End-of-the-Year Celebration DAY 4!

The winner of Day 3's giveaway (Wild West Christmas, Somewhere to Belong, The Blacksmith's Bravery, and Larkspur Cove) is:

groovyoldlady!!

Congrats!

Lets get started with today's festivities! I'm featuring authors Daniel Darling, Shawna Williams, and Michelle Sutton this time! :D

What is one thing or area where God has been changing you in 2010? Do you have any scriptures to go along with/support that?

Daniel: 2010 was a stretching year, a year where God really used some tough times to teach me to become more dependent upon Him and to dig deeper and to learn what it means to be a man of God—husband, father, pastor, leader.

I think the most powerful Scripture this year is John 8:32. I’ve know this verse my whole life, but this year really learned that Jesus is that Truth that sets us free. It’s not a set of facts that sets us free. It’s a Person and the more we lean into Jesus, the more we’re set free from the things that shackle us.

Shawna: This past year has been exciting, stressful, financially worrisome, and busy on all levels, but God has given me peace over all of these things, and a reassurance that He really is in control. When I freak out over sales, or meeting a deadline, or my messy house, the kids' schooling, any number of things, all I do is rage against a brick wall. He's really helped me to relax a lot this year, and just accept the good with the bad and know that ultimately it's all in His hands anyway.

This was a prevalent theme in my book, IN ALL THINGS, and even the prequel, NO OTHER. It's something I needed to be reminded of often. Romans 8:28 is a wonderful verse.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose."

Michelle: I have learned that no matter what happens to me, even if it comes from another person who claims to love the same Jesus that I do, I need to be careful regarding my response to them. It should be a godly response, not an angry one, because "God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble." I have also learned to pray for people who have hurt me rather than just grump about it. It's easier to heal when the person who hurt you is on your prayer list because it changes you even if the person who hurt you never changes or apologizes.

Here is another supporting scripture…
Micah 6:8 – What does the Lord require of you? But to act justly, and to love mercy. And to walk humbly with your God.

Tell one thing that God did for you this year just to show He loved you.

Daniel: God used me this year in ministry. There is a certain insecurity that comes with pastoring and writing –you wonder how and why you have a right to speak about God with any authority. But then you realize that it is not you, but God. And if you believe God can use you and you put feet on that belief with obedience, you begin to see the powerful love of God who invites us to be part of His Kingdom purposes. What love that God would use me, a broken vessel.

Shawna: He pulled two more stories out of me that I wasn't sure I could write, and they turned out pretty good!

Michelle: He had two friends send me money so that I could go to American Christian Fiction Writer's Conference in September 2010. I had pretty much decided I couldn't go because I had no money. I had attended every year since 2004 so it was killing me to stay home. My dad suggested I tell the Lord I still want to go and let Him provide for me. Well believe it or not, I prayed and said, "If you want me to go, Lord, you'll have to foot the bill." I never mentioned it to anyone and within a week a friend asked me if I was going to conference. I told her I couldn't afford it and she told me she felt like God told her to contact me and pay my way (we're talking about 500 bucks here!) Needless to say I was speechless and felt very, very loved by God and by my friend. Come to find out, she wasn't even planning to go to conference herself. That was so God! Another friend offered to buy my plane ticket.

What is your favorite memory from 2010?

Daniel: Wow, that’s tough. We have three young children, so there were so many wonderful memories from our family. Then we had great memories at church. And of course, to have books published, is cool. I also got to meet some great heroes, authors like Randy Alcorn and others.

Shawna: Sitting around the dining room table at my grandmother's 90^th birthday and listening to her tell us stories about when she and Papa were young. I will cherish that forever!

Michelle: Probably when I had a publisher offer to publish Never Without Hope. I didn't think it would ever sell because it was so edgy, but God obviously wanted to use it to reach people.

Do you have any New Year resolutions in mind?

Daniel: Yes, this year I’d like to become a better Dad to my three children. My resolution is to be more intentional about my time with them.

Shawna: Yes, to find a balance between writing and having a life.

Michelle: I don't do resolutions because I stink at keeping them.

What is one goal you have set (or God has put on your heart) for 2011 apart from New Year resolutions?

Daniel: I'd like to share Christ with at least two people this year.

Shawna: I have a goal of writing two books this year. One I have a deadline for with Desert Breeze. The other is to take to conference and pitch. These are just goals.  What I pray for is that God will press upon my heart each book's spiritual message, and pull from me a story that will deliver this message in a way that touches others. Without that this goal doesn’t have any significance.

Michelle: To get all of the books I've promised to submit to the publishers ahead of schedule. I don't ever want to be late because that throws everything off schedule.

~~~~~

Giveaway! These authors, along with Roseanna White, have generously offered these 5 books to one lucky winner!

iFaith, autographed, by Daniel Darling

Orphaned Hearts, (pdf) by Shawna Williams

It's Not About Me and It's Not About Him, autographed, by Michelle Sutton

A Stray Drop of Blood, by Roseanna White

Rules:

For this party, only people with USA mailing addresses can enter. You must leave your email address in order to be entered so that I can contact you if you win.

Mandatory first entry: You must be a Google Friend Connect follower (in sidebar) of this blog, OR be an email subscriber (in sidebar) to this blog to enter this giveaway. Let me know in your comment to enter (with your email address) which you are.

Extra Entries:

+1 Post the link for this giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. (If you do both, that is +2)

+1 GFC follow or email subscribe to my other blog, Christian Book Giveaways.

+1 Put the buttons for one or both of my blogs on your blog. (You can get the HTML in my sidebar.) If you put both buttons up, that is +2.


+1 For every friend you get to come, enter this giveaway, and say that you sent them. (Make sure they use a name that I can connect with you. I want to make sure the extra points go to the right person!

+2 Post about this giveaway on your blog, telling which books will be given away.


+3 Leave a comment for at least one of the authors in this giveaway encouraging them with something you like about them personally, their writing, or one of their books.

I have one special way to gain extra entries, so pay close attention… For every day that the banner for this End-of-the-Year Celebration at the TOP of your blog (starting the 22nd) it will count as +1 entry towards the final blowout giveaway on the 30th and 31st. That means you can earn up to 10 more entries in the final giveaway!!! You can grab the banner’s HTML HERE.

This giveaway ends tomorrow (Wednesday, December 29) at 6 p.m. CST. I will try to promptly contact the winner after that time. Winners will be announced in the next morning’s post.

Shawna K Williams ~ Interview + Giveaway!

*You can earn up to 6 entries in this giveaway. Read below for details*

Today author Shawna Williams is telling us about her new ebook, In All Things. She has offered copies of this book and the prequel to one lucky commenter. She will also be stopping by throughout the week to answer your questions! So if you have anything you want to ask her, you can include it in your comment for entering the contest. If you are only leaving a question in the comment and not entering the giveaway please say so.

Welcome, Shawna! Tell us a little about yourself.

I'm a Christian, wife, mom of three great kiddos, and a writer who also makes jewelry. I love telling stories about people, getting to experience their up and downs and learning something of value along the way. I believe that fiction is a beautiful tool through which God's Grace can be shared, and I hope to do that through my stories.

When I'm not writing, reading or enjoying some family time, I'm most likely stringing beads, rock hunting or petting my dog.

Tell us about your salvation experience.
This is a lengthy story. My nature is rebellious so even though I was brought up in going to church I had to learn some things the hard way. This is actually a story I much prefer sharing on an individual basis, and I'm happy to do so. Here is a link though to a post I wrote for Michelle Sutton's blog that tells a little, and also explains the passion I feel for writing about Grace. My salvation experience is closely tied with this passion. http://healingheartsseries.blogspot.com/2010/10/shawna-k-williams-shares-her-thoughts.html

Are you:

A spontaneous writer or a scheduled writer?
Both. If something hits me I will try to get it down as soon as I have the chance, but I have to schedule my time to turn it into something more than babble. I have to have alone time for ideas to really flow, that's why I write after everyone is asleep. For some odd reason my best ideas seem to occur to me while I'm in the shower.

Stubborn, or compliant?
STUBBORN, but reasonable. I have this saying. I don't think hubby likes it, though. "I'm not stubborn. I'm just right."

Organized or completely chaotic?
Organized chaos.

How do you handle disasters/BIG problems? Do you have a funny or interesting story showcasing how you handle them?
I tend to be pretty analytical when solving a problem. The worst thing for me is when I can reason something one way, and then another, and neither presents a better option. Ugh...I hate that because it forces me to rely on my gut, and I don't trust my gut. I should, because often its right, but I need gut feelings and facts.

I suppose our move to Mena was a problem that appeared to present a logical solution but instead went awry. We already owned a house here and intended to move, but not for several months. This was five years ago, right after hurricane Katrina.

We still lived in Baytown and had been camping at the beach in Galveston. Upon our return we learned that Rita was out in the gulf. She was a cat.5 aimed right at our house. It was a no brainer that we had to evacuate. The thing was we planned to move anyway, and since there was a possibility that our belongings would sustain heavy damage, and we had three days time, we decided to rent a moving truck and take care of it there on the spot. The only unforeseen was fuel, but since Katrina had just hit the problem of gas should have been fixed, right?

Well, I don't know how but we got 85% of our belongings packed into a moving truck, moving trailer and our camper and left with a day and a half to spare. All was fine for the first hour and then we struck traffic. We ended up pulling off the road and sleeping. The next morning the roads were clear. Yay! We hopped into our vehicles (my dad had come to help) and drove for a full fifteen minutes and hit traffic again. For the next eight hours we managed to travel another 20 to 30 miles. Cars started running out of gas and dying on the road because that little gas issue was solved by sending tankers loaded with gas into the city. The problem was that everyone had evacuated the city. And the wonderful government officials in Lufkin decided that a cat 5 hurricane headed for their area wasn't reason enough to shut down incoming traffic so the roads could be used for evacuation. Anyhow, my husband had a client in Nacogdoches and we made to their house to ride out the storm, which had changed course so that this client's house was directly in its path. Fortunately the storm had weaken by quite a bit.

Tell us something surprising about yourself that readers may not know.
I'm a geek. Sorry, I am. I like geology, ancient cultures -- especially those wiped out by volcanoes -- and psychology. I read about these things and like it. Wanna know why amethyst, which is just crystal quartz, is purple?

If you compared your writing style to any other Christian Fiction author, who would it be? Also, how would you rate the romance in your books?
I'm not really sure. I haven't attempted to emulate anyone. I do love Francine Rivers, though I wouldn't dare compare myself to her. I love how she understands human nature and writes with compassion and conviction. That's what I want to do.

I'd give No Other and In All Things PG ratings. I make an effort to avoid physical description as far as kissing goes. I try to keep the focus on emotions when I write a romantic scene.

Orphaned Hearts is a Christmas time story and it's G rated. It's very sweet.

What are you working on now or going to write next?
I'm working on a spinoff from No Other and In All Things for the character of Roger. I'm not working very fast though. I just have a loose synopsis and about 1,000 words, and haven't pitched it to my publisher yet. I have a few other ideas for some other stories, too. I'm trying to decide how best to prioritize because there is a chance I may actually be able to go to the next ACFW conference and I'd like to have something ready to pitch.

How can readers get in contact with you?
Shawnawilliams@allegiance.tv

Here's my website:
http://shawnakwilliams.com/

Blog:
http://shawnawilliams-oldsmobile.blogspot.com/

Twitter:
http://twitter.com/shawnakwilliams

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Shawna-K-Williams/236629884245

Book blurb:

Jakob and Meri's story continues...

Meredith Louis's Hollywood career is at a point of transition. No longer under Majestic Studios' control, Meri is free to broaden her appeal as an actress and finally earn the recognition she desires.

Meri and Jakob return to their hometown for the holidays where Meri hopes to reconcile with her parents after a decade of silence. But after a disastrous encounter, Meri is plunged into turmoil as old fears resurface in unexpected ways.

Jakob, already dealing with unresolved family issues of his own, is further burdened by his inability to help his wife. Can he learn to step aside and trust God's plan.Will Meri recognize what she already has?

In All Things is a story of faith and restoration, cemented in the belief, "...that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Who would you pick to play the lead roles if this book was made into a movie?
I have a good answer for this one!

When this story first came to me the movie Pearl Harbor had not been out that long, and for some reason I could easily see Josh Harnett as Jakob. Charlize Theron was who I saw as Meri back then. However, as the years trickled on, both of these actors started to seem a little too old to fit Meri and Jakob in No Other anymore, because in that book they are 20 and 22. When I started rewriting No Other to get it ready for publication it was season 8 of American Idol. I'm from Arkansas, and our state had a contestant, Kris Allen, in the contest. He went on to win – something that made Arkansans very proud. There was a lot of publicity surrounding him in our state, and physically, except for his height, he fit the description of Jakob. But manner-wise, he really fit! I even had a friend in Florida, who was familiar with Jakob's character, email me to say so. To top it off, Kris Allen's wife, Katie, fit the description of Meri spot on. So all during the rewrite of No Other these two were who I saw as Meri and Jakob.

BUT, when it came time to rewrite In All Things I ran into the opposite problem. Jakob and Meri were older, now 31 and 33. Kris and Katie Allen seemed too young to picture as my characters. However, Josh Hartnett and Charlize Theron didn't. Sooo, I went back with my original cast. The story had caught up to their ages. Weird.

Do you have a link to a place to read the first chapter or an excerpt of this book?
Sure do. Here's a link:
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-118/Shawna-Williams-In-All/Detail.bok

You can also read the first three chapters on Freado. http://www.freado.com/book/8470/in-all-things

And I have sample pdf files of the first three chapters of both No Other and In All Things for anyone who wants them.

~~~~~

**This book giveaway is open to anyone, but the bracelet can only go to a U.S. resident!**

Okay readers, here is your chance to win ebook copies of No Other, In All Things, and a freshwater pearl bracelet as well!

TO ENTER:

*Leave a comment with your name and email address (so I can contact you if you win). The comment is mandatory. You will not be entered unless you leave a comment AND your email address.

*If you leave a comment you will be entered unless you specify that you would not like to be entered.

*Here are the ways to get entries:

(First entry) The mandatory comment saying you would like to be entered with your email address.

+1 Become one of my followers OR subscribe to my blog by email.

Read and leave a comment on one or more of my recent book reviews.
+2 In All Things
+2 Nightingale

**You can earn a total of 6 entries if you do all of the above entry options. Make sure to tell me in your entry comment on this post which of the things you did to get extra entries.**

*The contest will run from today (November 19) until 6:00 CST on Thursday (November 25). I will announce the winner that night. The winner is always randomly drawn. I will contact the winner either directly after choosing him/her or on Friday the 26th, and then that person will have one week to reply. If the winner doesn't reply within that time period, I will pick a new winner.

Good luck! Thanks for visiting.

In All Things by Shawna K Williams ~ 5 stars

In All Things

Shawna K Williams

Sequel to No Other

Desert Breeze Publishing

About the book:

Jakob and Meri's story continues...

Meredith Louis's Hollywood career is at a point of transition. No longer under Majestic Studios control, Meri is free to broaden her appeal as an actress and finally earn the recognition she desires.

Meri and Jakob return to their hometown for the holidays where Meri hopes to reconcile with her parents after a decade of silence. But after a disastrous encounter, Meri is plunged into turmoil as old fears resurface in unexpected ways.

Jakob, already dealing with unresolved family issues of his own, is further burdened by his inability to help his wife. Can he learn to step aside and trust God's plan.Will Meri recognize what she already has?

My review:
I loved how this book continued the story from No Other (which I loved, by the way). This story addressed issues in the relationship between Meri and Jacob, but also in their personal relationship with God. I loved how this story took place somewhere completely different form the first book! In was a cool change of pace.

One thing that I noticed was a lot of the things that happened between Meri and Jacob could have been avoided if they had just talked openly and honestly with each other. Communication is something that is really important to me personally so that made the book appeal to me even more.

The things that could be improved were mainly grammar issues. (Like putting question marks where they should not be. I noticed that frequently.) But, this was an ARC, so hopefully that won’t be in the final version. :)

I loved the twists and turns of the plot, and how Shawna kept Jacob’s family involved in this book as well. In all, I loved this book. The message was great and well done. Really, guys! This message is something we all need to hear. And not just hear, but really apply in our own lives. God is our all. He is the One we turn to first. Just great!

No Other by Shawna K Williams ~ 5 stars + Favorite!

No Other

Shawna K Williams

Desert Breeze Publishing

About the book:

In the aftermath of WWII all Jakob Wilheimer wants is to get over his pain, get on with life, and if at all possible, forgive those who've wronged his family -- including himself. But it's hard to do when there are constant reminders. One of them being his former schoolmate, now teacher, Meri Parker -- Miss Port Delamar Pearl, Mayor's daughter, Belle of the town -- Meri Parker.

After enduring the stigma and isolation associated with the internment camp, the awkwardness of going back to school should've been a cake walk. But Jakob didn't expect to find himself inexplicably drawn to Meri. Or to discover that the pain and loneliness of her life surpassed his own. She needed to be rescued from the domineering family seeking to control her life. And more than anything, he needed to be the one to save her.

My review:

Oh. My. Gosh. I was amazed at how much I loved this book. There were things that could use some work. Grammar, phrasing, and little things like that. But, the writing was so good and the story was so powerful that all of those things melted away. This story evoked so much emotion from me that towards the end I was literally gasping, flinging my hands around, and on the edge of my seat because I did not know what would happen next. This is an author to watch, because she will definitely be going places.