HIGH-GRADE HONORS

By Stephen Bly

Some folks think of a gold mine as a deep cave lined with waves of 24-carat jewels. All they need is a crow bar to pry the treasures into big chunks. Then take their haul to the jeweler.

Doesn’t happen that way.

Fool's Gold

Most mines look like big dirt canyons. The gold’s so fine it can only be recovered by very pressurized, modern equipment. High prices and advanced technology combine to dig  out gold in places that in other eras would be considered worthless.

However, on occasion gold does litter some mine shafts.

Every so often a miner blasts into the center of a room-sized geode and he’s able to sack up almost pure gold by the shovels-full. Real high-grade stuff like that is rare to find. And near impossible to prevent theft. Valuable ore in chunks may line coat pockets and lunch pails. In fact, the term ‘high-grade’ evolved because of the rampant stealing of small particles of good ore by mine workers.

Not many of us work gold mines today. And everyone’s different in the temptations that harass him or her. But we all find ourselves in places where we have access to someone else’s goods. Whenever valuables of any sort are taken from an original owner for another’s own personal use, that’s high-grading. 

Did you used to make ends meet by stealing?

Well, no more! Get an honest job

so that you can help others who can’t work.

Ephesians 4:28 MSG

In our sloppy ethics society, refusal to steal means a moral upgrade, a God honoring pursuit.

Copyright©1993,2010 
Stephen Bly

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Have you ever gone searching for gold? Any luck?

~~~~~~~~~~

COMING MARCH 2012: Stuart Brannon's Final Shot

It's 1905. A lawman comes out of retirement to search for a missing U.S. Marshal friend and grapples with the game of golf on behalf of a celebrity tournament. 

CREATIVE PLAY FOR ADULTS

Jan & Janet

by Janet Chester Bly

Copyright 2008

A counselor once told a friend of mine, “You’ve never really had a childhood. You need to play more.”

So the two of us pulled off our shoes and tiptoed barefoot in a park fountain.

We did an overnighter in sleeping bags on an outdoor deck.

We painted pictures with our fingers.

We caught butterflies in a jar. We threw popcorn at critters.

Then, for a finale, we rolled down a gentle hill in my front yard.

A neighbor asked us what was going on. When we explained, she said, “I’ve got a friend who needs that too. I think I'll go help her.”

When is the last time you’ve done something playful?

It doesn’t take much time or expense to dance in a meadow. To walk in dawn’s light. Or make forms in mud or sand.

Plant a flower or herb garden in a window sill.

Get out the old instrument you used to play.

Watch the different ways flocks of birds fly.

Create a new recipe from ingredients in your cupboard.

Look out your window long enough to see something new.

Find humor in your mistakes and stresses.

Get close to a funny person.

“A cheerful heart does good like medicine” Proverbs 17:22 TLB

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What sorts of activities do you enjoy that could be considered ‘playtime?’

~~~~~~~~~~~

Download the full article: “31 Ways To Win The Fight For Personal Peace” at

http://BlyBooks.com/article.htm/

CHRISTMAS BOOK GIFTS

Love Inspired CHRISTMAS GIFTS

Small Town Christmas

Love Inspired Duet - November 2011

Mini-Matchmakers and

An Old Fashion Christmas

ABOUT THE BOOK:

When the new second grade teacher, Amy Carroll, meets the precocious twin sisters, she knows she has her hands full. When she learns they live on the street where she stays with her grandmother and they have a single father who is handsome and needs help, Amy’s hands are beyond full. 

But Amy’s from Chicago. Falling in love with a small town man is not part of her plan. Can God waylay Amy’s desire to return to the big city? Can Mike Russett open his heart to love?

 ~~~~~~~~

"Martin’s story contains strong characters and touching scenes" - Romantic Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Gail Gaymer Martin

Multi-award-winning novelist, Gail Gaymer Martin writes Christian fiction for Love Inspired and Barbour Publishing, where she was honored by Heartsong readers as their Favorite Author of 2008. Gail has forty-nine contracted novels with over three million books in print. 

She is the author of Writers Digest’s Writing the Christian Romance, co-founder of American Christian Fiction Writers, a keynote speaker at churches, libraries and civic organizations  and presents workshops at conference across the US. 

She was recently named one of the four best novelists in the Detroit area by CBS local news.

Available in all stores where books are sold

To Purchase online click link:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product//0373877056?ie=UTF8&tag=novgaigaymar-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0373877056

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt Chapter 1

“Mrs. Fredericks.” The office secretary leaned into the room. “Mr. Russet is here to see you.”

“The twins father.” A heavy sigh whisked the air. “Ask him to wait a moment.”

Amy took another step toward the door. No doubt the sigh signaled trouble.

“Please wait a moment, Miss Carroll. “The twins will be in your class. It might help you to meet the girls. They have a propensity for getting into trouble.” She motioned. “They’re right across the hall in the cafeteria. It’ll give you a heads-up for Monday.”

Trouble. Amy swallowed. “I suppose that would be. . .practical.”

“Yes, and you’ll keep an eye on them while I talk with their father.” She chuckled and motioned her to follow.

ON THE OWL-HOOT TRAIL

By Stephen Bly 

Copyright©1993,2010

Thin population made the Old West an easy place to hide, for any who wanted to. And many did. They came West to run from some past event or somebody.

A slew of terms sprang up to describe such folks. How many of these have you heard before?

They were said to be ‘among the willows,’ ‘brushing up,’ GTT - ‘gone to Texas,’ ‘hankerin’ to sniff Gulf breeze,’ ‘heading for the settin’ sun,’ ‘holed up,’ ‘on the dodge,’ ‘pulling for the Rio Grande,’ ‘taking to the tules,’ ‘traveling the lonesome places,’ or ‘watering his horse at night,’ ‘riding the coulees … or the high lines … or the owl-hoot trail.’

         

It’s natural to avoid your mistakes, to run from ruin, to hunker down from humiliation. Only the truly courageous man or woman of character faces up to the consequences of their actions.

It started with Adam and Eve.

After they disobeyed God’s one command, they “hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8 NIV). But God found them.

Pretty funny to think that the only two humans on earth think they could squat behind a plum tree and not be noticed by God.

Even with the billions on the planet now, He always finds those who try to cover up: “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” (Psalm 139:7 NIV)

Ignore the Bible. Skip church. Flip away from Christian channels. Avoid Christian friends. But you can’t escape your heavenly Father. About as silly as a mammoth hunkering behind an aspen.

So, when you’re ready, jump out and say, “Here I am!” He’ll set you free. You’ll be sane again. And you won’t have to spend so much time and energy spiritually taking to the tules or watering your horse at night. . .or riding the owl-hoot trail.

~~~~~~~~~

When are the times you most want to hide-away somewhere?


~~~~~~~~~~


COMING MARCH 2012:  
Stuart Brannon's Final Shot, by Stephen Bly, with Janet Chester Bly, Russell Bly, Michael Bly & Aaron Bly

~~~~~~~~~

Throw The Devil Off The Train

Find Throw The Devil Off The Train and other Bly Book releases at http://BlyBooks.com/store.htm/

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A HODAG? by Author Lynn Cote

Building A Family

BUILDING A FAMILY

novel by Lynn Cote

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Lawyer Eleanor Washburn defends wayward teenagers and supervises volunteers for Habitat for Humanity without missing a beat. But she is unnerved by fascinating single dad Pete Beck -- especially since his chaotic life includes a little girl wishing for a mother. Sweet Cassie has Eleanor yearning for what's been missing from her lonely existence. Soon, both dad and daughter are chipping away at Eleanor's defenses. Can she find the courage to risk losing her heart to this ready-made family?

Lynn Cote’s latest Love Inspired romance is set in a fictitious town near Rhinelander, Wisconsin, and the hodag makes its romantic debut in Building A Family. 

A hodag captured

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A HODAG?

Probably not. The hodag is the mascot of a town I live near in Wisconsin. According to Wikipedia: "The Hodag is a folkloric animal of the American state of Wisconsin. Its history is focused mainly around the city of Rhinelander in northern Wisconsin, where it was said to have been discovered."

A folkloric animal can be fun. And the fun started in 1893 when prankster Eugene Shepard announced the discovery and killing of the last hodag. And here's the photo to prove it!

hodag

Shepard wrote that: "It was "the fiercest, strangest, most frightening monster ever to set razor sharp claws on the earth. It became extinct after its main food source, all white bulldogs, became scarce in the area." Well, the white bulldogs probably gave a sigh of relief!! 

Anyway, the folks in Rhinelander have fun with their mascot or symbol, keeping the fun spirit of Shepard alive. Here's the statue of the hodag in front of the tourist center in Rhinelander.

Rhinelander sits just to the south of the northwoods or Lakeland area where I live. Within a 50 mile radius of my home are 2300 lakes. If you fly over this area, you see more water than land. That explains part of the area's allure. Most of Chicago and Milwaukee head north to escape the heat and humidity of summer. 

Do you have a mascot or symbol for your hometown? What is it?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lynn Cote

When Lyn Cote became a mother, she gave up teaching, and while raising a son and a daughter, she began working on her first novel. Rejection followed. Finally in 1997, Lyn got "the call." Her first book, Never Alone, was chosen for the brand new Love Inspired romance line. Since then, Lyn has had over thirty-five novels published. 

In 2006 Lyn's book, Chloe, was a finalist for the RITA, and her book Her Patchwork Family and Her Healing Ways were finalists for the Carol Award in 2010 & 2011, two of the highest awards in romance. Lyn also features stories of strong women both from real life and true to life fiction on her blog http://BooksbyLynCote.com Writing books at her lake cottage in northern Wisconsin, Lyn hopes her books show the power of divine and human love.

Lyn Cote
2011 ACFW Carol Winner for Her Healing Ways
http://www.BooksbyLynCote.com
For the latest Christian Fiction Market Update
http://www.booksbylyncote.com/publishers.html

CROSSING THE SLOUGH OF DESPOND

by Janet Chester Bly

Discouragement. Depression.

There’s many causes ... emotional or mental, chemical or biological, hereditary or  spiritual. Each origin requires a separate remedy.

-- A trained, compatible counselor.

-- Truth to replace a false thought system.

-- Proper diet.

-- Helpful meds.

-- The right kind and length of exercise.

-- Correcting family fault patterns.

-- Right relationship with God.

-- Practicing spiritual disciplines.

-- Following spiritual principles.

-- Confession. Repentance. Deliverance from evil.

When you’re miserable and can’t cope in your fight for peace ... consider King David and his seasons of despair. Read all the Psalms. Or like I’ve been doing, listen to them on CDs, especially Psalm 42. Dig into this diary of distress over and over, until God’s love turns the light on again.

Pour out all your thoughts on paper or a computer screen.

Fill up a journal of where you are right now. Where you’ve been. And where you hope to be.

What to do if you’ve tried everything and there’s no other fix in sight? When the heaviness settles in and claims you as home? Persevere until relief comes. Call out to God for as long as he takes.

Perhaps he will send a buddy, a partner, a friend.

“Then God who cheers those who are discouraged refreshed us by the arrival of Titus” (2 Corinthians 7:6)

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 What's been your best depression fighter?

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~

Download "31 Ways To Win The Fight For Personal Peace" at http://BlyBooks.com/articles.htm/

DRAGONS OF THE WATCH, new novel by Donita Paul

Dragons of the Watch

New Novel by Donita K. Paul

ABOUT DRAGONS OF THE WATCH

The Chronicles of Chiril continue as Ellie and Bealomondore find themselves trapped in an isolated city guarded by dragons and separated from everything they know and love. 

How can they escape? 

Along the way they meet a group of wild children and a very old man, whose needs they must meet before they can find their way home. With the help of the dragons of the watch, they discover that their fate depends upon their ability to recognize and step in line with the Creator’s will.

Here’s where you can find this book:

AMAZON: http://amzn.to/qRD1ZP

BARNES & NOBLE: http://bit.ly/qFFPqu

CHRISTIAN BOOK: http://bit.ly/r2XCjc

About the Author:

Donita K. Paul

Donita K. Paul retired early from teaching school, but soon got bored! The result: a determination to start a new career. Now she is an award-winning novelist writing Christian Romance and Fantasy. She says, “I feel blessed to be doing what I like best.”

Mrs. Paul has also released a prairie romance, Taming the Wild Wind. 

Check out her website for details: http://www.donitakpaul.com/

~~~~~~~~~

When's the last time you read a story about dragons?

HEEL FLIES DON'T BOTHER YOU?

Stephen Bly 2009

By Stephen Bly

Copyright©1993,2009

Old-time cowboys would be surprised at today’s cattle business. In the 1800s, Texas longhorn steers were on their way out. The hard winters forced cattlemen to search for hardier breeds. Herefords and others replaced longhorns.

But longhorns have made a comeback. They’re considered a tough bunch that requires less care than newer breeds. They’re known to survive scruffy locations and produce leaner meat. Mossy-backed longhorns especially proved to be sturdy. They were afraid of nothing…except heel flies.

heel fly

That’s the worst season for cow raisers. In southern ranges heel flies arrive between mid-February and mid-April. Those tiny flies sting cattle in the tender part of the leg, just above the hoof, where they lay eggs. Heel flies can cause even tough old longhorns to scatter in panic … in search of water or bog holes to escape the torment.

Such tiny insects, yet they can drive cows wild.

Sometimes it’s the annoyances you can hardly see that give you the most trouble. Big troubles can grow from little specks. That’s true for spiritual well being too. The quicker you learn to recognize temptations and sins when they’re just pinpricks, the better off you’ll be (James 1:15 MSG).

Maybe if little sins hurt more, you’d do something about it in a big fat hurry. If you felt a painful sting every time you strayed away from God, maybe you’d stampede towards him sooner and more often. At least the longhorns always know when the heel flies are around.

What in your life works like a loving nip at the heels?  

Sometimes it’s the very thing that seems like an annoyance, a chronic harassment ... but yet God means this problem or person to prevent you future pain. To help you recognize trouble ahead … and fight against it.

~~~~~~~~~~

COMING MARCH 2012: Stuart Brannon's Final Shot, by Stephen Bly with Janet Chester Bly, Russell Bly, Michael Bly & Aaron Bly

AVAILABLE NOW in hardback or E-Book:

Throw The Devil Off The Train

http://BlyBooks.com/store.htm or http://Amazon.com 

 

Throw The Devil Off The Train

  

LOVE FINDS YOU ON CHRISTMAS MORNING

Love Finds You On Christmas Morning

Not ready to think about Christmas?

But here's a great Christmas gift for the romance readers on your list ....

About the book: 

Love Finds You On Christmas Morning in two heartwarming holiday stories:

Deck the Halls (Debby Mayne): In 1925, the wealthy William Tronnier becomes smitten with the lovely but penniless Lillian Pickard. Not one to give up easily, William pursues Lillian even though she does everything in her power to resist falling in love with a man from a completely different social class. As Christmas descends on the picturesque town of Cary, North Carolina, William plans to make Lillian a proposal she can’t refuse.

 ‘Tis the Season (Trish Perry): When personal chef Nikki Tronnier moves back home to Cary, North Carolina, she plans to fulfill a lifelong dream and buy back the family home built by her great-grandfather for his bride. But before she is able to make an offer, someone else buys the house. Just as she prepares for a fight, she learns that the very person who stole her dream is the man who has also stolen her heart. Unaware, handsome new owner, Drew Cornell, seeks Nikki’s help in restoring the home to its historic beauty in time for Christmas.

A Recipe From The Book:

Pickard-Tronnier Shortbread or Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup softened butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups sifted flour

1 tsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. vanilla (optional)

Directions:

Mix the flour and cornstarch in a medium bowl.

1.      In a large bowl, mix softened butter with sugar and vanilla (optional) until you have a creamy consistency.

2.      Add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar.

3.      Press the mixture into an 8" by 8" cake pan. (See below if you are making cookies.)

4.      Bake in a 325-degree oven for approximately 30 minutes.

5.      Cool slightly but cut into 2-inch squares while still warm.

Directions for cookies:

1.      Follow 1–3 in the directions above.

2.      Use a teaspoon to scoop the batter, roll it into balls, and flatten each one on a cookie sheet.

3.      For cookies, bake for approximately 15 to 20 minutes until brown around the edges.

4.      Cool before removing from the pan.

Online purchase links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Love-Finds-You-Christmas-Morning/dp/1609361938/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316190442&sr=1-1

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-finds-you-on-christmas-morning-to-be-decided/1101376108?ean=9781609361938&itm=1&usri=love%2bfinds%2byou%2bon%2bchristmas%2bmorning

CBD: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?event=AFF&p=1155087&item_no=361938

Trish Perry

Trish Perry Bio:  

Award-winning novelist Trish Perry has written nine inspirational romances for Harvest House Publishers, Summerside Press, and Barbour Publishing, as well as two devotionals for Summerside Press. She has served as a columnist and as a newsletter editor over the years, as well as a 1980s stockbroker and a board member of the Capital Christian Writers organization in Washington, D.C. She holds a degree in Psychology. 

Trish just released Love Finds You on Christmas Morning, written with Debby Mayne. Her nostalgic romance novel, Unforgettable (Summerside Press), released in March and Tea for Two, Book Two in her Millicent’s Tea Shop series (Harvest House), released in April. She invites you to visit her at www.TrishPerry.com

Love Finds You On Christmas Morning, Tea for Two, and more

~~~~~~~~~~~

THE WEDDING KISS, a new novel by Hannah Alexander

The Wedding Kiss

ABOUT THE WEDDING KISS:

Against the backdrop of 1901 Eureka Springs, Arkansas, and the surrounding countryside, one simple kiss draws two people into a discovery that will forever change their lives.

Marriage seems the only option for Keara McBride and Elam Jensen after Keara's father gambles away her home and ends up in jail. Plus Elam's children need a mother's care. 

When the Jensens seal their vows at the altar with a kiss, however, their marriage of convenience seems much less convenient. The first kiss they share before a church filled with witnesses ignites a beacon of attraction that leaves them both feeling guilty. Elam's wife, Gloria--who was also Keara's best friend--has been dead less than a year. How can they betray her like this? 

And yet...oh, that kiss. 

When a stranger who bears a striking resemblance to Gloria shows up injured on the front porch on Elam and Keara's wedding night, the whole family is thrown into confusion, suspense and danger. But does this stranger also hold a key to the Jensens' future happiness?

Published by Summerside Press

Order from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN978-1-60936-308-6

NOTE FROM HANNAH ALEXANDER:

Since I'm an incessant reader, I'm beginning a new blog to share some of the best of those books I love to read. The blog is Sunroom Reflections. I may even, on occasion, share a new release of my own, or information about contests.

I am now on facebook! If you would like to be my friend my user name is Hannah Alexander. Please mention that you are a reader of my books when sending me a friend request.

Team of Hannah Alexander

 ABOUT HANNAH ALEXANDER: 

HANNAH ALEXANDER is the pen name for the writing collaboration of husband and wife, Cheryl & Mel Hodde. They chose the name "Hannah Alexander" to incorporate their two names into one. They have read that Hannah means "her hope is in the Lord," and Alexander means, "servant of mankind."
~~~~~