Thursday, June 30, 2011

This Week's Book From the Vault!

This Week's Book From the Vault is:
The Prodigal Patriot by Darlene Franklin
978-1-60260-904-4
HP911
Historical

The Reids will not be scared away.

Sally Reid's family decides on a dangerous course when the Tories of Maple Notch, Vermont, chase Patriot families from their land. They make a home in a secluded cave nearby and farm their land by moonlight, working hard and waiting for the day when they can safely return home.

When Josiah Tuttle discovers their secret and offers to help, Sally doesn't know if she can trust him. After all, Josiah's father is one of the Tories who forced her family into hiding.

The Tuttles have already lost one son to the hated Patriot cause. How can Josiah both honor his grieving father and protect the woman he loves? When called upon to take a stand, which side will he choose? How can Sally and Josiah battle through the barriers separating them from love and forgiveness?

What is your favorite historical event to read about?

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Day Two with Darlene Franklin

Metro Denver (12)photo © 2009 James Hernandez | more info (via: Wylio)


I fell in love with Denver the day I arrived. Thirteen years earlier, I had left my beloved home state of Maine. I learned to appreciate New Jersey (college), Texas (seminary) and Oklahoma (marriage and ministry), but none of those sates captured my heart.

Colorado did. The majestic Rockies, rising two miles from sea level and framing Denver's western horizon, gave me the same eternal perspective as the Atlantic Ocean of my youth.

I spent the next two decades taking advantage of many of Denver's attractions. My only regret is that I never made it to a Bronco's game, but at least my children did.

I could think of no better setting for my tale of two hopeless romantics than my adopted city. Michelle and Joe meet at a Rockie's game; they spend time at the Cherry Creeks Art Festival, take in the Renaissance Fair, and watch fireworks from the top of Lookout Mountain.

In God's timing, Plainsong (and the third book in the series, also in Colorado, Knight Music) both have been published - now that I no longer live in Denver by in Oklahoma City, near family.

Have you ever visited Denver?

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Day One With Darlene Franklin

Neuschwanstein Castlephoto © 2008 pr1me | more info (via: Wylio)


Years ago, while zooming down the interstate somewhere in Tennessee, I spotted a castle on a mountainside. I snapped a picture of it and always wondered what is a castle doing in the middle of the American countryside?

I never did uncover the story behind that castle, but when I decided to write a story about two hopeless romantics, I decided my hero had grown up in a castle. His father had built the castle for his English bride. The legendary (and fictional) Cameron Innis holds a place in knightly lore equal to the Knights of the Round Table.

Poor Joe Knight, raised by a knight and protector, feels more like a bumbling squire when robbery interrupts not one, but two, different dates.

Michelle Morris, my heroine, is a hopeless romantic. She and Joe are made for each other - except for details like jobs, long distance dating, and robberies.

Plainsong is a fun collection of "what ifs"? What if a couple did fall in live at first sight? What if she hates the town where he lives? And he hates her home? What if his every attempt to act like a knight turns into failure?

Joe and Michelle must struggle through a lot of baggage before they can claim their own happily-ever-after.

Do you ever play the "What If?" game in your head?

Monday, June 27, 2011

Plainsong by Darlene Franklin

This Week's Featured Title is:
Plainsong by Darlene Franklin
978-1-61626-363-8
HP958
Contemporary
Michelle longs for a storybook romance.

Homeless and jobless, Michelle Morris visits her friend Carrie in Denver to find a new job. She quickly envies Carrie's married life and wishes she could have a happily-ever-after of her own. What she doesn't realize is her knight in shining armor is about to sweep her off her feet - and love is much more complicated that she imagined.

Joe Knight lives by a code of chivalry and honor. As he spends more time with Michelle, he wants to protect her, fight her battles for her. He wants to be her strong knight, but feels more like a bungling squire. Does he have what it takes to be the man Michelle needs?

As their picture-perfect romance starts to hit reality, can Michelle and Joe overcome life's obstacles and find a love that truly ends in happily ever after?

Key Verse:

"It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes." Psalm 118:8-9

Book Excerpt:

"I don't know what's happened to me since I got back from Romania. I had the courage of a she-wolf when we were there. But after losing my job in Chicago, I'm scared I can't get the kind of job I need. Not with everybody downsizing."

A green bean snapped in the silence. "It's okay," Carrie said. "You're allowed to ask questions. Just keep trusting in the Lord."

The door opened, and Steve burst in with their boy, Viktor. He dumped a couple of bags on the table. "How's my favorite wife?" Steve hugged Carrie as if he hadn't seen her in days, not hours. Oh, God, will I ever find someone like that?

Joe. Michelle pushed the thought away. She had no business thinking like that about a man she only met last night - and certainly not with her other obligations. But when she remembered his infectious grin, ready laugh, and gentle touch, the idea thrilled her. Stop it, she scolded herself. Her heart didn't want to listen.

Award-winning author and speaker DARLENE FRANKLIN recently returned to cowboy country - Oklahoma, The move was prompted by her desire to be close to her son's family; her daughter Jolene has preceded her into glory.

Darlene loves music, needlework, reading and reality TV. Talia a Lynx point Siamese cat, proudly claims Darlene as her person.

Darlene has published several titles with Barbour Publishing. Visit Darlene's blog at http://www.darlenefranklinwrites.blogspot.com/ for information on book giveaways and upcoming titles.

Have you found your happily ever after?

Friday, June 24, 2011

This Week's Winner!

Wild Flower 16photo © 2006 Josh | more info (via: Wylio)


Congrats, Merry! You are the winner of this week's random drawing!

Just email us at heartsongblog[at]gmail[dot]com and let us know if you would like a copy of Sunshine, Kind Hearted Woman or ten Heartpoint to be used toward a future shipment!

Have a great weekend!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

This Week's Book From the Vault!

This Week's Book From the Vault Is:
Kind-Hearted Woman by Janet Spaeth
978-1-60260-593-0
Historical
HP872

Colin hasn't always lived like this.


Colin Hammett is on the road, drifting, searching for meaning in life. Maybe 1935 wasn't the best year to do this - deep in the Great Depression - as it seems half the country is on the road with him. But this is his life now, and he's not sure where to turn next.

Lolly Prescott is feeling every moment of a hot, dry, penniless summer. Life was never exciting before, but now she's just. . .trapped. So when her brothers carry a half-dead man in the front door onto the couch, she doesn't know whether to run or just give in and give up.

As Colin struggles to regain his memory, the Prescotts' financial situation reaches the breaking point. Can the attraction between Colin and Lily grow into a relationship amid such uncertainty? Can it survive when all seems lost?

"Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord." Jeremiah 17:7

Have you heard family stories of the Great Depression?

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Day Two with Janet Spaeth

Old man and the seaphoto © 2006 Chad Routh | more info (via: Wylio)
Fishing plays a major role in both Sunshine and Kind-Hearted Woman. And here's how much I know about fishing:




Yup. Nothing.

Fortunately, with Kind-Hearted Woman, I was able to build the fishing part around what I remember from fishing with my grandpa. Now, I have to tell you that I never caught a fish, ever, but that didn't stop me from loving that time with him. I can still remember the sun-kissed smell of his work shirt, the soft fishy smell of the tackle box, and the gentle cooing of the mourning doves in the far distance.

My job was to wad up bread into bait. It was, he told me, an important job, and I took it very seriously, tasting the bread balls occasionally to make sure they were as good as they looked. They were.

For Sunshine, I needed more up-to-date information, so I ended up wandering through a sporting goods store, looking at the lures.

I was dazzled.

The lures looked like high-fashion jewelry. The colors! The glitter! The shine! Some moved. Some didn't. Some were shaped like worms, others like little fish. Orange. Pink. Green. Silver.

No bread-ball bait here.

A sales guy came over. Could he help?

Well, sure, I said. I need to know about lures. Like, ooh, this one! It was a metallic neon orange thing with plastic strings coming off it.

He asked what kind of fish I was trying to catch.

What kind of fish? What did that have to do with anything? Apparently it mattered.

Local fish. In a river. Would this lure work?

It turned out that the lure I was holding was for spotted one-gill game fish from the Amazonian rain forest. Not really, but I discovered that this was not something I could learn on the floor of Reed's Sporting Goods. Fishing was serious business.

So I asked a friend who fished, and he guided me through the rough waters of writing about fishing, answering every question I had about lures. I'm sure I made some mis-steps in writing, but remember, this writer was once a little girl, fishing with bread-ball bait with her grandpa, and who only caught memories.

Do you have any fishing memories?

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Day One with Janet Spaeth

Nibblingphoto © 2010 Nic McPhee | more info (via: Wylio)


North Dakota - it's a beautiful state.

On the eastern side, it's flat, and the trees that aren't along the rivers are family-planted shelterbelts. There isn't much to see except land and sky and more land and more sky.

People say there's nothing here.

Nothing? Land and sky are nothing?

Start driving west across the state, and the land will begin to change around you. There will be deep hills around the appropriately named Valley City, and then, as you near the western border, the land suddenly becomes amazing.

I don't know quite how to describe it, which is odd for a writer, isn't it? It's stark and glowing and primeval and overwhelming.

It's hard to judge distance in the Badlands. Only when a herd of wild horses gallop across the backdrop do you get the perspective to know how far things are from you.

You'll feel like you can't look enough when you're there. You want to look at all of it, from a close-up of a rock arrangement to a long view of the band of striated outcroppings.

And over it all is the Dakota-blue sky, an arch that is so astonishingly clear you think, "Yeah, that's PhotoShopped," before you realize, "It can't be!"

The solitude is spectacular, too, because you are alone - well, except for the elk and the bison and the wild horses and the prairie dog towns.

Remind yourself: This is just land. Land and sky.

You'll never think of them the same way again.

And you'll understand why I set Sunshine in the Badlands.

Have you ever been to North Dakota?

Monday, June 20, 2011

Sunshine by Janet Spaeth

This Week's Featured Title is:
Sunshine by Janet Spaeth
978-1-61626-337-9
HP957
Contemporary

Olivia has a crazy dream.

When a page from a Bismarck, North Dakota, newspaper blew up against Olivia Moore's Boston-bound car, her only thought as she retrieved it was to get it into a recycle bin. But the advertisement on that page caught her attention. . .and her imagination. . .and her determination.

Hayden Greenwood isn't quite sure what to think of this adorable city slicker who shows up in an answer to his ad to sell the now-defunct resort his family has owned for decades. Does she really think she can remodel - rebuild, really - the place by herself? And to what end? To reopen a tourists attraction in the middle of nowhere? Shouldn't a realtor know the old adage "Location, location, location?"

But there's more to life than surface events. And while Livvy sees the possibilities in her new property, Hayden sees them in her. . .

Key Verse:

"A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me." John 16:32

Book Excerpt:

"It needs some work," Gramps said.

"The whole thing needs work," Hayden said. "I don't know, of course, what you plan to do here, but the fact is that except for Gramps and me and our friends, no one comes here. Sunshine hasn't had any customers for two years now."

It was such a difference from the hustle of Boston. There were no car horns honking. No radios blaring. No one talking.

Livvy stood motionless, letting the nothingness of it all overtake her. She felt tiny and yet part of all creation. The soft breeze lifted and dropped her hair around her cheeks and forehead.

And, as she listened to the sound of God Himself - the soft splash of the waves, the trill of the birds, the hum of the insects - she fell in love.

"I want it."

For as long as she can remember, JANET SPAETH has loved to read, and romances were always a favorite. Today she is delighted to be able to write romances based upon the greatest love story of all, that of our Lord for us. When she isn't writing, Janet spends her time reading a romance or a cozy mystery, baking chocolate chip cookies, or spending precious hours with her family in North Dakota.


Have you ever fallen in love with a place because it is the polar opposite of what you are used to?

Friday, June 17, 2011

This Week's Winner!

Ocean Beachphoto © 2006 Ganesha Balunsat | more info (via: Wylio)



Congratulations, Regina Jennings! You are the winner of this week's random drawing!

Just send us an email at heartsongblog[at]gmail[dot]com and let us know if you would like a copy of I'd Sooner Have Love, With Open Arms or ten Heartpoints to be used toward a future shipment of Heartsong Books!

Have a great weekend!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Book from the Vault!

This Week's Book from the Vault is:
With Open Arms by Janet Lee Barton
978-1-59789-375-6
Contemporary
HP730


Thad's evening was much more enjoyable with Dani sitting beside him.


There was just something about Dani Phillips he liked. She expressed her views in such a forthright way; it was refreshing. She was not happy about the possibility of tourists coming in and taking over her town, which came across loud and clear. But her opinion appeared at odds with what the city council seemed to want from him, and he could only hope that didn't cause a problem.

Dani had a job to do, and part of it was to show him around town. She'd already proven she could do it, even if she didn't agree with the council on their views on how to revive their town.

He had a job to do, and that was to decide if he could come up with a campaign to help draw tourists to this town. Potential problem? Not as long as he put a damper on his growing attraction to this feisty city manager. And dampen it he must. The last thing he needed was to fall for Dani Phillips.

What would you do if you were in Thad's shoes?

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Day 2 With Janet Lee Barton



As I walked the streets of Guthrie the idea of I'd Sooner Have Love quickly came to life. It's the story of Faith Anderson and Gabe Logan - two lonely people who believe they'll never have a family of their own.

A year after Faith's husband passes away; she's given up on having a good relationship with his parents. They never liked her because she was unable to give them a grandchild and they have made it clear that the only way she'll ever inherit her husband's share of their wealth is to let them control her life. She feels totally smothered by them and their unending lists of what is acceptable and what is not for an Anderson. She doesn't care about their money...nor does she really need it. Her husband must have known how his parents would treat her, for he'd made sure to provide her with enough to make a new start somewhere else.

Resigned to the fact that she can't have children and will never marry again, she takes her widowed brother, Ben Thompson, up on his offer to go to Oklahoma Territory with him and his two children. She takes the next train to Arkansas City where her brother and his children have been living for the last six months, waiting for land to open up. When Ben decides to go to the front of the line, Faith and her nephew and niece make the run alone to meet him in the town that begins with a sea of tents on the prairie.

Gabe Logan has been waiting for the government to open up land in Oklahoma for several years. The economic collapse in Kansas had taken a toll on his business as a builder in Wichita, and the death of his fiancee in a bank robbery had taken the joy out of his life. All that had mattered from that point on was finding the man. For a year, Gabe had hunted him down. When Gabe caught up with him, he wanted to take him in, but the man shot at him and Gabe shot back, wounding the man but not killing him. However, he'd spent several months in jail until a trial proved that the man was his fiance's assassin. Now, Gabe is more than ready to leave Kansas, start a new life and try to get over the pain of the past.

Gabe is certain no woman would want to marry a man who'd spent time in jail and Faith is just as sure that no man would want to marry a woman who couldn't give him a child. But the Lord might have plans of His own.

Have there been times in your life when the Lord has shown you He had a plan much different that your own - one that was so much better than anything you'd planned that you had no doubt that it came form Him?

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Day One with Janet Lee Barton

After we moved to Oklahoma, I was pleased to find out that Guthrie, one of the first towns settled in the 1889 Land Rush, is only about fifteen minutes from where we live. We've made several trips to the town that is a Historical District of over 2,000 buildings covering 1,400 acres. One can take a trolley tour and visit the Oklahoma Territorial Museum, The State Capital Publishing Museum and The Oklahoma Frontier Drugstore Museum. There are quaint places to eat and shop, antique stores that invite one to browse.

It didn't take but one visit for the idea of I'd Sooner Have Love to spring to life. And as I delved into research, all kinds of what-if story ideas to start coming to the surface to develop the Oklahoma Sooners series. With each visit since, I've come to admire those first settlers so much. I love going there and imagining what it was like to be one of the first to settle this area of the state, to see a town go from tents to frame buildings almost overnight. The planning for the first towns in Oklahoma were so well done, one can see why its so easy to find ones way around even now. I'm so glad Guthrie is still here, with so much of what it was then still here and being appreciated and taken care of.

Very soon the frame buildings quickly turned into brick ones, most of which have been well preserved. Four months after run, the City Directory included 6 banks, 16 barbers and at least that many blacksmiths and carpenters. There were 5 newspapers, over 20 grocers, 4 jewelers, 7 hardware stores, 19 pharmacists, 39 doctors, 7 hardware stores, 40 restaurants, 81 lawyers, not to mention dry goods stores, laundries, flour and feed stores, and the list goes on. Hotels went up and were quickly filled; boarding houses were started, sparking the idea for Faith's boarding house in I'd Sooner Have Love, and period homes still line residential streets.

Guthrie quickly sprung up on the prairie to become a city, and today it's like stepping back in time to visit there and see so much of the Victorian elegance that proclaimed it the capitol of Oklahoma until it was moved to Oklahoma City in 1910.

What part of preserved history is near where you live?

Monday, June 13, 2011

I'd Sooner Have Love by Janet L. Barton

This Week's Featured Title Is:
I'd Sooner Have Love by Janet L. Barton
978-1-61626-335-5
HP956
Historical

Faith has given up.

Unable to give her husband children, Faith Anderson watched his love change to disappointment before he died in a riding accident. She's determined never to marry again, and instead plans to build a new life in Guthrie, Oklahoma, with thousands of other settlers who have rushed to the area.

But that was before she met Gabe Logan, a man whose simple presence makes her heart face and whose kindness to others begins to warm her heart - in spite of her best efforts to remain cold. Gabe himself has secrets in his past that he's convinced will keep any self-respecting woman from wanting to marry him. But that doesn't stop his traitorous heart from falling for Faith.

If the past were different, Gabe and Faith would sooner have love. But now they must decide: will they let fear of disappointment and rejection keep them from accepting the love God has placed in their paths?

Key Verse:

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before." Philippians 3:13

Book Excerpt:

"Ready, Faith?" Ben called from outside the wagon.

"I'm ready." Hope had cleaned up after breakfast but still was finished dressing long before Faith, and now everyone waited for her. Faith hurried out and took Ben's helping hand to climb down.

"Are you alright, Sis? You were awful quiet at breakfast."

"I'm fine." And she would be. It was a beautiful Sunday, and she would think on all the good things in her life and rejoice in them.

When she saw Gabe striding over in their direction, her heart warmed because he was taking her up on the invitation to join them.

"Thought I'd join you in church this morning," he said.

Her heart did a triple flip as he smiled at her, and Faith was glad when Ben answered for her.

"We'd be glad for you to join us. It's the best way to start a week that I know of."

Gabe only nodded as he fell into step beside them. Faith had wondered if he would ever go to church with them, and now that he was, her heart felt about ready to burst with joy.

Faith never thought any other man would be able to claim her heart after her Noah, but Gabe Logan seemed to be making his own place. And she couldn't let that happen. It would only serve to bring heartache - for she would never marry again.

JANET LEE BARTON has lived all over the southern U.S., but she and her husband plan to now stay put in Oklahoma. With three daughters and six grandchildren between them, they feel blessed to have at least one daughter and her family living in the same town. Janet loves being able to share her faith through her writing. Happily married to her very own hero, she is ever thankful that the Lord brought Dan into her life, and she wants to write stories that show that the love between a man and a woman is at its best when the relationship is built with God at the center. She's very happy that the kind of romances the Lord has called her to write can be read and shared with women of all ages, from teenagers to grandmothers alike.


Do any of you have a long distance separating you from your children and grandchildren?

Friday, June 10, 2011

And The Winner Is...

Lovely Treephoto © 2011 Steven Worster more info (via: Wylio)
PATSY!

Congrats, Patsy! You are the winner of this week's random drawing! Just send us an email at heartsongblog[at]gmail[dot]com and let us know if you would like a copy of White River Dreams, A Girl Like That or ten Heartpoints to be used toward a future shipment of Heartsong books!

Have a great weekend!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Book From the Vault!

This Week's Book From the Vault is:
A Girl Like That by Frances Devine
978-1-60260-355-4
HP847
Historical

Katie can't wait to get on stage.

Katie O'Shannon is excited to finally be in Chicago, working with her father in show business. And when she's given the opportunity to perform on stage herself, she's sure her dreams are coming true. But then God awakens her to the plight of the immigrants, and she realizes the spotlight may not bring her what she truly seeks.

Sam Nelson works diligently to make partner in his father's law firm. He is thrilled to receive an important case. . .until he discovers the client may be using unethical means to win. Now Sam must decide what true justice is.

When Katie and Sam meet, sparks fly. But as Chicago ignites around them, will they turn to God for guidance or will their dreams - and love - burn to ashes?

"And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me." Psalm 50:15

Has anyone ever visited Chicago?

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Day Two With Frances Devine

Girls skipping at an athletics carnivalphoto © 1900 Powerhouse Museum more info (via: Wylio)
My mother, Josie, was a twin. Her sister died at birth. My dad had twin sisters, Bessie and Chessie. So, I always dreamed of twins. Didn't happen. But two of my nieces have twins. I guess it really does skip a generation.

White River Song is Abby's story. Abby is rather an independent girl who in spite of Lexie and Aunt Kate's training remains a little bit rough around the edges. She goes by the nickname of Tuck, short for Kentucky. Tuck falls for the handsome and sophisticated new doctor while her childhood friend Rafe suddenly realizes he cares for her a lot more than he knew.

Addy, who is featured in White River Sunrise has always been a very proper child and young lady. But secretly, she dreams of adventure. Her favorite memory is when she sailed downriver on her dad's steamboat. She's torn between her desire to stay close to her family, especially her twin sister, and her longing for romance and faraway places.

I hope you will enjoy reading this series as much as I loved writing it. And I hope you fall in love with Missouri, just like I did.

Do you have a favorite place? A place where all your cares just drift away? I'd love to hear about it.

Have a wonderful and blessed summer.
~Frances Devine

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Day One with Frances Devine!

AngelaJodiephoto © 2005 Angela Thomas | more info (via: Wylio)
Hi. I'm Frances Devine. Mother, grandmother and late-in-life author.

I was born in Donna, Texas, a town in the Rio Grande Valley, and they tell me my name was supposed to be Donna Delores. I've heard several different versions of how that morphed into Frances Lee and have no idea which one is correct. I grew up feeling like I'd been robbed of my true name. To me, Donna Delores seemed much more romantic and mysterious than plain old Fances. I was also jealous of my sister, Edith, who was old enough to learn how to say "much, aqua, no?" before we moved to Dallas when I was nine months old.

In Dallas I met a girl named Glenda who lived across the street, I still consider her my best friend although I haven't set eyes on her since we were in our early twenties. We used to sit on the curb in front of my house at dusk and tell ghost stories. We'd get so scared that we'd both bolt for our houses. Those were the days.

At the early age of eight, my family moved to a little community in East Texas called Brushy Creek. Pine Tree country. This little city girl was afraid of everything from chickens to the little bull calf who stared at me from his pen. A low well stood on our back porch and each time I had to draw water I was afraid I'd be pulled in.

My brother and sisters, except Edith, were all grown and married before we moved there and Edith left a year later, so there I was stuck in the country all alone. I made new friends, but none like my best friend Glenda. But that's when I learned to dream big. I remember sitting on the seat of the farm wagon and living out a whole wagon train adventure inside my head.

When I was nine I wrote my first story. My inspiration was a picture that hung on my mother's wall of The Lone Wolf featuring the wolf called Two-socks. I had recently read Silver Chief, Dog of the North, so I'm not sure how many of the ideas for my story came from that great book, but if I plagiarized or came close to it, I didn't realize it. From that moment, the dream of my heart was to become a published author.

As they say, "You can take the girl out of Texas, but you can't take Texas out of the girl." That's very true, but I found there was room in my heart for other places as well. In 1983, I moved with my husband and younger children to southwest Missouri. At first I felt like I was going to suffocate from all the trees and hills, and after a while, I grew to love my new state.

Through the years of raising my seven children and delighting in my grandchildren, I'd given up on my dream, but God hadn't. In my mid-sixties, I signed my first contract.

My latest series is about historical Branson. When I first discovered Branson and Silver Dollar City, I was mesmerized. Since I'm about a hundred miles north and east of the area, I didn't get there as often as I'd like, but while writing this series my heart grew even closer to the Missouri Ozarks.

White River Dreams is about a young woman named Lexie who was also transplanted to the area when she and her brother were orphaned and came to live with their Aunt Kate. Already restless, when her brother decides to marry, the thought of living with him and his new bride is more than she can take.

The hero of the story is the captain of a steamboat, transporting supplies up and down the White River. These two are thrown together to care for eight-year-old orphaned twin girls, Addy and Abby. Their stories will be the focus of books two and three. I'll talk a little bit about those in tomorrow's blog.

Do you have a dream of your own that has been fulfilled or is still on hold? If you'd like to, leave a comment and share it with us.

See you tomorrow.

Blessings,
Frances

Monday, June 6, 2011

White River Dreams by Frances Devine

This Week's Featured Title Is:
White River Dreams by Frances Devine
978-1-61626-338-6
HP955
Historical

Lexi needs a change.

With her brother prepared to bring his new bride home to their Missouri farm, Lexie Rayton desired to make a change in her life. She is delighted when given the opportunity to care for two orphaned girls on a neighboring farm. But it is the girls' caregiver, Jack Sullivan, who captures her interest.

Jack Sullivan is willing to give up his beloved riverboat and enter into a marriage of convenience with Lexie in order to adopt the twin girls he adores. But when dreams of something more awaken his heart, will Lexie return his love?

Just when Jack and Lexie may achieve their hearts' desires, the girls' stepmother returns to claim them. Can faith and love restore Jack's and Lexie's White River dreams?

Key Verse:


Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

Proverbs 16:3

Book Excerpt:

Jack groaned and opened his eyes. Severe pain shot through his arm and shoulder, and his whole upper body was one big burning ache. He blinked and shook his head, then tried to sit up. Agonizing pain gripped him and he gasped.

"Woah there, pardner. I wouldn't try to get up just yet if I was you."

A blurry face bobbed in front of Jack's eyes and he blinked to try to clear his vision. "The fire. You were at the fire." The words weren't much more than a croak escaping Jack's raw, sore throat.

"That's right. You were shot. By the Bald Knobbers, I'd guess. My sister and I brought you home after you passed out."

A flash of blue and a cascade of black curls assaulted Jack's memories. Sister. No she wasn't just a dream and she wasn't the man's wife. Confusion swirled around his mind. Somehow he'd linked the woman from last night with the one who'd stepped in front of his horse.

Jack resisted the heaviness that pressed against his eyelids. There was something else he needed to remember. What? "The twins," he whispered.

"The girls went home with my sister. Don't worry. They'll love our farm. Lexie and Aunt Kate with take good care of them."

A niggling worry wormed its way around in Jack's head. He wasn't sure why.

FRANCES L. DEVINE grew up in the great state of Texas, where she wrote her first story at the age of nine. She moved to Southwest Missouri more than twenty years ago and fell in love with the hills, the fall colors, and Silver Dollar City. Frances has always loved to read, especially cozy mysteries, and considers herself blessed to have the opportunity to write in her favorite genre. She is the mother of seven adult children and has fourteen wonderful grandchildren. Frances is happy to hear from her fans. Email her at cozymysteries[at]aol[dot]com.

Does it finally feel like summer where you live?

Friday, June 3, 2011

A Random Drawing Winner!

Blooming Crocusphoto © 2010 Andrew Blight more info (via: Wylio)

Congratulations Roanna, you are this week's random drawing winner!

Please send an email to heartsongblog @ gmail .com (without the spaces) and let us know if you would like a copy of Game of Love, Maid to Love, or 10 Heartpoints to be used towards a future shipment of Heartsong books.

Have a lovely weekend!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

From the Vault!

This week's title from the vault is...
Maid to Love by Jennifer Johnson
978-1-61626-005-7
HP 922
Contemporary

Nick and Addy have some history.

Nick Martin and his four friends made a bet - the last guy to marry wins. The losers have to help plan and pay for the winner's wedding. No way is Nick going to lose. But when Addy Wilson comes home to River Run, Nick's interest in winning the silly bet begins to wane.

Addy Wilson's plans aren't working out. Six months after graduating college, she still has no job prospects. When her aunt is injured and can't clean her clients' homes, Addy temporarily moves back to her tiny hometown to help. Nick Martin, the guy she had a crush on when she was an awkward teenager, is one of Aunt Becky's clients. But Addy is determined not to make a fool of herself over Nick again.

Will Nick and Addy let the childish things of the past stand in their way to love?

Did you ever have a childhood crush?

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Welcome Jennifer Johnson!

Day 1

Hello Everyone,

I had so much fun writing Game of Love. Authors always try to do something a little different something that allows the story to have a touch of unique. What I incorporated in this story isn't overly unique; as I have a lot of family and friends who participate in this "uniqueness". What in the world am I talking about?

Homeschooling

My heroine was homeschooled. I wasn't homeschooled when I was a girl, but five of my younger siblings were! As a public school teacher, I've experienced both sides of the public school vs. homeschool debate. To me, it's not really a debate. It's a matter of what God is guiding each family to do.
Lots of people homeschool for lots of reasons. Lots of people also send their children to public schools for lots of reasons. There are good points about both. What do you all think? (Please be sensitive to the beliefs/feelings of others.)

Day 2

Hello Everyone,
How many of you believe in love at first sight? When you read about it in a book or watch it on a movie, do you think, "please, that never happens." Guess what, it does!

The year was 1988. I was cheering in the very first football game in a brand new school. I thought I knew pretty much everyone. I mean, I'd gone to middle school and high school with my classmates. The only reason for the new school was overpopulation at the old one. Essentially, they just split us all up.

Well, like I said, I was cheering for my brand new team. Boy, I loved cheerleading. I was giving it all I had when suddenly one of our football players was hit in the back after the whistle. Our guy gets the breath knocked out of him, but he stands up, walks to the bench and kinda plops down on the side of it. He takes his helmet off, and I notice his red hair.

"Who's that?" I asked one of my cheerleader friends.

"Albert Johnson."

There was something about him. I don't know how to explain it. I didn't even get a good look at his face. I just knew and even said, "I'm going to marry him."

And you guessed it, I did. Poor guy didn't stand a chance. He and I had the same Spanish class. I'd send him little notes with footballs and pom poms drawn on them telling him what a great game he'd had. (He was our amazing quarterback.) It took a couple weeks, but he finally found out who the chick was sending him all those goofy letters. I found out later he thought I was a bit immature, but that I'd probably be fun to be around, so he asked me on a date.

I was crazy about him. C-R-A-Z-Y!

Twenty years of marriage later...I still am. I suppose we've both gained a few pounds. He's lost a little hair. We've birthed and almost finished raising three girls. He put me through college and sent me to writing conferences. Our relationship started with me being his cheerleader. In life, he's been mine.

Do I believe in love at first sight? Does it last? Well, I'd have to say I do, and it does. Of course, there is one key ingredient. Can you guess it? Jesus! He's the key. Jesus!






Al & me in Cancun in celebration of our 20th anniversary! :)