This Week's Winner

photo © 2010 Vinoth Chandar | more info (via: Wylio)




Congratulations, Mary C. You won this week's random drawing!

Please just email us at heartsongblog[at]gmail[dot]com and let us know if you would like a copy of Canyon Walls, Special Mission or ten Heartpoints to be used toward a future shipment of Heartsong books!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Today's Book From The Vault

Today's Book From the Vault is:
Special Mission by Debby Mayne
978-1-60260-709-5
HP889
Contemporary

She thought he was the one.

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 finacee 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?

What is the last book you've read?

Day Two with Julie Jarnagin!

My debut novel, Canyon Walls, touches on the delicate female relationships within a splintered family. Cassie, the heroine of the story, has strained relationships with her mother and sister that are full of past hurts, initiated by a difficult season in their lives.

Like any family my sister, my mom, and I have also gone through many difficult seasons together, including losing my father when I was a teenager and walking through my mother's breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. She's been cancer free for two years. Praise God! I'm blessed to say that although painful to go through, these things have brought us closer together.

Through the hard times, I've clung to the truth that the Lord is able to use those times for good. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works fr the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (NIV)

I'm thankful to have these two amazing women in my life. My sister, Amy, is a grade school counselor who is truly passionate about working with her students. My mom, Rosemarie, loves her three grandsons to pieces and spends much of her time tending to her gorgeous flowerbeds.

I truly believe we're at our strongest when all three of us are together, and we certainly have a lot of fun.

How have you been blessed by the women in your family?

Day One with Julie Jarnagin!

photo © 2009 Markus | more info (via: Wylio)

I'm extremely excited to share my debut novel, Canyon Walls, with the Heartsong Presents readers. I didn't realize until after the book had been contracted that the spiritual theme of the book mirrored my journey to publication.

In Canyon Walls, the director of a summer camp fights to save the camp that changed her life. The tighter the heroine, Cassie, holds on to the camp, the further it slips away from her.

I had strived for publication for years before I felt God calling me to stop writing and give my dreams to him. Stop writing? I couldn't fathom how I would let it go. After a few tears and a lot of questions about why God would ask me to let it go, I submitted to Him.

I soon realized I had been spending so much time and energy on my dream of publication, I didn't know what to do with my free time. I had a single submission out to an editor, but I didn't give it much thought. I had truly handed it over to God. I had a new baby at home, so I obviously spent most of my time focused on my beautiful family. Outside of my family and my job, I didn't have anything to do.

I prayed about it, and I volunteered to lead the 6th grade girls' small group at my church. I learned to crochet by watching videos online. I took a knitting class. I joined the YMCA and started taking care of my body. I still missed writing, but slowly, I found other ways to fill my time and I was thankful for my life and all my blessings. God taught me so many lessons during that time.

About a year after I had handed my writing over to God, I opened my inbox and there it was - an email from JoAnne asking if my book was still available and congratulating me because she wanted to publish Canyon Walls.

God had reopened the door for me to start writing again, and this time, I had a whole new outlook. Sometimes we hold so tight to our dreams or the things we love here in this world when the only thing we need to do is give our hopes and dreams over to the one who created them - God. Psalm 37:4 says, "Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

My writing journey taught me I had to put my life and my dreams in His hands, and I had to do that through actions, not through words or empty prayers. I'm so thankful for the journey.

As for Cassie, you'll just have to read the book to see if she was able to save the camp.

Have you ever clung tightly to something and ultimately found freedom from handing it over to God?

Canyon Walls by Julie Jarnagin

This week's featured title is:
Canyon Walls by Julie Jarnagin
978-1-61626-332-4
HP949
Contemporary

Sunset Camp changed Cassie's life, and she is determined to keep it alive.

Cassie Langley gladly accepts the iterim director position of the church camp she loved as a child. As the camp's financial mess comes to light, Cassie feels she must singlehandedly pull the camp out of near bankruptcy and make it viable again. But it seems there are forces working against her every step of the way.

Will Overman's dad has a plan for the camp, too. As the family's real estate firm is approached about brokering the sale of the camp, Will is given an opportunity to finalize this deal and move up the ranks of the family business. But as Will falls in love with the camp - and Cassie - the deal doesn't seem so cut-and-dried.

Can Will help Cassie save the camp and win her heart, too?

Key Verse:

Psalm 18:32-33 (New International Version)

It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.

Book Excerpt:

"That's crazy. . .Isn't it?"

"You've said yourself Mr. Hartley has threatened to shut us down. Word can get out pretty quickly. Maybe he's here scouting."

"Like a spy?"

Beth shrugged. "It could happen."

What if Will had been snooping in the kitchen? Maybe he was planning to turn the camp into a resort. The room with the Ping-Pong table would be turned into a spa and the cafeteria into a restaurant with white tablecloths and votives on tiny tables.

Cassie chased the thoughts of her mind. "Will seems pretty harmless."

Beth looked behind her and then leaned in close again. "I've heard his father had his eye on this camp for years, ever since he made so much money on the campgrounds south of town. He had meetings at the church headquarters in Oklahoma City, but they turned him down."

Cassie shielded her eyes from the sun.

"Be careful around him, Beth said. "His family is powerful."

JULIE JARNAGIN grew up in a rurla community where her family farmed and raised cattle, inspiring her to set much of her fiction in small towns. She earned a B.A. in Journalism/Professional Writing from the University of Oklahoma and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. Her articles have appeared in local and national publications. Through her writing, she hopes to share stories that reflect God's love. She lives in Oklahoma with her husband and young son.

This is Julie's first Heartsong Book...let's all welcome her!

Today's Winner!

photo © 2010 Louise Docker | more info (via: Wylio)
























This Week's Winner is:
Ane Mulligan!

Congrats, Ane! Just email us at heartsongblog[at]gmail[dot]com and let us know if you want Promise of Time, Promise of Tomorrow or ten Heartpoints to be used toward a future shipment of Heartsong Books!

Have a great Easter everyone!

This Week's Book From The Vault!

This Week's Book From The Vault Is:
Promise of Time by S. Dionne Moore
978-1-60260-905-1
HP912
Historical

Alaina just needs Jack to love her.

Alaina Morrison loves Jack Kelly. With her whole heart. So why won't he realize that all she wants is to get married and begin their new life together? She doesn't need a large home or new clothes or other things. She only needs him to actually spend time with her and to show her how much he loves her.

Jack Kelly loves Alaina Morrison. With his whole heart. So why won't she realize that he needs to work long hours to provide for her - and their possible future family - the things she deserves? He only needs her to be patient and understanding.

As dangerous floodwaters threaten their home of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, will Alaina and Jack allow God to bridge their growing differences with His unifying love?

Do you have fun Easter plans?