If You Liked . . . The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass

29 Apr

The characters in Katie Powner‘s latest novel, The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass, captured the hearts of my book club. Pete, Windy Ray, Wilma, and Pearl the pot-bellied pig were such a treat. If you liked this book as well, I have some more great reading recs for you!

The Edge of Belonging by Amanda Cox

When Ivy Rose returns to her hometown to oversee an estate sale, she soon discovers that her grandmother left behind more than trinkets and photo frames–she provided a path to the truth behind Ivy’s adoption. Shocked, Ivy seeks clues to her past, but a key piece to the mystery is missing.

Twenty-four years earlier, Harvey James finds an abandoned newborn who gives him a sense of human connection for the first time in his life. His desire to care for the baby runs up against the stark fact that he is homeless. When he becomes entwined with two people seeking to help him find his way, Harvey knows he must keep the baby a secret or risk losing the only person he’s ever loved.

In this dual-time story from debut novelist Amanda Cox, the truth–both the search for it and the desire to keep it from others–takes center stage as Ivy and Harvey grapple with love, loss, and letting go.

Stories That Bind Us by Susie Finkbeiner

Betty Sweet never expected to be a widow at 40. With so much life still in front of her, she tries to figure out what’s next. She couldn’t have imagined what God had in mind. When her estranged sister is committed to a sanitarium, Betty finds herself taking on the care of a 5-year-old nephew she never knew she had.

In 1960s LaFontaine, Michigan, they make an odd pair. Betty with her pink button nose and bouffant hair. Hugo with his light brown skin and large brown eyes. But more powerful than what makes them different is what they share: the heartache of an empty space in their lives. Slowly, they will learn to trust one another as they discover common ground and healing through the magic of storytelling.

Award-winning author Susie Finkbeiner offers fans a novel that invites us to rediscover the power of story to open the doors of our hearts.

Where The Blue Sky Begins by Katie Powner

Sometimes the hardest road of all is the road home.

When confident and handsome Eric Larson is sent to a rural Montana town to work in the local branch of his uncle’s financial company, he’s determined to exceed everyone’s expectations, earn a promotion, and be back in Seattle by the end of summer. Yet nothing could prepare him for the lessons this small town has in store.

At forty-six years old, eccentric and outspoken Eunice Parker has come to accept her terminal illness and has given herself one final goal: seek forgiveness from everyone on her bucket list before her time runs out. But it will take more courage than she can muster on her own.

After an accident pushes Eric and Eunice together, the unlikely pair is forced to spend more time with each other than either would like, which challenges their deepest prejudices and beliefs. As summer draws to a close, neither Eric nor Eunice is where they thought they would be, but they both wrestle with the same important question: What matters most when the end is near?

Author, Author! — Xochitl Dixon

28 Apr

About The Book

Book: What Color is God’s Love?

Author: Xochitl Dixon

Genre: Children’s Picture Book

Release date: March 19, 2024

All the colors displayed in this world that God made—
every glorious, fabulous, beautiful shade—show how good God is and will always be.But what is the color of love? Come and see! In What Color is God’s Love?, a little girl and her service dog join their diverse friends through a whirlwind of adventures. As they celebrate the spectacular spectrum of colors God designed, each color invites readers to explore their God-given emotions and becomes a reminder of God’s unchanging character. While encouraging children to acknowledge God’s constant presence with every turn of the page, What Color is God’s Love? also empowers children, with and without disabilities, to play, work, and serve God together, by simply letting the colors of His love shine through them. With each turn of the page, the focus shifts to a specific color—orange, yellow, blue, green, pink, black, white, gray, brown, red, purple. Each lyrical rhyme invites readers to engage with God
through empowering and faith-building truth-statements that incite worship and encourage a lifestyle of loving God and neighbors.

Click here to get your copy!

About The Author

Xochitl (So-Cheel) Dixon, contributing writer for Our Daily Bread and God Hears Her, is the author of Waiting for God: Trusting Daily in God’s Plan and Pace. She loves Jesus and people, as she crosses cultural, generational, and international lines with encouraging and sound biblical teaching. Celebrating diversity and inclusion, she advocates for disability awareness with her beautifully diverse family and her
service dog, Callie. Her first children’s picture book, Different Like Me, now available in Spanish, is a 2021 ECPA Christian Book Award Children’s Book Finalist. In March 2024, Xochitl’s second picture book, What Color is God’s Love?, is releasing with WaterBrook.

More from Xochitl

The Heart Behind My Story

By Xochitl Dixon

Like most of my writing, What Color is God’s Love? began as an overflow of worship while I prayed and praised God. In 2018, my husband and I had followed God from California to Wisconsin. I’m disabled and can’t drive, so his long hours at work left me feeling isolated while I searched for a new church and new doctors. As the weather became more extreme, I grew more discouraged, frustrated, and resentful. I struggled as I wrote my first 31-day devotional for Our Daily Bread, Waiting for God: Trusting Daily in God’s Plan and Pace. I was praying for people, studying and teaching the Bible every day. So, I couldn’t figure out why I felt so out of touch with God.

When my new puppy, Callie, licked my tears away, I looked out the window and noticed the rain had finally stopped. Rays of sunlight pierced through the dark gray clouds, shining on a white heron that had landed in the greed foliage on the creek’s bank next to our front yard. I wept tears of grateful praise. I wrote the first draft of a free verse poem celebrating God’s loving care for the details in Creation and in the lives of His people.

As I prayed, I realized I had been spending time talking to people about God. However, as the physical, emotional, and mental effects of our transition overwhelmed me, I had stopped spending quality time withGod. As I watched the white heron take flight, God led me to Psalm 33:6-9, which became the first What Color is God’s Love? Bookend Bible verse.

I released Waiting for God in 2019 and my first picture book, Different Like Me, in 2020. But God had me tuck that free verse poem away as He dramatically transformed me and the original manuscript over the next few years. I wanted to give young image-bearers what I never had growing up: a safe place to process emotions . . . in God’s presence. I also wanted God’s beautifully diverse image-bearers, people with and without disabilities, to see each color as a reminder of His unchanging character, unlimited power, and unwavering grace, as they experienced His unconditional love flowing for them, in them, and throughthem.

After I signed the contract in November 2021, God began leading me to the right Bible verses to build the messages for each color I shared. Over time, I created the Breath Prayer Cards as a free download on my website, the YouVersion reading plan, and the devotional for the rest of the colors not shared in the reading plan.

I wanted each color to be a reminder of God’s unchanging character, unlimited power, and unwavering grace as we experience His unconditional love flowing forin, and through us. More importantly, I began praying that everyone who read What Color is God’s Love? would be inspired to open their Bibles and spend more time with God, including me.

Q & A With Xochitl Dixon

Many authors say that they have always been a writer — making up stories as a child. When did you first become a writer?

I guess I am the stereotype writer then, because I was always a storyteller. I would make up stories and act them out as a child. I won my first Young Authors Award when I was in 3rd Grade with a story I wrote and illustrated, Sonny Otter and the Four Seasons.

Was there a special someone, such as a teacher, parent, or other relative, who encouraged you to pursue writing?

My mom nurtured a love for reading and creative writing ever since I was a kid. When I served as her caregiver in 2014, she told me that she had always dreamed that I would become a writer and said she hoped that I would use writing to encourage others the way she saw me encouraging people at the cancer care center.

How did you choose the genres you write?

I didn’t choose a genre. I follow God. I started out writing contemporary fiction for teens and women. However, God led me to write devotions during a Christian writers’ conference in 2011. I sold my first devotion and six short stories at that conference.

I edited a few Bible studies for teens with an editor I met in 2010. When she moved to ODB in 2015, she recommended me for an interview. I began serving as a contributing writer for Our Daily Bread and God Hears Her. Our Daily Bread published my first 31-Day devotional, Waiting for God: Trusting Daily in God’s Plan and Pace in 2019 and my first children’s book, Different Like Me, in 2020.

I just released my second children’s book with WaterBrook, What Color is God’s Love?, and my third children’s book, Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown, is available for pre-order now. I’ve even been able to contribute to Tyndale’s Go Bible for Kids, which releases Fall 2024. I have a new devotional being released by Our Daily Bread in 2025 and will be recording both of my ODB devotionals this summer for audio books.

Even though my writing journey is a bit different from the traditional path, I’ve been happy following God’s plan and pace. I just want to share God’s truth and love to the ends of the earth and I don’t care how. He’s been allowing me to do this with my words in different genres ever since 2012. I’m grateful for the ministry opportunities!

Were there any obstacles you faced in your journey to publication?

Writing in multiple genres makes marketing and promoting a difficult balance. But God led me to this path, so I’m trusting Him to handle all the details.

What does a typical writing day look like? Are you structured or informal in your writing schedule?

Bible reading and praying is always a part of my writing process. I have a back injury and am considered permanently disabled, so I don’t really have a typical writing day. I work when I can work. I listen to my body and rest when I need to rest. I don’t wait to be inspired, I ask God to give me the words to write when I sit down to write and then I just allow myself to write without editing myself.

    Blog Stops

    Lots of Helpers, April 24

    Texas Book-aholic, April 25

    Vicky Sluiter, April 26 (Author Interview)

    BookZone Reviews , April 27

    By The Book, April 28 (Author Interview)

    Mary Hake, April 28

    Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 29

    Splashes of Joy, April 30 (Author Interview)

    Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 1

    Beauty in the Binding, May 2 (Author Interview)

    Locks, Hooks and Books, May 3

    Sylvan Musings, May 4 (Author Interview)

    Guild Master, May 4

    Artistic Nobody, May 5

    Blossoms and Blessings, May 6 (Author Interview)

    Library Lady’s Kid Lit, May 7

    Giveaway

    To celebrate her tour, Xochitl is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card, a copy of Different Like Me, and What Color is God’s Love?!!

    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/2b144/what-color-is-god-s-love-celebration-tour-giveaway

    First Line Friday — Butte Montana

    26 Apr

    Happy Friday! Today I am featuring historical romance writer, Ruth Trippy. I love that Trippy set her novel, Butte Montana, in the real life 1890s boom town. This is a book that promises to capture the place and time well. I love that the author includes historic photographs of the town — it helps to make the story come alive in a reader’s imagination.

    Here’s the first line:

    Maximilian made himself comfortable in the velvet cushioned armchair.

    ROMANCE IN FLAMBOYANT BUTTE, MONTANA

    Maximilian Strang lost his wife in the horrendous Kenyon-Connell warehouse explosion and now seeks to numb his sorrow in the comforts of the elegant, but notorious Dumas Hotel. Giselle, one of its most beautiful and alluring “ladies of the night,” has him contemplating marriage.

    As owner of a Butte copper mine, Max learns of the tragic death of a young employee, and to stifle his finer feelings, tries to deaden them in the questionable entertainment in the Theatre Comique. Hidden behind a screen in its upstairs balcony, he witnesses a fresh new act: a ballerina, Anna, who artfully expresses life and loveliness. Though she cannot see him, at the end of her dance, she instinctively reaches her arms in his direction, drawing him warmly toward herself.

    Lively and paradoxical, Butte is a city that provides work in its copper mines for some 50 nationalities and is called “the richest hill on earth.” With plenty of money to throw around, its inhabitants have no lack of choice between virtue and wantonness. In this city with so many carnal delights, how will Maximilian choose to live his life?

    Ruth Trippy was born in western Michigan to a Dutch family with values similar to the Victorian era she loves. She left home to teach high school language arts in Florida, focusing on American and British literature, and also pursued her interest in apologetics. In addition, she worked as Public Service Director for a radio station in Ft. Lauderdale.

    Her writing originated from experiences in her marriage. Her husband was a tough, adventurous Louis L’Amour type individual and needing encouragement in the relationship, she found it in the pages of a 19th century romance novel. Identifying with the characters helped her focus on the roses rather than the thorns in her marriage and inspired her to pick up her pen to help others. Romance fiction, she believes, can bring both encouragement and, just as importantly, be a metaphor for the love between Christ and His bride the church.

    Ruth and her husband live near Atlanta and have two grown children.

    Book Review: The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass

    25 Apr

    My book club chose The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass by Katie Powner for our April discussion. This was a novel we all loved. Windy Ray’s wisdom, Pete’s care for others, and Pearl the potbellied pig’s big personality made this character driven novel a favorite. Find out more below.

    For the first time in his life, Pete has everything to lose.

    After years of drifting, fifty-year-old Pete Ryman has settled down with his potbellied pig, Pearl, in the small Montana town of Sleeping Grass–a place he never expected to see again. It’s not the life he dreamed of, but there aren’t many prospects for a high-school dropout like him.

    Elderly widow Wilma Jacobsen carries a burden of guilt over her part in events that led to Pete leaving Sleeping Grass decades ago. Now that he’s back, she’s been praying for the chance to make things right, but she never expected God’s answer to leave her flat on her face–literally–and up to her ears in meddling.

    When the younger sister Pete was separated from as a child shows up in Sleeping Grass with her eleven-year-old son, Pete is forced to face a past he buried long ago, and Wilma discovers her long-awaited chance at redemption may come at a higher cost than she’s willing to pay.

    Katie Powner is an award-winning author who lives in Montana, where cows still outnumber people. She writes contemporary fiction about redemption, relationships, and finding the dirt road home. Katie is a mom to the third power (biological, adoptive, and foster) who believes every child deserves a loving family. Visit http://www.katiepowner.com.

    My Impressions:

    The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass is another excellent novel by Katie Powner. Set in a small Montana town, the story revolves around Pete, the local garbageman. Pete has come back home to Sleeping Grass after years and years of hardship and heartache. Abandoned by his mother as a child, Pete has struggled with all the issues you can imagine and then some. His anger got him kicked out of foster homes and landed him in jail. Determined to change his ways, he is lives a simple and humble life. With just two friends, Windy Ray and Pearl, his pet potbellied pig, Pete feels he can’t expect much more in his undeserving life. But then Pete’s world is upended with the friendship of elderly widow, Wilma, and the appearance of his estranged sister Dani and her son Braeden. Pete begins to walk a tightrope trying not to mess up again.

    This novel is character-driven. While it is mostly Pete’s story, all the others have just as important stories to tell. Truths about God are shared by Windy Ray, Dani and Pete give grace, Wilma receives forgiveness, and Pearl captures the reader’s heart. There’s much to contemplate — the value of people, the burden of guilt, the importance of community and shared faith. A very diverse group of people come together and offer their love to each other. It’s a quiet, yet beautiful book. There are some things left unanswered, but I chose to give all the characters long-lived happy endings. I think that’s what Windy Ray would want 😉 .

    Great for Book Clubs.

    Highly Recommended.

    Audience: Adults.

    (I purchased the audiobook from Audible. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

    Top 10 Tuesday — Unread TBR

    23 Apr

    This week’s TTT topic opens huge cans of worms for me. I have so many unread books in physical form, ebook form, audiobook form, and ARCs on NetGalley. I am drowning in unread books. And I am completely unapologetic! There may come a day when I will have all the time in the world to read. That’s when the TBR will be whittled down. In the meantime, I accumulate books willy-nilly. 😉 This week I am listing the last 10 books added to my NetGalley shelf. At least I know they haven’t been languishing too long. I hope you find one to pique your interest.

    For more hopelessly behind TBR lists, check out That Artsy Reader Girl.

    Last 10 Books Added to My NetGalley Shelf

    Between The Sand And Sea by Amanda Cox

    Bitter And Sweet by Rhonda McKnight

    Her Part to Play by Jenny Erlingsson

    Hidden in The Night by Elizabeth Goddard

    Meet Me At The Starlight by Rachel Hauck

    Love on A Whim by Suzanne Woods Fisher

    The Road Before Us by Janine Rosche

    A Run At Love by Toni Shiloh

    The Sisters of Corinth by Angela Hunt

    What We Hide by Colleen Coble and Rick Acker

    Mini-Book Review: The Women

    22 Apr

    The Women by Kristin Hannah was the April selection of my book club which focuses on novels featuring interesting women, usually within the historical fiction genre. The women noted by the title were US Army nurses serving in Vietnam. The story revolves around one in particular, and Hannah puts her through the ringer! We found the political and cultural context of the book interesting. All of our members were born in the 1960s, but were too young to actually know what was going on in the adult life of our country. All I remember is watching Walter Cronkite sharing the death toll of our servicemen. This book takes the reader into the dangerous world of the women who no one wanted to admit actually went to Vietnam. While many returning veterans were treated horribly, the women who risked their lives to provide healing and comfort, were also hit with abysmal treatment by the Veterans Administration. The book was definitely an eye-opener. Beautifully written, it does not shy away from the graphic side of the war, nor the obstacles and problems for those who came home. The Women is an excellent book club choice — we had a really great discussion. Please note that this novel was published for the general market. All adult warnings are included.

    Recommended.

    Great for Book Clubs.

    Audience Adults.

    (I purchased a copy of this book from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

    Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

    As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.

    But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

    The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.

    Kristin Hannah is the award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels. Her newest novel, The Women, about the nurses who served in the Vietnam war, will be released on February 6, 2024.

    The Four Winds was published in February of 2021 and immediately hit #1 on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Indie bookstore’s bestseller lists. Additionally, it was selected as a book club pick by the both Today Show and The Book Of the Month club, which named it the best book of 2021.

    In 2018, The Great Alone became an instant New York Times #1 bestseller and was named the Best Historical Novel of the Year by Goodreads.

    In 2015, The Nightingale became an international blockbuster and was Goodreads Best Historical fiction novel for 2015 and won the coveted People’s Choice award for best fiction in the same year. It was named a Best Book of the Year by Amazon, iTunes, Buzzfeed, the Wall Street Journal, Paste, and The Week.

    The Nightingale is currently in pre-production at Tri Star. Firefly Lane, her beloved novel about two best friends, was the #1 Netflix series around the world, in the week it came out. The popular tv show stars Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke.

    A former attorney, Kristin lives in the Pacific Northwest.

    First Line Friday — How to Plot A Payback

    19 Apr

    Happy Friday! I just love to attend book events. Last weekend two bookish friends and I attended an evening with 3 authors hosted by Bookbound Bookstore in Blairsville, Georgia. Shout out to Sharon Davis for her fabulously fun events. Joy Callaway, Melissa Ferguson, and Kimberly Brock all entertained and informed us with their writing habits, research, and of course their wonderful books! I snagged a signed copy of Melissa Ferguson’s newest RomCom release, How to Plot A Payback.

    Here’s the first line:

    Murder is just so tedious.

    He crossed an ocean, and it still wasn’t enough to escape his lifelong nemesis. Now he has to work with her.

    Successful screenwriter Finn Masters just landed his dream job writing for Neighbors, one of Hollywood’s highest-rated, longest-running sitcoms. The only downside? It will put him back in proximity of the show’s universally adored, optimistic, altruistic star, Lavender Rhodes, who has been inadvertently ruining his life since they were school chums in England. But she doesn’t even know she destroyed his acting career and wrecked his relationship with the love of his life.

    He’s not about to let this woman yank yet another dream out from under his feet. In fact, he realizes he’s been given the ideal opportunity to plot his payback: spinning her character in shocking new directions. What could go wrong? Only everything. As Finn’s not-so-brilliant plot backfires one scene after the next, catching him in the blasts, he’s forced to think about this impossible, infuriating…and maybe even lovable woman in an entirely new light.

    Melissa Ferguson is the bestselling author of titles including Meet Me in the Margins, Famous for a Living, and How to Plot a Payback. She lives in Tennessee with her family in their growing farmhouse lifestyle and writes heartwarming romantic comedies.

    You can find her on her socials at @ourfriendlyfarmhouse.

    Spotlight On Historical Romance — An Unlikely Arrangement

    18 Apr

    An Unlikely Arrangement JustRead Blog Tour

    Welcome to the Blog Tour for An Unlikely Arrangement by Cindy Patterson, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

    About The Book

    An Unlikely Arrangement

    Title: An Unlikely Arrangement
    Series: Brides of Biltmore #1
    Author: Cindy Patterson
    Publisher: Springbrook Press, LLC
    Release Date: March 11, 2024
    Genre: Historical Romance, Christian, Clean & Wholesome

    In 1902, Abigail Dupree is but a breath away from her grand societal failure. To save her family from humiliation and financial ruin, Abigail becomes a bargaining trade in her mother’s eyes. A bargain that will extinguish Abigail’s last hope of a happily-ever-after. If only she could return to the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, she might have a chance to reunite with the only man who has the power to save her reputation.

    Garrett Barringer arrives in Charlotte, North Carolina to escape a past that no longer wants him. He takes an undisclosed position with Mr. Dupree. When it is revealed that part of Mr. Dupree’s purpose for bringing him on board is to chaperone his beloved daughter, Garrett abruptly discovers that he has taken on more than he bargained for. Abigail Dupree is more beguiling than any other woman he’s encountered, but he must resist his heart for the sake of propriety and to keep a promise made to her father.

    When her father hires Garrett Barringer, a man that seems far too young to be a lawyer, and possesses far too many favorable characteristics, Abigail resists his charm but cannot deny her heart is compelling her toward him. But she will not allow the man to ruin an opportunity she has waited for nearly five years.

    Garrett is suddenly aware what his life was and what it could become in the presence of Abigail Dupree. Will he be able to give up the woman who has stolen his heart, for her happiness?

    Abigail stands to lose all if Garrett Barringer sees past her physical beauty and uncovers the ugliness of her imperfect past. Will Abigail continue on the condemned path she’s fashioned for herself, or trust that God wants a future for her she never believed possible?

    PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop| BookBub

    Excerpt

    Foolish woman. Abigail remained by the fireplace in the parlor, eyes slid closed in humiliation for the hundredth time since Garrett Barringer’s departure. She had stood on the threshold of spending time alone with the man. On the day before her departure, no less. An opportunity she never believed would have occurred.

    Why then had she ruined her chances by blurting out most of her faults within the span of not even a full minute’s time? Faults he may not have even realized. Speaking liberally as if she were eager for his forgiveness. His approval.

    Why had she not stayed upstairs instead of running back down, desperate to see him? Because she was eager to be near the man. More eager than even she had realized.




    About The Author

    Cindy Patterson

    Award-winning author Cindy Patterson believes in captivating romance and happy endings. In her stories, she loves to give glimpses of how God can use brokenness and make them whole. She reads a lot, drinks too much coffee, and wishes she had more time to write. Author of Chasing Paradise, Broken Butterfly, and Shattered Treasure, she loves to connect with her readers.

    Connect with Cindy by visiting cindypattersonbks.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.


    Tour Giveaway

    (2) winners will win a $25 Amazon Gift Card, a signed print copy of An Unlikely Arrangement and other book related gifts!

    An Unlikely Arrangement JustRead Tours giveaway

    Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight April 16, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on April 23, 2024. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US/CAN only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

    Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

    Enter Giveaway


    Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

    JustRead Publicity Tours

    Spotlight On Mystery/Supense — The Vanished

    17 Apr

    The Vanished JustRead Takeover + Review Blitz

    Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for The Vanished by Cara Putman hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

    About The Book

    The Vanished

    Title: The Vanished
    Series: Secrets to Keep #1
    Author: Cara Putman
    Publisher: Kregel Publications
    Release Date: April 16, 2024
    Genre: Christian Mystery & Suspense

    Janae Simmons left the small town of Kedgewick, Virginia, ten years ago to pursue her legal career and never looked back–until a professional mistake leads her to her grandmother’s historic carriage house and to the town where her past threatens to find her. The quiet streets echo with her grandfather’s sterling reputation, one that conflicts with fresh questions that claw at Janae, launching her on a reluctant journey to unearth his secrets. When her new job at a local law firm doesn’t live up to expectations, she wonders if coming home was the right decision.

    Carter Montgomery starts his art preservation career with the only job he can get–director at the Elliott Museum of Art. At least Kedgewick is a nice enough town to provide him and his nephew with a safe place to grieve the loss of Carter’s sister. But Carter’s calm days disappear when an elderly woman claims two paintings in the museum’s collection were stolen from her family during World War II.

    Carter enlists Janae’s help to unravel the legal labyrinth of art ownership, and the peaceful facade of Kedgewick morphs into a hot bed of secrets. When an attorney turns up dead and Janae uncovers another painting, what began as a simple legal issue spirals into a race against time. As the web of intrigue tightens, the duo must confront a looming question: What dark truths lie beneath the surface, waiting to be exposed?

    “Putman’s legal expertise shines in this compelling and intricately plotted romantic suspense. Highly recommended!”

    Colleen Coble, USA Today best-selling author

    “Cara Putman has once again created an exciting cast of characters. I was immediately drawn in by Janae and Carter’s unique chemistry. This is one story you don’t want to miss.”

    Rebecca Hemlock, award-winning author of Fury in the Shadows

    Excerpt

    She spent the short drive into downtown Kedgewick clearing her mind and steeling herself for the night. If she pretended she were about to enter the courtroom rather than an art gallery, maybe it wouldn’t feel so excruciating to wonder what the people who knew her as a teen thought of her now. It shouldn’t matter, but she’d left Kedgewick all those years ago to get a fresh start, and many might delight that she’d returned. And now she found that the in-your-face antagonism of the courtroom was preferable to the hidden barbs of “friends.” Still, part of her wished she were parking near the courthouse rather than on the edge of Monroe College. The courtroom had become her second home in the five years since law school. She hadn’t darkened the doors of Monroe College’s museum since finishing an art appreciation paper during Thanksgiving break of her junior year at Purdue. It felt like a lifetime ago, but the Virginia-limestone facade of the three-story museum sat unchanged, with couples walking up the steps and across the covered portico to the double doors. Now she was headed to some fancy event here—something she’d never done before. Light spilled from the museum each time one of the large front doors opened.

    (pg 14)



    PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook | Bookshop | BookBub

    More Books in Series

    We Three Kings


    About The Author

    Cara Putman

    Cara Putman is the award-winning, best-selling author of more than thirty-five novels, including the Cornhusker Dreams series and the Hidden Justice series.

    Connect with Cara by visiting caraputman.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.


    Tour Giveaway

    (1) winner will receive a signed copy of the book, art-themed notebooks, and stickers that inspired the art stolen in the book!

    The Vanished JustRead Giveaway

    Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight April 17, 2024 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on April 24, 2024. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

    Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

    Enter Giveaway


    Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

    JustRead Publicity Tours

    Top 10 Tuesday — Bookish Inns

    16 Apr

    Happy Tuesday! Today I am again tweaking the TTT prompt. Surprise, surprise! 😉 Instead of listing characters I would like to vacation with, I am spotlighting real life and fictional inns featured in books. While some of the places I’ve traveled to in my reading leave a bit to be desired as destinations (ghosts, disappearances, murders), I have enjoyed my vicarious stays. There are a variety of genres, so you should be able to find a book that sparks your interest.

    For more on topic TTT posts, check out That Artsy Reader Girl.

    Top Bookish Inns

    Real Life Inns/Hotels Featured in Books

    Ever Faithful by Karen Barnett (Old Faithful Inn)

    The Lady in Residence by Allison Pittman (Menger Hotel)

    A Stranger’s Game by Colleen Coble (Jekyll Island Club)

    What The Mountains Remember by Joy Callaway (Grove Park Inn)

    One Person’s Dream . . .

    Home to Chicory Lane by Deborah Raney

    On A Summer Tide by Suzanne Woods Fisher

    Sandcastle Inn by Irene Hannon

    Another Person’s Nightmare . . .

    The Inn on Hanging Hill by Christy Barritt

    Night Falls on Predicament Avenue by Jaime Jo Wright

    Tidewater Inn by Colleen Coble