Wandering Wednesday: Discover Brazil with a giveaway!

By Lisa Harris @heartofafrica

In my last Wandering Wednesday post, I mentioned how one of the things our family has been blessed to do is travel together, especially while our kids were growing up. Today, I'm sharing a few memories from our time in Brazil back in 2008 and 2009. (Wow. . .has it really been that long?)

And since this blog is all about books, I also have to share the with you about the novel our time in language school inspired. No Place To Hide releases from Love Inspired Suspense this Sunday, and I'm so excited to share it with you! (Keep reading for a chance to win a copy.) 

Now while our time in Brazil was a bit of a rollercoaster for me--I was homeschooling for the first time, finishing up a novel, AND trying to learn Portuguese--my hero and heroine in this book have it a whole lot worse! She's a witness to murder. . .now running for survival. Thankfully nothing like that happened to us while we were there! Instead, we came to love the country and made friendships that have lasted for all these years!

I'll share a bit more about the book in a minute, but first, here are some highlights from our time in Brazil. We were able to take two short trips--we decided we had to see some of the beautiful country--so these photos are from Rio and the Amazon.

RIO

My hubby snuck me away for an overnight trip to Rio, which ended up being so much fun! One of the best ways to see Rio's spectacular views is from the cable car that transports you to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain. From there you can see the stunning Guanabara Bay, Rio, and the Atlantic Ocean spread out beneath you. 

We spent time browsing through seller's stands till midnight and walking along Copacabana Beach. 

Christ the Redeemer, the 125 foot famous statue that sits on top of the Corcovado Hill, is another incredible place to see the city of Rio. 

THE AMAZON

Our whole family flew into Manaus where we saw from the air the 'meeting of the waters.' 

Here the dark Rio Negro meets the pale Amazon River (Rio Solimões). Here the two rivers run side by side without mixing because of the differences in the waters temperature, speed, and density. After landing, we took a boat up the river a couple hours to our rustic hotel.

One of the favorite things our kids did was fish for piranhas--and I admit it was pretty fun! The cooks prepared them for our dinner and they tasted like chicken. And yes, they have very powerful jaws!

Another favorite thing was swimming with the pink dolphins. Definitely one of 

those experiences you never forget!

NO PLACE TO HIDE:

And now for another fast-paced romantic suspense novel. . .Former navy diver Ryan Kendall’s father sent him to Brazil with a simple assignment: extract compromised witness Ellie Webb. But with Ellie determined to trek into the Amazon, following a lead on her father’s murder, Ryan must protect her. As cartel members and pirates chase them, though, can they survive the dangerous jungle…and take down a killer?

*You can pre-order your copy now and it will be released on Sunday, July 1st!!*

Amazon                            Barnes & Noble                        Christianbook.com

GIVEAWAY:

I'd love to give away an ebook of No Place to Hide. To enter, please leave a comment on this post with a way for me to contact you. I'll pick a random winner from the comments on Friday, July 6th at Midnight PST.

LISA HARRIS is a Christy Award finalist for Blood Ransom and Vendetta, Christy Award winner for Dangerous Passage, and the winner of the Best Inspirational Suspense Novel for 2011 (Blood Covenant) and 2015 (Vendetta) from Romantic Times. She has over thirty novels and novella collections in print. She and her family have spent almost fifteen years working as missionaries in Africa. When she's not working she loves hanging out with her family, cooking different ethnic dishes, photography, and heading into the African bush on safari. For more information about her books and life in Africa visit her website at www.lisaharriswrites.com

Wandering Wednesday: Amsterdam and the Netherlands + A Giveaway!

By Lisa Harris @heartofafrica 

One of the things our family has been blessed to do is travel together. Sometimes it's for ministry, like language school in Brazil. Other times we've been able to stop in Europe on the way from Africa to the United States, where we usually visit friends. The opportunity to set my stories in some of these locations with my Love Inspired Suspense books has been so much fun for me, and releasing this month is Deadly Exchange which was set in Amsterdam. Several years ago, our family stopped in Holland for a few days to visit friends and see some of Amsterdam. I loved the chance to incorporate some of the things we saw while we were there including a brief mention of Corrie ten Boom, one of the first places we visited just outside of Amsterdam. Her testimony of her family risking their lives to save the Jews during the war has always been so powerful to me, and in my story, my heroine feels the same way. She talks about the impact of visiting her house and her prayer that God would use her.

We also were able to visit the countryside outside of Amsterdam where part of my story takes place, in an older estate. Some of my favorite scenes are the windmills in the background and the fog along the water. We were even able to visit a place where they make the decorative wooden clogs.

And no trip to Amsterdam is complete without trying some raw herring. I love fish and grew up on smoked salmon, so for me it wasn’t bad at all. But I can't say that all of my family felt the same!

Taking a boat ride through the city was a lot of fun, and honestly, one of my favorite ways to see a city. I love all the houseboats and bridges and of course Amsterdam's unique architecture.

And lastly, you can't forget about all the bikes in Amsterdam. I confess, I never tried to ride one, especially in the city, but I love the idea of riding bikes everywhere. In fact, the first scene is of my heroine on her way home on her bike she affectionally named Archie.

While I have such great memories of our time in the Netherlands, I took my heroine through a much different experience in Deadly Exchange. Chased across Amsterdam by a human-trafficking ring, social advocate Kayla Brooks refuses to help them recapture Mercy, the young girl she rescued from their clutches. And there's only one man Kayla can turn to for help: her ex-fiance's brooding older brother, Levi Cummings. Armed with only a few clues, Kayla and Levi must bring down the crime ring. . .or lose their lives in the process.

Giveaway

I'm giving away an ebook copy of Deadly Exchange. To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment on this post and/or on Monday's New Release Post. Receive two entries in the drawing by commenting on both posts! I'll pick the winner from the comments Monday, January 22 at 10pm EST.

Read a FREE sample of Deadly Exchange at Amazon.com

About Lisa Harris

LISA HARRIS is a Christy Award finalist for Blood Ransom and Vendetta, Christy Award winner for Dangerous Passage, and the winner of the Best Inspirational Suspense Novel for 2011 (Blood Covenant) and 2015 (Vendetta) from Romantic Times. She has over thirty novels and novella collections in print. She and her family have spent over thirteen years working as missionaries in Africa. When she's not working she loves hanging out with her family, cooking different ethnic dishes, photography, and heading into the African bush on safari.

Website:  www.lisaharriswrites.com

International Christian Fiction - New Releases | January 2018 #giveaway

Deadly Exchange by Lisa Harris

When one of the girls she rescued goes missing and her father’s kidnapped, trauma specialist Kayla Brooks is sure she’s the human traffickers’ next target. Her only ally is Levi Cummings, the brother of a man she helped put in prison — a man she isn’t sure she can trust.

Giveaway

Lisa Harris is giving away an ebook copy of Deadly Exchange. To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment on this post and/or Lisa's Wandering Wednesday post on January 17. Receive two entries in the drawing by commenting on both posts. Check out Lisa's post on Wednesday for more information on the giveaway and Lisa's journey in Amsterdam - the European setting for Deadly Exchange.

Read a FREE sample of Deadly Exchange at Amazon.com

Isaiah's Daughter by Mesu Andrews

In this epic Biblical narrative, ideal for fans of The Bible miniseries, a young woman taken into the prophet Isaiah's household rises to capture the heart of the future king.

Isaiah adopts Ishma, giving her a new name--Zibah, delight of the Lord--thereby ensuring her royal pedigree. Ishma came to the prophet's home, devastated after watching her family destroyed and living as a captive. But as the years pass, Zibah's lively spirit wins Prince Hezekiah's favor, a boy determined to rebuild the kingdom his father has nearly destroyed. But loving this man will awake in her all the fears and pain of her past and she must turn to the only One who can give life, calm her fears, and deliver a nation.

Available at Amazon.com

A Mother for His Family by Susanne Dietze

A Convenient Arrangement.

Lady Helena Stanhope’s reputation is in tatters…and she’s lost any hope for a “respectable” ton marriage. An arranged union is the only solution. But once Helena weds formidable Scottish widower John Gordon, Lord Ardoch, and encounters his four mischievous children, she’s determined to help her new, ever-surprising family. Even if she’s sure love is too much to ask for.

All John needs is someone to mother his admittedly unruly brood. He never imagined that beautiful Lady Helena would be a woman of irresistible spirit, caring and warmth. Or that facing down their pasts would give them so much in common. Now, as danger threatens, John will do whatever it takes to convince Helena their future together—and his love—are for always.

Available at Amazon.com

A Daring Escape by Tricia Goyer

Danger Closes In. Can the Children be Rescued?

As the threat of World War II looms on the horizon, American Amity Mitchell is living a comfortable life abroad as a tutor in England. Life changes when an urgent telegram arrives from her brother, Andrew, summoning her to Prague. Nazi forces tighten their grip on the country, and Andrew's efforts to help Jewish children escape Czechoslovakia grow desperate. Children's lives are at risk. Amity knows she can't ignore God's call to join her brother's cause.

Amity's boss, Clark, arrives in Prague, urging her to return. Soon, he too finds himself helping prepare kindertransports bound for the safety of England. With the sound of German tanks rumbling over cobblestone streets, Amity and Clark race to save innocent lives. Will their prayers for deliverance be answered?

A Daring Escape is a gripping tale of hope, self-sacrifice, and the power of unrelenting love overcoming unspeakable hate.

Available at Amazon.com

Judah's Wife by Angela Hunt

Seeking peace and safety after a hard childhood, Leah marries Judah, a strong and gentle man, and for the first time in her life Leah believes she can rest easily. But the land is ruled by Antiochus IV, descended from one of Alexander the Great's generals, and when he issues a decree that all Jews are to conform to Syrian laws upon pain of death, devout Jews risk everything to follow the law of Moses.

Judah's father resists the decree, igniting a war that will cost him his life. But before dying, he commands his son to pick up his sword and continue the fight--or bear responsibility for the obliteration of the land of Judah. Leah, who wants nothing but peace, struggles with her husband's decision--what kind of God would destroy the peace she has sought for so long?

The miraculous story of the courageous Maccabees is told through the eyes of Judah's wife, who learns that love requires courage . . . and sacrifice.

Available at Amazon.com

The Melody of the Soul by Liz Tolsma

Anna has one chance for survival—and it lies in the hands of her mortal enemy.

It’s 1943 and Anna Zadok, a Jewish Christian living in Prague, has lost nearly everything. Most of her family has been deported, and the Nazi occupation ended her career as a concert violinist. Now Anna is left to care for her grandmother, and she’ll do anything to keep her safe—a job that gets much harder when Nazi officer Horst Engel is quartered in the flat below them.

Though musical instruments have been declared illegal, Anna defiantly continues to play the violin. But Horst, dissatisfied with German ideology, enjoys her soothing music. When Anna and her grandmother face deportation, Horst risks everything to protect them.

Anna finds herself falling in love with the handsome officer and his brave heart. But what he reveals might stop the music forever.

Available at Amazon.com

A Song Unheard by Roseanna M. White

Willa Forsythe is both a violin prodigy and top-notch thief, which makes her the perfect choice for a crucial task at the outset of World War I--to steal a cypher from a famous violinist currently in Wales.

Lukas De Wilde has enjoyed the life of fame he's won--until now, when being recognized nearly gets him killed. Everyone wants the key to his father's work as a cryptologist. And Lukas fears that his mother and sister, who have vanished in the wake of the German invasion of Belgium, will pay the price. The only light he finds is meeting the intriguing Willa Forsythe.

But danger presses in from every side, and Willa knows what Lukas doesn't--that she must betray him and find that cypher, or her own family will pay the price as surely as his has.

Available at Amazon.com

Merry Christmas!

It's that time of year again... Christmas!

I just love it! :)

The music, decorations, lights, shows, time with family, that special feeling in the air, everyone trying to be nicer... It's magical!

This year my kids asked for some toys that aren't sold in stores anymore.
That sent us shopping at second hand stores.
Luckily, we snagged some toys on their list!
We should have some happy little girls on Christmas morning!
I can't wait! :)

But I also couldn't pass up the opportunity to purchase these beauties for myself!

Check out this photo:

All those Love Inspired Books from one store! I couldn't believe it!

Love Inspired Suspense:

Love Inspired:

And Love Inspired Historical:

It was like meeting friends :)

Definitely an early Christmas gift for me :) But also, a gift for the future, since I hope that when the girls grow up these are the books they'll choose to read.

And those Love Inspired Historicals are soon to be antiques ;)

So thank you to all the Christian writers for their hard work, and the readers who make this all possible! I hope our stories multiply and we all have an abundance of amazing books to read in the New Year!

God Bless you all!

Eva Maria Hamilton


Eva Maria Hamilton is the author of Highland Hearts, a Love Inspired Historical novel published by Harlequin. Her novel, Highland Hearts, won 2nd Place in the Historical Romance, as well as the Traditional/Inspirational Romance Categories in the Heart of Excellence Reader’s Choice Awards, and was an Inspirational Series Finalist in the 2013 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Her short story, Disinherited Love, can be read in the anthology, A Kiss is Still A Kiss. Eva Maria Hamilton is also the owner of Lilac Lane Publishing, which has currently published, Jane Austen’s Pride And Prejudice Colouring & Activity Book featuring Illustrations from 1895, Jane Austen’s Sense And Sensibility Colouring & Activity Book featuring Illustrations from 1896, and Jane Austen's Emma Colouring & Activity Book featuring Illustrations from 1896.

To connect with Eva Maria Hamilton, please visit her at www.EvaMariaHamilton.com or LilacLanePublishing.com