Another amazing book and offer from author Alana Terry

Special Discount ~ Limited Time Only

Special Time-Sensitive Giveaway! The first 25 readers who enter the giveaway below will receive a free audiobook from award-winning author Alana Terry. She's also giving away a $100 amazon card, a hundred free audio downloads, and a free ebook to anyone who signs up! 

About Slave Again: After escaping a North Korean prison camp, Mee-Kyong is hustled over the border and sold into the Chinese underworld. She vows to survive, but sheer determination and willpower won’t save her this time. Is she fated to remain a slave forever?

Slave Again is a Christian suspense novel from award-winning author Alana Terry, whose debut novel, The Beloved Daughter, won awards from Women of Faith, Grace Awards, The Book Club Network, and Readers' Favorite.

NEW BOOK RELEASE: Slave Again by Alana Terry is hot off the press, and both the ebook and paperback are at a steep (30-60%) discount!! Prices will go up soon, so grab your copy today.

 Slave Again book trailer (contains one mildly violent image)

About the Author: Alana is passionate about human-rights issues in North Korea and has devoted her writing to raise both awareness and funds to help North Korean refugees find freedom and safety. You can learn more about her work with Liberty in North Korea at alanaterry.com/link.

Check out Slave Again now before the price goes up, and don't forget to enter the giveaway!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stay tuned! I will be posting a review of the book, Slave Again, here soon.

A day late ... but not a penny short!

March is here and as much as I am dying to announce from the roof tops that Spring is also ... that is wishful thinking. It is minus 25 here in Alberta, Canada this morning and we have still a ton of snow.

What I am announcing is that March is Speedbo month!  What is Speedbo, you ask? It is another writing month similar to NaNoWriMo, focusing writers to put their butt in a chair and their fingers atop a keyboard and not look up till the clock strikes midnight on March 31st. Unlike NaNo, Speedbo allows you to set your own goals, big or small, encouraging you to write with purpose and intention.

Check out the fun at Seekville Blog and be sure to comment because that's how you win prizes.

I seriously debated whether I would do it this year. I've been writing on and off but was really in a place of seeking God since the year turned over.  What did God want me writing? When? Why?  And all that jazz!

When the New Year hit I wasn't totally sure what my 2014 goals were. I floundered trying to find my 'word' for 2014. After much prayer and angst I decided that maybe this was a wait and see time for me. I didn't need a word to start out the first day of the Year, as long as I was seeking God and waiting on Him. So I waited.

And waited.

Slowly I began to hear God whispering to me "be present".

As I drove in my car, He'd whisper ... "Be present here. Don`t fuss about all that."

As I washed the dishes or folded the laundry, He'd say ... "Be present here. Don`t try so hard to sort it all out."

I am a slow learner, but I started to catch onto a theme - God wanted me to live in the moment he'd given me. My every waking second didn't need to be in preparation for the next one. That maybe it was time for me to have a year of moments.

I was reminded about the saying I have seen from time to time that 'Life isn't measured by the breaths we take ... but by the moments that take our breath away'.

So when it came time to sign up for Seekerville's Speedbo, I immediately started this internal dialogue that 'that's not taking moment by moment'; 'that's not waiting on God'; so I guess it`s not for me this year.

But here I am a day into March, sending off my email to join the group for writing mayhem throughout the rest of the month. Why?

Because sometimes God whispers to us 'wait' and sometimes He whispers to us 'now' - almost like we're in a race where timing is more important that speed. So March this year is about timing for me - not speed. I am not in a race against myself or anyone else to write a novel in a month, or write 25,000 words in a month or even to plot out a single scene in a month. I am in a race of timing - being sensitive to His whispers and being in each and every moment fully awaiting his nudge that now is the time to run!

So, anyone wanna run, wait, dream, write, hope or listen with me?

Enter the Contest!

Maybe you remember the book reviews from this site of Dani Pettrey's first two books in her Alaskan Courage Trilogy. (Submerged book 1 and Shattered book 2.)

Well ... it's finally time for book 3.  Stranded!

The book review will be following in a few weeks but just to get you all excited with bubbling over anticipation, Dani is having an Alaskan Adventures Sweepstakes. Check out all the information below and the links to enter your name in the contest. Then check back here for the book review in the weeks to come.

In Stranded, Book 3 in author Dani Pettrey’s acclaimed Alaskan Courage series, reporter Darcy St. James knows something is wrong when her friend vanishes from her job on a cruise ship. Everyone else believes Abby simply left of her own accord, but something isn’t lining up, and Darcy knows the only way to find the truth is to put herself in Abby’s position.

Gage McKenna has taken a summer-long stint leading adventure excursions for the passengers of various cruise lines that dock in Alaska for a few days of sightseeing. He’s surprised to find Darcy onboard one of the ships, working undercover as a reporter.

Something sinister is going on, and the deeper they dig, the more they realize they’ve only discovered the tip of the iceberg.

To celebrate the story, author Dani Pettrey and Bethany House Publishers are pleased to present the ALASKAN ADVENTURES Sweepstakes, and your chance to win one of three fabulous prizes connected with the story!

Timeframe & Notifications:

This giveaway starts September 2, 2013 and ends September 19, 2013 @ 11:59 pm (PST). Winners will be selected Friday, September 20, 2013, and announced at DaniPettrey.com.

GRAND PRIZE:

BUILD-YOUR-OWN-ADVENTURE PACKAGE

In Stranded, Darcy, Gage, and the McKenna family launch into all kinds of adventures: from high-octane ocean kayaking, to rugged island camping beneath the vast Alaskan skies.

Our grand prize winner will have the chance to build their own adventure, with a $300 adventure gear gift card of their choice from either Eddie Bauer or L.L. Bean.

And what would our hero and heroine do if they won the prize? Gage use it towards one of L.L. Bean’s gorgeous ocean kayaks, while Darcy would go for “Glamping” gear:)

SECOND PRIZE:

CULINARY CONQUEROR PACKAGE

Everyone knows Gage McKenna’s campfire cooking is second to none. But inStranded, Darcy discovers that before Gage was a search and rescue hero, he secretly dreamed of attending culinary school.

Our second prize winner will have the chance to fulfill Gage’s dream with a $200 value, 1-year membership to Top Chef University.

Membership includes over 200 video lessons taught by Top Chef contestants, covering everything from soups to desserts.

THIRD PRIZE:

SHIMMER & SHINE PACKAGE

Darcy once gave her missing friend, Abby, a beautiful shell necklace, engraved with a special message that made it one-of-a-kind.

Our third prize winner will receive their very own, one-of-a-kind “Earth & Sea” necklace valued at $100.

Handmade of New Zealand Paua shells, hammered copper, and Tahitian pearls, this necklace is the perfect compliment for a soft sweater and jeans, or a unique finishing touch for a little black dress on a special date night.

How to Enter:

Visit http://www.danipettrey.com/alaskan-adventures-sweepstakes/ and complete the entry box, anytime between September 2 and September 19.

The Frasier Contest is open!

Are you a writer?  Is there a novel ruminating in your head, or perhaps even on your computer?

I want to tell you about an awesome opportunity that I discovered last year.

For over two years now I have been a part of an online community of Christian writers. It is a teaching community that focuses on how to write better and then eventually sell better, of course. The women heading this project have a love of writing (they are published) and a passion for encouraging.

They have tailor made the group to teach to you at whatever level you are at - serious, dedicated writer or interested-but-in-my-free-time kind of writer. You won't be disappointed either way. Feel free to check out the group My Book Therapy here.

The reason for my post today is about a contest they offer titled the Frasier Contest. This isn't like other contests I have entered. The goal isn't publication or winning first place - the goal is feedback! That is something I have found hard to get since I have started writing. I'm not talking the kind of feedback I get from my mom or my sister-in-law - NOTHING AGAINST THEM - you guys are great!  I am talking about deep, concise (measurable) feedback from people who have traveled the writer's journey and who know the ins and outs of the publishing world. Good feedback.

Here are some of the reasons I entered the Frasier last year.

1. I knew I wasn't going to win any prizes or final in any big fancy contests with my writing - it just wasn't there yet. However I didn't really know where my writing sat. I wanted some honest feedback.

Whose your audience?

For several months now God has been speaking to me about something that seems so simple but it isn't.

In fact, it isn't only "not-so-simple", it feels almost impossible.  But thankfully God knew I would feel that way and he wrote a simple little sticky note just for me.


Luke 1:37  "For nothing is impossible with God."

Thank you God!  So what, you are asking, is the problem ...

How do I live my life for an audience of One?  How do I write for an audience of One?

This idea has been floating in my mind for quite some time.  But the interesting part is the phrase "audience of One" has been popping up in so many forms.

• It was the theme of a book I read many months ago, A Lasting Impression, by Tamera Alexander.  
• A word from a friend asking me why I had to be published.  
• A devotion calling me to love many, but only please One, by Holley Gerth.
• An ache deep in my spirit that i had fallen off the original path God had placed me on.

All of these forms pointed to my one burning question ... who am I doing this for?  Me?  You? or God?

Maybe "audience of One" is the popular phrase of the day - it doesn't matter to me.  What matters to me is that God has been whispering it to me to teach me something.

I received another round of results from my contest entries the other day.  It has me thinking again about why am I doing what I am doing.  Do you ever question that?  Ever wonder what you should be doing or if you are already doing it?

I know God asked me clearly to write stories down.  I cannot even pretend I didn't hear that message.  However He never said 'get published'.  His words never mentioned anything about that. I find the more I seek it out and travel that road - the more doors are closed.  Not physical doors, really.  But 'peace' doors.  As I push forward I lose sight of what I am doing.  I lose peace.  I lose confidence.  I lose ... everything that feels good about writing.