers. So, if you wish to be one of those lucky winners, simply comment below. 2 copies = 2 winners! And since they are digital, anyone may enter!

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THE WINNER BE........

                                

CONGRATULATIONS to DEBRA for winning PIBBIN THE SMALL!

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Come back next week, Mateys, to see who be winning the copies of Six Little Sunflowers!

 

Have a blessed week!

CHAPPY DEBBIE'S WEEK-IN-REVIEW

CONGRATULATIONS TO DEBRA FOR WINNING PIBBIN THE SMALL!





NO BLOG THIS WEEK, MATEYS....LIFE GOT IN THE WAY. COME ABOARD NEXT SATURDAY FER ME NEXT WEEK-IN-REVIEW.




GOD BLESS.

CHAPPY DEBBIE'S WEEK-IN-REVIEW!

                          

              What I spied from the deck of me ship

                   February 27th-March 4th

Ahoy Mateys! Welcome aboard, find yerself a nice spot on the deck and enjoy.

                              BOOKS:                                         

     

This week I'd like to share this cute little book, written by Gloria Repp. I read this to my grandson a few years ago and he really liked it. 

Description:

Pibbin, smallest of treefrogs, is desperate to get help for his injured turtle friend, but the doctor lives far away. The other frogs warn him about the dangerous journey. "You'll run into snakes and that giant bullfrog," they say. "Black Snapping Crabs might eat you." 

"Am I too small?" Pibbin wonders. "Too small to be brave?" 

In spite of his fears, Pibbin sets off with his new pal, Leeper, and they hop into more adventures than anyone ever expected. 

MEET THE AUTHOR

Gloria Repp

Gloria Repp grew up in the Hawaiian Islands and the Pacific Northwest; it was there she learned a love for wilderness that pervades her writing. She has taught creative writing, worked as an editor, and written books for children, teens, and adults. In addition to wilderness adventures, she enjoys flying in single-engine airplanes and has a particular fondness for owls and frogs.

Each family member has played a unique part in the writing of her books. Her eldest son teaches on the Big Island of Hawaii, and she has made trips with him to lava tubes and Mauna Kea's volcano; she values his insights on the natural sciences and on godly scholarship.

With her Seattle son, daughter-in-law, and grandson, she shares an interest in people and music and journeys of discovery, especially on the Olympic Peninsula. She relies on them for a reality check of plot problems.

Her daughter, who lives in Virginia, is a competent resource in matters of sewing, baking, and midwifery. The two cats who have chosen to grace her daughter's apartment have sufficient character to appear in stories from time to time and often take part in book discussions.

At home, her husband, a pilot and aircraft mechanic, provides valuable input for the aviation elements in her books, entry to the fascinating New Jersey Pine Barrens, and a strong, supporting shoulder. Although she likes traveling to research her novels, she thinks that the best part of every journey is coming home.

Gloria says: "Come talk to me at www.gloriarepp.com"

Check out her Amazon page here:    Gloria Repp

                                                       
                            MOVIES & TV

       

 I love this movie. One of Will Smith's best, in my opinion. I love the futuristic theme and all the action. There are a few choice words that I do not like, but for the most part, it's a great movie. My daughter doesn't like it (actually, she's never seen it) because of Shia LaBeouf, but he only has a small part....and I have no problem with him as an actor. 

Here is the link to it's IMDb page:

                             I, ROBOT

  

                          NEWS:

BIG NEWS! CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW AND YOU WILL BE SENT OVER TO A RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY FOR THE CHANCE TO WIN a Kindle Fire 7, One of two signed copies of Charity's Cross, or the ebook set of the Charles Town Belles 1-3. MARYLU TYNDALL AT HER BEST!

https://promosimple.com/ps/91f4

                                         

                               BLOGS:                           

I'd like to introduce you to a new blog, Clean Romance Reads Cafe. It's a great blog with a lot to offer. It is run by 8 wonderful authors and they each add their own uniqueness to the blog. 

About us

Welcome! We're eight romance authors who love reading, writing, and talking about books. Sometimes we're goofy, sometimes we're irreverent, sometimes we're serious. We've all gone through tough times and know that we need help to make it through.

We'll be posting four days a week with occasional guest blog posts on Fridays. We'll post about fun stuff, writing stuff, book stuff, and also some heartfelt stuff that we want to share with you. Be sure to sign up on the top of the right sidebar to receive our blog posts in your email inbox.

We want our blog to be a safe, comfortable environment for romance readers to come and chat, to hear about new books and new authors, and to receive encouragement when times are tough. We all write clean romance, but romance readers of all genres are welcome (no judgement here). We hope our blog is fun and uplifting for you!

Patricia Bradley lives in North Mississippi and loves to write romance and suspense with a twist of romance. Patricia’s books include the Logan Point series—Shadows of the Past, A Promise to Protect, and Gone Without a Trace. She has also written two sweet romances for Harlequin Heartwarming, Matthew’s Choice, available on Amazon and The Christmas Campaign, available in November. Her workshops on writing include two online courses with American Christian Fiction Writers and workshops at the Mid-South Christian Writer’s Conference in Collierville, TN. When she has time, she likes to throw mud on a wheel and see what happens.

Camy writes Regency romance as USA Today bestselling author Camille Elliot and romantic suspense as Camy Tang. She grew up in Hawaii but now lives in northern California with her engineer husband and rambunctious dog. She graduated from Stanford University in psychology with a focus on biology, and for nine years she worked as a biologist researcher. Now she’s writing full time, using her original psychology degree as she creates the characters in her novels. In her free time, she’s a staff worker for her church youth group and leads one of her church’s Sunday worship teams. She also loves to knit, spin wool into yarn, and is training to (very slowly) run a marathon. Visit her websites at CamilleElliot.com and CamyTang.com to read free short stories and subscribe to her quarterly newsletter.

A self-professed crazy chicken lady, Danica Favorite loves the adventure of living a creative life. She and her family recently moved in to their dream home in the mountains above Denver, Colorado. Danica loves to explore the depths of human nature and follow people on the journey to happily ever after. Though the journey is often bumpy, those bumps are what refine imperfect characters as they live the life God created them for. Oops, that just spoiled the ending of all of Danica’s stories. Then again, getting there is all the fun.
You can connect with Danica at her Instagram.Facebook.

Elizabeth Goddard is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than twenty-five romance novels and counting, including the romantic mystery, THE CAMERA NEVER LIES--a 2011 Carol Award winner. A 7th generation Texan, Elizabeth graduated from North Texas State University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and worked in high-level software sales for several years before retiring to home school her children and fulfill her dreams of writing full-time. She currently makes her home in Minnesota with her husband and children. To get book news sign up for her newsletter at her website.

Since 1994, Tamara Leigh has been published with Bantam Books, HarperCollins, Dorchester, and RandomHouse. She is the award-winning, USA Todaybest-selling author of twenty-five novels, including Stealing Adda, Splitting Harriet, The Unveiling, Baron Of Godsmere (The Feud), and Lady Of Conquest. A former speech and language pathologist, Tamara lives in Tennessee with her husband and sons.

Lynette Sowell is the award-winning and best-selling author of more than 20 titles for Barbour Publishing, Heartsong Presents, and Abingdon Press. When Lynette's not writing, she works as a newspaper editor and columnist. Lynette was born in Massachusetts, raised on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, but makes her home on the doorstep of the Texas hill country with her husband, their dog, along with a duo of cats who have them well-trained. She loves reading, cooking, watching true crime dramas, and is always up for a Texas road trip.

Best-selling author MaryLu Tyndall dreamt of pirates and sea-faring adventures during her childhood days on Florida's Coast. With more than seventeen books published, she makes no excuses for the spiritual themes embedded within her romantic adventures. Her hope is that readers will not only be entertained but will be brought closer to the Creator who loves them beyond measure. In a culture that accepts the occult, wizards, zombies, and vampires without batting an eye, MaryLu hopes to show the awesome present and powerful acts of God in a dying world. A Christy award nominee and Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award winner, MaryLu makes her home with her husband, six children, two grandchildren and several stray cats on the California coast.

USA Today bestselling author and RN Cheryl Wyatt writes romance with virtue themed with rescue. She’s a grateful worshipper of Jesus, mom, wife, wrangler of words and spoiled Yorkies. She loves readers and cherishes interaction on Facebook or email cheryl@cherylwyatt.com. View her book list and join her newsletter at her.

Stop by the blog and check it out! Here is the link to the blog:

               Clean Romance Reads Cafe

                       SHIP'S GALLEY:

Here's another cute and easy idea!

 Rice Krispies Easter Cups

Serves: 16 cups

Ingredients

• 1 - 16 oz. bag Marshmallows (mini or regular size work)
• 7 cups Rice Krispies
• 2 TB butter
• Easter Egg Candies

Butter cream frosting

• Green food coloring
• ½ C. Unsalted butter
• 3-4 C. Powdered sugar
• ¼ C. Milk
• 1 tsp. Vanilla

Instructions

1. Grease cupcake pans and set aside.
2. Melting marshmallows and butter in a microwave safe bowl (I cooked mine for about 2 minutes but kept a close eye and made sure they weren't puffing up too much and falling out of the bowl.)
3. Stir together until well blended and pour in Rice Krispies. Stir until well combined.
4. Pour into greased cupcake pan and press down with wax paper.
5. Let set for half hour.

Frosting:

1. Combine butter, milk, vanilla and 2 cups of your powdered sugar in a large bowl. Mix till smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes. Then add the remaining powdered sugar and food coloring of your choice.
2. Pipe your frosting into your cookie cups and top with Easter egg candies. ENJOY!

I am giving a signed copy of PIBBIN THE SMALL to one of my commenters. Just leave a message(along with your email) in the comments below to get your name in the drawing. (US ONLY, SORRY) The winner will be announced on my next blog post.

                                

CONGRATULATIONS to NORMA for winning SECONDHAND HORSES!





Come back next week, Mateys, to see who be winning a copy of PIBBIN THE SMALL!

 

 

Have a blessed week!