The Dream Dress by Janice Thompson

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Description:

A seamstress at a swanky bridal boutique, Gabi Delgado dreams of doing more than ripping out seams and fitting dresses to doe-eyed brides. She wants to see her own dress designs gracing the young women of Texas. When Jordan Spencer, the editor of Texas Bride magazine visits the shop to do a feature, Gabi is devastated to lose her job in his very influential presence. Convinced she'll never get her dreams off the ground now, Gabi needs lots of encouragement--especially from her friend Bella Neeley--to take a chance and start her business. And as she gets to know Jordan, she discovers that she may have to take a chance on love as well. Could it be that she'll have to design her own wedding dress soon?

As always, Janice Thompson delivers fun, laughter, and romance as she takes readers back to Galveston, Texas, to spend more time with their favorite quirky characters along with fabulous new ones.

  My Review:

Gabi Delgado dreams of being a dress designer, she has the talent but not the confidence. Her boss is a nightmare to work for and fires her at the drop of a hat and then expects her to come back at his beck and call. It seems all the men in her life have let her down, how can she be expected to give her all to a heavenly father when the earthly guys have proved unworthy. Life for Gabi takes an upward turn when Jordan Singer a reporter for Texas Bride Magazine, does a feature article on Haute Couture Bridal the shop she works for and one of there bride’s. With the help of Jordan and good friend Bella, Gabi’s spirit soars and her view of God the Father and men in general become increasingly positive.

This is the first book I have read by author Janice Thompson. I found her writing style to be easy to follow and enjoyable. I fell in love with this storyline. With each book I read I find the author leaves a little part of herself or himself behind. In this case it was the story of creation that touched a part of my inner most being. Like never before I understand the teaching of creation and how God is in the business of creating. With the help Holy Spirit, He stirs within each of us and gives us the ability to create too. I give The Dream Dress five stars. I highly recommend it to all readers who enjoy contemporary, romance, and Christian fiction.

I want to thank the author Janice Thompson and publisher for bringing good clean Christian books like this one to readers like me. I was provided with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

About the Author:  

Janice Thompson also writes under the name Janice Hanna. She got her start in the industry writing screenplays and musical comedies for the stage. Janice has published over eighty books for the Christian market, crossing genre lines to write cozy mysteries, historicals, romances, nonfiction books, devotionals, children's books and more. In addition, she enjoys editing, ghost-writing, public speaking, and mentoring young writers. Janice currently serves as Vice-President of CAN (Christian Authors Network) and was named the 2008 Mentor of the year for ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers). She was thrilled to be named the 2010 Barbour/Heartsong Author of the Year, with three books on the top ten list for that house. Janice is active in her local writing group, where she regularly teaches on the craft of writing. Her online course, "Becoming a Successful Freelance Writer" (www.freelancewritingcourses.com) has been helpful to many who want to earn a living with their writing. Janice is passionate about her faith and does all she can to share the joy of the Lord with others, which is why she particularly enjoys writing. She lives in Spring, Texas, where she leads a rich life with her family, a host of writing friends, and two mischievous dachshunds. She does her best to keep the Lord at the center of it all. You can find out more about Janice at www.janiceathompson.com or www.freelancewritingcourses.com. Her Facebook page can be located here: https://www.facebook.com/JaniceHannaThompson
 

Her Holiday Hero by Margaret Daley

Book Description:The Soldier's Gift

The holidays are right around the corner, but Captain Jake Tanner is struggling to find Christmas cheer. Having survived a devastating attack overseas, he has emotional scars that run deep. When Jake meets beautiful widow Emma Langford, his heart is unprepared for the feelings she inspires.
Training service dogs has taught Emma to recognize those in need. She wants to show Jake that a four-legged companion is the best therapy, but she's afraid that the closer she gets, the more her own wounds are revealed.

Together, Jake and Emma will discover it takes a different kind of bravery to open themselves to love—and to healing.

Caring Canines: Loving and loyal, these dogs mend hearts.
 

My Review:When Captain Jake Tanner rescues Josh Langford from three bullies he had no idea his world was about to change. Emma Langford trains service dogs and feels Jake could really use a service dog to help with his PTSD.

The author Margret Daley did an outstand job of bringing the characters to life. She was able to touch two tough subjects that affect many today, bulling and military PTSD. With this book she brought honor to our service men and women. This is the second book in the series Caring Canines but it can be read as a stand alone. I really enjoyed this inspirational romance and highly recommend it to others.

About the author:

Margaret has been writing for over 30 years. She started writing in the late 1970s because she wanted to see if she could put a whole story down on paper. That book is still in the drawer and will never see the light of day. But she was able to finish a book, which was her goal.

She decided after that to get some help, and joined a writers' roundtable where she met once a week with some fellow writers who went over each other's work. She sold her first book in the early 1980s and has been selling ever since.
She loves to tell a story. When she was a little girl she made up stories while playing with her dolls. On long trips with her family she would weave a story about the surrounding countryside. From those early beginnings grew a love of entertaining people with a story.

When she went away to college, she met her husband, Mike, to whom she has been married for over 40 years. He is her support and her best friend. She has always felt she was the luckiest woman the day she bumped into him on campus.
When they married, they moved to Tulsa, where she finished her degree in special education and began teaching. She loved teaching and working with students with special needs. They helped her remember what is important in life. She also participated in the Special Olympics as a coach with her students and has attended the State Games in May for years. Recently she retired from teaching to write full-time.

Besides teaching and writing, she is also a mother of one. Her son, Shaun, loves animals and there have been times they could have their own zoo at the house. The most interesting pet Shaun had is a leopard tortoise, which could outlive him. She has joked that his children will be inheriting a tortoise. He is married with four daughters.

When she isn't working, she loves to read, travel, and go to lunch and a movie with a friend. She has been to many countries in the world and loves to meet new people. Her favorite place is Tahiti -- Bora Bora. It is as beautiful as all the pictures portray it.

In her travels she has found herself in some interesting situations. Once, in London, she got caught in the middle of a protest that later turned into a riot over poll taxes. In the rain forest of Costa Rica, she was covered from head to toe in mud and ruined a perfectly good outfit. She should have remembered it was going to be wet since it was called a rain forest. In Rio, she and a friend were left with no means to get back to the hotel on the other side of the city. Neither Margaret nor her companion spoke Portuguese and there wasn't a cab in sight. Thankfully one finally pulled up to the curb at the museum because she couldn't see herself hiking across Rio to get back to the hotel at night.

Winter in Full Bloom

 

Please welcome award winning author Anita Higman to 

 

One lucky winner will win a copy of Winter in Full Bloom,  see the

 

bottom of this post for your chance to win.

Anita Higman was able to answer a few question, I hope you enjoy

 

the answers:

 

1. I was curious as to what is her favorite scripture could be. She told

 

me it was Psalm 121:2-3 (KJV) "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills,

 

from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which

 

made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved:

 

he that keepeth thee will not slumber." I have to agree with her, I

 

find great comfort in this scripture it is so true and a great scripture

 

 to cling to because God is always our help.

 

2. Winner in Full Bloom is set in Texas as well as Australia. What made

 

you want to set the novel in these two places? Well I live in Texas so I

 

wanted to make use  of my home state. After living here for about 30

 

years, I have a soft spot for Texas now.  Also I have visited Melbourne,

 

Australia for about three weeks and have taken notes, and since it was

 

such an exotic place and I had such an amazing time there, I wanted to

 

 share some of my experiences with readers.

 

3. The cover is beautiful did you have any input in this cover? Yes,

actually, I did. The publisher sent me a few samples to look at, and

I chose this one. But the cover you see now was tweaked a number

of times. One of the changes was the addition of the red tulips along

the snowy path. I'm so glad the publisher  was open to changes. I'm

 very happy with the final cover. It reflects the story even better than,

 and I think that bit of unexpected intrigue along the road will  be

eye-catching to the bookstore browser.

 

4. The title is unique. How did you come up with Winter in Full Bloom?

 

Sometimes I brainstorm titles, and then sometimes I use the phrase I

 

find within the manuscript that works well as a title. Winter in Full

 

Bloom was created in one of my brainstorming sessions. As a side note,

 

there are couple of meanings to this title. The heroin's name is Lilly

 

Winter. Also half  of the book takes place in Houston at the advent of

 

winter, but when she flies to Melbourne  at the same time of the year,

 

Australians are experiencing the beginning of spring. So even though

 

Lilly has begun getting ready for winter, she suddenly enters into the

 

 season springtime --- literally and in her personal life.

 

5. Are the characters from your imagination, or do they come from

 

real-life? My characters are a mixture of both. I'll be watching someone

 

at the airport or  the mall or at church, and I'll think, "Wow, that gesture

 

 is perfect for my characters." Then some of my character traits will

 

come straight from my imagination. Usually it's a fun brew of all the

 

 above.

 

6. Do you and your husband travel a lot? We travel much more now that

 

we have an empty nest. Last year we went to Alaska, Hawaii, and Canada.

 

This year we've been to Mexico, California, and right now as I type this

 

 answer, my husband and I are waiting at the airport to fly to Ireland.

 

Can't wait. I'm hoping to set one of my future novels in Ireland.

 

7. Why do you write? I have a real need to express myself creatively --- 

 

guess I was born that way --- writing and I fit well together.

8. Your hero, Lily Winter, is experiencing empty nest. Why did you add

 that element to the story? I was going through this rough phase of

motherhood , and  I thought it would be good to add this to the story. I

 hope it added an element of authenticity to the tale. And too, forcing

myself to write about the pain surely helped me deal with it better.

9. How long have you been writing? I've been in this profession for about

 30 years. It's been a long stumbly kind of journey. I've had some dark

hours --- those moments when I really didn't know what I was doing or

 why I was doing it. Moments when rejection swept me under like a

scary undertow. Moments when getting published seem pretty much

impossible. But I never gave up, and I'm glad I didn't. I have had 34

 books published  in many genres, and even though it's been a rough

ride, it has also been deeply satisfying.

 

10. This story is about twin sisters. Are you a twin or do you have a

 

sister?  I'm afraid I have to say no to both of these questions, but

 

 I've always  wanted to have a sister. And that desire I suppose

 

 fueled the dialogue and some of this story.

 

11. Winter in Full Bloom is a love story but also story of family

 

reconciliation. Have you experienced that last part in your own

 

life? Yes, I have known the miracle of family reconciliation, and

 

has brought me great joy.

 

12. Any final words for you readers? If you have ever taken the time

 

to read one of my novels, I thank you with all my heart. I sincerely

 

 hope that Winter in Full Bloom inspires you, and makes you laugh,

 

and when you come to the last page and close the book, I hope your

 

 heart and your step feels just a little lighter.



 

Book Description:Lily Winter's wings are folded so tightly

around her daughter that when empty nest arrives, she feels she can

no longer fly. But Lily's lonely, widowed life changes in a heartbeat

when she goes to visit a woman who is almost a stranger to her-a

woman who also happens to be her mother. During their fiery

reunion, her mother reveals a dark family secret that she'd been

hiding for decades-Lily has an identical twin sister who was put

 up for adoption when they were just babies. Without looking back,

Lily-with her fear of flying-boards a jumbo jet and embarks on a

quest  to find her sister which leads half way around the world to

Melbourne, Australia. Befriended by imprudent Aussie, he might

 prove to be the key to finding her sister. But her journey becomes

 a circle that leads  her back home to attempt a family reunion and

 to find the one dream she no longer imagined possible-the chance

 to fall in love again.

My 5 Star Review:

 Winter in Full Bloom a novel

by Anita Higman

Wow what I journey this book will take you on. The author Anita

Higman gives such vivid  descriptions, that you can not help but feel

 like you are in the mist of the story. Lily Winter has lived a hard life.

She has endured the hardship of being raised by a cruel mean unloving

mother. She has lost her father and husband but clings to her dear sweet

daughter, whom she loves and adores. After a nasty confrontation

with her estranged mother Lily finds out she has a twin sister she never

 knew about. So her journey begins and takes her to Melbourne Australia

in the search of her long lost sister Camille. There she meets American

Marcus Averill; he is charming, strange, funny, gentle. Like Lily, Marcus

 has lived through tough times. Together they  face life’s toughest

challenges, forgiveness, redemption  and the quest for acceptance and

 love.

Anita Higman is a fairly new author to me, I have not  read many books

by her but the few I have read I have really enjoyed. I highly

recommend this book; it is a Christian fiction with a little romance.

If you like what you have read here today and would like the chance

to win a copy, let me know in the comments below. I will announce

a winner on Octber 27, 2013. Include your email address  so I can

notify the winner.

 





Sin

We are all human, and will sin. Christ tells us it is serious business when we do. When we sin we alone are responsible for our actions and our words. It is not the fault of the guy who pulled in front of me that I cursed. Nor is it hubby’s fault we stayed out to late and could not wake up for church. It is my fault, mine alone. The word of God tells us that it would be better to die than lead someone else into sin. We are told to be very careful and to watch ourselves. If our brother, sister or neighbor sins we are too gently and lovingly correct him and forgive him. Forgive others as often as needed, seventy times seventy or more. Just as we should be held accountable for our actions and to each other we are called to forgive each other.

I challenge you today to look around and pray for someone. Pray for the driver that cut you off. The customer in line in front or behind you.

Prayer: Father in heaven I ask you to forgive me my sins. Help me to think about my actions and how they affect others. I want to be held accountable for the wrongs I commit, allow me to be gently corrected. I love you Father and thank you for forgiving me.

7 Months are too short

I have struggled with whether to share this or not and finally decided to share in hopes something I say may help someone else. In my option God shows us His mercy and love in many ways. Many times we question Him, why did this happen or why me. We may never know the answer to that question this side of heaven. I can not imagine what life would be like if not for God’s love and mercy. Today I want to share with you one of the greatest days of my life and the hardest trial I have ever endured. On October 21, 2008, my 2^nd grandchild was born. Resse David Morgan was perfect; his smile could light up the room. 7 short months later God called him home. Reese David Morgan died in a tragic accident. He died as a result of a defect in the drop down-side rail on his crib. A space was created between the rail and the mattress, causing him to become stuck and he suffocated. Before the government would put a stop to the madness, 9 babies would die from similar accidents, Liam Johns from California, Emrys Taylor, from, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Courtney Sue Barr, from, NY, Carter Michael Pack, from, Summersville, West Virginia, Edward Millwood, from, Woodstock, Georgia, Serenity Bergey, from, West Palm Beach, Florida, Royale Arceneaux, from, Houston, Texas, and Ariele Allison, from Princeton, Kentucky. 110 would have accidents because the drop-side detached, 15 infants were entrapped and 20 other children were reported injured when they fell from the cribs.

In God's word Roman's 8:28 it say’s “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” I had many questions for our Heavenly Father. I wanted to know why and how he was going to use this good. The death of a child or anyone can not be good. But you see God had bigger plans. His word told me in Jeremiah 29:11 that, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God would have to show me how He could use this for His good. In order for me to move forward He would have to help me to understand. for cribs. Drop down side cribs can no longer be manufactured. They can't be sold new, resold at consignment stores or yard sales or even donated. This brought a greater awareness to the safety of baby products sold. Jesus is with us every step of the way just like Issaiah 42:2 said, “When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you; your troubles will not overwhelm you. When you pass through fire, you will not be burned; the hard trials that come will not hurt you.” I don’t think there is a bigger or harder trial I can go through. In the 3 ½ years since Reese went home I have learned many things with Christ’s help. I have learned to trust God, not what I have here or what I see. Life is a treasure that is only temporary. My security is found in heaven, not here on earth, I have learned to accept what happens and not be resentful of pain, hurts, loss and persecution because God is with me. It’s not always easy but because I trust God and know that my treasure is found in heaven I can deal with anything that comes my way. You see I have a choice I can choose to be angry with God, the manufacture of the crib or I can choose to accept what happen, learn from it and move on. If I choose to be angry I live in misery, unhappy with myself and everyone else. If I choose to trust that God had a purpose and used it for his good then I am free to be happy, I have joy and hope. By no means am I saying I am happy Reese died. I have grieved, hurt and cried. What I am saying is my time here on Earth is short, I plan to spend eternity with Christ. The way I react to problem and pain here affects my quality of life here and it could affect others. I try to live my life in a way that honors God that shows love, kindness, and joy to others. A way that might encourage someone else to turn to Christ. A way that gives hope to a hurting soul. I am no where near to being perfect, I am a sinner and make tons of mistakes. I hope I have said something here to give you hope, peace and help you trust our Father in heaven.

 

Love your enemies, it's your choice.

 

Love your enemies, how do we love our enemies? Christ is not telling us to be lovey dovey to our enemies. He’s telling us with an act of will to choose to love them. How we can show them love, we can pray for them. In order to love your enemy you have to forgive them. You have to let them go in your spirit. It’s not always easy but it is necessary for your peace. When I was growing up I was sexually abused by a close family friend. My heart was full of anger toward him and others. In order for me to have the life I wanted I had to make changes. I needed to find peace about the situation. The way I was able to achieve this was through a bible study about forgiveness. First I had to forgive him, I had to make the choice to stop being angry about what happen. I choose to let it go. I prayed for him, and prayed some more. Finally God put it on my heart that I had to love him. I loved him from a distance, what I chose to do was continue to pray for him. Then I took it a step further, I wrote him a letter. In this letter I told him I forgave him, I was praying for him and I shared Christ with him. I have no clue if this was a help to him or if he even cared but I do know that it helped me tremendously. I found peace; I was no longer thinking about the situation constantly, I was no longer angry. Today I encourage you to find it in your hearts to love your enemy.

Prayer: Heavenly Father I thank you for today. I chose to love my enemies. I chose to forgive them and let them go. Show me how to love. Show me how you want me to love and treat others. Touch my heart so that it is full of the good things you want me to show others. Direct me so I may follow your ways. In Jesus name I pray.

Read Luke 6:27-36

 

The Big Picture

 

We as human being will suffer, we will get sick, we hurt and ultimately we die. This past Friday I learned a valuable biblical lesson from a four year old child. I attended the funeral of a dear friend, and was at the coffin with Jagger my nephew. He was explaining to another child that the body in the coffin was only a shell. The important stuff was with Jesus in heaven. As Paul taught us the parable in verse 7-12 of 2 Corinthians he compares us to a jar of clay. The jar of clay itself is not what was important, what was important is what was in the inside of the jar. For us our bodies are not important, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. God’s Holy Spirit, His power lives in us. We may be weak but God is not. He does not abandon us, nor does He forsake us. Paul’s word reminds us that though we may be at the end of our rope, we are never at the end of our hope. There is a purpose for our troubles and trials. The suffering we go through should be a reminder of Christ’s suffering for us; it should cause us to step back and look beyond this life. A chance to see there is life after death. It is an opportunity for others to witness our faith in action. It is the time God uses us to demonstrate His power in us, His Holy Sprit at work in us. Our troubles are used by God as opportunities for our faith to grow. He is God, and if our suffering brings Him the most glory, let it be. 
Father God when I want to give up, when I can no longer go You are there with me. In those times You carry me. Show me how to use my troubles as a witness to others, increase my faith so others may see You in me. Thank You for my suffering, use it to bless another. I give You all glory, honor and praise. In Jesus name I pray.

Read 2 Corinthians 4:1-18

 Romans 3:23

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”

 

 We serve a Holy God, who loves us. He loved us so much that He sent His son Jesus Christ to die for our sin. We are all sinners, every one of us, every man, woman, and child. Some sins seems big some small but no matter if it’s murder or hate, prostitution or adultery, thief of a pencil or robbing a bank in God’s eye it is all the same. Sin is sin. God knew we would sin and he had a plan, because He did not want us to be separated from Him. The Law of Moses showed us what sin was, that we need God, and must confess to Him. In Romans it says, in verse 23-24 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Christ came that we could be forgiven. Who doesn’t want to go to court knowing you are guilty and come out with the judge finding you not guilty. Your crime wiped off the record. That’s what God does, He forgives us and forgets we ever committed the sin. We are justified and made righteous by the redemption of Jesus Christ. When a person knows and understand this we want to obey the Law of Moses. Not out of fear of punishment from God but we obey because we love God and believe we are made right and whole. By faith in Christ we are made right in God’s eyes.

 Jesus I thank You for the great sacrifice you made for me. I know I fall short and have goofed many times over. Father I love you and want to follow all your laws. Help me to be more like Christ. In Jesus name I pray.

 

Find Freedom in Christ

Galatians 5:1 “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
 Christ died to set us free from sin and a long list of laws. Christ came to set us free. Not to free us to do whatever we want because that would lead us back into slavery to our selfish desires. Now thanks to Christ we are free to do what was impossible before, to live unselfishly. Through Christ a new relationship with God has been created. When we are guided by our relationship with God, we follow the way of righteousness not because we have to but because we want to. And that is where the freedom comes in; the law has no bearing on our actions. As believers we allow ourselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit, evidence of our freedom appears in our lives as the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-25).
  Prayer: Thank you Christ for Your great scarf ice on the cross just for me. You paid a debt I could not. A debt You did not owe. You gave it all so that I could have it all. You forgave me my sins and washed me white as snow. I don’t know where I would be, without You. When my burden is heavy You are their to carry me. When my problems overwhelm me You are their to lead me. My life has meaning because you cared for a sinner like me. Oh Lord how do I thank you, I praise you, and I love you. I pray to You Jehovah, Yahweh, Jireh, Shammah, and the only true God.