Showing posts with label Pelican Venture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pelican Venture. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Guest Blogger Mary Annslee Urban and Tapestry of Trust

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

MARY ANNSLEE URBAN is an author of Inspirational Romance. Her goal is to write stories that stir the heart about love, honor and God's grace! Her debut book, Tapestry of Trust, White Rose Publishing, was released June 2012. Her second book with White Rose Publishing, She Came to See the Snow~A Colorado Christmas Romance, will be released Fall of 2012.

A Registered Nurse by trade, Mary has also been a freelance writer for newspapers in her area, has had articles published in magazines and online publications. A North Carolina resident, Mary and her husband have five children and 2 grandchildren and one on the way. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys cooking, traveling, long walks and anything chocolate!

TAPESTRY OF TRUST
by Mary Annslee Urban
Published by White Rose, a division of the Pelican Group

ABOUT THE BOOK

Surrendered Hearts. Interwoven Grace

Isabelle had always envisioned Charlie Hamilton as the hero depicted in the romantic tapestry hanging in the Hamilton home. Then Charlie abandoned her to make decisions no one should make alone. Now, six years later, Charlie's back, and despite Isabelle's best efforts, she can't ignore the longing his presence reignites. Charlie wants a second chance, but can Isabelle trust the man he's become? Can she surrender her threadbare heart long enough for God to weave Isabelle's own happily-ever-after tapestry?

Readers, buy your copy of Tapestry of Trust today!

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR FEATURE AUTHOR

Along the Journey by Mary Annslee Urban

Being an author of fiction is a wonderful and sometimes frustrating pursuit in life. On any given day emotions can swing from top of the world to the bottom of the heap and back again. After hours of tweaking a chapter you might sit back, tap your chin and think, “Wow, did I write that?” Only to find yourself moments later scratching your head and wondering how the next chapter’s dialogue came to sound like it was written by a tongue-tied chipmunk.

Humility and cringe-worthy moments are common pieces of my writing puzzle. But it’s the satisfaction after editing and re-editing a book that keeps me moving forward. The final version, the one that the editor accepts and loves.

I’ve written several books, 2 are published and I can honestly say writing is tough. Storylines often sway in unexpected directions and new character personality traits can pop up when you least expect. Heroines and heroes may turn into a villains and vice-versa. A plot can thicken or end up going nowhere. Like planting a seedling, a story sprouts, grows and produces a creation that is far more complex than where it started. Often very different than what we expected.

Like most writers, my stories are crafted out of passion, determination and love. I learned that I must put myself in the story. See the plot through my characters eyes. Feel their emotions, frustration and pain. Bring out their insecurities and show their faith. And mostly bring them to the brink of collapse before rescuing them.  I want the reader to sense what we actually live, feel and experience: chaos, absurdity, humility, sadness, beauty, love… If, as I read, I don’t bring tears to my own eyes, I haven’t done my job.

Life is about fiction. From folks rewriting their own memories to daydreaming about their hopes and dreams. Fiction gives a writer a way to rewrite mistakes and sorrows or find forever love. Threads of truth blended within a story of fiction. Although frustrating at times, the passion to write burns within a fiction writer’s soul. And like food for my soul, I can’t imagine not writing. :)

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Thank you, Mary, for sharing with us today.

Reader Question: What is YOUR passion? What in your life drives you to the point where you cannot consider not doing it? 

ENTRY RULES Readers, leave your email address (name at domainname dot com/net) along with your answer to the question for your chance to win a free eBook copy of the book featured above. If you do not answer the question, and your email address isn't provided, you will not be entered.

This week, the contest is open to anyone worldwide.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Guest Blogger Linda Rondeau and The Other Side of Darkness

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

LINDA WOOD RONDEAU is an award-winning author who writes for the reader who enjoys a little bit of everything. Her stories of redemption and God’s mercies include romance, suspense, the ethereal, and a little bit of history into the mix, always served with a slice of humor. Walk with her unforgettable characters as they journey paths not unlike our own. After a long career in human services, mother of three and wife of one very patient man, Linda now resides in Florida where she is active in her church and community. Readers may visit her web site at www.lindarondeau.com

THE OTHER SIDE OF DARKNESS
by Linda Wood Rondeau
Published by Pelican Venture

ABOUT THE BOOK

Haven: a perfect vacation spot filled with mystery and romance except for a killer bent on revenge.

Manhattan prosecutor Samantha Knowlton is stranded in a quirky but intriguing Adirondack town. But she must return to NYC to repair the unraveling case against convicted child killer, Harlan Styles.

Teacher Zack Bordeaux fears he is doomed to a life of mediocrity if he remains in Haven but would be willing to stay if it means a life with Sam.

Landscape artist Jonathan Gladstone feels bound to an estate he both loathes and loves, haunted by the deaths of his wife and son until he falls in love with a spirited attorney and rediscovers his artistic passion.

These three, betrayed and betraying, must find their way from the darkness of broken hope to the light found only in Christ, our surest haven.

View the book trailer.

Readers, buy your copy of The Other Side of Darkness today!

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR FEATURE AUTHOR

All Things to All Men

"…I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some."
(I Corinthians 9:22b KJV)

I couldn’t understand it. I had mimicked her stance to perfection. Yet, when I swung at the golf ball, it sailed far to the right or far to the left. Rarely did the ball manage to land in the fairway, unlike my mother-in-law who hit a straight drive every time. Why wouldn’t the ball behave for me as it did for her?

After a season of frustration and being ready to give up the game entirely, I finally realized that Kathryn’s swing worked well for a petite golfer. However, I stood a half-foot taller. No wonder her swing failed me. I spent the next season studying the game, trying to develop a swing that matched my build, age, and club length. With diligence and adaptability, I began to see more and more drives land in the fairway. One woman’s approach to golf was a disaster for another.

Parenting proved to require the same individuality as designing my golf swing. It never ceased to amaze me how three children created from the same DNA pool could be so vastly different not only in temperament, insight, and personality; but in responsiveness as well. Where one learned through insight, another needed rote memorization. Where one crouched in fear from a loud reprimand, another feared nothing. Like my golf swing, I found that my approach to discipline varied not only from child to child, but from offense to offense.

Christian writers have a message to drive home. Some choose memoir, telling their own story. Some write their message from the heart with advice to help the hurting. Those who tell their message in story form will also vary their delivery. Some write romance. Some write humor. And still others use fantasy to bring home truths. In each instance, the genre will fit the writer’s stance, experience, and voice.

Paul had a message to give the world. “Jesus saves.” Yet, he changed his stance depending upon  where he was and to whom he delivered the message. For the jailer, he’d forego the opportunity of escape. For the tempest tossed seaman, he endured shipwreck. For the Greeks, he appealed to their belief in an unknown God.  For the Hebrews, he reminded them of their heritage. He truly was all things to all men that he might win some.

In our spiritual lives, God uses whatever is necessary to reach us with His truth. Sometimes He will sing His lullaby as he cradles us in His arms. Sometimes he slaps our rigid behinds with a proverbial two by four. But in all ways and through all means, He will do all that is necessary to bring us to Him and keep us within His fold.

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Thank you, Linda, for sharing with us today.

Guest Question: How has God revealed Himself in a way that is unique to you?

ENTRY RULES Readers, leave your email address (name at domainname dot com/net) along with your answer to the question for your chance to win a FREE copy of the book above. An eBook will be sent for fewer than 10 comments left. More than 10, and a paperback will be sent to the random winner. If you do not answer the question, and your email address isn't provided, you will not be entered.

This week, the contest is open to residents of the US/Canada only.