This week, I’m attending a writing retreat at Green Mountain Dude Ranch with about sixty other writers from Seekerville. Beautiful scenery here at the Idaho ranch, where Jake has made us all feel welcome. We are free to saddle up a horse for a trail ride, pull on our hiking boot for a bit of adventure, or find a place on the porch to sit and write. We gather around the campfire to share goals or experiences at the end of the day. Sunday we attended cowboy church, listening to great old hymns. This morning, I took a hike down by the creek and gathered some leaves of wild mint, so today I’m serving fresh mint tea. (I just might have seen grizzly tracks in the mud by the stream. I’ll have to ask the cowboys if there are grizzly bears around these parts.) The cooks here rustle up some delicious grub, so I’ll let you help yourself to anything on the spread. (The strawberry rhubarb pie is a good choice, as is anything with peaches.) The Grammar Queen is here, so I’m hoping for an invitation to her suite for an afternoon tea. Take a moment to enjoy the mountain scenery and stay awhile!
And let me tell you, a virtual retreat with this group of writers is awesome! The more the merrier! Let me know in the comments where you would go on a virtual writing retreat! Thanks for stopping by for mint tea!
For information about the retreat, visit Seekerville at www.Seekerville.net.
This week, my real life hero and I celebrate our forty-two years of Happily Ever After. We’re gathering at the Old West Book Shop today. In my husband’s honor, I’m serving his favorite Arbuckles coffee (strong) and his favorite treat, Oreo cookies. He’ll be reading his treasured Louis L’Amour books while we’re lingering over coffee.
We celebrate our forty-two years of happily ever after this week!
This is the man who asked me to go to the Junior Prom with him for our first date.
This is the man who still wanted to marry me when I told him I wasn’t able to have children.
This is the man who stoodby me as I went through many years of infertility treatments.
This is the man who calmed me as we went through high-risk pregnancies.
This is the man who was by my side both times we brought miracle babies into the world.
This is the man who comforted me when two of our babies went to heaven before being born.
This is the man who is a wonderful father to our two sons, who are amazing men.
This is the man who has always worked hard to provide for his family.
This is the man who delights in being Granddad to the most adorable grandchildren in the world.
This is the man who strives to live a Christian life every day.
This is the man God created to be my best friend, my companion along the trail.
This is the man who is my hero.
This is the man I love.
Blessings to you, DEAR HUSBAND of forty-two years….and forever!
I’m delighted to reveal the beautiful cover for Amber Stokes’ debut novel, Bleeding Heart. I “met” Amber in Seekerville (www.seekerville.net) and enjoy her enthusiasm and helpfulness. Amber has been writing her first book which I am looking forward to reading! First, the cover reveal! The heroine is sitting on the hillside with the sunset in the background….lovely! Then look at her dress and the flowers she holds….perfect! I was drawn to this story by its cover, but as I read about the book and then the excerpt (see below), I’m intrigued by Miss Clay and her future plans!
We’ll have a tea celebration and chat with Amber when Bleeding Heart is released in August 2013. But for now, enjoy the cover and a bit about her Inspirational Historical Romance, while you sip some iced tea with a touch of lemon sitting on the patio with me! Thank you for your visit!
GIVEAWAY: Please leave a comment with your thoughts about this cover, AND be sure to look at the end of this post to see the perfect Bleeding Heart gifts and enter the giveaway using the form.
About the Book
Five bleeding hearts. One profound journey.
Summer 1886
Sally Clay’s livelihood has been snatched away, but in its place arises an opportunity to escape from her sordid past and an unrelenting, unwanted suitor. Boarding a train with a heartsick rancher and an enigmatic miner, she leaves Virginia City behind and heads to Northern California, waiting for the chance to make right what went wrong three long years before.
But the road to revenge is far from smooth. Sally soon learns that the jagged pieces of a broken heart can far too easily wound the hearts of others – and hers isn’t the only heart that’s broken. Tragedy and fear dog her steps as she flees from the redwood forests to the high desert and back again. Will her bleeding heart ever find a way and a place to heal?
A desperate soiled dove. Three men who come to care for her. One man determined to claim her.
All on a journey that will show them what true love really involves.
Teaser from Bleeding Heart
Prologue
Breaking hearts should be considered a crime. That would make Elizabeth Lawson an outlaw and Joe Clifton the victim. And that wasn’t a far stretch in Joe’s mind. She had rounded up his heart, branded her name across it when it should never have belonged to her, and then left him high and dry. Still, he was getting sick of hanging around the scene of the crime. He just didn’t know where else to go.
Lake Tahoe had once been his favorite get-away destination, a place where he could go to just sit back and enjoy the view of water as clear as a shined-up mirror. Now those crystal depths and the unmoving boulders along the water’s edge taunted him, bringing back memories of a happy proposal and a less-than-happy scene where his heart was handed back to him on a silver platter – bruised, broken, and bleeding.
He didn’t want to make any more memories like that. So he made a promise to himself: He would never let anyone break his heart again.
About the Author
Amber Stokes has a Bachelor of Science degree in English and a passion for the written word – from blogging to writing poetry, short stories, and novels. After her brief time at college in Oregon, she is now back home among the redwoods of Northern California, living life one day at a time and pursuing her passion via freelance editing and self-publishing her debut novel, Bleeding Heart. You can connect with Amber on her blog, Seasons of Humility.
BTW, on Amber’s blog, www.seasonsofhumility.com, I think you’ll enjoy her thoughts on how this cover came to be while working with Lena Goldfinch.
About the Cover Designer
Lena lives in a scenic small town in Massachusetts with her husband, two kids, and a very spoiled Black Lab. She writes fiction for young adults, mostly light fantasy with a healthy dose of “sigh-worthy” romance. You can visit her online at www.lenagoldfinch.blogspot.com.
The Book’s Blog
In conjunction with the cover reveal, Amber’s doing a “blog reveal,” as well! You can find all the latest news about Bleeding Heart, along with book extras, at the Bleeding Heart blog.
And Amber has a giveaway with these beautiful gifts….see the form below.
We’re having tea today the with the author of LOVE’S MIRACLES—Sandra Leesmith. We’re at the Wildflower Gazebo Tea Garden, serving Lavender Scones with wildflower honey and an exquisite blend of English tea, The Queen’s Earl Grey Jubilee, from the Queen Mary Tea Shop in Seattle. The tea includes delicate lavender blossoms. Please pull up a white wicker chair and sit with us while we talk about Love’s Miracles, where wildflowers bloom, hence the flower-flavored scones and tea I’m serving today.
Lavender Scones and tea served in the spring garden with blooming columbines.
About Love’s Miracles
Dr. Margo Devaull came to Dominic Zanelli’s mountain retreat confident that she could help this Vietnam veteran overcome the torment that kept him apart from the world. But her training as a psychologist had not prepared her for the tragic, explosive contradictions brewing inside him. For here was a sensitive artist who could be gentle – and a man whose eyes flashed with violence and pain when he told her to leave and never come back. Yet Margo did come back, slowly gain his trust, and awaken the sleeping needs of his heart. Only by reliving her own wounded past and helping Zane confront a terrible memory from the war could she set them both free – and save their last chance for love.
My thoughts on Love’s Miracles
Reading Love’s Miracles helps us remember the sacrifices our military members and their families make to secure our nation’s freedom and the freedom of others who are not able to defend themselves. Love’s Miracles is a story of the post-Vietnam era, but is still relevant to current times. Sandra Leesmith writes of the emotions involved with post-traumatic stress disorder. Her words are written with the care and the consideration deserved by those who suffer from this condition. As I read this story, I was concerned about Zane and Margo as they worked through the issues they must face, their love blooming over time and through difficulties. The detail of both scenery and action is vivid. The ending left me in tears and with a profound appreciation for the sacrifices made during wartime.
As I read Love’s Miracles, my thoughts went back to 1971 when my husband headed to Fort Lewis, Washington, for Basic Training. He was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve Corp of Engineers. During this stressful time, he was prepared to go to Vietnam. I dreaded my husband being affected by the war, because I knew the possibilities. My father is a World War II veteran, having been in a German POW hospital after having a leg amputated, an injury which was caused by “friendly fire.” My father handles his disability with grace, helping others through amputee support groups. In my husband’s situation, the United States forces were withdrawn before he was called to go to Vietnam, though he continued to serve in the Reserves for many years.
Soldiers face extreme hardships and each person handles these situations differently. Love’s Miracles is a powerful story offering hope and understanding….and a reminder of those we owe thanks.
With thankfulness, my prayers go out to soldiers past, present and future.
Talking with Sandra Leesmith
SHERIDA: Sandra, I’m so happy to welcome you to Tuesday Tea as my first guest. After “meeting” you and your editor, Amber Stokes, in Seekerville, I am delighted to review the re-release of your book, Love’s Miracles.
SANDRA: Good morning, Sherida! Thank you so much for inviting me to join you for tea. I love tea. My dad’s family was from England so I always enjoyed tea time with them. Dad’s wife was British and she gave me quite a few lessons about the difference between a tea pot and a tea kettle. Makes me smile thinking of her.
SHERIDA: Readers like to know how an author gets started with a story. How did you get the glimmer of the idea for your book, Love’s Miracles?
SANDRA: Ideas rumble around in my head all the time. Characters talk to me and demand their story be told. I have always been a daydreamer so I figure my imagination is overactive. I like to think the stories come from the Holy Spirit.
This particular story was written in the eighties when there were so many after-effects of the Vietnam War. Veterans had a tough time when they returned home. They not only had to deal with public anger and hatred, but had to process the horror they had seen in battle. My brother was a Vietnam vet and my heart ached for the trauma I saw in him and so many others. The story emerged from those emotions.
SHERIDA: You wrote about this difficult situation with compassion. I’m learning that writing is demanding work. What do you do to keep your sparkle while you are writing?
SANDRA: What keeps me “sparkling” when I write is plenty of rest, exercise and healthy snacks. I start out my day with a morning walk and let the ideas swirl in my mind. I also walk when I’m stuck. Somehow the process of walking keeps my left brain busy enough to let my creative right brain have a say.
SHERIDA: Interesting. Many of my story ideas are formed when I’m hiking. I like your thoughts on keeping the left brain busy. Sandra, beyond family, friends and your writing career, what jewel of a moment has God placed in your path during your life’s journey that you would share with us?
SANDRA: This was a tough question because I have been so blessed with so many jewel moments. One that sticks out to me is the time right after I retired from teaching and started writing again, and I hit a wall. I had written Cody the Coyote, my children’s picture book, but I couldn’t write much more because of an intense set of family crises. I took a hike and sat down in this field thinking, “I guess I just wasn’t meant to write.” All of a sudden a coyote showed up about forty feet away and started singing and yipping. He stood there and pranced his front paws and sang to me for about fifteen minutes. I’ve never seen anything like it. But I knew that he was telling me that my writing was okay and that I would be fine.
Cody the Coyote finally did get published last winter. All of this simply showed me that even though we may have a glimmer of what we are supposed to do, we need to trust and have faith in the timing. 🙂
SHERIDA: I love your special moment! God’s perfect timing! Cody the Coyote sounds like a great book for my two grandchildren. FYI-Sandra’s children’s books are written as Sandy Wardman.
SANDRA: Thank you, Sherida. It has been a pleasure. And the tea hit the spot.
About the Author
Sandra loves to hike, read, bicycle, and write. She lives in Arizona with her husband and two dogs, a Labrador retriever and a toy poodle. During the hot summer, she and her husband travel throughout the United States in their motorhome, where she enjoys the outdoors and finds wonderful ideas for her next writing project.
We went hiking recently….in a land that looks like wilderness.
The trail starts innocently enough…a dirt path with unnecessary cairns marking the way.
But as we hike further, the trail turns into the stone of old lava flows.
The cairns become vital to showing us the correct direction.
The black layers of lava are pushed into mounds. Deep crevices split the rough surface.
But here among the rocks of the wilderness, bright desert flowers grow.
How perfect an example of God leading us through the wilderness…with a gift of life at the end.
The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; 2 It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, Even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, The excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, The excellency of our God. Isaiah 35:1-3 (NKJV)
So enjoy a trail bar and sip some iced tea from your water bottle as we marvel at God’s blessings.
I am delighted to share this beautiful cover with you–Love’s Miracles by Sandra Leesmith. Sandra is one of the authors at www.seekerville.net. Seekerville was recently named as one of the 101 best websites for writers by Writer’s Digest. I “met” Sandra and her editor, Amber Stokes, in Seekerville.
About the Book
Dr. Margo Devaull came to Dominic Zanelli’s mountain retreat confident that she could help this Vietnam veteran overcome the torment that kept him apart from the world. But her training as a psychologist had not prepared her for the tragic, explosive contradictions brewing inside him. For here was a sensitive artist who could be gentle – and a man whose eyes flashed with violence and pain when he told her to leave and never come back. Yet Margo did come back, slowly gain his trust, and awaken the sleeping needs of his heart. Only by reliving her own wounded past and helping Zane confront a terrible memory from the war could she set them both free – and save their last chance for love.
FYI
The blog tour for Love’s Miracles is scheduled for May 20th – 31st. Be watching the Seasons of Humility blog (www.seasonsofhumility.blogspot.com) for more information in the coming weeks! The book will be released in Kindle format in late May.
About the author
Sandra loves to hike, read, bicycle, and write. She lives in Arizona with her husband and Labrador retriever. During the hot summer, she and her husband travel throughout the United States in their motorhome, where she enjoys the outdoors and finds wonderful ideas for her next writing project. You can learn more about Sandra and her books at www.sandraleesmith.com.
About the Cover Designer
Lena lives in a scenic small town in Massachusetts with her husband, two kids, and a very spoiled Black Lab. She writes fiction for young adults, mostly light fantasy with a healthy dose of “sigh-worthy” romance. You can visit her online at www.lenagoldfinch.blogspot.com.
Thank you, Sandra Leesmith, for sharing this beautiful cover! I want to hike the trail to that mountain and read about Margo and Zane!
I will admit, I have picked up a book because of its cover. Have you ever chosen a book based on the appearance of the cover? If so, what elements of the cover attracted you to that book? (I love mountain scenes!)
I believe God has a purpose when He puts people in our path as we travel our trail in life.
Years ago on a backpacking trip in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming, we were hiking a trail through a meadow. We hadn’t seen anyone for three hours since we left the trail that circled Green River Lake. We came to a woman standing right in the middle of the trail–not to the side to let us pass or off the trail a ways where her husband was finishing up dinner at their campsite. She waited for us to reach her and said excitedly that she was SO glad to see someone else out there in the wilderness. She hadn’t camped outside of campgrounds before, so just having someone else in the area was a comfort to her. We talked with the two of them a bit, then went just a few more feet up the trail and put our tent up, just over the slight ridge. The next day on our way out, we passed them as they waved while taking down their camp. We crossed paths with them a couple of times as we returned to the trail head.
We learn from others who we meet along the way. At times we help others we find crossing our paths.
Two Love Inspired Inspirational Romance books I have read recently mention this same thought, Mending the Doctor’s Heart, by Tina Radcliffe, and Georgia Sweethearts, by Missy Tippens. These are stories of finding love in our lives, but I think the thought also applies to meeting new people as friends or acquaintances.
Sometimes I don’t understand why a person is entering my life, but God has a plan for us. It’s not my path, but God’s path I am following.
It is good to have companionship along the trail. May I be open to learning from this path God has prepared for me. Blessings to you as we meet along the trail.
Show me Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. Psalm 25:4 (NKJV)
For the month of March, I will be participating in Speedbo. This is a writing challenge offered by the writers at Seekerville. You select your goal, then WRITE. As published writers, they help unpublished writers sail off UNPUBLISHED ISLAND with valuable advice and fantastic encouragement. A FUN community! www.seekerville.net
I subscribe to Seekerville (www.seekerville.net), a blog that helps aspiring writers sail from “Unpublished Island” to the mainland of successful publication. Their blog is always timely and of great encouragement. They had a virtual party on New Year’s Eve, featuring the book My One Word, by Mike Ashcraft and Rachel Olsen. (www.myoneword.com) They challenge Christians to “Choose just one word that represents what you most hope God will do in you, and focus on it for an entire year.”
Their message called to me. After some consideration, I have chosen LIGHT as my word for 2013. The main reason, or the first one that came to mind as I decided on this word, is that I want to glow in the LIGHT of God’s love for He is the LIGHT of the world. This is a good choice for many reasons which I will discuss in future blogs.
May you walk in the LIGHT of our Lord!
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
Sherida Stewart 