Help me pick a picture to match my next Heroine!!

I love this part of the writing process! It's so much fun to connect the character I've created in my head with an actual physical representation.  I normally do this before I even write the story, when I'm in the design phase and after I've fleshed out the main characters. I then use this picture whenever I'm writing the story and will refer to it often during the writing process.

Last week I gave my incredibly talented Motley Crew a brief physical description of my heroine in my upcoming book, Herald of Grace. And here are the actresses they came up with. Now it's your turn to read the character description of the heroine and vote for which one you think best fits the description.

No prize involved, just the satisfaction of having your voice heard and helping me a GREAT DEAL by choosing my next heroine.

Okay here we go!
Juliana Dutton is 21 years old, with sea-green eyes, and honey blonde hair. She is tall for her age and has a slightly athletic build.  Juliana is a hard worker, determined, stubborn, and independent. When she puts her mind to something, she never backs down. Due to her father's illness, she has been forced to take over the family merchant business in secret because women were not allowed to run businesses in 1692. Consequently, she bears the burden of her family's support, of getting proper care for her father, and of dealing with a lazy, pleasure-seeking brother.  Regardless of what society says, she believes women are equal to men and her greatest fear is poverty and loss of freedom. Which is why she never wishes to marry and become subserviant to a man.

Now, which of these actresses do you think best fit Juliana??   And thanks!

Amanda Seyfried

Anna Sophia Robb

Blake Lively

Carrie Underwood

Emily De Ravin

Emily Blunt

Hayden Panettiere

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Morrison

Saoirse Ronan

Wordless Wednesday!

Behold, He spreads His lightning against the dark clouds and covers the roots of the sea. Job 36:30

What are you going to do about it?

Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.  John 6:5-6 NKJV

You lost your job, your child is sick, you have cancer, your spouse left you, your best friend betrayed you, you have no food in the cupboard, your car broke down, the mortgage company is coming for your house.. Let's face it, life happens. And we often find ourselves with problems that seem IMPOSSIBLE to solve. In fact they seem insurmountable. There doesn't seem to be a way out.

That's what Philip thought when he saw over 15,000 people heading toward Jesus. These people had been out in the wilderness without food or water all day long while Jesus spoke to them and healed them. But now it was evening, and surely these people would faint from hunger if they tried to go home. But what to do? Neither the disciples nor Jesus had any money.  And no one had enough food for everyone. Can you imagine what was going through the disciples' minds?  Especially when they looked at Jesus and saw the peace in His eyes and the smile on His face?

So often we come to Jesus when tragedy strikes, when we don't know which way to turn and we want Him to perform some great miracle and fix all our problems: heal our child, give us a job, drop money out of the sky! Lord, help!!  Yet, Jesus simply smiles at us and says, "What are you going to

do about it?" It seems cruel at first. Here we are drowning and He's not helping!

We see from the Scripture above that Jesus was testing Philip. He wanted to know how much faith Philip had. He wanted him to think back on all the miracles he'd seen Jesus preform, all the times Jesus had come through in the end. He wanted Philip to realize that feeding these people wasn't going to be a big problem for Jesus. He wanted Philip to find peace in the problem.

But I think Jesus also wanted something else,  something He wants from all of us when trouble strikes. He wants us to take what action we can to solve our problem first. Yes, we should come to Him, but we should also do what we can in the natural before expecting Him to perform a miracle.

Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”  John 6:8-9

I doubt this kid just walked up to the disciples with his meal. I expect that the disciples went through the crowd, searching for food. When they'd asked everyone, they came back to Jesus to tell him what they'd found. 

Lost your job? Pray and then go looking for a new one.
Child sick? Pray and then seek medical help
Car broke down. No money to fix it? Pray and then do what you can to fix it yourself or find a friend who is a mechanic

In other words, God wants us to us the brains He gave us, to go as far as we can in the natural, to do all that we can do and then come back to Him and tell Him what we've done, how much we've accomplished. And then let Him handle the rest! Let Him perform a miracle.

Example from my own life: When the Lord told me to write a Christian Pirate Romance some 8 years ago.. I thought I was hearing things!  But, Father, I've never written a novel before! I don't have an English degree, my grammar is terrible, I don't know what I'm doing!  And I could have stopped there in defeat. Or I could have told God. Okay, but You have to supernaturally help me write it!  Instead, I got every book on writing I could and every book on pirates and I read them cover to cover. I joined online writing groups and critique groups and I learned and learned and learned. And then I wrote. Did I feel like quitting? Often! Did I feel like I was over my head? Yes, Drowning!!  But I kept going until I had a complete novel. I entered it in contests, I hired an editor, and then when I had done as much as I could do in the natural, I submitted it to agents and publishers and told the Father, now do with it as you see fit.  I got a contract withing 3 months (unheard of in the industry). It was truly a miracle!  But God only performed that miracle after I was obedient to do EVERYTHING I could in the natural.

Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.  So when they were filled,   John 6:10-12

Perhaps we should apply this in our own lives when a need arises:

• First, think back on all the times the Lord has provided for you, all the miracles, the times when you thought you'd never make it. (It's a good idea to keep a journal of these things so you don't forget)
• Pray with all your heart
• Then, go do what you can in the natural. Go as far as you can, do as much as you know how or God leads you to do. 
• Lastly, bring whatever you've accomplished to Him. 
• And then expect a miracle!

Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Stop Number 10

THE CHRISTIAN FICTION SCAVENGER HUNT STOP #10

WINNERS ARE
First place: Wendy Van Soest won the Arthurian Book ends! 
Second Place: Bethany N. Wallace, received a $25 Amazon Certificate!
Third Place: Leslie McDonald Lipscomb received a signed copy of Forsaken Dreams!

Welcome to the 2013 Summer Scavenger Hunt! This hunt has 32 stops and runs 5/17-5/19/13. You can make the loop, reading unique content from 31 different authors, and if you complete the loop, and fill out the Rafflecopter form at Stop #32, you'll be in the running for an iPad Mini (loaded with all our books), or one of two runner-up prizes---all 31 of our new releases in paperback. In addition, some authors are offering additional prizes, so be sure to read each post thoroughly to be in the running for all that are available. The contest is open internationally.

If you've JUST discovered the hunt, I recommend you begin at the beginning, Stop #1, found at LisaBergren.com. But you can also begin here, and keep on rolling. Just be aware that you have to have the COMPLETED phrase in order, which you construct gathering the clue at each stop, within 24 hours of email notification from Lisa Bergren that you won. If Lisa doesn't hear back from you with the correct phrase within the time limit, she will move on to the next winner Rafflecopter draws. Ready? Here we go...

 I'm SO EXCITED to be Hosting my good friend and FABULOUS author, Ruth Axtell!!!  Ruth writes Regency Romances. But they are so much more than that. I had the privilege of reading some of Ruth's earlier works and let me tell you, they are really adventurous and full of rich history--the kind you never learned about in school.  Ruth has lived a fascinating life! She's lived in Paris, was an au pair in the Canary Islands, worked in international development in Miami, Florida, before getting married and living in Holland for 6 years!   So, please give a warm welcome to Ruth!

Ruth Axtell has published fourteen historical romances over the last ten years. Her stories are set in Regency and Victorian England, as well as nineteenth century coastal Maine. You can read more about her at http://ruthaxtell.com/regency/ and  https://www.facebook.com/ruth.axtell1?ref=tn_tnmn

Have you ever wanted to be a spy!??  Have you ever wanted to decipher secret messages intercepted from the enemy? Exciting stuff, eh?  Well, that's exactly what the hero in Ruth Axtell's new book, Moonlight Masquarde does.  Here's a little bit about the history and then a test to see if you are skilled as a spy!

How you'd write a code if you were in Napoleon's secret service

Most of us who have read a regency romance or two have heard of the Peninsular Wars.

The hero of the romance is usually back from the Peninsula, recovering from an almost fatal wound—but alive and whole, thank goodness, and still dashing in his red coat, though perhaps a bit wan and lean in the cheek.

Which peninsula was this? It was the Iberian Peninsula, encompassing both Spain and Portugal. England and France fought over this peninsula between 1807 and 1814. The peninsula catapulted then Lt. General Arthur Wellesley—later the 1^st duke of Wellington—to fame.

The armies depended on couriers conveying messages from troop to troop and commander to commander over the vast Spanish plain. Partisan fighters intercepted many of these French messengers and passed along their dispatches to the British.

A key but little known player in the British army was George Scovell, a deputy assistant quartermaster general, who had a knack for languages, organization and detail. The hero of my current regency, Moonlight Masquerade, is a little like this soldier. He is able to see patterns where others see only random numbers.

 If you’d like to test out your abilities at some simple code, try to decipher the names of my hero and heroine in Moonlight Masquerade using the key below.

344,   2&6((62,   .)#   @4(6)4   ”4+&.9

KEY:

A =  .      L = (       W = ”

B = 1     M = 9      X = +

C = @    N = )       Y = -

D = #     O = !       Z = ^

E  = 4     P = 2

F = %     Q = ?

G = 5     R = 3

H = &    S = ,

I =  6       T = :

J = *       U = 7

K = 8      V = /

Lady Celine Wexham seems the model British subject. French by birth but enjoying life in 1813 as a widowed English countess, she is in the unique position of being able to help those in need–or to spy for the notorious Napoleon Bonaparte. When Rees Phillips of the British Foreign Office is sent to pose as the countess’s butler and discover where her true loyalties lie, he is confident he will uncover the truth. But the longer he is in her fashionable townhouse in London’s West End, the more his staunch loyalty to the Crown begins to waver as he falls under Lady Wexham’s spell. Will he find the proof he needs? And if she is a spy after all, will he do the right thing?

Ruth Axtel's new release Moonlight Masquerade is available at these locations

Amazon

Barnes and Noble 

ChristianBook.com

  

AND NOW, YOUR NEXT STEPS:

Write down this clue:  They

Have it written down? Great! Now head on over to Ruth Axtell's blog Stop #11 for the next clue!

BONUS PRIZE Offered only on this SITE:

Grand Prize: Arthurian Knight Bookends 

2nd Place:  $25 Amazon Certificate

3rd Place:  Signed Copy of my new release, Forsaken Dreams!

Requirements to enter:

"Like" my Facebook Author Page

Sign Up for my Newsletter

Follow me on Twitter

Optional but fun! Leave a comment below with the names of Ruth's hero and heroine that you deciphered from the code! And tell her how much you enjoyed her post!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Starts Tomorrow!

Don't miss the yearly Christian Fiction Scavenger hunt which starts tomorrow!!!! The grand prize is a Kindle fire and 31 free books, but there'll be other prizes on each blog. I'm stop number 10, and Lisa Bergren is stop number 1. http://lisatawnbergren.com/ You don't have to do the stops in order, but you have to do them all.  More information on this tomorrow!

P.S. You may see my post go up here sometime later today but you cannot enter to win until the contest begins at midnight!!!

Wordless Wednesday!

Thorns in Eden by Rita Gerlach!!!!

Please welcome today my very good friend and great author, Rita Gerlach!  If you love the Revolutionary War time period, great adventure, and romance, then I highly recommend Rita Gerlach!! Right now, her new release, Thorns in Eden is only 2.99 on Kindle!!!  Of course if you prefer a paperback, you can purchase one of those as well. 

Thorns in Eden 

By Rita Gerlach

A 2-in-1 Collection / Historical Drama

In 1773, John Nash journeys back to England before the first shots of the Revolution are fired. Rebecah Brent, a young woman who has known little more than the solitude of an isolated manor, has lost her father and is now under the control of a domineering patriarch. As their romance unfolds, they become trapped in a slanderous scheme forged by Rebecah’s uncle, Sir Samuel Brent. The door is rapidly closing to return to the Colonies, forcing Nash to leave England and return to a land immersed in one of the most infamous Indian wars in Colonial history. When an unselfish request is made by Nash’s father, Rebecah flees the entanglements her uncle in order to be reunited with the man she loves. Can Nash protect his beloved from a renegade who has no allegiance to any nation, tribe, or creed, wanted for robbery and murder, who has vowed vengeance? In Thorns in Eden and The Everlasting Mountains, love and faith are the sustaining forces that cannot be overtaken by the vines of adversity. As the firebrands of the Revolution grow hot, they marry and work together to build their estate, Laurel Hill. Facing a strange new world, Rebecah experiences the prejudice of being English, but finds friendship and acceptance in the wilds of the Maryland frontier. John Nash leads a band of rangers who protect the frontier families from Indian attack. His friendship with Chief Logan has not prevented the Indian War from reaching their peaceful home along the lush hills of the Catoctin Mountains.


Purchase Ebook:
           In Paperback

 Rita Gerlach writes inspirational historical fiction with a romantic bent, with unique settings in both America and England. She lives with her husband and two sons in a historical town nestled along the Catoctin Mountains in central Maryland.

Her Titles Include: 

• Before the Scarlet Dawn 
• Beside Two Rivers
• Beyond the Valley 
• Surrender the Wind 
• The Rebel’s Pledge 
• Thorns in Eden and The Everlasting Mountains 

Rita’s Website: http://ritagerlach.blogspot.com 
Rita’s Blog: InSpire http://inspire-writer.blogspot.com/