Book Review: A Stray Drop of Blood

A Stray Drop of Blood is a journey. It is not a book you can pick up one day & spin through it within a few hours…and even if you do, you will not be able to put it down without a lot of thought about what you have just read and experienced.


A Stray Drop of Blood is artfully written with well-developed characters. The plot and subplots are masterfully layered and complex…a great mixture of Biblical truths and facts with fascinating fictional characters. 

Abigail is a Jewess slave to a Jewess woman, who happens to be married to a Roman soldier. They have a son, Jason, who is 1/2 Roman & 1/2 Hebrew. When Jason desires Abigail her status as a slave goes into limbo and amidst the turmoil she becomes pregnant. Once you get to this point in the story you already feel so much for Abigail…only you are a very short way through the book. The story has so much more to share, to reveal…

The remaining story is brave. Not just brave for Abigail but for the author, Roseanna White. Without giving spoilers, I will tell you that White dives head first into a story that must be told but is hard to tell. Showing how in even the most strong-willed hearts…there is still great sin and the need for repentance.

White has a great understanding of Hebrew & Roman culture, social lifestyle, customs…etc. Everything read very authentically. I enjoyed feeling transported into the Israel that Jesus walked and loved.

White does not avoid writing a very difficult crucifixion scene of our Lord. She handles it respectfully, Biblically, & with worship behind every line of poetic writing. She did not shy away from the humanity of Jesus, nor His Lordship. Absolutely well-done.

If you want to read a well-crafted work of fiction in a Biblical setting with believable and well-rounded characters, with layered and intricately written plots, BOLD writing regarding Christ, our humanity & sin, and about conversion--A Stray Drop of Blood is your book!

Well-done Roseanna!

Visit the author: Roseanna White

Buy your copy today: Amazon

Cheers,
Elizabeth

whataweek...

Haven't had a chance to write all week for one reason or another. It's been crazy! BUT...I'm determined today to try to get a lot accomplished.

I'm at my corner office with a window at a local coffee place (not Starbucks). Coffee on hand like an I.V., the rain beyond the window, and Daddy having fun with CurlyQ. Shouldn't be a whole lot (other than the internet) to keep me from writing today!

Oh, and what am I reading right now? Well, thanks for asking. I am reading In the Shadow of Lions by Ginger Garrett. So far...I'm just not in love with it. I'm almost 1/3 of the way through and having a hard time staying really connected with the characters and the plot. I hate saying that because I'm sure Ginger Garrett is a lovely person but for some reason this book isn't touching me anywhere...yet. I LOVE Henry VIII books...like LOVE...I even have an Anne Boleyn necklace with the "B" and pearls. I am a huge fan and I'm still just not loving this book yet. I say 'YET' though with the hopes that I will.

Cheers,
Elizabeth

CONGRATS TO CHERI!

You won this terrific read by Betsy St. Amant, "RETURN TO LOVE"!

Check out more about this book and Betsy's other books coming out very soon at Betsy website: BETSY ST. AMANT.

THANKS for entering! I hope to do more giveaways so be sure to check back!

Cheers,
Elizabeth

Return to Love...WIN A FREE COPY!

Okay, all you writers...readers...and especially you INSPIRATIONAL ROMANCE readers! Have I got a book for you!

Now, I have to be honest. I am not sure I've ever read a Love Inspired book. I think RETURN TO LOVE was my first Love Inspired book & it was my first Betsy St. Amant book. BUT, I can honestly tell you that it won't be my last on either counts.

I bought Betsy's book when I ran across her through website hopping. A young SAHM with a little girl she affectionately calls Little Miss. She's smitten with her hubby and in love with motherhood and she's a published writer! I was instantly drawn to her since we share a lot in common--I'm a SAHM, have an amazing husband, and my own little miss I call CurlyQ. I'm a few years older than Betsy and my little girlie is about a year older than hers. Ya see, we should be--like--best friends! {wink}

I think that if Betsy & I met in Chick-Fil-A with our girls we'd become fast friends. AND Betsy & I are FACEBOOK friends...so, there you go. I probably know more about what's going on in Betsy's day than her neighbors who aren't her Facebook friends...though, I'm not saying she's not Facebook friends with her neighbors, it's just that--well, you get the picture. {grins sheepishly} Oh, and my name is Elizabeth and a nickname of Elizabeth is Betsy and I used to go by that in my softball playin' days. We were meant to be friends!

Anyway, I'm just sayin'...Betsy seems like an awful neat young woman and I was thrilled to jump on Amazon and buy her book RETURN TO LOVE. THEN, low and behold, I win a copy from Betsy herself...a SIGNED copy. Of course, I'm keeping the signed copy...but I am doing a fabulous giveaway for my other copy. {YAY}

So, back to RETURN TO LOVE by BETSY ST. AMANT.

Return to Love is a terrific love story about a young woman named Gracie. It opens with her feeding her beloved penguins. YES, penguins. I love penguins so I was especially sweet on these little birdy scenes. In the back of the crowd of onlookers as she delivers her short speech regarding the penguins she seems the guy who broke her heart. He former best friend, Carter.


Carter had no idea that Gracie worked at the Acquarium and was just as shocked as she. He was touring around New Orleans, visiting a former college roomie, who also is the youth pastor at Gracie's church. 


Gracie is just flabbergasted at seeing her old pal who she'd fallen for as a teen...but in seven years, has he changed at all? Or was he the same heartbreaker? 


Gracie is forced to deal with her feelings and with Carter as she plans a huge Gala event to help raise money for another aquarium's displaced penguins. Will Carter save the day? Or will he cause more stress than Gracie can handle? Or both? Read it and find out! 


Betsy does a great job of showing Gracie's tension around Carter. You feel sympathetic and nervous for her. For anyone who has dealt with a breakup at all, you know what it's like when you're suddenly forced into the same room with the other...uncomfortable. The dialog that Gracie has internally & with her best friend Lori were realistic and heartfelt. They were focused on helping the reader understand why she ws afraid and not sure if she wanted to trust Carter again. But, truly, it was about whether or not she was willing to trust God.


Carter also had plenty to say. He and his youth pastor friend Andy are living like 2 bachelors trying to figure women out. Andy is cool and collected but our main-man Carter has had such a change of heart toward God he isn't sure what to do about his feelings for Gracie. He isn't sure she'll understand the changes that he's experienced in their years of separation from being a popular singer in a well-known band to a solo artist, preferring worship songs in churches. AND, he has a secret...that I will not reveal.


Betsy has written a well-crafted sweet story of love. It is romantic, heart-warming, and a cozy read. I truly enjoyed reading RETURN TO LOVE and often found myself smiling as I read. And, since I have my own love story with my husband and I. Our dating experience had a similar flair though our separation was around 5 years from break-up to the rekindled relationship...I could truly relate with Gracie. Shock, confusion, fear...FAITH.


I would highly recommend this tender story of how God can provide the faith needed to rekindle broken hearts and help them RETURN TO LOVE.

AND, NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY!

All U.S. residents are eligible...bloggers and non-bloggers. No purchase necessary at all. Just a drawing from among commenters on this blog and from Facebook commenters.

COMMENTS ARE OFFICIALL OPENED!!!  I'LL DRAW A NAME BY WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23RD.

Cheers,

Elizabeth

Word Count...

Well, my word count is improving...unfortunately it is not my WIP. My word count for how much I'm reading is going up and up and up.

I finished Return to Love by Betsy St. Amant on Tuesday. It was the first Love Inspired book I've ever read...thoroughly enjoyed it. I will do a review & giveaway soon. {yay}

I started reading Breach of Trust by DiAnn Mills today. I can't put it down. She certainly has a way with characters...I am loving Paige Rogers, her protagonist. She's compelling and strong. Hmmmm...guess I picked the right fiction mentor, eh?

I'm not finished yet with Breach of Trust...but I plan to read more tonight. I haven't traditioanlly been a romance reader (Return to Love) nor a more action type reader (Breach of Trust) so it thrills me that I leapt out of my comfort zone and have poured over these pages. I highly recommend both of these authors. Betsy a new writer and DiAnn a seasoned one...both with great stories to tell.

Cheers,
Elizabeth

What a weekend...

I went HERE...the North Texas Christian Writers Conference.  BUT, instead of being a regular attendee...I got to be part of THIS.

YES, the DiAnn Mills Ficiton Mentoring Clinic!  It was AWESOME! 

If you EVER get a chance to be a part of a very high quality Fiction Mentoring Clinic...DO IT!  I highly recommend DiAnn's clinic.  What an amazing teacher she is.  AND, it's ongoing...she doesn't just dump us when she's finished with the clinic.  She keeps us to be a part of her mentoring group. 

If you're a writer out there...you know what a privilege it is to have a successful published writer be willing to mentor you through the writing process...hone our skills, give us honest feedback, believe in our gifts. 

What a great 2 1/2 days!

Cheers,
Elizabeth

To Outline or Not To Outline...

So, what is the consensus out ther?  Outlines good or bad?  Helpful or narrow your focus?  I know very successful writers on both sides of the coin. 

While I've always been one to not outline but just know the end of the book, I may try to write a loose outline for Gray Areas...that would be better than throwing my laptop out the window staring blankly at my laptop.  I am having a wicked major block at chapter 4!  YES 4!  I know what should happen next but I'm having a hard time getting it on paper screen.  I guess I'm just not having the confidence I need to write it well.  But rough drafts are just that...ROUGH...right?

I have some legal scenes in this book also.  Luckily my husband is an Air Force Criminal Def Attorney & one of my closest friends works behind the scenes with judges and her husband is a prosecutor for the Air Force.  All 3 have great legal eyes...  BUT, my legal scenes aren't criminal issues so they may not have the first-hand experience to help.  Writing those scenes does intimidate me a bit...but I'm not even there yet!

Why do we work so hard to defeat ourselves...

I NEED TO STOP LISTENING TO THE VOICES IN MY HEAD!

Cheers,
Elizabeth

PS: Why can't I find SPELL CHECK on Blogger?  What's up with that?  HELP?

Cardiac Restoration

I haven't posted in a few days...I was planning to do a writing exercise on Friday but I think, if I want participation, I need to get more traffic!

I am hoping to do a few book reviews soon...

But, right now, CurlyQ is sound asleep so it's time for me to get a bit done.  The list is always long...

I had a friend stop by for a quick lunch and she got some tough news while she was with me.  It was good for us to have the time together to process the information. 

I am reminded of this:

"The Lord is my Shepard
I shall not want,
He maketh me to lie down
in green pastures;
He leadeth me beside the still waters,
HE RESTORES MY SOUL..."

Even on a Monday, let Him restore your heart and soul...

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Before and After...

You know how life TOTALLY changes when you become a parent.  Even your writing changes.  No, seriously...it does. 

Don't believe me?  Watch...

Before:
Sarah relaxed in the bath with a good book.  She nearly dropped it in the water when she fell asleep in the calming scent of lavender.

After:
Sarah hadn't showered in four days and finally when she had 3 1/2 minutes to herself she turned on the shower only to realize that her sweet boy, Mark, had thrown her new Betsy St. Amant book in the tub. 

***

Before:
The scent of balsamic vinegar wafted through the air as Melanie flipped through her Style magazine, leaning over the island in the kitchen.  She peeked over and noticed that the water was a nice rolling boil and swiftly  added the basmati rice.  Her husband walked in with a dozen roses and kissed her soundly.

After:
The scent of vinegar and urine stung Melanie's nose as she sprayed Lysol behind her with one hand and threw in the 5 minute rice away that she'd burned because she hadn't removed it from the burner.  But on her way to the trash she slipped on the soiled undies that she'd forgotten to pick up.  Just then her husband walks in with a dozen kids hanging off of him, giving kisses all around.

***

Before:
She crawled into bed and made sure her alarm would not sound off in the morning.  She loved Friday nights with a Saturday free to sleep in.

After:
She crawled into bed after two in the morning completely drained of any energy after having a toddler with croup.  It seemed she fell asleep for only about seven minutes when she heard the barky cough hacking through the monitor.  In her sleep even the tired mom was up and rushing to the bedside of her two-year-old.  She gave her a drink and the mixture of honey, apple juice, and lemon juice that had been helping then gathered her curly-topped little girl in her arms and brought her to the master bedroom.  Though comfortably curled up the family still didn't sleep like babies, but at least they were together.  No matter the lack of sleep, Elizabeth loved being Mommy.

***

Yeah, writing does change.  Life changes.  FOR THE BETTER.

Boy, do I ever love being a mama to my sweet Curly-Q!  She really does bring out the best in me.

What's your BEFORE and AFTER?  Share!!!

Cheers,
Elizabeth

Wordless Wednesday

Story Starter...

Leave a comment about how you'd start this story!

{This is my daughter Curly-Q and my Amish grandma.}

Cheers,

Elizabeth