Saturday, October 20, 2018

Beautiful Story of Hope -- Miles from Where We Started (UPDATED WITH GIVEAWAY)


(Be sure to read to the end of this post for an awesome GIVEAWAY!)

 Hope! Such a promising word! Something to look forward to, something to keep you going on all those long, discouraging miles. Hope is what you can expect to find in a Cynthia Ruchti novel, and it definitely plays a starring role in Miles from Where We Started!

 Take a couple on the verge of divorce just before their first anniversary and an 11-year-old foster child, throw them into a small SUV and a micro-camper on a three-week road trip, and hope is not exactly what you expect to find. Disaster is more like it, and there seems to be a good dose of that along the way. Even in those cramped quarters and challenging events, though, "miles are no challenge for God." 

 By the time Mallory, Connor, and Judah get to the end of their journey, they have met lots of interesting characters and learned lots of lessons. And as you read, you will be drawn in on their emotional journey as you are anxious to see how their story ends.

 This book is best read when you have a block of time to sit and read it in one sitting -- because you will not want to put it down!

 Thanks to Cynthia and her publisher for providing an e-book through NetGalley and to Celebrate Lit for a print copy. I am happy to share my own thoughts in this review.

 About the Book:

 These no-longer-newlyweds want out of this road trip—and their marriage. Too bad they can’t find the off ramp.
Weeks away from their one-year wedding anniversary, Mallory and Connor Duncan can’t even agree on how to end their marriage. But when a last-minute crisis lands them on a three-thousand-mile road trip together, Mallory wonders if their story may not be over after all.
The trip begins to unravel before the key is even in the ignition, and an at-risk, trouble-seeking missile of an eleven-year-old is unexpectedly launched into their travel plans. Close quarters get even tighter, and the couple believes this whole experience will spell disaster.
Their first year of marriage hasn’t been the arm-in-arm togetherness they expected. How can they find a new beginning when the road ends?
About the Author:
Cynthia Ruchti tells stories of hope through novels, nonfiction, devotionals, and speaking events. She serves as the professional relations liaison for American Christian Fiction Writers and is a frequent speaker at writers’ conferences across the country. She married her grade school sweetheart, and the two live in the heart of Wisconsin, not far from their three children and five grandchildren.

Guest Post from Cynthia

I have a confession to make. I heart millennials. 

 My other novels have had a few millennial characters. Some even played starring roles. But I knew there was more to the heart of millennials than I could gain from listening to the often unfair sighing or comedy routines about that generation. As a person, I wanted to know them better—what are they really like? What challenges do they face with which previous generations saddled them? What strengths to they offer our culture? 

 Until now, I hadn’t written a story about a millennial couple whose marriage was in crisis. Like, serious crisis. I-don’t-want-to-be-married-to-you-anymore. That kind of crisis. 

 As any good novelist knows, part of what we do to our characters is make the situation worse. So, millennial couple, approaching their one-year anniversary, ready to call it quits because “This marriage thing is really hard. Is it supposed to be so much work?” But what if…? What if they were forced to be together for three weeks…in a micro-camper…on America’s backroads…with an 11-year-old foster boy troublemaker…and both the husband’s AND the wife’s jobs depended on the trip’s success? 

 Plot idea in hand, I set off to write Miles from Where We Started, not entirely sure when I began the journey where they would end up or how they’d get there. It was an education for me in so many ways. The impact of the turning point of the story? In the words of my millennial friends, “That’s lit!” 

 Side note: I’m a big fan of a young teen musician at our church. The boy has mad skills as a keyboard artist. He approaches life as if it’s an endless game of Ninja Warrior. Why walk when you can vault into the room? Why walk up a flight of stairs when you can hop four at a time? He also sports a perpetual smile and is famous for his kindness, but his eyes give away that a little mischief may be hiding behind that smile. I asked Judah’s permission to use his name (and a little bit of his personality) as the foster child character in Miles from Where We Started. I can’t wait for him to read the part he inspired. 

 Can’t wait for you to read it, too. 

 Hemmed in Hope,

Cynthia

Blog Stops

The Power of Words, October 25
All-of-a-kind Mom, October 26
Lighthouse Academy, October 26
Quiet Quilter, October 27
Christian Bookaholic, October 27
cherylbbookblog, October 28
Simple Harvest Reads, October 28 (Guest Post from Mindy Houng)
Remembrancy, October 28
Godly Book Reviews, October 29
Captive Dreams Window, October 29
By The Book, October 29
Maureen’s Musings, October 30
Spoken from the Heart , October 30
SusanLovesBooks, October 30
D’S QUILTS & BOOKS, October 31
Mary Hake, November 1
Book by Book, November 1
amandainpa , November 1
Pause for Tales, November 2
Just Commonly, November 2
Baker Kella, November 3
Inklings and Notions, November 4
Bibliophile Reviews, November 4
Texas Book-aholic, November 5
Carpe Diem, November 6
A Diva’s Heart, November 7
Bigreadersite, November 7

Giveaway


To celebrate her tour, Cynthia is giving away a grand prize of the Adventure begins” large tote bag, “This way to adventure” travel notebook, “Home is Where We Park It” metal wall hanging, a teardrop camper birdhouse, PLUS a $50 gift Visa gift card…to start your adventure fund!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/d4ea/miles-from-where-we-started-celebration-tour-giveaway
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Thursday, October 11, 2018

Great Series Conclusion -- A Simple Christmas (with an Excerpt and a GIVEAWAY)



In her Simple Gifts books Charlotte Hubbard has told the sometimes complicated stories of the Riehl sisters, their secretive deacon father, and other residents of the fictional town of Willow Ridge, Missouri. The stories have included love, mystery, deceit, and heartache -- among a number of other elements. A Simple Christmas ties together the loose ends from the previous books, answering questions that were woven into those stories.

 This is one of my favorite of Charlotte Hubbard's books. The characters are full of life, and the story moves at the perfect pace to keep things very interesting. Fans of good Amish fiction should enjoy this story, a great way to begin reading your way into the Christmas season.

 A Simple Christmas would best be enjoyed following the previous books in the series -- A Simple Vow and A Simple Wish.

 Thanks to the author for providing a copy of the book. I am happy to share my own thoughts in this review.

 About the Book:

 The rustic beauty of a country Christmas fills the Simple Gifts crafts shop, while the Amish residents of Willow Ridge pull together in uncertain times—and in the face of an unexpected homecoming.

Nora Hooley’s shop is abuzz with preparations for the holiday open house, and Rosalyn Riehl is handcrafting wreaths from evergreen boughs, pinecones, and other natural materials. The work is a welcome diversion for the only unmarried daughter of Cornelius Riehl: her gruff dat has been receiving envelopes marked Past Due, leaving dutiful Rosalyn to manage the household’s inexplicably shrinking budget. Then another distraction swaggers into Simple Gifts—blue-jeaned and leather-jacketed, with a reputation that precedes him.

Marcus Hooley hightailed it to Willow Ridge on a wing and a prayer—not that he’s the praying type. He rejected his Amish roots long ago. But behind the bad-boy attitude is a gifted horse trainer who’s counting on some bent-but-not-broken family ties to throw him a lifeline. He can’t erase his past, but a sparking attraction with strong, spirited Rosalyn holds the promise of a second chance . . . and of shedding light on shadowy secrets to build a bright tomorrow.

 Excerpt:
As Rosalyn Riehl walked alongside the county highway pulling a cartload of Christmas wreaths, she gazed up at the sky in surprise. When she’d left home a few minutes earlier, the sun was shining but now low, gray clouds were rolling in and the wind picked up—and for a brief moment tiny pellets of hail pelted her.

It’s going to be a tricky winter, she thought. The weather seems as crazy and mixed up as I feel.

Rosalyn adored the holidays—Thanksgiving was only a week away—yet the thought of the approaching winter made her sigh. Her youngest sister Edith lived across the road with her husband, Asa, and their twins, and her younger sister Loretta was sharing the bedroom down the hall with her new husband, Drew, so Rosalyn felt like the odd woman out. All her life she’d longed for a husband and a family, yet at twenty-eight she saw no probability of fulfilling that dream.

Her cheeks tingled when the season’s first snowflakes met her cheeks. It’s a gut thing I have my new job at Simple Gifts to look forward to, Rosalyn thought as she made her way up the hill toward the store housed in a huge red barn. Working for Nora on Wednesdays and Saturdays sure beats dealing with Loretta and Edith’s moony-eyed gazes and happy chatter about being married to the Detweiler twins whenever we’re all together.

It wasn’t that she begrudged her sisters their happiness. She just wanted some of her own.

About the Author:

Charlotte Hubbard is the acclaimed author of Amish romance and fiction that evokes simpler times and draws upon her experiences in Jamesport, the largest Old Order Amish community west of the Mississippi. Faith and family, farming, and food preservation are hallmarks of her lifestyle—and the foundation of all her novels. A deacon, dedicated church musician and choir member, she loves to travel, read, try new recipes, and crochet. A longtime Missourian, Charlotte now lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with her husband and their border collie, Vera. You can visit Charlotte online at www.CharlotteHubbard.com or www.Facebook.com/Charlotte.Hubbard1.

GIVEAWAY

Charlotte Hubbard will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click below to enter the giveaway.  

This review is part of a book tour sponsored by Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to visit their other tour stops and increase your chances at the giveaway.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Warm Memoir -- Gathering of Sisters


Darla Weaver lives a Plain life that she enjoys with other members of her Old Order Mennonite family. A tradition that she, her mother, her four sisters, and their children hold dear is Tuesday gatherings where they share both the ordinary and the special times of their lives. In Gathering of Sisters, she takes her readers on a journey through many of the happenings of those weekly get-togethers.

 Much of the book is a very simple retelling of the conversations and events that happen on those Tuesdays throughout the year, conversations and events that might not be all that different from what any group of sisters would engage in. But Darla's sharing of them provides an opportunity for readers to slow down and reflect on their own day-to-day happenings and the memorable moments in the ordinary times. Throughout her accounts, she also scatters the little lessons that come to mind as she and her family members go about their daily lives.

 Gathering of Sisters moves at a very laid-back, relaxing pace, something to soak in slowly while you curl up in your favorite chair. As you read this book, you might pick up some insight into the Old Order Mennonite life but will mostly have the opportunity to just watch life play out in this close-knit family.

 Thanks to Audra Jennings PR for providing a copy of this book. I am happy to share my own thoughts in this review.

 About the Book:

 Spend a day with sisters.

Once a week Darla Weaver bundles her children into the buggy, hitches up her spirited mare, and drives six miles to the farm where she grew up. There she gathers with her four sisters and their children for a day with their mother. In Gathering of Sisters, Weaver writes about her horse-and-buggy Mennonite family and the weekly women’s gatherings that keep them connected. On warm days, the children play and fish and build houses of hay in the barn. In the winter, everyone stays close to the woodstove, with puzzles and games and crocheting. No matter the weather, the Tuesday get-togethers of this Old Order Mennonite family keep them grounded and centered in their love for God and for each other, even when raising an occasional loving but knowing eyebrow at each other.

The rest of the week is full of laundry, and errands, and work that never ends. But Tuesday is about being sisters, daughters, and mothers.

Hear straight from Amish and Mennonite people themselves as they write about their daily lives and deeply rooted faith in the Plainspoken series from Herald Press. Each book includes “A Day in the Life of the Author” and the author’s answers to FAQs about the Amish and Mennonites.

 About the Author:

 Darla Weaver is a homemaker, gardener, writer and Old Order Mennonite living in the hills of southern Ohio. She is the author of Water My Soul, Many Lighted Windowsand Gathering of Sisters. Weaver has written for Family Life, Ladies Journal, Young Companion, and other magazines for Amish and Old Order Mennonite groups. Before her three children were born she also taught school. Her hobbies are gardening and writing.
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