friday favorites #31: week of dec. 2, 2016 + giveaway

I haven't done a Friday Favorites in forever (OK, it was really September 23, but that's like forever in blog time), so this Friday Favorites will encompass my world over the last two months. So don't be mad that my #1 happened a month ago, OK?

1. The Cubbies!!!

Though the Chicago Cubs have always had a special place in my heart, I never really paid attention to baseball until this postseason. In fact, I thought baseball was one of the most boring sports on the planet. But in the midst of the Cubs' postseason run and World Series victory, I became a raving fan. We'll see if that carries through to next season, but for now, I'm still loving all things Cubs. In fact, the World Series movie (is that what you call it?) is on FS1 tonight, and I can't wait to watch and relive the greatness! (I've talked about the Cubbies a lot on Christian Chick's Thoughts recently, so here it is if you're interested.)

Also, I'll just leave this here ...

2. The CW's DC Crossover Extravaganza

I haven't actually watched the whole crossover yet—I had choir practice last night so missed Legends of Tomorrow. But I greatly enjoyed The Flash and Arrow this week. (Supergirl was good, too, but it wasn't much of a crossover—Barry and Cisco just showed up at the very end.) I loved seeing the characters interact, and it got me to watch Arrow, a show I checked out of a long time ago. (So dark, that Arrow. I prefer the lightness of the other three shows.) I hope the CW keeps doing these crossover events, 'cause they're so fun!

Speaking of fun, if you're a fan of The Flash, check out this Honest Trailer.

3. Austentatious

The other day, I stumbled across Austentatious on Amazon Prime. As a sucker for all things Austen, I couldn't help but start watching.

Emma Woodhouse, Lizzie Bennett, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, and Grant Knightly are all friends living in the same city. Will Darcy works at the same law firm as Emma, and he gets realtor Lizzie to help him find a house (which, of course, ends up being for his sister Georgiana). Nurse Brandon falls for Marianne, who is oblivious, and accountant Elinor has a flirtation with IRS agent Edward Ferrars. The real Austen-like plots kick into gear around episode seven, and nothing is resolved by the end of the final episode. So far, there's only one season of ten episodes, but I hope that more will come!

The production value is ... not very good, and the acting is just serviceable. (The notable exceptions here are Elise Groves as Lizzie and Kristen Marie Jensen as Elinor.) But I still really enjoyed it!

Also of note is that this show is one of the cleanest made-for-adults series I've ever seen. No swearing, no innuendo, nothing. Totally G-rated, which is nice for a change. While your kids would probably be bored out of their minds, you could watch this without fear of what content may pop up.

If you have Prime, you can watch for free here. It's also available on DVD.

4. Christmas Music

I love, love, love Christmas music! With the advent of Spotify and Amazon Prime music, I'm able to listen to almost any Christmas music I want ... and I can pick and choose songs, rather than listening to whole albums. One of my favorite songs to play is *NSYNC's "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays"—it never fails to brighten my mood! (If you've never seen the video before, do yourself a favor and watch it now. It pretty much screams 90's!)

In between my Michael W. Smith-athons (seriously, the man makes amazing Christmas albums!) and repeated playings of "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (both the original and Bieber versions. Yes, Bieber.), I've also been enjoying Amy Grant's new album, Tennessee Christmas. It's more mellow and melancholy than I anticipated, but it's also very good. I reviewed it here, and I have a copy to give away! Enter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

(Rules: Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Contest is open in the US only. Winner will be selected at random using Rafflecopter.com and will have 48 hours to respond to email notification, or another winner will be chosen.)

5. The Thirteenth Chance

I debated whether I should really make this a favorite today, but then I found out about a crazy-good sale on Amazon, and I knew I needed to do it! The Thirteenth Chance is going to make my best of list for 2016, no question. It's engaging, romantic, and funny ... and, for a limited time, really cheap! The Kindle version is currently 99¢, and the paperback is just $4.99! (See my full review.)

So that's what's been making me happy over the last couple months. As usual, I'm linking up with Erika, Christina, and Karli. What are some things you've been enjoying lately?

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received some of the products mentioned in this post free for review. The opinions expressed are my own. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Read More

friday favorites #30: week of sept. 23, 2016 + giveaway

Happy Friday, everyone! It's officially fall, but it certainly doesn't feel like it here in Nebraska. That hasn't stopped me from enjoying a pumpkin spice latte or two :-)

So I was totally planning to make One Tree Hill one of my Friday favorites this week ... until I realized that it was one of my favorites last time! Suffice it to say, I'm still completely obsessed. So, in lieu of more gushing about OTH, here are some favorites that I haven't talked about recently:

1. This Is Us

Is one episode enough to know if I'm going to love a show? I don't know, but I absolutely adored the pilot episode. I'm not going to say anything else except you must watch it for yourself. It's available on Hulu.

2. The People v. O.J. Simpson's Emmy awards

I cannot believe that The People v. O.J. Simpson never made it into a Friday Favorites post. I loved it so, so much! I was in junior high during the trial, so I very vaguely remembered it. (I remember exactly where I was during the Bronco chase—on my way home from summer camp—and when the verdict came down—at school—but I didn't know too much about the trial). I was thrilled to see the show receive so many Emmy nominations in the "Limited Series or Movie" category. It won nine awards, including best limited series ... and Sarah Paulson (Marcia Clark), Courtney B. Vance (Johnnie Cochran), and Sterling K. Brown (Christopher Darden) won acting awards. The series will hit Netflix sometime in 2017, so if you missed it on FX, be sure to catch it then!

3. Trader Joe's dairy-free options

A couple weeks ago, my mom, sister, and I went to see my sister-in-law perform at an Irish festival in Omaha. She was amazing! (And this is from someone who normally isn't a big fan of Irish music!)

I tried to upload a video I took, but I couldn't get it to work, so here's a pic instead.

Afterwards, we went to Trader Joe's. And there, I hit the mother lode. I've been cow dairy free for over a year now. I don't know if it's making a difference with my Hashimoto's symptoms, but I am absolutely positive being dairy free has reduced my PCOS symptoms, so I'm ready to settle in for the long haul. I've discovered, though, that sheep's milk and goat's milk don't affect me negatively. Unfortunately, cheese made from sheep's or goat's milk can be expensive and hard to find. (Well, it's pretty easy to find a basic soft goat cheese, but I'd like variety!)

Anyway, Trader Joe's had goat's milk feta, cheddar, and gouda! They definitely have that goat's milk tang, but they're so tasty! And now that I have the cheddar, I'm dreaming of pizza.

I also found coconut milk ice cream that's about half the price of So Delicious, and it tastes better, too! I've already placed my cheese and ice cream order with Blendy, who is coming home next weekend.

4. Live on Forever by The Afters

About 10 years ago, I first heard of The Afters when a friend played "MySpace Girl" for me. If you'd like a hilarious flashback to the MySpace era (wow, that was long ago!), check out this video:

I really didn't know much else about the group, but I recently had the opportunity to review their new album. I loved it! I also have a copy to give away. If you'd like a chance to win, enter through the Rafflecopter below.

(Rules: Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Contest is open in the US and CANADA only. Winner will be selected at random using Rafflecopter.com and will have 48 hours to respond to email notification, or another winner will be chosen.)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

5. Wild Montana Skies by Susan May Warren

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Susan May Warren's writing. Her latest novel, Wild Montana Skies, releases next month, and I got to read an early copy. It's so good! (See my review.)

So that's what's been making me happy. As usual, I'm linking up with Erika, Christina, and Karli. What are some things you've been enjoying this week?

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received some of the products mentioned in this post free for review. The opinions expressed are my own. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Read More

friday favorites #29: week of sept. 9, 2016 + giveaway

Happy Friday! Doesn't it feel like Labor Day was four weeks ago instead of four days ago? Maybe it's just me ... anyway, I'm thrilled that it's the weekend. I'm even more thrilled that I decided to mow my lawn last night after work, so I don't have to take time out of my weekend to do it!

Here are a few things I've been enjoying recently!

1. One Tree Hill
To say I've been enjoying One Tree Hill is a bit of an understatement. For years (literally), Blendy has been telling me to watch One Tree Hill, and, for whatever reason, I've resisted. But one night last month, I inexplicably decided to watch the pilot episode. I wasn't crazy about it, but Blendy said to give it a couple episodes, so I did ... and I basically haven't stopped watching since.

Now, probably 50 percent of our text conversations are about OTH. Usually, it's me ranting about something and Blendy laughing at me.

The show is so implausible: in the first two seasons alone, two juniors in high school get married, another junior runs off with his infant daughter because her mother is trying to take her away, the villain survives what should have been certain death not once but twice, a teen who had never before sung in public ends up on tour with Michelle Branch, and a laundry list of mid-2000s bands play at a club owned by the main character's mom. It would never happen. AND I LOVE IT.

I'm totally #TeamPeyton, which I did not anticipate, considering I haven't loved Hilarie Burton in the other things I've seen her in (except for Hallmark Channel's Summer Villa, which was adorable).

Anyway, I'm pretty much obsessed with One Tree Hill, and I wish Dan Scott would get hit by a bus. But he'd probably just survive ...

2. Blooming Gladiolus
At the beginning of the summer, I planted a couple gladiolus bulbs. Earlier this week, one of them began blooming. So pretty!

Once it was in full bloom, I decided to bring it into the house. One of my cats was very interested.

I like to call this look "goa'uld eyes."

So then I googled "gladiolus toxic to cats" and discovered that ingesting the plant could cause unpleasant symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea. So now when I'm gone or sleeping, I close the flowers in the bathroom. Just to be safe.

3. Football Season
Here in Nebraska, football season is huge. Husker football kicked off last Saturday, and it was definitely bittersweet, as it was the first game following punter Sam Foltz's death in a car accident. When it came time to punt for the first time, this happened:

Makes me tear up every time.

The Huskers went on to win the game in decisive fashion, and I hope it's just the beginning of great things for this team!

4. Having a Plan
I started blogging on MySpace in 2006. In 2008, I started Christian Chick's Thoughts, and I began reviewing books a few months later. Then in 2014, I decided to make Christian Chick's Thoughts all about books and move the life stuff over here to Coffee & Conversation. In my 10 years of blogging, the only "plan" I've had is to keep track of dates that reviews are due. That's it. So while I love doing things like Friday Favorites and Top Ten Tuesday, those posts often don't get written because they're not on my radar until other bloggers' posts start popping into my feed.

But that's all changing.

I spent a large portion of my Labor Day weekend working on blog stuff, and one of the things I did was download a blog planner. I almost bought one on etsy, but then I turned to my friend Google and found a great free one at Designer Blogs. It didn't have everything I wanted, but almost. I've only used a couple pages so far, but I'm in love ... and feeling so much more organized!

5. The Biggest Story

This week's book recommendation is Kevin DeYoung's The Biggest Story. I got an audiobook/short film combo to review. It's geared toward children, but it's totally suitable for adults. The best part is that I have a set to give away! Enter here:a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway rules: Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Contest is open in the US and CANADA only. Winner will be selected at random using Rafflecopter.com and will have 48 hours to respond to email notification, or another winner will be chosen.

So that's what's been making me happy. As usual, I'm linking up with Erika, Christina, and Karli. What are some things you've been enjoying this week?

Read More

how i find lovely

Recently, I was chosen to help launch Annie F. Downs' new book, Looking for Lovely. This book is beautiful and challenging and feels like it was written just for me. (You can see a full review on my book review blog.)

Annie shares about some struggles she's gone through and how she came to look for lovely--and honestly, though we are obviously very different people, much of her journey mirrors my own ("ugly" high school years, a love for Les Miserables, being single into the mid-30's, a PCOS diagnosis), helping me to even more fully relate to her writing.

The idea that impacted me the most was the concept of looking for lovely in our everyday lives. It's no secret that the last few years have been rough, thanks to health struggles. While I'm feeling much better now, I still have rough days. And on those days, it's pretty easy to focus on the pain and not on the good. But I think it's even more important to look for lovely on those rough days! Since I began reading this book, I've been consciously looking for lovely ... and I've been taking pictures of what I find so I can remember.

One of the biggest things I've done is make an event out of a meal. Most of the time, I eat supper on the couch while watching TV. There's nothing wrong with that, but I feel so much happier and more fulfilled when I use pretty dishes and actually sit at my (now cleaned off) table. I have so many fun dishes, so why not use them?

Obviously, I'm a big fan of roasted green beans. You would be too if you tried them. And yes, sometimes I watch Friends as I eat. (Bonus points if you can identify the episode!)

Sunday was one of my rougher days recently. I just physically didn't feel well. But because I was consciously looking for lovely, I found several bright spots.

The coolest "lovely" moment on Sunday couldn't be captured by a camera, though. At the end of one of the chapters, Annie recommends downloading a new-to-you worship album. Because I've heard so much about Bethel Music lately, I went to Amazon Prime music and randomly picked one of their albums: You Make Me Brave (Live). I was almost finished with the book, and Annie was talking about the song "We Dance": how the Holy Spirit laid it on her heart one morning, and it was another reminder of God's love. She quoted some of the lyrics, and as I read the words, I realized I was hearing them, too. "We Dance" was playing on my tablet. It was such a lovely coincidence-but-not-really moment!

I'm going to continue to look for lovely, and I encourage you to look, as well! And because I loved this book so much, I'm giving one away! Enter through the easy Rafflecopter form below. (Rules: Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. Contest is open in the US only. Winner will be selected at random using Rafflecopter.com and will have 48 hours to respond to email notification, or another winner will be chosen.)a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure of material connection: As a member of Annie F. Downs' launch team, I received a free advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Read More

tobymac's new album "this is not a test" is here!

I don't usually talk much about my reviews on this blog--that was the whole point of having two blogs: one for reviews, one for life stuff.

But you guys.

I just reviewed TobyMac's new album ... and dcTalk appears on one track!

Take a moment to let that sink in. dcTalk!!!!!

Seeing dcTalk in concert is one of my as-yet unfulfilled dreams (see my 35 before 35 list), though I have seen each member individually (and I will be seeing Michael Tait again at the end of August at the Nebraska State Fair). So you know that the very first thing I did after downloading the album was to go to track 10 and blast it ... a couple of times!

It is just as wonderful as I'd hoped :-) It's like the best of dc Talk all rolled into one track.

The rest of the album is really good, too, as is to be expected of a TobyMac album. And here's the best part: I have a copy to give away! Click here to go to Christian Chick's Thoughts to enter. Good luck!

Read More

five friday favorites #17: week of may 1, 2015

Happy Friday, everyone! This hasn't been a particularly great week for me--I came down with a cold last Saturday, and I'm still fighting it. A silver lining, though: since I've felt pretty terrible all week, I haven't been in the mood to read or work on my editing project much (and honestly, I'm not sure my brain could even have handled either one after eight hours at the office), so I've spent my spare time with mindless entertainment. Namely, Baby Daddy. It's completely hilarious ... due in large part to Tahj Mowry's Tucker. Tucker is the best friend and roommate of Ben, the titular baby daddy. And he is so, so funny. But, as much as I enjoyed binge watching Baby Daddy this week, it's not one of my Friday Favorites. These are ...

1. Let It Be Jesus
I recently had the opportunity to review Christy Nockels' new live album, Let It Be Jesus. It's so, so good, you guys! I've been listening to it practically non-stop. (I do tend to get a bit obsessive about my listening choices when I find something I love!)

Also, I'm able to give away a digital copy of the album to one of my blog readers! So head on over to my review and enter! Entries are low, and the giveaway runs through Saturday. Good luck!

2. Being Overweight
Sounds odd, right? A Friday Favorite is being overweight??? Well, in this case, it is! Because for me, being overweight signals that I'm no longer classified as obese. Two weeks ago, I officially rolled over into the overweight category with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30.0. Then last week, I dropped into the 170s. I think the last time I weighed in the 170s was junior high--which was 20 years ago! Only three pounds to go before I'm 30 pounds lighter than I was when I started this gluten free journey nearly a year ago.

3. Full House reboot
Surely you've heard about this by now, right? Netflix is bringing back Full House as Fuller House, which will focus on a newly-widowed D.J. raising her boys ... and Kimmy and Stephanie move in to help her.

At first, I was outraged when I read that D.J. was recently widowed. How could they kill off Steve??? Except they didn't. D.J.'s dearly departed husband's last name was Fuller (hence the Fuller House), and Steve's last name was Hale. So apparently Steve and D.J.'s series finale reunion didn't stick ... and this gives the lovebirds a second chance (hopefully). This tweet from Scott Weinger (Steve, as well as the voice of Aladdin) gives me hope:

I'm touched by everybody's concern for Steve's welfare. All I can say is, things are in the works for your favorite over-eater! #FullHouse
— Scott Weinger (@ScottWeinger) April 21, 2015

4. Being an INSPY Judge
Never heard of the INSPYs? Neither had I, until about a year ago. The INSPYs were, according to their website, "created by bloggers to discover and highlight the very best in literature that grapples with expressions of the Christian faith." Readers nominate the books, the INSPY advisory board creates a shortlist of five books in each category, and then judges select the winners. On a whim, I applied to be a judge this year, and I was selected! I'll be judging the Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense category along with two other bloggers. The shortlist was announced yesterday, and, while I can't specifically comment on any of the books until after the winners are selected, let me just say that I am super excited to get reading! You can meet the judges here and see all the shortlisted books here.

5. Against the Grain

I adopted a gluten free lifestyle almost a year ago, and it has helped so much with my health issues. I recently reviewed a gluten free cookbook called Against the Grain, and it is full of fantastic gluten free recipes ... without weird ingredients. If you're gluten free, you should definitely check it out!

Thanks for stopping by! I'm linking up with the usuals: Erika, Karli, and April.

Read More

i am still alive ...

This blog has been silent for a long time. Too long. And it's not because Isis has decided to use my laptop as her personal heater. It's because we're in the middle of speech season. Only three Saturdays to go (plus a variety of other days, but things become way less exhausting once the Saturday meets are finished).

Christian Chick's Thoughts, though, has been hopping. Book reviewing is practically a second job--a job that pays in books rather than cash money--and I have several reviews going up each week. So here are some things I've recently posted on Christian Chicks Thoughts that you should check out if you feel so inclined.

• Top Ten Tuesday It's been a very long time since I participated in this meme, but today's topic was too good to pass up: what I like and dislike in romance. I had plenty to say :-)
• Heart of Adventure Sweepstakes
   If you're into entering giveaways, check out this great one from Dani Pettrey and Bethany House Publishers. Someone has to win--why not you?
• Always on my Mind
   Susan May Warren's latest book is fantastic, and I can't wait to continue this series! Also, Warren quoted my review in her latest newsletter ... I may have squealed a bit as I read it!
• Best Books of 2014
   I know I already linked to this once, but in case you missed it ...

Read More

media update & a giveaway

Here are a few things I've been thinking about/obsessed with recently ... and be sure to keep reading to the end because I'm giving away a good book!

• Hart of Dixie: I recently reviewed the pilot on my new blog. That's right; I started a new blog. I may have some mental issues! I haven't done too much with it yet, but hopefully now that I'm not reading quite so much I'll be able to spend more time on it. Anyway, Hart of Dixie. It's one of those shows that's in the same vein as Gilmore Girls—quirky characters in a small town. It's even filmed on the WB lot in some of the same places that Gilmore Girls used. I discovered this show on Netflix a couple months ago and powered through all of season one in less than a month. Now I eagerly await each new episode. Also, I recently discovered that Scott Porter, who plays one of Dr. Zoe Hart's potential love interests, is a huge Nebraska fan, which immediately endeared him to me. (And no, I still haven't watched that little show Porter's mainly known for ...)
• Kindle Fire HD: Last winter, my dad gave my mom a Kindle Fire. I immediately fell in love with it. I contemplated getting one, but I decided to wait for the inevitable new model. I'm so glad I did! I ordered the Kindle Fire HD the day after it was announced, and it arrived on my doorstep the day it was released. For a while, I thought I'd use both my Kindle Keyboard (that I bought 1-1/2 years ago) and my Kindle Fire. Not so. I haven't used the old Kindle once since I got the Fire ... so I'm giving it to my sister.
• Christmas Music: Today is November 11, which is much too early for Christmas music. Christmas music should not be listened to prior to Black Friday (when it turns into a Christmas music free-for-all) ... or so I normally claim. But recently I stumbled across some cheap ($5 or less) Christmas music on Amazon, and I had to indulge myself! They have 100 $5 Christmas albums this month (and my guess is they'll have 100 more next month). Plus, there are other ridiculously discounted Christmas albums, like the Elf soundtrack for $4.49. I ended up buying two soundtracks: Elf and Home Alone. Can a person have too much Christmas music? I don't think so! 
• Christmas Movies: My parents have cable now (for the first time ever!), so I thought perhaps my compulsion to purchase Christmas movies during the holiday season would disappear due to the plethora of cheesy Christmas romance at my disposal. I was wrong. So, so wrong. Lifetime just released this item. Twelve Christmas movies for $30? That's just $2.50 per movie—and two of them (Recipe for a Perfect Christmas and His & Her Christmas) were ones I wanted anyway! Purchasing them separately would have cost half of what I paid for all 12. See how easy it is for me to justify Christmas movie purchases? I've already watched and reviewed one of the movies, Christmas in Paradise, on my other other blog. Check it out.
• Giveaway: I received an extra copy of The Memory Jar from Zondervan, so I'm giving it away! Tricia Goyer is a great writer, and I enjoyed this book. Enter using the form below. (Giveaway open to US residents only.) 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Read More

shapelygirl fitness: wrap up & giveaway

I spent the month of October working out with Debra Mazda and ShapelyGirl Fitness. While the month was a challenge for me physically, I loved working out with my chosen DVD, Walking Fit and Fabulous. This DVD is something anyone can do! Sure, you may not be able to keep up all the time, but, as Debra says, "Just keep walking!"

One thing that really surprised me was that I didn't get tired of doing the DVD. I almost always picked one or two of the Pre-Mixes to do, and that helped keep the workout from feeling monotonous.

I didn't experience any giant strides in my fitness level this month, but every little bit counts! I actually enjoyed exercising, which is something I've only rarely experienced in the past. I am confident that I will continue using my DVD even though this review is finished.

Now for my monthly results:
I lost five pounds and .5 inches from my neck, 1.5 inches from my chest, .5 inches from my hips, 1.5 inches from my thigh, .5 inches from my gut, and 1 inch from my upper arm. That's a total of 4.5 inches lost!

Before

After

Not a huge difference in my appearance, but I can tell that my clothes fit differently!

To see my other thoughts on ShapelyGirl Fitness, go to my initial post and my weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4 updates.

About the giveaway: I love my Walking Fit & Fabulous DVD, and I'm thrilled to announce that Debra Mazda has given me a copy to give to one of my readers! Simply enter below for a chance to win! (I'm trying out Rafflecopter for the first time, so please let me know if you have any problems.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a free copy of this product to review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” I am part of the CWA Review Crew.

Read More

a new blog and a giveaway

You may have noticed (but more likely, you haven't) that I've recently begun following a new blog: Forsaken Kingdom. It's written by my college roomie Jodi's husband, Peter. Peter has written a couple Christian fantasy novels, one of which is available on Amazon. While I haven't read it yet, I did read the little free snippet Amazon provides, and it sounds intriguing.

Peter's blog is a mix of writing advice and thoughts on life--so even if you're not a writer or you're not into fantasy, you still will likely find something you enjoy. And if that isn't enough incentive for you to click on through, maybe this will be: he currently has a contest going on where you can win a copy of his book and a $15 Amazon gift card. (I don't know why I'm telling you this! Right now, I have a 1 in 7 chance of winning!) All you have to do is leave a comment telling him your favorite book ... and if I can publicly admit that Lori Wick's Sophie's Heart is still my favorite book, I'm sure you can find the courage to reveal yours, too!

Read More