The Day God Laughed.

“See what you have to look forward to now?” the whisper in my ear came from a friend in the pew behind us and it made my smile widen. It was Dec. 10^th and we were on our first outing with our new baby. She was only 10 days old, but we braved the frigid Yukon winter to attend the Christmas pageant at a small mission church.

I knew the service wouldn’t be a grand production. The church was just a hall, tiny and dilapidated. The Carols were sung a cappella, without a pianist to help keep us in tune. The pageant consisted of six or seven children dressed in bathrobes, their heads in kitchen-towel wraps. The backdrop was made of cardboard stars covered in tinfoil.

But I was seeing everything attached to Christmas in a new way. The tinfoil stars glittered more brightly than a chandelier. The carols were as harmonious as though sung by angels. And the children... ah, the children made the story live!

I was bursting with thankfulness. I had just been given the desire of my heart, the precious gift of a child of my own.

We had been told it wouldn’t happen, and after five years without conceiving a child, my husband and I tried to resign ourselves to that reality. I took great pains to hide the deep sadness I found almost unbearable. No one knew how much I wanted a baby, but the clues were there. I was angry much of the time. Convinced God was punishing me, I hated Him. The bitterness poured into all aspects of my life.

Until the day God laughed.

It was on the road to Mayo, Yukon. I was going to visit a friend, determined not to think about God or religion or any of the baffling questions my husband kept bringing up. But no matter what I tried, my mind would not rest. The question of God’s existence and what he had to do with me would not go away. In desperation, I pulled my vehicle into a lookout point above the Stewart River.

The beautiful river valley stretched out below, but I barely saw it. In turmoil, I challenged God to do something to prove He was there. Then I realized how foolish I was, talking to a God I did not really believe existed. At that point something happened which I have never been able to describe adequately. I “heard” laughter, like a grandfather chuckling, and the words, “Yes, but I love you anyway.”

None of this was audible, yet it was real. I thought I was going insane. The turmoil had finally pushed me over the edge and now I was hearing voices. I stomped on the gas pedal of my truck, turned the radio up as loud as it would go, and fled.

My visit with my friend turned out to be more discussion of spiritual things, but by the time I returned home I was determined not to pursue Christianity. Besides, I had something else on my mind. I had been suffering from a strange flu. On about the seventh day of this “flu”, the realization I was in fact pregnant flooded over me like warm rain. With it came a thunderbolt of truth.

This was the “something” I had challenged God to do. The child growing in my womb was His answer, the proof of His love. He gave me the desire of my heart. She was born Nov. 30, 1982.

“See what you have to look forward to now?”

Oh yes, I saw. I saw a future filled with the knowledge there is peace without measure, grace without limit and love without conditions. I saw a future suddenly bright because I believe the Christmas story. A tiny baby, whose sole purpose was to die for me and all others, was born in Bethlehem. I saw the reality that the Christ is still intimately involved in our lives here on earth. Though the church may be just a hall, the music less than perfect, and the costumes homemade, the story is exquisite. The story is true!

****

Marcia Lee Laycock writes from central Alberta Canada where she is a pastor's wife and mother of three adult daughters. She was the winner of The Best New Canadian Christian Author Award for her novel, One Smooth Stone and also has two devotional books in print. Her work has been endorsed by Sigmund Brouwer, Janette Oke, Phil Callaway and Mark Buchanan. The sequel to One Smooth Stone will be released in 2012. A collection of devotionals for writers has just been released here. Visit Marcia's website

GREENER GRASS

Have you seen it? You’re driving down the road and you notice how a cow stretches its neck through the fence to reach grass that appears exactly the same as the patch it’s standing on.

Is the grass on the other side truly greener?

In human terms, how often have we noted the exceptional quality of another person’s position and thought, if only I had that!  More success, better connections, a bigger house, nicer car, palatable circumstances, improved relationships, (fill in the rest) things would be easier…I will have “arrived.”

At various times in the past, I’ve made assessments on things by how they appear at first glance—before I really got a chance to think about them. Perhaps that was but a human trait or it’s just me. Whatever it is, I’ve now experienced enough of the world to conclude that outside appearances are illusory.

I’ve waited years for the Big Day. You know. The one where the dream you’ve ever imagined finally happens and plops right into your lap from nowhere? Okay, okay, I have experienced a few of those over the years, but not without preemptive hard work and determination to back it up—however, it hardly equated to inner happiness. Perhaps you experience this euphoric period, but it fades as you adjust and grow accustomed to the new set of conditions. And suddenly those new conditions become the old set once again while you start looking for the next enhancement.

“The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” is an early American proverb of restlessness and disgruntlement. This idea other people are better off is not true. I’ll dare say it’s the devil’s great deception; an intended distraction. Contentment is the direct result of our current heart-status. What I mean is…the better alternative is the one you’re already in. Grass is not greener. Grass is just grass wherever you are. Learn to cultivate your own field. It’s yours, your responsibility. Belonging to you, you’re accountable for either producing a lush, green, healthy lawn with the seed you’ve been given, or one that is riddled with weeds, lacking water, and poorly trimmed. How can we expand our field into something greater if we allow it to rot while we daydream of other pastures?

I love proverbs because they challenge us to dig deeper, especially Biblical Proverbs. God gave us intellect for pondering power. We are urged to embrace wisdom. Ask for it, use discernment in our decisions. Run the purposeful marathon one mile at a time as things unfold in the race unique to us. If we can accomplish that, mindful to fertilize that lawn once in a while, we’ll do just fine. 

A veteran of the performing arts, Tessa’s work included directing dance ensembles and cultural exchange programs under the auspices of missionary organizations. Besides traveling worldwide in performance and outreach endeavors, she contributed as a writer and editor for ministry newsletters as well as political literature. While her literary focus gravitates from genre to genre, she prefers stories involving love.“Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it.” ~ Bible

www.TessaStockton.com



Copyright Theft

On Saturday morning I checked my emails and dealt with the usual crop of blog comments and links that needed moderating. I run a few blogs and websites, but by far the busiest is www.thecraftywriter.com that provides free writing advice and services. I earn a nice bit of money from this blog from advertising so it is worth putting in the daily effort. But this day I noticed that someone was linking to one of my articles on what makes a good children's book . Although old, it still attracts a fair bit of traffic. So I followed the link back to its source as I usually do before approving it. Like most of you, I should imagine, I do this in order to make sure the website is one that I don't mind being associated with.

However, when I got to the site I discovered a bare bones affair that had only recently been put up. My article, reprinted in its entirety, was one of about half a dozen articles 'stolen' from other sites on the web. The owner of the blog had actually linked to my site, so it wasn't plagiarism, but had not realised (or didn't care) that it was illegal to reprint someone else's article without their prior permission. Even more disturbing was that the owner of the blog claimed to be a digital media student at a British university. Now I'm a part-time lecturer in writing for the media at another British university, so know that media ethics and copyright law should be part of a media studies programme. In other words, this girl should have known better.

I sent the blog owner a polite email asking her to either reduce my article to a paragraph exerpt with a link or remove it entirely. So far she has not responded to my request. I will give it a few more days and if she still does not comply I will contact the media department at her university and ask them to 'deal' with it.

This copyright 'thief', whether inadverdent or deliberate, is at least traceable - perhaps because she is not particularly web savvy and does not know how to hide her identity. In contrast, the owners of an apparently American website selling ceramic butter dishes who used one of my articles on writing from a point of view, proved to be completely untraceable. Well I suppose an online forensic detective could have tracked them down, but I'm not one of those! I still don't know why writing from a POV would be considered appropriate content for a butter dish site, but they certainly hadn't buttered me up to buy any of their products!

On reflection, I think the media student was simply ignorant of her breach of copyright but the butter dish people were deliberate. Either way, it points to a worrying trend: in this increasingly digital age intellectual property rights are no longer respected. The internet is predicated on a philosophy that information can and should be shared freely and that with a simple click and drag, your hard-grafted words can be used to someone else's profit. Fortunately, to my knowledge, this has not yet happened with any of my fiction, but I have heard of other authors who have lost work this way.

I think there is a need for a re-education of bloggers who simply do not know any better or those who have 'forgotten' how copyright operates. In much the same way as the music and film industry educate their consumers about piracy, electronic writers of prose need to start raising awareness of the issue. I think I know what my next blog post will now be about. And if someone decides to steal that, well at least the message is being spread.

Formerly a journalist, Fiona Veitch Smith is a writer of books, theatre plays and screenplays. Her latest novel, The Peace Garden, is a romantic thriller set in England and South Africa. It is available as an e-book. Her Young David children’s picture book series is available online and through bookshops. Fiona is also the editor of the popular writing advice website The Crafty Writer and her courses attract students from around the world. She lives with her husband, daughter and two dogs in Newcastle upon Tyne where she lectures in media and scriptwriting at the local universities.

SUNDAY EDITION

Coming Up This Week

Monday

Fiona Veitch Smith

Tuesday

Tessa Stockton: Greener Grass

Wednesday

Marcia Laycock

Thursday

Alice Valdal

Friday Devotion

Marcia Laycock: Writing Our Christmas Letter

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Contest Giveaway Winners

Jo-Anne is the winner of Jenn Kelly's book, Jackson Jones: The Tale of a Boy, a Troll, and a Rather Large Chicken (Valerie's post, November 17)

Congratulations Jo-Anne!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Contest News

Lisa Harris' book Blood Covenant is a Best Inspirational Novels 2011 nominee in the suspense category by Romantic Times. Congratulations Lisa!

Paula Vince's book Best Forgotten won the CALEB Prize 2011 in the fiction category and also won the overall Grand Prize. Congratulations Paula!

Catherine West's debut novel, Yesterday's Tomorrow, is shortlisted in the Romance category of the 2011 INSPY Awards. Congratulations Cathy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

New Book Releases

Jennifer Rogers Spinola's debut women's fiction novel set in Japan and the USA, Southern Fried Sushi, Book 1 in the Southern Fried Sushi series, is an October 2011 release from Barbour.

Sandra Orchard's romantic suspense book set in Canada, Deep Cover, is a September 2011 release from Love Inspired Suspense.

Lisa Harris' Christmas novella, Undercover Cowboy, is on sale through Christmas for only $.99! Available as an eBook on Kindle, Nook, Smashwords and other places.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Upcoming Book Releases

Donna Fletcher Crow's book A Darkly Hidden Truth, Book 2 in The Monastery Murders series, will be a January 2012 release from Monarch Books.

Kathi Macias' book set in San Diego, CA and the Golden Triangle area of Thailand, Special Delivery, Book Two in her Freedom series involving human trafficking, will be a March 2012 release from New Hope Publishers.

Sandra Orchard's romantic suspense set in Canada, Shades of Truth, will be a March 2012 release from Love Inspired Suspense.

Jennifer Rogers Spinola's women's fiction book, Like Sweet Potato Pie, Book Two in the Southern Fried Sushi series, will be a March 2012 release from Barbour.

Kathi Macias' book set in San Diego and Mexico, The Deliverer, Book Three in her Freedom series involving human trafficking, will be an April 2012 release from New Hope Publishers.

Valerie Comer's debut novella, Topaz Treasure, which is part of the Rainbow's End collection, will be a May 2012 release from Barbour.

Sandra Orchard's romantic suspense set in Canada, Critical Condition, will be an October 2012 release from Love Inspired Suspense.

Jennifer Rogers Spinola's women's fiction book, 'Till Grits Do Us Part, Book Three in the Southern Fried Sushi series, will be a November 2012 release from Barbour.

To find more International Christian Fiction books, please visit our Recent Releases page, Backlist Titles page and our International Christian Fiction wiki.

Welcome to Recipe Saturday!

Thanks for sharing our two years of blogging here at International Christian Fiction Writers with us. I hope you've already downloaded our free gift to you, a collection of International Recipes by our contributing authors. If not, do it now!

Today we're celebrating a global community of authors and their recipes. These authors don't live in Canada, Australia, or Africa, but together they make up roughly one quarter of our collection. You'll find:

• Sopa de Mani (Peanut Soup) from Bolivia with Jeanette Windle
• Coxinhos (Chicken Croquettes), Potato Salad, and Pudim de Leite from Brazil with LeAnne Hardy
• East Tennessee Cornbread from the USA with Tessa Stockton
• Bludger's Roast, Pavlova, Lemon Curd, and Munchies from New Zealand with Grace Bridges
• Chicken Empanadas from Argentina with Tessa Stockton
• Fruit Scones from England with Donna Fletcher Crowe

What a great selection! It was hard to choose just one to feature this week, but here it is:

Pavlova

Ingredients

• 8 egg whites
• 2 cups castor sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornflour
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• Optional: 2 tablespoons cocoa, chocolate chips to decorate
• Whipped cream and chopped fruit: kiwifruit/berries/peaches etc.

Instructions
Beat the egg whites thoroughly until very stiff. Add the sugar bit by bit, beating in between, and beat well afterwards. Blend in the remaining ingredients. Optional: Add 2 tablespoons of cocoa for a chocolate pavlova! Pile in a circular shape on a baking tray lined with paper or foil. Use a spatula or flat knife to sculpt the edges upwards and flatten the top, making it as high as possible up to about 4” (10cm).

Preheat oven to 150°C (300°F) and bake for approx. 1-2 hours (depends on your oven), until the crust is firm to tap. Allow to cool completely and cut around the top edge to let the crust settle onto the marshmallow before covering the top with whipped cream, fruit, and/or chocolate sprinkles. The crust is very brittle!

This recipe is by Grace Bridges, but all the aforementioned recipes are also in International Recipes. Download and enjoy!

Valerie Comer's life on a small farm in western Canada provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance. Like many of her characters, Valerie and her family grow much of their own food and are active in the local foods movement as well as their church. She only hopes her creations enjoy their happily ever afters as much as she does hers, shared with her husband, adult kids, and adorable granddaughter.

Her first work, a novella, can now be pre-ordered in the collection Rainbow's End from Barbour Books, releasing in May 2012. Visit her website and blog to glimpse inside her world.

DEVOTION: Prepare to Meet Your God . . . by Kathi Macias

“…prepare to meet your God…” (Amos 4:12).

We are in a season of preparation. With Thanksgiving just behind us and Christmas right ahead, our preparations sometimes become hectic, even frantic, as we race to complete all that we believe we must do to enjoy the season.

That’s sad, isn’t it? All the cooking, cleaning, baking, decorating, shopping, wrapping, list-making—it’s exhausting! And as much as we may enjoy the results, the busyness of it all can sap our strength and steal our joy, robbing us of the true meaning of the season.

But there is something even sadder in all this, and that’s the fact that we readily and willingly invest so much time preparing to celebrate these lovely holidays while neglecting to prepare for the most important event of our lives—meeting with God.

This is true of both our regular, daily meetings with God, as well as the one face-to-face meeting we will all experience with our Creator upon our death. Of course, for those of us who have received Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we have not only already had that first meeting by being introduced to God’s only Son, but we have also established an ongoing relationship with Him by inviting His Spirit to live within us. Therefore, there need be no fear of that meeting after death. Yet even those of us who have the joy and privilege of knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that God’s Spirit dwells within our heart can still lose sight of the need to prepare to meet with Him. As a result, we neglect the ongoing cultivation of what should be a vital and growing relationship with God and allow our faith to grow cold and joyless.

Give yourself a present this season, will you? Take time to prepare to meet with God—and then do it. Regardless of how busy your life may be, purposefully interrupt that impossible schedule and rest in His presence, absorb His strength, and revel in His love. Then pass that gift on to someone else who has yet to take the time to prepare to meet God.

It is the most important meeting of our lives—and therefore the most important preparations we ever make. Yes, we want our houses decorated for the season and the packages wrapped for the holidays—but those preparations should always take a back seat to preparing to meet with our God.

Shalom to you all in this wonderful season of preparation!

Kathi Macias is a wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother—as well as an “occasional radio host” and an award-winning author of more than thirty books, including her popular international Extreme Devotion fiction series from New Hope Publishers.

http://www.kathimacias.com/

Sometimes It's The Little Things

I became a Christian at the age of twenty after many years of fervent searching. I was not born into a religious family. In fact my only encounter with religion was through my maternal grandmother who gave me a KJV Bible and a Christian picture book when I was five years old. Both meant nothing to me at the time. The Bible was white with gold decorative trim and gilt-edged pages, and crammed with indecipherable words in crisp Roman font. The picture book was full of bearded, earnest-looking men set against stark, dusty backgrounds, and sheep. If anything, they looked scary. Is it any wonder then that my first impression of religion was not a particularly enthusiastic one.

Over the next fifteen years I had many encounters with all sorts of religious folk. Through some early spiritual experiences I was convinced that, as Shakespeare once said, "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy", and so I determined to discover as much about heaven and earth as I could. During my travels I came into contact with numerous religions, from Jehovah's Witnesses to the New Age, from the Occult to Buddhism.

I even dabbled in Scientology. Before you snicker, please understand that there is a certain appeal that has to be experienced to be understood. I get the atraction of Scientology and Dianetics, and why it is people spend a small fortune in trying to achieve the coveted "clear" moniker. For me, however, it was not enough just to get over my painful past. I needed more.

Later I attended a Silva Mind Control course, still wondering if the truth lay within my own mind. Even here, in a course designed to boost your concentration and help you take control of your own thoughts, there is a strong spiritual aspect tucked neatly away under the surface.

Not long after that I settled on Buddhism, to the point of identifying it as my religion when asked. It seemed such a tranquil religion and suited my personality perfectly. Except that the peace I experienced soon began to feel empty. Through meditation I learned to empty my mind and feel nothing, except that I could not believe that Horatio's heaven and Earth was filled with. . .nothing. I knew there was something more.

During the latter part of my search, I came into contact with a particular breed of religious person that I could not understand. Most religious people seemed to be in transit. It was as if that, even though they thought they had found the answer, there was something missing that they could not quite put a finger on. I felt that way myself, as if I somehow knew the answer but had yet to find it. There were certain people, however, who seemed to know that they had found the truth, and you could see it in their eyes.

When I think back on these people, I get the impression that God put them in my life to steer my towards Him. There weren't many, but I will never forget them. They weren't televangelists or preachers standing before huge crowds, but individuals who took the time to step out of their comfort zones and make contact with a complete stranger. Sometimes the contact was one-to-one. Other times it was less direct. There is one in particular that I wish I could find and thank. We never spoke but I saw him almost every day on my way to work. I would see him striding down the sidewalk, singing in a deep baritone voice. At the time I did not understand what he was singing about, but I do now. He was singing praises to God. I remember, just before leaving to go overseas, seeing that same man sitting on a park bench, his head bowed and a sad look on his face. He had the appearance of someone who had been humiliated or even beaten, even though he bore no physical wounds. The biggest change, however, was his singing. Normally his voice was loud and clear. Now, sitting on the bench, slumped forward with his face turned towards the ground, the words were barely audible. He was still singing, but only just.

I wish now that I could go back and find that man, and tell him that his singing affected me and made me wonder what could bring a man such joy that he had to express it everywhere he went. I wish I could tell him that he should sing no matter what the world says to him or does to him. He should sing even though people mock and scorn and laugh because, even if he does not realise it, his words reached everyone who heard them--especially me. I sometimes wonder what happened to that man. I hope and pray that, wherever he is, he is still singing because, sometimes, it is the little things than nudge us in the right direction.

Who Would You Choose?

I have a confession to make. I am a complete and utter politics geek. And with this week being New Zealand's General Election, Saturday night for me is what the Super Bowl is to the average football mad Texan.

I'm that annoying person who has can (and does) happily sleep through the most important sports fixtures, but given half a chance will dissect for hours the 1996 election results, strategic voting, the impact of wasted votes, electoral systems and anything else you care to think of.

New Zealand has an election every three years. Being a small country, we don't have states, so no State legislatures. We don't have a Congress and a Senate, we have a Parliament with no Upper House. No President, and our Prime Minister isn't separately elected, he/she is just the leader of the largest party that forms the Government (which means they can be rolled by their party and we can turn on the news one night and find we have a new one).

Parliament is it. Everything important goes through them. Whoever gets elected on Saturday will decide everything from how much tax I pay, to subsidies (if any) for childcare if I go back to work, to how schools are funded, and what kind of health services are deemed to be a priority. 

In this consumer/appearance driven age, there has recently been research done on how politicians' looks influence the way that people vote. So purely out of interest, below are the leaders of our two main political parties, John Key and Phil Goff. Come Sunday one of them will be our next Prime Minister.

Assuming most of you know little, if anything, about New Zealand politics I'd be interested to hear who you would vote if you had to vote purely based on their looks and why :)

Phil Goff

John Key

Fundraiser for International Author Sandi Rog

Sandi Rog is an award-winning author. She lived in Holland for thirteen years and now lives in Colorado with her husband, four children, a cat, and too many spiders.

Except for the spiders, it sounds pretty good, doesn't it? But here's a report from ACFW member Alison Strobel Morrow:

Imagine you’re a mom of four, living with MS, still readjusting to life in the states after years spent abroad, and finally seeing a dream come true. The book you’ve researched for years and poured your soul into is finally, today, being released into the world. After all the struggles of moving, of helping children acclimate, of learning a new city, of juggling motherhood and family and writing, you get to celebrate the realization of a dream.

And on that same day, your doctor tells you to come in right away–you have stage 4 T-cell lymphoma, possibly caused by the medication you’ve been taking for MS.

This is what happened to Sandi Rog on November 1, 2010. For the last year, Sandi has endured chemo, radiation, and a bone marrow transplant, with the hope of destroying this aggressive cancer. And then, just a few weeks before the release of her second book, new tumors were discovered near her spine that show the cancer has not succumbed the way we had all hoped.

So now, in the face of the holiday season, the Rog family finds themselves settling in for another year of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual battle as Sandi faces more treatments--one of which holds much promise but is not covered by insurance. As you can imagine, the financial cost of fighting cancer can be overwhelming, and that's why we're hosting this fundraiser.

Still from Alison:

HERE'S HOW IT WORKS:
Right now, we're in the process of soliciting and accepting donations of items we can use to create some of the most spectacular "gift baskets" ever. (The quotes are because there will likely not be any baskets used, but that phrase gives you an idea of what we're aiming for.) As items are received, we'll post here so you can see what kinds of goodies will be available for you to win starting November 25th.

To purchase a raffle "ticket", donate $5 at GiveForward.com. (Be sure NOT to mark your donation as anonymous or to hide your donated amount!) Every $5 you donate will purchase you one raffle ticket. Starting November 25th, we'll post one awesome gift basket per day. To enter the drawing for the basket, leave a comment on the post.

Want to enter more than once on the basket you really want? In your comment, note how many "tickets" you're spending. We'll be able to track through GiveForward.com how many tickets you purchased. Note that, once your ticket has been spent, you won't get it back if you don't win. (Just like a raffle with physical tickets--once you enter it in a drawing, your ticket is gone.) The comments will close at midnight; comments left after that time will not be counted. We'll use Random.org to choose the winner and will post their name the next day.

HOW TO DONATE RAFFLE ITEMS:
Email Alison (alison at alisonstrobel dot com) with a description of the item and a photo (if applicable). Include your website if you have one and we'll be sure to link to it when we post about the item. You will be responsible for mailing the item to the winner at the end of the fundraiser (within a week from the win date for non-custom-made items; for custom-made items, be sure to say in your description if the item will be completed and mailed in time for delivery before Christmas).

Because we're not raising money for a not-for profit, your donation is not tax deductible. This is strictly a sacrificial, out-of-the-goodness-of-your-heart donation. For $25, you can purchase advertising space in the sidebar. Then be sure to spread the news far and wide to your friends, family, customers, subscribers, Facebook friends and Twitter followers!

HOW TO PURCHASE A RAFFLE TICKET:
Be sure to have your credit card info available. Click over to GiveForward.com and enter your info there. (Note that if you want to purchase more tickets later, you will need to reenter your information at that time as they do not store payment info.) Donate as much or as little as you want, and every $5 increment will get you a entry towards the gift basket of your choice. The website will keep track for us of names and email addresses, so we'll be able to contact you if you win.

We know times are hard for everyone. The economy is in the tank, folks are losing their jobs, and Christmas is probably going to be a lot less materially-focused this year for many people. But, for most of us, the Rogs fall under the "it could be a lot worse" category. Every donation helps. So please give today, and spread the word to help us gather item donations and monetary donations to help keep the Rogs afloat as Sandi fights for her life.

Thank you all again for your prayers and support!
-Alison

Valerie Comer's fiction debuts in the novella collection Rainbow's End (Barbour, 2012). Her life on a Canadian farm provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance. Like many of her characters, Valerie and her family grow much of their own food and are active in local food advocacy.

SUNDAY EDITION

Coming Up This Week

Monday

Fundraiser for International Author Sandi Rog

Tuesday

Kara Isaac

Wednesday

Paul Baines

Thursday

Kathi Macias

Friday Devotion

Kathi Macias: Prepare to Meet Your God...

Recipe Saturday

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

International Recipe Book

To celebrate our 2 year blog anniversary in November, we are offering our blog readers a free International Recipe eBook. With more than 40 delicious recipes from all around the world, the eBook will have something to suit everyone's taste, from starters and savoury main courses to desserts and sweet treats!

We'd love you to join us as we eat our way around the world in November! More information on our International Recipe Book can be found here. And we will have a special bonus post each Saturday in November featuring a recipe. Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Contest Giveaway Winners

Merry is the winner of Abby Gaines' book, The Earl's Mistaken Bride (Narelle's post, November 8)

Congratulations Merry!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Contest News

Lisa Harris' book Blood Covenant is a Best Inspirational Novels 2011 nominee in the suspense category by Romantic Times. Congratulations Lisa!

Paula Vince's book Best Forgotten won the CALEB Prize 2011 in the fiction category and also won the overall Grand Prize. Congratulations Paula!

Catherine West's debut novel, Yesterday's Tomorrow, is shortlisted in the Romance category of the 2011 INSPY Awards. Congratulations Cathy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

New Book Releases

Jennifer Rogers Spinola's debut women's fiction novel set in Japan and the USA, Southern Fried Sushi, Book 1 in the Southern Fried Sushi series, is an October 2011 release from Barbour.

Sandra Orchard's romantic suspense book set in Canada, Deep Cover, is a September 2011 release from Love Inspired Suspense.

Lisa Harris' Christmas novella, Undercover Cowboy, is on sale through Christmas for only $.99! Available as an eBook on Kindle, Nook, Smashwords and other places.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Upcoming Book Releases

Donna Fletcher Crow's book A Darkly Hidden Truth, Book 2 in The Monastery Murders series, will be a January 2012 release from Monarch Books.

Kathi Macias' book set in San Diego, CA and the Golden Triangle area of Thailand, Special Delivery, Book Two in her Freedom series involving human trafficking, will be a March 2012 release from New Hope Publishers.

Sandra Orchard's romantic suspense set in Canada, Shades of Truth, will be a March 2012 release from Love Inspired Suspense.

Jennifer Rogers Spinola's women's fiction book, Like Sweet Potato Pie, Book Two in the Southern Fried Sushi series, will be a March 2012 release from Barbour.

Kathi Macias' book set in San Diego and Mexico, The Deliverer, Book Three in her Freedom series involving human trafficking, will be an April 2012 release from New Hope Publishers.

Valerie Comer's debut novella, Topaz Treasure, which is part of the Rainbow's End collection, will be a May 2012 release from Barbour.

Sandra Orchard's romantic suspense set in Canada, Critical Condition, will be an October 2012 release from Love Inspired Suspense.

Jennifer Rogers Spinola's women's fiction book, 'Till Grits Do Us Part, Book Three in the Southern Fried Sushi series, will be a November 2012 release from Barbour.

To find more International Christian Fiction books, please visit our Recent Releases page, Backlist Titles page and our International Christian Fiction wiki.