Excerpt from Love's Winding Path

Here's a little taste of Love's Winding Path by Lauralee Bliss


Key Verse
But godliness with contentment is great gain.
1 Timothy 6:6

From the book:


But he couldn’t have everything he wanted in less than a week.

An awesome job and a girlfriend to boot. Could he?
“You look like something’s on your mind.”
“I. . .uh, I’m happy to have a friend. When you’re new in town, a friend is awesome.”
“It’s important. Friends make things better. And so can ice cream, when you’ve had a tough day. I get a cone whenever I’ve had a tough day.” She paused as if lost in her own thoughts.
“Has today been a tough day?”
“No, it’s been pretty good, actually.”
Dan was liking this more and more. He’d give it a few more days, tops. Jo was sure to be in his relationship status on Facebook. He hoped.







Question of the day: What's your favorite ice cream flavor?

Love's Winding Path by Lauralee Bliss

This week's feature book is:

Love’s Winding Path by Lauralee Bliss
HP 890
ISBN 978-160260-707-1
CONTEMPORARY

Red rocks. River rafting. Freedom!

From the back cover:

After years of impatient living and working on his parents’ peanut farm, Dan has finally escaped. Life as a river guide in Moab, Utah, is as far from peanut farming in Virginia as a man can get, and Dan revels in the newness of this life. An awesome job, a cool car, a place of his own—and a gorgeous girl.

Gorgeous or not, Jo has no intention of dating Dan. He’s just a bit too sure of himself, and he shows no interest in God. He’s also got issues to deal with, although, so does she. . . . But as long as Dan avoids God, Jo will avoid Dan. At least, that’s the plan.

When life in Moab takes some unexpected twists and turns, Dan must face who he really is. Maybe all that God stuff is true. But will he let go and believe, or continue to tough it out alone?

About Lauralee:

Lauralee Bliss has always liked to dream big dreams. Part of that dream was writing, and her career began with small creative works as a teen just for fun. After several years of hard work, the dream of publishing was realized in 1997 with the publication of her first romance novel, Mountaintop, through Barbour Publishing. Since then, she's had over a dozen books published, both historical and contemporary. Lauralee’s desire is that readers will come away with both an entertaining story and a lesson that ministers to the heart. Along with the dream of writing and publishing, Lauralee has recognized another dream in her life, completing a hike of the entire Appalachian Trail, all 2,175 miles. Lauralee is a wife of 20 years to husband Steve and mother to son, Joshua. Her other interests include traveling (of which she has been to 49 of the 50 states), gardening, and perusing a yard sale or two. Come visit her website at www.lauraleebliss.com or her blog, http://www.blissfulwritingthoughts.blogspot.com to learn more about her books and writing along with her other interests.

Question for today: Have you been river rafting? If not, what is the most adventurous thing you've done?

This week's winner!

This week's winner is:

JuliePollitt!

Please email us at heartsongblog at gmail dot com with your preference of a prize!

Congratulations!

Join us next week when Heartsong Author Lauralee Bliss will be here.

From The Vault

Today's Heartsong from the Vault is Debby Mayne's Love's Image.

From the back cover:

Injured in a serious car crash, supermodel Shannon McNab's world is rocked by a prominent scar on her left cheek. Shaken by this "imperfection," Shannon's boyfriend abandons her. When an old high school friend drags Shannon to a church singles' group, she meets Judd Manning. The sweet, down-to-earth schoolteacher makes her laugh and see what's most important in life - and as they grow closer to each other and the Lord, a romantic attraction builds. But when Shannon's scar fades, the lure of her glamorous old life proves too strong to resist. Is it possible for a jetsetting supermodel and a home-loving schoolteacher to find common ground?

There is a limited quantity of this book left, so don't delay. Hop on over to the Heartsong website to order one before they're gone.

Question of the Day: Who was your favorite teacher?

Don't forget to leave a comment to be entered in the Friday Drawing.

Guest Blog with Debby Mayne

Welcome Debby Mayne to Heartsong Connection today!

Hi, everyone! I’m Debby Mayne, a wife, mother, and grandmother who loves to show God’s love through stories about relationships. I grew up in an air force family—yes, I’m a military brat, and I’m proud of it! We moved every few years, and being an only child, I had to find my own entertainment. So I read books. Lots of them. What I loved about reading was the ability to transport myself anywhere in the world without leaving the comfort and safety of my home, the backseat of the family car as we traveled to a new destination, or on a plane taking us overseas.

I’ve lived in many places, and experienced different cultures, but one thing that is common among most people is the desire to be loved. I was born in Alaska and lived in Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi, Oregon, Hawaii, and Japan. No matter where we went, I found other military brats as well as locals who were willing to share their hearts with me, knowing I’d eventually move again when my dad got orders for his next assignment. Military life isn’t just about the person who is serving. It affects the entire family with a culture like none other. Every chance I get, I put a little bit of military in my stories because it’s something I understand and want to share with people who have never experienced it. Although Special Mission’s theme isn’t specifically about the military, it offers a hint of the experience.

As I thought about the theme of my book—God’s plan is so much bigger than anything we’d ever expect—I pondered how small our thoughts are compared to His. In Special Mission, Kim’s relationship with David was okay, but what the Lord had in mind for her was more than okay; it was amazing beyond anything she ever could have imagined.

David is very heroic, but is he right for Kim? That’s the question that shows the theme the book is based on. The Lord uses Kim’s close friend Brian to help her see the big picture, which is nothing like what she expects in the beginning of the story.

This theme is always active in my life. I’m a goal setter, and I work hard to achieve what I want. I pray often for His will to be clear because I can be so dense. I ask Him to show me whether or not I’m on the right path. Sometimes I achieve my goals, yet other times I face the frustration of learning that what I originally wanted isn’t something I should have. Yes, I do get frustrated, but after more prayer and thought, I remember that my life doesn’t belong to me.

Special Mission is a story about walking in a God-chosen path, and includes realizations about loyalty, honor and friendship. I hope readers enjoy the story and come away with a clear picture of how much more wonderful God’s plan is than anything we could design on our own.

Question of the Day: In today's world, we often have a variety of good things we could be doing. How do you go about choosing the best thing?

Excerpt from Special Mission

Today we enjoy an excerpt from Debby Mayne's Special Mission

Key Verse: This is the confidence we have in approaching God: That if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 1 John 5:15

“Maybe she just has cold feet.” David offered a sympathetic grin. “I bet she comes around, and you’ll be off on your honeymoon in a day or two.”
“We’ll see.” Brian stepped away from them and waved. “I’d better go talk to some folks and thank them for coming to the party that didn’t happen.”
Kim and David watched Brian until he disappeared into the crowd; then David casually placed his hand in the small of Kim’s back. “I wouldn’t wanna be Brian now.” He gave her a squeeze. “But he seems to be handling it well.”
She pulled away and studied David’s profile—handsome in every way, from his deep-set eyes to his strong chin. “What choice does he have?”
“Huh?”
“You said he was handling it well. What else could a guy in his place do?” Kim paused and gave him a moment to think before adding, “What would you do if I stood you up at the altar?”
He gave her a mock look of shock. “That’s not something I’ll ever have to worry about, is it?”
Kim shook her head. “No, of course not.”
David turned her to face him and placed a hand on each of her shoulders. “That’s my girl.”

Question of the Day: Did you get cold feet before your wedding?

Join us tomorrow for a guest blog with author Debby Mayne.

And forgive the photo today. It's my own quirky sense of humor...cold feet...:D

Special Mission by Debby Mayne

Happy Monday, and happy first day of March. Heartsong Connections is now entering its third month. We hope you're enjoying learning more about the stories available to you and the authors who write them.

This week's feature new release is:



Special Mission by Debby Mayne
HP 889
ISBN 978-160260-709-5
CONTEMPORARY

She thought he was the one.


From the Back Cover:



Kim thought David was her knight in shining armor. But can she compete with the blinding passion he has for his military career? Will David realize that in making life-changing decisions without consulting Kim, he is pushing his fiancée out of his life?

Brian and Kim have been best friends since childhood, but as he watches her romance fall apart, Brian finds his own heart changing. How can he continue to comfort and support her only as a friend when he longs to love her fully instead?



All three must examine the true meaning of loyalty, of friendship, and of love—and whether being “honorable” means being false to oneself. Will they find the answers within their own desires, or look to God for guidance and release?








About Debby:








Debby Mayne has been a freelance writer all her adult life, starting with slice-of-life stories in small newspapers, then moving on to parenting articles for regional publications and fiction stories for women and girls. She has been involved in all aspects of publishing from the creative side, to editing a national health magazine, to freelance proofreading for several book publishers. Her belief that all blessings come from the Lord has given her great comfort during trying times and gratitude for when she is rewarded for her efforts.


If you'd like to learn more about Heartsong Presents bookclub, or order a Heartsong, click here.

Question of the Day: One of the characters in Special Mission is a military man. Have you served in our armed forces? Do you know someone who is a soldier or sailor?





Join us tomorrow for an exerpt from Debby Mayne's Special Mission. And don't forget, commentors are entered into a drawing to be announced each Friday. Become a follower of the blog (link to follow is in the left column) to increase your chances of winning a prize.