Black Friday Indie Book Sale

Welcome! I wanted to tell you about a HUGE sale that is going on this weekend that I'm participating in. My three books are on sale, and there are over 150 other titles available for either $0.99 or FREE! There's also a long list of paperbacks for sale at incredibly discounted prices. And the good news is they are all clean reads! Be sure to go check out this amazing sale here.

 Giveaway

There is also an amazing giveaway going on! Grand Prize winner receives 20 paperbacks and the 2^nd place winner gets 20 e-book titles from the sale for free!

You can sign up for the giveaway here.

Giveaway runs from November 22^nd till November 26^th @12AM ET Grand prize open to US winners only. 2^nd place prize is open Internationally.

2nd Place Winner Receives 20 E-books

Gather Round the Fables by Erika Matthews

The Case of the Tabloid Tattler by Perry Kirkpatrick AudioBook

The Twelve Cats of Christmas by Perry Kirkpatrick Audiobook

Coffee Shop Christmas by Ryana Lynn Miller

The Land of Cotton by Ryana Lynn Miller

Entertaining Angels, Entertaining Angels Book 1 by Emerald Barnes

Secret’s Kept by Jennette Mbewe

The Firethorn Crown by Lea Doue

Beyond Broken Pencils by Julie C. Gilbert

Ashlynn's Dreams by Julie C. Gilbert

Soldier On by Vanessa Rasanen

Burning Rose by Hope Ann

Iced and Nailed by Avery Daniels

Imani Earns Her Cape by Bokerah Brumley

October by J. Grace Pennington

Disowned by Sarah Addison Fox

My Compass Home by Michaela Bush

Summer Shadows and Necessary Evil by Killarney Traynor

Grand Prize Winner Receives 20 Paperbacks

Mythical Doorways by Jenelle Schmidt

Faith is the Victory by Faith Blum

Kiera by Kate Willis

Because Anonymous Diana L. Sharples

After: Book One in The Neverway Chronicles by Savannah Jezowski

Specter: Book Two in The Neverway Chronicles by Savannah Jezowski

Leandra’s Enchanted Flute by Katy Huth Jones

Eagle Eyes by Tammy Lash

London in the Dark by Victoria Lynn   

When Beauty Blooms by Victoria Lynn

Aerisia: Land Beyond the Sunset by Sarah Ashwood

Iced and Nailed by Avery Daniels

There Was Always Laughter in Our House by Sarah Holman

Bridgers: A Parable by Angie Thompson

Love Blind by Angie Thompson

Code by Angie Thompson

Christmas Eve at the Backdoor by Rebekah Morris

The Seven Drawers by Kendra E. Ardnek

He's Making Diamonds: A Teen's Thoughts on Faith Through Chronic Illness by Sara Willoughby

Participating Authors

Kate Willis

Hope

C.B. Cook

Vincent Trigili

Malachi Cyr

E. J. Willis

Diana L. Sharples

Sarah Addison-Fox

Annie Douglass Lima

Marc Secchia

Katy Huth Jones

Savannah Jezowski

Kandi J Wyatt

Joan Lightning

Angela Watts

Ava Mallory

Sara Bourgeois

Jaye L. Knight

Sarah Ashwood

Killarney Traynor

Zanna Mackenzie

Valerie Howard

Bokerah Brumley

Kat Bellemore

Faith Blum

RJ Conte

Abigayle Claire

Tayla Alexandra

Kristen Iten

Emily Selby

Stephanie Damore

Erika Mathews

Frances Hoelsema

J. Grace Pennington

Rebekah A. Morris

Frankie Bow

Martha Fuller

Lena Karynn Tesla

Allison Tebo

Sarah Monzon

Victoria Lynn

Sonia Parin

T.I. Lowe

Lia London

Tammy Lash

Maria grazia swan

Deany Ray

Paige Sleuth

Jenny Berlin

Annie Louise Twitchell

Jordaina Sydney Robinson

Kelsey Gietl

Kendra E. Ardnek

Frances Hoelsema

Stacy Juba

Laura Guenot

Michaela Bush

Tricia Mingerink

Hailey Rose

Ryana Lynn Miller

Angie Thompson

Nadine C. Keels

Kellyn Roth

Angie Thompson

Vanessa Rasanen

Julie C. Gilbert

Jennette Mbewe

C. S. Johnson

Amy Williams

April Lynn Newell

Lauren Lynch

Lea Doue

Kelsey Bryant

Avery Daniels

Sarah Holman

R.M. Archer

Emerald Barnes

Jenelle Leanne Schmidt

Cathy Perkins

Laura Jackson

P.D. Workman

Emily Hinkle

Hannah Loviisa

Claire Banschbach

Rebekah Jones

Faith Potts

Sara Willoughby

Waiting for Isaac Blog Tour and Interview

Today is an exciting day because we're celebrating the release of Jessica Greyson's latest book, Waiting for Isaac. I beta-read this little gem and found it extremely touching for me in my current life circumstances as I, too, am waiting for my Isaac. I'd love to tell you all about the lovely person Jessica is and how Waiting for Isaac is so encouraging, but you can glimpse that for yourself in this interview I was privileged to have with her.

1. How and when did you feel led to write Waiting for Isaac?

It was something that was laid on my heart to write this spring as I was wading through some things in my soul. I wanted to write something for young women by a single young woman. So much of the literature I have read over the years has been by married women writing after they have passed the threshold of marriage—I wanted to write to my fellow soldiers in the midst of battle to uplift their hearts, encourage them onwards and towards the light of Christ.

2. What do you hope young women gain from reading it?

Hope, joy, peace. This battle of singleness and loneliness we feel as if we fight alone, and each of our battles is custom designed by our Creator to draw us closer to Him. They are not alone; not only do they have Jesus Christ—they have a sister in Christ cheering them on to fight the good fight and follow Christ; a sister who weeps with them over their aching hearts and rejoices with them over their joys they have received. 

3. What do you think are some of the best Bible verses for women who are struggling with being single?

There are a few of my favorites.

“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning." (Psalm 30:5b)

Song of Solomon 2:10-13—While I know these verses are written by a king for his bride, I often like to meditate upon them as my King calling me His bride into a deeper, sweeter relationship.

4. If you could give one piece of advice from your heart to another single woman, what would it be?

Don’t be afraid to wrestle this battle. There will be tears, there will be a fire to one's soul, and even holding on to hope might feel like burning agony, but it is worth it. Press into Christ; you are loved with an everlasting love that has no beginning and no end. 

This is beautiful, Jessica! Readers, if you're encouraged just by her interview, check out her book!

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

iTunes

Kobo 

About the Author

Jessica Greyson is a homeschool graduate who loves words, first as a hungry reader, and now as a passionate writer. She seeks to write for the glory of God, and be the writer He has called her to be.

You can learn more about her and her books at www.jessicagreyson.com.

Journey Through Taelis

Welcome to Kelsey's Notebook! Today I’m taking part in Sarah Holman’s Choose Your Own Story event. This is to celebrate the release of her latest book, Escape and Endurance. In this event, you get to pick the outcome of the story by making choices. A lot of different things can happen. What are you waiting for? Start your adventure by clicking the image below.

Andrew blinked and then sat up straight. What was he doing on the ground? He felt dizzy. Why was he dizzy?

He forced himself to stand, using a tree to steady himself. Something poked into his foot, and he saw that his boots had been removed. It was then he remembered! Thieves had attacked him and taken his horse and shoes. This would make things more difficult.

He looked around, and there didn’t seem to be any choice in the matter. Despite his aching head, he started walking.

He soon was faced with a choice. He looked at the two paths and decided to head…

Are you interested in reading about a knight, a tower, a princess, and a servant? Pick up a copy of Escape and Endurance! Haven’t read the other books in the Tales of Taelis series? Not to worry. Each book can stand alone.

About Sarah

Sarah Holman is a not-so-typical girl, a homeschool graduate, sister to six awesome siblings, and lives in the great state of Texas. If there’s anything adventuresome about her life, it’s because she serves a God with a destiny greater than anything she could have imagined. You can find out more about her at her website: www.thedestinyofone.com

You can join the Adventurers (her newsletter) by going here: http://eepurl.com/bitBIf

Carnival of the Animals

Some of you may know I’m a classical music nut. I love music in general, so I’m thrilled every summer to teach at a music day camp for kids. This year’s theme just so happened to fit in with the story I’m preparing for publication (a retelling of the fairy tale “The Bremen Town Musicians”) as it was Animals, specifically the “Carnival of the Animals” by Camille Saint-Saëns. This lighthearted orchestral suite, written in 1886, is comprised of fourteen entertaining movements, each depicting a different animal taking part in a carnival. I’ve loved it since I was a kid, but teaching about it at the music camp was the first time I actually studied it.

If you haven’t heard this fun, fast-paced piece, give it a listen and let me know which movement is your favorite! Mine are 1) Aquarium (which sounds similar to the prologue from The Beauty and the Beast); 2) Fossils (that iconic xylophone piece that sounds like dancing bones); and 3) Swan (probably the most recognizable movement from the suite).

What music have you been listening to and loving recently?

Photos of Music Camp

Return . . . of Me and the 777 Writing Challenge

Hey, everyone! I hope your summer has been full of good times and free from heatstroke. Maybe you’re one of those fortunate individuals who live where summer is actually the weather highlight of the year. If so, make the most of it for me!

Like many of you, I’ve had a busy summer. Writing had to go on the back-burner in May, June, and July, but I’m finally back and feeling a bit of a fresh, north Atlantic wind in my sails. I’ve missed this blog. And with the advent of a new book, it’s time for an earnest return.

 Thank you to Deborah O’Carroll of The Road of a Writer for tagging me in the 777 Writing Challenge! She gave me the impetus to update you on my retelling of “The Bremen Town Musicians” and share a snippet.

For the update, the story is moving forward nicely, praise God. The tentative title is The Road to Bremen, and it’s topped out at about 19,000 words. Illustrations are being planned and I’m working on a next-to-final edit and formatting. November 2018 is my projected publication date, though it may slide into December. I’ll share more as I begin the publishing process.

And now for the snippet. Here are the rules for the 777 Challenge:

1. Open your WIP to the seventh page.

2. Scroll past the seventh line.

3. Copy the next seven paragraphs and paste them on your blog for THE WORLD to read.

4. Tag seven people. (I’m going to forgo this last one and tag whoever wants to do it.)

Photo Credit: Ivana Ebel

 “Those robbers have been terrorizing people for months. The forest must be where they live,” the flutist protested. “Now let’s go before . . . before . . .”

“Before we get stuck in the forest at nightfall!” the violinist chuckled.

And with that, they were off without so much as an Auf Wiedersehen.

Etzel was offended at first, but when the musicians struck up a tune down the road, his thoughts turned. Bremen musicians were paid well and in great demand? Why, he could eat all the hay in the field and more! He’d never have to carry a heavy load again! All he’d have to do was sing; he probably didn’t even need to sing very often if musicians were paid well.

He had a fine voice: loud, deep, and natural. It would drown out all the music humans could make with their meager voices and instruments. Their instruments had a nice, tinkling sound, but they were mere twitters compared to a donkey’s voice.

So why shouldn’t Etzel go to Bremen, too? He was condemned to death here at this thankless farm, so why not leave and become a musician? It certainly seemed his true calling, the more he thought about it; perhaps he ought to have become a musician long ago and not spent all his life in farm drudgery!

Turning away from the fence, he looked this way and that. On the other side of the pasture, the draft horses’ noses were planted in the grass, backs facing him. Herr Hofmann was probably inside the large clay-and-timber barn or the house behind, both under the same long, sweeping thatched roof. Etzel didn’t like how the empty black doorway gaped at him, but at least it showed no one was watching.

***

 What do you think will happen next?