Home for a Bunny

When my older daughter was a little girl, she had several books that she really loved. One of those books was Home for a Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown. We had it in the Big Golden Book version, and we read it until the spine turned loose and the pages fell out.
I loved reading to her as much as she loved hearing it- after a while we had it memorized: "Down the road and down the road he went. He was going to find a home of his own. A home for a bunny, a home of his own..."
Now my own sweet little girl is a grown-up girl and has a sweet little boy of her very own. He loves books as much as his mommy did.
I've been looking for another copy of that book for several months now, but none of the bookstores carried the Golden Books anymore. I finally decided to go online and of course I immediately found it on the Books-a-Million site, along with another book my daughter had loved: The Golden Egg Book which features another bunny and a pretty egg.
I also found a book called Seven Little Postmen - a sweet little story originally written in the 1950s, about a little boy who sends a special letter to his granny.
I ordered copies of each book, including an extra copy of the Postmen book for my house. They came in today's mail and I can hardly wait until I can take Reid and his Mommy their new books.

Books are Treasures

I had a meeting in our Community Center last night, and while I was waiting for the others to get there, I looked through the things left over from the Relay for Life yard sale on Saturday.
Several large boxes of books caught my attention, and of course, I had to dig through them. There were quite a few books by Francis Parkinson Keyes, "Great Lion of God" by Taylor Caldwell, "Night of January 16th" by Ayn Rand, and "Glittering Images" by Susan Howatch. I enjoy all these authors, so I loaded them in a box and brought them home. (I'll find out how much they were selling for and send a check to the RFL team.)
I love going to yard sales and estate sales- you never know what hidden treasures you're going to find. I think I really racked up last night- I may go back today and see if I can find some more goodies!

Book Review- The Scarlet Thread by Francine Rivers

One of my favorite authors is Francine Rivers. I discovered her about twelve years ago, when her book, The Scarlet Thread, was a featured book in the book club to which I belonged. I ordered the book, but wasn't able to start on it for a couple weeks. When we took the kids on vacation, I took it along to read while we drove at night and the kids slept.
I decided to start 'just the first chapter' as we left the house, and was never able to put it down after that.
For those not familiar with the story of Rahab in the Old Testament: Rahab was a prostitute who lived in Jericho. When Israelite spies came to Jericho, she hid them in her home, to save them from the authorities. Even though she was not an Israelite, and was a prostitute, she recognized that the God the Israelites served was the true God.
The spies left under her guidance; they told her to hang a scarlet cord from her window and they promised her when the Israelites took Jericho, she and everyone who was in her household would be saved.
Rahab's story is a story of faith and redemption- and Francine Rivers uses those themes to tell the story of Sierra Madrid and her ancestor, Mary Kathryn McMurray. Both women are strong, stubborn women, who feel they know best for their families; but as their lives unfold they realize that they've tried to 'help' God to do the things that need doing.
I like this story because it reminds me that God is in charge, and that I don't need to help him do what needs to be done; I just need to be obedient...
I enjoy reading this story again and again, because it's a story of romance and love, with a lot of adventure thrown in.
It was published in '96, so you may have to look a bit for it, but trust me, it's worth it.
Some other great books by Francine Rivers are The Mark of the Lion (series of three books set in early Christian times), The Atonement Child, Leota's Garden and The Shofar Blew. She also has a series titled Sons of Encouragement, which tells the story of different men in the Bible.
Try any one of these books, and I'm sure you'll love them. Mrs. Rivers is a great author and I know you'll enjoy getting to know her and the people she writes about.

The Dragonmaster is HERE!

http://www.the-dragonmaster.webeden.co.uk/
Nigel sent me some copies of the Dragonmaster, fresh from the printer and they came in Friday's mail. They look GREAT! Even though I read the manuscript on my computer, I'm re-reading it as a book- somehow it's different.
This is a great book, and I'd recommend it for most anyone. It's exciting, and would appeal to fans of Frank Peretti, as well as fans of any fantasy authors, I believe.
You really need to check this book out - it will catch your attention immediately, and you won't want to put it down.

A Writer's Group

I've been speaking about a new project with one of my clients, who has just published her third book. It's a novel called A Breaking Heart and it's the first book for my publishing company. She's been a great encouragement to me, and we've helped each other a great deal. I think that's something that's built into each of our spirits, a sense of purpose when we help others reach their goals.
Our new project is a group for women who are interested in learning how to write and publish their books. Our plans include having a very small group of women meet on a regular basis to brainstorm ideas and be an encouragement to one another. My client and I will bring resources to them, keep things moving along and offer any assistance we can, but the great thing about this group is they'll help each other- if someone has strong editing skills, she can lend those skills to others, while learning more about storylines or organizing information from another member.
This is yet another way I believe big things are coming; I'm glad I'll be there at the beginning to see how things grow.

"The Dragon Master" and Making New Friends

Got off the phone earlier with a new friend in Wales - can you imagine a little town chick like me making friends across the Big Pond?
He had something about me on a blog list, and saw that I love to read. so he contacted me and asked if I would consider reading his novel and giving him some feedback- he said he'd use my review on his website and possibly the book cover.
I agreed and he sent a copy of his book - It's called "The Dragon Master"; I was drawn in from the very beginning. The characters in the story are very realistic - some of the things they deal with are tough, like adultery, pornography and drug abuse. He allows us to see how our choices affect us and those around us, and he doesn't pull any punches, but he also does it so the reader isn't wallowing in the gutter. It's a very fine line to walk, but he does it very well.
He's working on the sequel to the book now, while he's prepping this book for the printer's. Nigel has quite a testimony - his site is called Still Small Voice Ministries. Look it over - I'm sure you'll find some very good information there.

"A Breaking Heart" is at the Printer's

A Breaking Heart, the latest book by Dimple McInvale, will be published by my company, and I'm proud to announce that it's at the printer's, and should be back in time for Christmas. This is Mrs. McInvale's first novel, but it's her third book.
The book tells the story of three women who leave abusive relationships and move into the home of a country couple; the safe home becomes a real home for the three women, and while it relates some bad situations, it's a very hopeful, uplifting book. It's based on real-life events.
If you'd like to read more information about the book, visit the author's website here, or you can go directly to the book's page here.