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Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Author Interview with Sarah Jane Jacobs & Giveaway!!! :)


Hello Everyone! :) Today I'd like to introduce you to Author Sarah Jane Jacobs.

What is your Favorite Bible verse?
There are so many favorites, but if I narrowed it down to one it would be
Psalm 46:10 – 

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” 

The whole verse is like The Bottom Line. Know what I mean? But I love the first line, too. I actually have a reminder in my phone that goes off four times during the day telling me to “Be Still” so I can just stop, refocus and keep my mind on God and HIS plan.

What is your favorite song right now?
I love this question! Normally, I probably wouldn’t have an answer but I came across some Susan Ashton CDs in my daughter’s garage at the beginning of March that I had given her years ago. Since I don’t even think she has a CD player anymore, I reclaimed them! I was going to listen to all of them, but I haven’t moved past the first one I picked entitled, “A Distant Call.” There’s a song called “Lonely River” (written by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Michael W. Smith) that I have probably listened to a hundred times. I don’t think I have played a song over and over this much, ever! There is a music video that starts playing in my mind whenever I listen to it. That song is my inspiration right now for a TV script that I wrote many years ago that I want to turn into a book series.

What is your favorite book right now or What are you reading right now?
I’m reading The Epic of Eden by Sandra L. Richter for a book club. It has been a little challenging (it is not what I would consider a light read, lol) but I am really enjoying it. I’m seeing some things in the Bible in a different way. There are a lot of deep things in this book, but here’s a quick quote from the book that I have in my notes: “Pharoah’s program of extermination was so effective that one mother decided that her three-month-old son had a better chance of survival floating down a crocodile-laden river in a homemade basket than in her arms.” Whaaat? Maybe I’m the only one who didn’t realize this, lol. That made me want to google, and according to travel2Egypt.org they did swim the entire river unchallenged “back in the day.” But construction of a dam in 1960 has pushed their nests towards a man-mad lake. Still, the website stated, “To wade in the Nile without peering over ones’ shoulder every moment is a luxury not even ancient Egyptian royalty could enjoy.” Yikes! Ha-ha, for some reason the possibility of a crocodile lurking near that basket never entered my mind.

What or who encouraged you to write?
The very first person who inspired me was someone I worked with over thirty years ago. He worked in the mailroom at an insurance company where I was working, and we would chat whenever he brought mail to my office. He was a scriptwriter and his name was Carey. (If you’re reading this Carey, thank you!) So, I started experimenting with script writing and wrote a pilot for a Christian TV series. Back in the ‘80s the only Christian TV series I knew of was a show on CBN called, “Another Life.” I didn’t really know what to do with my script, although I did boldly send it off to a few places that produced their own Christian shows. Anyway, eventually a friend encouraged me to turn my stories into books.

What was your Inspiration for "Season of Hope"?
The inspiration came from a combination of things. I heard about a short story contest on a radio station and one scene from the book was birthed. I was about to describe the scene when I realized it’s in book two now. Book two was the original story before an editor suggested that I add some scenes. I kept writing until it turned into two books! So, yeah, I wrote that scene which happens near the end of book two and somehow a story that covers around fifteen years happened. Little snippets in the book are memories from my childhood when I would visit my grandparents in Franklin, North Carolina. And the fictional place of Nathan’s Mountain, outside of Bryson City where Amanda and Tyler grow up, was inspired by a vacation with my family in Nantahala.

What's next for you?
The second book in the series will be releasing soon, which finishes the story of Tyler and Amanda. I am currently writing book three which will tell the story of a main character in book two.

Is there anything else that you would like readers to know?


I have a private group on Facebook for anyone that has read Season of Hope if they would like to join. I created it so that I could start sharing excerpts and videos about book two. I’ll also be posting the cover reveal and release dates there before I post them anywhere else. Members will also have the opportunity to get an advanced copy of book two. The link is https://www.facebook.com/groups/seasonofhope/


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
I began writing as a hobby while raising my two children. In 2015, I dusted off my stories and my dreams to see if I could turn my hobby into a career. My first story, Season of Hope, was inspired by summer vacations which always included a trip to Franklin, North Carolina, to visit family and explore The Smoky Mountains. When I'm not writing, I enjoy spending time with family. I love most any activity that involves being outdoors, especially camping, hiking and spontaneous excursions to splash in the ocean. 

 I currently live along the Emerald Coast of Florida with my cat Selah and her delightful offspring, Colby, Jack and Tuesday.

When Amanda Jarvis prays that a special friend will move into the vacant house near her isolated mountain home, she isn't upset when God sends a boy instead of a girl. But Amanda's not the only one receiving unexpected answers to her prayers. After fleeing with his mother from an abusive father, Tyler Armstrong finds much-needed love and acceptance with Amanda's family over the next ten years.

As high school graduation nears, Tyler is shocked when one carefree afternoon with Amanda churns up an inner turmoil he would have never imagined; he's crushing on his best friend. And for the first time in his life he's hiding a secret from Amanda. Convinced the timing is all wrong, Tyler pushes his feelings aside as he and Amanda prepare for the future. He will soon begin training to pursue his dream of becoming a Navy SEAL, while Amanda makes plans to spend the summer in Manhattan with her aunt and then return home to the community college.

When Amanda's summer job catapults her into a modeling career, she readily accepts the much-needed distraction. Tyler's impending deployment is turning her world upside down. Along with the fact that she's falling for her best friend. And, for the first time in her relationship with Tyler, she's hiding a secret, too.

Phoebe Garrison, Amanda's controlling aunt, is thrilled when she is given the power to act on behalf of her underage niece. Bored with her Fortune 500 advertising agency, becoming Amanda's manager is just what she's been looking for to rekindle her aspirations. But as Tyler becomes aware of Phoebe's obsession to push Amanda into supermodel status, tensions rise. As the three of them become entangled in a mass of concealed ambition and desire, each will make decisions that will send ripples of turbulence across their futures.

BOOK LINKS:
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords


GIVEAWAY:

Enter to win the SEASON OF HOPE giveaway! One person will win the following items…

A copy of the DVD, Sabrina (featured in the book)
Costa Rican Tarrazu Dark Roast Coffee (a character’s favorite French Roast)
An eBook of Season of Hope

Enter below! 






BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE:

June 26 – Truth to Shine

June 27 – ASC Book Reviews
June 28 – Meagan Davenport
June 30 – Barbara Brutt
July 4 – Faithfully Bookish
July 7 – Bookworm Mama
July 10 – Tell the World
July 11 – 2014 and Beyond
July 12 – Tammy Karasek
July 13 – Rebecca DeMarino
July 14 – Julie Arduini
July 17 – Laura Bennet
July 18 – All Betts Are Off
July 20 – Rebecca Van Daniker
July 21 – Leslie L. Mckee





This blog tour was coordinated by A Latte of Literature Blog Tour Services. 

Find out more: 


Disclaimer: 
I have not read this book.  Therefore I can not give my opinion or recommend it. ~ASC
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Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Freedom's Price Review!

Freedom's Price by Catherine Johnson

Book Description:
32510891
When Englishwoman Catherine Haynes loses both her parents and her home in 1856, she decides to cross the Atlantic to find her American mother's family in Louisiana. She enlists the help of Tom Worthington, a dashing Key West man who makes his living salvaging wrecked ships, but whose real goal in life is to bring to justice the man who stole his father's ship and caused his untimely death.

When Catherine finally arrives at her family's plantation, she finds it in disarray and her family absent landowners. 

 Torn between returning to Key West with Tom or beginning the hard work of restoring the plantation, Catherine soon finds herself snared in a plot to steal her inheritance. When an incredible secret comes to light, both she and Tom will face a choice. Can they relinquish the dreams that have been holding them captive in order to step forward in faith--even if it costs them everything?

My Opinion:
I'm torn with this one. :/  The first part of the book is AMAZING!!!  It captures the imagination as we return to Key West and some of my favorite characters!  And Catherine starts out as a strong and really cool character to!  The mystery was intriguing and the whole situation was very interesting.  Plus the Faith messages, when there were some, were lovely!  But then towards the end of the book it just kinda fell off in my opinion.  Catherine seemed to get weaker instead of stronger and there were scenes that I think didn't make a whole lot of sense.  I also felt like it was a tad too long, and that if it had ended sooner it would have been better.  I'm happy I read the first part of this book, and I really enjoyed it.  But, personally, I wish the end had been different and not taken so long.

Songs: "Fearless" by Jasmine Murray and "Press On" by Mandisa
Songs etc. May be changed and/or added in the future. ~ASC

Psalm 28:7

 ~ASC

*I received this book from the author for the purpose of reviewing it.  This in no way affected my opinion and the above are my true thoughts and feelings about Freedom's Price. ~ASC
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