Seasons of Opportunities

Winner is Rachel  For many girls it starts early. The desire to be  perfect.  The need for  approval.  The longing for  acceptance  and being  liked  by a lot of people. From bestselling author Kari Kampakis comes a powerful book for girls in the digital age. Designed to empower teens and tweens through the Christian faith, it's packed with godly wisdom and practical advice related to identity, friendships, social media, and a relationship with God. For anyone exhausted by the quest to impress - and ready to rest in God's unconditional love -  Liked   is the answer. Written succinctly with thought-provoking questions, it's a conversation-starter that will quickly unite mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends by speaking to the female heart.

When a valuable Salvador Dali painting belonging to her grandmother’s friend is mysteriously replaced by a forgery, FBI Special Agent Serena Jones is called in to investigate. Serena hopes finding the thief will also mean finally measuring up to Nana’s expectations. But when the evidence points to members of the owner’s own household, it becomes increasingly clear that Serena won’t be winning any popularity contests. The Dali isn’t the only painting that’s fallen prey to the forgery-replacing thief, raising the specter of a sophisticated theft ring–one with links to dirty cops, an aspiring young artist, and the unsolved murder of Serena’s grandfather. With plenty of edge-of-your-seat moments,  Another Day, Another Dali  gives the plucky Serena Jones–and readers–a new high-stakes case to crack.

This is how I feel sometimes when I am writing on my blog.  I have spent most of the day putting in a comma and the rest of the day taking it out. — Oscar Wilde Well... the Thanksgiving holiday is over, and now the Countdown to Christmas has begun. Thankfully this weekend, I had two little helpers taking down my fall decor and putting up Christmas stuff. Our Thanksgiving holiday was nice, plenty of food, family and fun. We also participated in our town Christmas parade Saturday evening.

Just in time for the holiday season Lee Ann Mancini has released a new book in the Adventures of the Sea Kids Series . This book focuses on the  celebrations of both Christmas and Hanukkah, as two young sea creatures learn the value of both days. Christian, the sea turtle, and his family celebrate Christmas. They decorate with lights, a Christmas tree, and baby Jesus in a manger. His friend Jacob, the star fish, helps his family decorate for Hanukkah by putting up lights and the menorah. After an argument at the playground one day, about which holiday was the most important and which provided the most gifts, their parents decided to get together to show them what each holiday represented and the importance of celebrating it. In the end they both recognize that the holidays are about God and His gifts to us, and that is why we give gifts to each other.

Days before boarding the plane to Italy for her daughter’s wedding, Julie Whitaker receives an unexpected phone call from her past. The memory of Mark Jennings, a handsome and charming Top Gun pilot, had haunted her for decades. Their fairy tale wedding was everything she’d ever dreamed of, but it quickly turned into her worst nightmare. Starting a new a life without Mark proved to be much harder than Julie had imagined. But in her darkest hour, God revealed Himself in a miraculous way, giving her the strength she needed not only to battle depression, but to face a diagnosis of breast cancer that threatened to cut her life short.

Once upon a time . . . It’s how all heroes begin their story, and you’re a hero, too! Your mama has cancer, and it’s a scary journey, but you can help your mama just by being you—special, wonderful, YOU. Your mama loves you just the way you are. You are your mama’s knight. Mama’s Knight: A Cancer Story of Love  is an emotional toolbox that can help kids and parents communicate about what it means for Mama to have cancer. The book is filled with tools and activities designed to make coping with illness easier on both parent and child, and can be personalized for each child.

In less than two years, everything has changed for Sarah Anne. Distraught and in need of comfort, once again she accompanies her elderly friend, Mr. Hoyt, on a visit to see his family; however, not long after their arrival, a terrible tragedy occurs, leaving her with a difficult decision to make. When she finally decides between the two options, a new acquaintance seeks to force her to take the alternate path. Even though there are connections, each novel in the series may be read as a stand-alone.  Available on Amazon