CrossReads Book Blast with Paula Rose Michelson

No Other Choice: The Naomi Chronicles, Book One
By Paula Rose Michelson

About the Book:

Naomi will be sent back! She left her family and all she held dear, traveled half way around the word while accompanying a blind, old grandmother because they promised to help her enter America and find her uncle. Instead they handed her over to immigration.

What she does now, she does because there is no other choice!

This is Naomi’s journey from adolescence to womanhood, from frightened isolation and captivity to the noble status of heiress. Trapped in a life where all who know her think her a saint, saddled with a mission and responsibility many would shirk from placed upon her shoulders, Naomi agrees to marry because that seems to be the easiest way to sidestep more issues.

As timely as the immigration debate of today is, author, William Struse’s endorsement says, “Duty, sacrifice, and faith are carried in the arms of love by a courageous young woman, who rises above her own flaws to help others.”

LINK to KINDLE

Paula Rose Michelson
As a Messianic Jew, Paula Rose Michelson wanted to write about life, love, choices, and forgiveness. She researched what befell the Jews baptized into the Catholic faith to survive the Inquisition, and when she began to write The Naomi Chronicles, Naomi told her the story you are about to read.

Because of her extensive background in recovery as a Chemical Dependency – Lifestyle Disorder Councilor, her work with The Rubicon Center, and as the founded LAMB Ministries in 1988, where she continues to mentor women suffering from trauma and abuse the way God mentored her, the author knows that though her heroine’s story is unique, Naomi’s issues of fear and hiding are universal, for they are seen in anyone who is masking their real pain.

Paula Rose Michelson is the wife of Lutheran Pastor and Chosen People Field Missionary, Ron Michelson. The mother of two married daughters, and grandmother of seven grandchildren, when not involved in ministry, writing, speaking, or teaching the effective use of scripture, you will find Paula researching her next book or meeting with friends.

Follow Paula Rose Michelson

Website | Facebook |Twitter

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This book blast is hosted by Crossreads.

We would like to send out a special THANK YOU to all of the CrossReads book blast bloggers!

Florida Bookstore Day at The Book Rack

Yesterday I went to our small downtown, here in Titusville, to the Book Rack for Florida Bookstore Day. I packed twenty-seven Florida Springs Trilogy books in an Office Depot cart. I should have ordered the extra three earlier because they didn’t come in time for the book signing.

I arrived after the other four writers did, partly because I had to go back in and change my clothes for warmer weather. It was good that I arrived when I did – my station was down at the end and the only one that had a lovely shade tree growing overhead. As the day wore on several beautiful leaves fell onto my table.

I unloaded the car, using Rebekah Lyn’s cart to wheel my card-table and two chairs to the site. It must have been a funny sight for the people across the street, but I didn’t look to see if anyone was watching. The cart was out of control as it wove down the sidewalk, the table slid off, and the two pillows under my arm slid too.

While I was getting set up, my good friend, from China, came to see me. I’d put on Facebook that I would be there. She lives a busy life working up to three part time jobs and has a husband and daughter that she tends to very well, so we don’t get to see each other often. We chatted while I set out the books, then she went to get her seven-year-old- daughter who was at the community theater a block over taking acting lessons. She brought her over and I was so glad to see her.

There weren’t many people downtown, but there was a lot of action as our town was having a food truck wars that evening, with fifty food trucks. Have you heard about them? It’s almost like a carnival with the huge semi-trucks and trailers roaring by to find their places.

Two radio stations set up their music stages so close to each other you knew they were going to blast everyone to deafness. I hoped we’d be gone before they started up.

At noon, Bill came down and had an egg salad sandwich I’d packed for him. He talked to the man next to us who said his Indie book, about hiking the Appalachian Trail, had been picked up by a publishing company, but he was so busy marketing it, he didn’t have time to write any more.

One man stood at each table and read everything except the books slowly and carefully. He looked different. He had wavy, grizzled hair, glasses, and pants that puckered at the waist where his belt was. I couldn’t place him until his friend came by decidedly dirty and homeless. The friend spoke in a loud voice about the Titusville ghost, whom I have never met, nor even heard about before. I definitely did not want to hear about him now. Lacking an audience, the second man rambled away.

I got up and gave the first man one of my cards because he looked so desperate for something to read and I knew that feeling. He then started on a soliloquy about the bookstore business. His parents had been in that field. I was interested the first three times I heard his story, and I wanted to be nice to him, but then I wanted to escape and Bill helped me out in his own courteous and kindly way by drawing my attention away.

Pam bought huge cups of iced tea for each of us which went down a treat, and we chatted as we slipped across the street into the back of a restaurant where their restroom was. I am a customer, just not that day. I also got some time in with Pam’s daughter, Jen, but I was too busy to talk much with the other writers who were all men, except for Rebekah Lyn.

Then it was time to pack up and go home. Bill helped me lug all the paraphernalia across the street to the car. I took home all twenty-seven books, but I wasn’t the least bit down or disappointed. I’d had a fine day with “family” and meeting a few new people, the weather was beautiful and I was satisfied with my life. I’ll sell some books someday another way. I’m sure of it.

Psalm 118:24

New Living Translation
This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Join the Fundraiser for the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund

Welcome to the

Cowboys & Christmas

Blog Tour!

A kickoff of two new holiday romances by Shanna Hatfield

and a fundraiser for the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund

Meet the Women of Hardman Holidays

Our interview today is with three characters from Shanna Hatfield’s historical holiday series, Hardman Holidays. Set in the western town of Hardman, Oregon, this series of sweet romances highlights determined women and the men who fall for them.

Filly, Ginny, and Alex join us today to talk about life in Hardman in the 1890s.

Welcome to you three lovely ladies. Tell us a little about how you each came to be in Hardman.

Filly: I grew up in Hardman, although most people thought I left when I was fourteen, because my father imprisoned me on our farm for the next thirteen years. Thanks to Luke, my husband, I got a second chance at life here in the community.

Ginny: Filly’s husband is also my brother and only sibling. Our parents brought us to Hardman when we were quite young. Luke loved it here, but my mother preferred our home in New York City. We returned there when I was fifteen. It broke my heart to leave.

Filly: (Grins at Ginny) That’s because you were daffy over Blake Stratton.

Alex: (Giggles) It appears the feeling was mutual since they’re married.

Ginny: (Huffs indignantly) It just took a while to admit our feelings. Anyway, I’m back in Hardman now and wouldn’t want to live any place else.

Alex: I had plans to pass through town on my way to California, but my wagon broke down a few miles north of Hardman.

Ginny: And a very handsome man came to her rescue.

Alex: I didn’t need rescued, although I concede Arlan is very handsome. And kind. And wonderful…

What does a typical day entail for each of you?

Filly: Luke and I live in the house his parents built on the edge of town when they first moved to Hardman. Our day begins early. I know I’m spoiled to live in a house with indoor plumbing and every modern convenience, but it requires diligent effort to keep up with everything. I spend a good part of my time cooking and cleaning.

Ginny: Don’t forget about hogging time with your baby. I’ve never seen two parents as piggy with their offspring as Luke and Filly.

Filly: (Laughs) I can’t help it if I rather cuddle her than clean up after your brother.

Alex: Maura is a sweetheart. I wouldn’t get anything done but hold her all day if that was an option.

Ginny: (Smiles coyly at Alex) Speaking of sweethearts, I saw Arlan walking you home from Granger House in the moonlight the other day. You two lovebirds didn’t seem aware of anyone else.

Alex: (Glares at Ginny) I believe we need to stick to the topic at hand.

Ginny: Fine. A typical day for me is avoiding Blake’s horses since they scare me, watching him carve wood in his workshop, or heading into town to write an article for the newspaper. I also like to draw and paint.

Alex: Ginny’s incredibly talented with her sketches. She’s even done a few for my students. Although I’m a prestidigitator by trade, I took a job as the schoolteacher to pay for the repairs to my broken wagon.

What’s one thing people might not know about you?

Ginny: I’m a terrible cook and don’t have plans to change. I’d much rather paint or write or watch Blake.

Filly: (Rolls her eyes) And they somehow find their way to our table several times a week.

Ginny: A girl has to eat and you always make extra, when she can tear herself away from Maura or isn’t off gallivanting somewhere on her horse.

Filly: I love to ride horses. I wanted to run away and join a Wild West show as a young girl. Although I can still do a few tricks, Luke curtailed that particular activity when we found out I was expecting Maura.

Alex: Even though I’m a magician, I still like to watch other people perform illusions. Just last night, Blake and Luke made an entire pie disappear right before our eyes.

(The girls all laugh.)

What’s the most exciting thing going on in your town this Christmas?

(Filly and Ginny both look at Alex)

Filly: Alex and her magic wagon.

Ginny: Definitely Alex. She lives up to her title of Alex the Amazing.

Alex: (Blushes slightly) I’d say the most exciting thing happening in town is the Christmas Carnival. The children can hardly wait for it to arrive.

Thank you for joining us. Any parting words for our readers?

Alex: If you enjoy sweet holiday romances set in the past, I hope you’ll consider reading our stories in The Christmas Bargain, The Christmas Token, and The Christmas Calamity.

The Christmas Bargain

The Christmas Token

The Christmas Calamity

Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund®

Now through Dec. 24, Shanna will donate 10 percent of the net proceeds from all her book sales to the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund. The JCCF is a non-profit organization that assists rodeo athletes who’ve sustained catastrophic injuries and are unable to work for an extended period.

You’re Invited to PARTY!

You’re invited to join in the online Cowboys & Christmas Facebook Party Thursday, Nov. 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (PST). Drop in anytime during those four hours to enter to win great prizes, chat with guest authors, and more! Here’s the link to the party: http://tinyurl.com/cowboychristmasparty

The third book in the Hardman Holidays sweet Victorian romance series releases that day! The Christmas Calamity takes readers back to Hardman just in time for the holiday season. Preorders are available now for just $1.99 on Kindle. You can reserve your copy here: http://amzn.com/B00OGOO994

In addition, the first book in the Hardman Holidays series, The Christmas Bargain, will be available free that day, as well!

Enter to Win Prizes!

To enter the drawing for an Amazon gift card, autographed books, chocolates, original western artwork, and more fun goodies, fill out this form.

http://tinyurl.com/cowboychristmasprizes

About Shanna Hatfield

A hopeless romantic with a bit of sarcasm thrown in for good measure, Shanna Hatfield is a bestselling author of sweet romantic fiction written with a healthy dose of humor. In addition to blogging and eating too much chocolate, she is completely smitten with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller.

Shanna creates character-driven romances with realistic heroes and heroines. Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”

She is a member of Western Writers of America, Women Writing the West, and Romance Writers of America.

Find Shanna’s books at:

Amazon | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Apple

Shanna loves to hear from readers! Follow her online:

Commenting on Comments~Part 1

I enjoyed all the comments that came from the blog. ”Writing – What is Easy, What is Hard.”

Mary Harwell Sayler, doyenne of Christian Poets and Writers asked writers to tell her what they find easy about writing and what they find difficult.

My bottom line answer was that I found blogs easy, but isolated spots in my novels are as hard to write as good pie crust is to make.

I mentioned that I could hardly wait to get my new iPhone so that I’d always have a camera with me. It seems I often come home from somewhere and want to write a blog about it, but because I don’t make an effort to take my digital camera, I have to scrounge to get something together.

SCOTT’S COMMENT:

Great idea! I have a good smart phone, and occasionally use it as a camera.

JESS SAID

That new phone needs to come home today. Since your birthday was recent, I think a gift of that phone for you and your stories for us would be a great way to celebrate.

Our guru and his wife (our daughter) brought pizza and our new phones last week. We had a big phone party and enjoyed ourselves very much. I learned a lot, and know I have a whole lot more to know. I can take pictures with it, but still have a few difficulties to overcome such as getting the pictures anywhere except my phone so I can put them in my blogs.

I understand you can email them, but I turned on the email and the inbox got flooded with old messages I already had on my computer and it turned me off. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy emails, but since I spend most of my time at home, I don’t need a mailbox full of letters I’ve already answered, stored, deleted, or junked.

There’s something about a full box of emails that disturbs me like dirty dishes in the sink or a meowing cat that needs to be fed. I try to keep the emails washed, ironed, folded and put away so I don’t have laundry lying around. I won’t say dirty laundry, because it’s not that. I could work through it all in a doctor’s waiting room, but in order to keep up, I’d have to go to the doctor a lot more often.

That’s about all I have to say about the new phone, except this, I haven’t learned to take my fingers off the buttons so I got a whole filmstrip of the shadows on the trail – all alike as far as I could tell. It’s pretty cute if I do say so, but I don’t know how to show it to you – yet! My new phone has a stabilizer so the days of tremulous vibrations are over. Thank the Lord for that!

I loved the rest of what Scott said: I also find myself inspired by things I see when biking or walking, or even on the bus: people, nature, situations. If I could find a quiet spot and few minutes, I could quickly use my electronics to publish a fast blog post.

I got clear pictures and the flavor of his activities. I could imagine him on a rock next to a lake, or at a coffee shop writing away on a blog and having the pictures and everything he needed to send it all off right then. I’ve never thought of it like that before. He’s going to be one of my role models, and one of these days maybe I’ll be able to do something like that too. Until then, I may have to ask Rebekah Lyn to help with the pictures for this blog. Next weekend, we’re going to be sitting outside an Independent bookstore signing our novels as people purchase them. We might get a minute between signing books to work on getting the pictures from the cell phone onto this blog, at that time. Meanwhile, here’s one about the festival we’re attending.

A few minutes after I wrote that, Rebekah Lyn called and asked if she could come over. She helped with the email, but she got tired of deleting them too, so I’ll have to do it a bit at a time. It’s worth it to be able to use the pictures. So I didn’t have to wait until Saturday to get my selfie uploaded for you. Ain’t I cute? Ha. But seriously I am very impressed with the lack of blurring from shakiness! We paid extra for it on the 5s, but it comes with the 6 and Rebekah Lyn is pretty sure her IPad has it too. That’s one of the greatest advances in photography, but they’re all great, aren’t they?

I just added the word selfies to my dictionary.