Books I'm Grateful I Read Giveaway Hop 2015

Books have been an important part of my life so it is difficult to pick a few and say these are the books I'm grateful I read. Instead, let me list some of my favorite authors along with links to their Amazon page.

James Michener

Jan Karon

Dee Henderson

If your name is selected, my gift to you will be your choice of one book (paperback or Kindle edition) written by one of these three authors.

Three winners will be selected randomly by Rafflecopter. You may enter the drawing more than once. See the following for details.

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COTT's 2015 Laurel Award Winner

2015

LAUREL AWARD WINNER!

On September 2, 2015, The Bound Heart took home Clash of the Titles's fifth annual Laurel Award. Over the course of six weeks, the novel's first chapters were read and judged by avid readers of Christian fiction who determined The Bound Heart to be the worthiest to receive the 
2015 Laurel Award.

Clash of the Titles extends a heartfelt congratulations to author Dawn Crandall for her exemplary writing. We wish God's richest blessings on her future work. 

About The Bound Heart:
One accidental kiss. That was all it took to throw Meredyth Summercourt’s world upside-down. Determined to marry the ever-elusive Vance Everstone, she simply doesn’t have the time or the desire to fall for her friend Lawry Hampton. However, with Vance out of the country and Lawry constantly at her side, Meredyth can’t help but wonder if what’s holding her to Vance is nothing more than a desire to redeem herself from their unfortunate past.


When Vance comes home to stake his claim on Meredyth, will she be strong enough to break free from the tangled web she’s convinced she deserves? Or will she find the strength to accept that God’s plan for her life could include redemption... and quite possibly the love of her best-friend?

PURCHASE YOUR COPY
Now in PAPERBACK!

LISTEN TO A RADIO INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR!

About Dawn:

A graduate of Taylor University with a degree in Christian Education, and a former bookseller at Barnes & Noble, Dawn Crandall didn’t begin writing until 2010. That is the year she shared with her husband her long-time dream of writing books. He encouraged her to quit her job and to pursue her passion to write stories. Apart from writing books, Dawn also recently became a mother—she and her husband were blessed with a baby boy in March 2014. She also serves with her husband in a premarriage mentor program at their local church in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Connect with Dawn online:

www.dawncrandall.blogspot.com
www.FaceBook.com/DawnCrandallWritesFirst
www.twitter.com/dawnwritesfirst
www.APassionforPages.blogspot.com
www.pinterest.com/dawnwritesfirst
dawncrandallwritesfirst@gmail.com

COTT: 2014 Olympia Winner Now Available for Purchase!

COTT's 2014 Olympia winner, Reclaimed, launched in September! Author Jennifer Rodewald is pleased to put this winning title in front of readers, especially the COTT judges who fell in love with her story.

About the book:

Suzanna Wilton has had a heavy share of heartache in her twenty-seven years. Left wounded by a marriage cut short, she leaves city life to take up residency in a tiny Nebraska town. Her introduction to her neighbor Paul Rustin is a disaster. Assuming he’s as underhanded as the other local cowboys she’s already met, Suzanna greets him with sharp hostility. 

Though Paul is offended by Suzanna’s unfriendliness, he can’t stop thinking about her, which unsettles his peaceful life. Intrigued by the woman who lives down the road and propelled by a sense that she carries a painful burden, he frequently drops by to offer help as she adjusts to rural living.

Just as Paul’s kindness begins to melt Suzanna’s frozen heart, a conflict regarding her land escalates in town. Even in the warmth of Paul’s love, resentment keeps a cold grip on her fragile heart. 

Will Suzanna ever find peace?

PURCHASE

Amazon

Q: Jennifer, what message or theme do you hope readers will take with them after reading Reclaimed?

A: I put up a promo meme the other day on my Facebook page. This one:

One of my friends posted this response: so thankful He does.

That’s it. Right there. 

I write women’s fiction with strong threads of romance, but my heart’s desire is always to point to the romance of heaven, to reflect back to the King’s heart toward his reclaimed bride. He knows every wound, small and festering or fresh and gaping, and He LOVES us. He holds out hope and healing, He waits for us to run into his arms with our heartaches. I think almost every woman’s heart longs for the love of a good man, but ultimately our thirst is for Love. Agape Love, the kind that pours out from heaven to satisfy our thirsty hearts.

About the author:

Jennifer Rodewald is passionate about the Word of God and the powerful vehicle of story. The draw to fiction has tugged hard on her heart since childhood, and when she began pursuing writing she set on stories that reveal the grace of God.

Jen lives and writes in a lovely speck of a town where she watches with amazement while her children grow up way too fast, gardens, and marvels at God’s mighty hand in everyday life. Four kids and her own personal superman make her home in southwestern Nebraska delightfully chaotic.

She would love to hear from you! Please visit her at authorjenrodewald.com or  www.facebook.com/authorjenrodewald.

Finding Free Books Faster

I was on Goodreads yesterday looking at who had a copy of my books. I was surprised when I found one person who claimed to have more than 8,000 books on her Kindle. I'm not sure of the book limit for a Kindle, but I know you don't have to have all your books on the physical device.

When Amazon first came out with free books for the Kindle, I grabbed every book that even came close to something I may read one day. Before I knew it, I had more than a THOUSAND books. 

I now have so many books on my Kindle, I'll probably never read them all. 

To limit the number of books I get and to improve the possibility that I will actually read a book downloaded, I've come up with a method to find free books. Here's how it works.

Instead of subscribing to the electronic newsletters announcing free books, I periodically (weekly is probably best) look for books I like to read. My favorite fiction is Thriller/Mystery/Suspense. So, I select a book in that category, M.K. Gilroy's Cold As Ice, for example, and find it on Amazon.com. Next, click on Kindle Edition, scroll down to where it says "Look for Similar Items by Category" (near the bottom of the page). Look for the tag that matches your interest. In this example, it will look like this:

• Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Suspense

Click on Suspense. This will take you to a page showing a long list of books in the Christian Suspense category. Look on the far right side of the page where it says "Sort by" and select "Price Low to High" from the pull-down list. When you do you'll see the list sorted with the cheapest books on top. Naturally, the free ones are shown first. If you decide to "buy" one, make sure it is still free when you get to the page to buy it. If you already own it, Amazon will warn you before you buy it.

Oh darn, I just ordered ten more books while I was there researching this article. And, here's something else to watch out for, the last one I ordered was $.99 and I didn't notice. I can ask for a refund, but for a buck it's hardly worth the effort.

Have fun.

Another way to get free books is to check for GIVEAWAYS. These have deadlines so do it quickly.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

COTT: Winner of COTT's September Clash!

Congratulations to...

Midnight on the Mississippi

by Mary Ellis

About the book:

What Lies Beneath the Black Water of the Bayou?

Hunter Galen, a New Orleans securities broker, suspects his business partner, James Nowak, of embezzling their clients’ money, but he’s reluctant to jeopardize their friendship. After James turns up dead, Hunter realizes his unwillingness to confront a problem may have cost James his life.
Nicki Price, a newly minted PI, intends to solve the stockbroker’s murder as she establishes herself in the career she adores. As she ferrets out fraud and deception at Galen-Nowak Investments, Hunter’s fiancée, Ashley Menard, rubs her the wrong way. Nicki doesn’t trust the ostentatious woman who seems to be hiding something, but is the PI’s growing attraction to Hunter—the police’s only suspect—her true reason for disliking Ashley?

As Hunter and Nicki encounter sophisticated shell games, blackmail, and death threats both subtle and overt, danger swirls around them like the mysterious dark water of the bayou. Only their reliance on faith and fearless determination give them hope they will live to see another day.

PURCHASE

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

What COTT voters had to say:

--I normally enjoy reading mostly Amish fiction. But, because Mary Ellis is such a wonderful writer, I would choose Midnight on the Mississippi.
--Mary Ellis, Looking forward to reading this.! Congratulations !
--Love to read books written by Mary Ellis. She writes great stories.
--Mary Ellis as with all your books i love this one too, you amaze me each time i read one of your books, they just get better and better
--Mary Ellis, wishing you much success with this one!
--Just love Mary Ellis writing style and always look forward to new releases !!
--Love your books, Mary! Best of luck with MIDNIGHT ON THE MISSISSIPPI!
--Go Mary Ellis! Your books are always wonderful
--Mary Ellis pulls you into the story in the first few pages!
--Mary Ellis, love her work. She writes a character so well, you can feel like you know them, and you can't wait to see what's on the next page.

About the author:
Mary has written twelve bestselling Amish fiction novel along with three historical romances. She is currently working on a romantic suspense series called Secret of the South mysteries for Harvest House Publishers. First of the series, Midnight on the Mississippi is set in New Orleans and was given 4 1/2 stars by RT Book Reviews. Book two, What Happened on Beale Street, is set in Memphis and will release in March. She is a former middle school teacher and lives in Ohio with her husband, dog and cat. She can be found on the Internet at her Website or on FaceBook.