Galaxies discovered by Hubble

What an amazing video. To think that Jesus, our Creator and Savior, the one who knows every hair on our head, is also the one that Created the billions of galaxies that we are just now seeing. The vastness of it makes me feel so small and insignificant. Yet I know I'm not. If He is willing to suffer and die for me in the most painful manor possible so that I can have a covenant with Him, then I know He doesn't see me as insignificant. It's almost more than my mind can comprehend. The massivness of His ability and power... and He loves me and takes care of even the smallest things in my life.

Praise God!

The Prayer by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli

Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion. Talk about a powerhouse, shiver inducing duet. Simply amazing.

Merry Christmas to you and yours.

White Christmas by Bing Crosby

The incomparable Bing Crosby once again. Love his voice and love his Christmas movies. Nobody could whistle like him either.

Little Drumer Boy by Bing Crosby and David Bowie

Another unlikely pairing for a duet, but one of the best as well. Love Bing's voice. One of the best ever.

O Holy Night by Nsync

I don't care if I've already listed O Holy Night. Nsync is an amazing vocal band and I love their version. Very talented guys. I wish they'd make a come back special...

Happy Christmas by David Cook

I'd be remiss in missing our hometown hero, David Cook. The man has a fantastic voice. And he's not bad to look at either. :)

Josh Groban: My December and O Holy Night

How can you go wrong with Josh Groban. The man sounds like an angel.

Gabriel's Message by Sting

One of the best Christmas songs and it comes from one of the most unlikliest singer. I love Sting's voice, but this one blows me away.

Breath of Heaven by Sara Groves

One of my all time favorite Christmas songs. I love the haunting melody. There are several great versions. Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Rachel Lampa. This one by Sara Groves is great and I really like the dancers. Very moving.

Mary Did You Know by Mark Lowry

This song has been done by so many different vocalists, and they all sound amazing. But I still love to hear Mark sing it. Maybe because he wrote the song and it comes straight from the heart. It gives me goosebumps.

Merry Christmas by She Daisy

SheDaisy has a fantastic sound. I always wanted to sound like them. We only made it to 2 in our group. Don't think we ever sounded near as good. But what a sound to aspire to. Love their remake.

Countdown of Favorite Christmas music Videos

We're counting down to Christmas rather quickly now. I've been watching all my fav Christmas movies and watching my favorite music videos. This is one of my favs. Remember when I was 4 I wanted to marry Kenny Rogers. When you see him in uniform, can you blame me?

CFBA: The Sheriff's Surrender by Susan Page Davis

Song Stuck on the Brain: All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:

The Sheriff’s Surrender

by

Susan Page Davis

Barbour Books (December 1, 2009)

ABOUT THE BOOK:


Gert Dooley can shoot the tail feathers off a jay at a hundred yards, but she wants Ethan Chapman to see she's more than a crack shot with a firearm. When the sheriff of Fergus, Idaho, is murdered and Ethan is named his replacement, Gert decides she has to do whatever she can to help him protect the citizenry. So she starts the Ladies Shooting Club. But when one of their numbers is murdered, these ladies are called on for more than target shooting and praying. Can Gert and the ladies of Fergus find the murderer before he strikes again?

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Sheriff’s Surrender , go HERE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I've always loved reading, history, and horses. These things come together in several of my historical books. My young adult novel, Sarah's Long Ride, also spotlights horses and the rugged sport of endurance riding, as does the contemporary romance Trail to Justice. I took a vocational course in horseshoeing after earning a bachelor's degree in history. I don't shoe horses anymore, but the experience has come in handy in writing my books.

Another longtime hobby of mine is genealogy, which has led me down many fascinating paths. I'm proud to be a DAR member! Some of Jim's and my quirkier ancestors have inspired fictional characters

For many years I worked for the Central Maine Morning Sentinel as a freelancer, covering local government, school board meetings, business news, fires, auto accidents, and other local events, including a murder trial. I've also written many profiles and features for the newspaper and its special sections. This experience was a great help in developing fictional characters and writing realistic scenes. I also published nonfiction articles in several magazines and had several short stories appear in Woman's World, Grit, and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.

My husband, Jim, and I moved to his birth state, Oregon, for a while after we were married, but decided to move back to Maine and be near my family. We're so glad we did. It allowed our six children to grow up feeling close to their cousins and grandparents, and some of Jim's family have even moved to Maine!

CFBA: The Familiar Stranger by Christina Berry

Song Stuck on the Brain: Oh Danny Boy

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:
The Familiar Stranger
by
Christina Berry
Moody Publishers (September 1, 2009)

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Craig Littleton's decision to end his marriage would shock his wife, Denise . . . if she knew what he was up to. When an accident lands Craig in the ICU, with fuzzy memories of his own life and plans, Denise rushes to his side, ready to care for him.

They embark on a quest to help Craig remember who he is and, in the process, they discover dark secrets. An affair? An emptied bank account? A hidden identity? An illegitimate child?

But what will she do when she realizes he's not the man she thought he was? Is this trauma a blessing in disguise, a chance for a fresh start? Or will his secrets destroy the life they built together?

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Familiar Stranger, go HERE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Single mother and foster parent, Christina Berry carves time to write from her busy schedule because she must tell the stories that haunt her every waking moment. (Such is the overly dramatic description of an author's life!) She holds a BA in Literature, yet loves a good Calculus problem, as well. All that confusion must have influenced her decision to be team captain of a winning team on Family Feud.

Her debut novel, The Familiar Stranger, released from Moody in September and deals with lies, secrets, and themes of forgiveness in a troubled marriage. A moving speaker and dynamic teacher, Christina strives to Live Transparently--Forgive Extravagantly!

Her work has also appeared in The Secret Place, The Oregonian, and Daily Devotions for Writers.

Congrats to New Author Theresa Danley!

I just got the best news from a friend of mine. She's being published! Yay, Theresa Danley.

Here's a clip from her email:

"I recently signed a contract with a book publisher for my first novel EFFIGY! I'm very excited. It is expected to be released as an e-book in May 2010. With enough sales, the publisher will publish it traditionally. So very cool!

In case you are wondering, EFFIGY is an archaeological mystery/thriller. I can't wait to share it with you all! While I'm still working on getting an author website online, I've already got a blogsite up and running which I was using to market to literary agents. The posts are written as though the characters from the book submitted them. But now I'm also including author updates as I progress through this publishing process. You are all welcome to take a look if you are interested. The site address is just below. "

Effigy Blog

Take a look at her blog, it's very cool. And be sure to check it out in May. You can tell everyone you heard about it here first. You know, 'cuz I have all the inside connections in the publishing world... :) I wish! I'd be published too. Until then, I'm just happy to celebrate my friends success.

By the way, this is my third friend to land a contract, maybe it's my turn next? Keep your fingers crossed.

A.

CFBA: The Christmas Lamp by Lori Copeland

Song Stuck on the Brain: We Three Kings by Straight No Chaser

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:
The Christmas Lamp
Zondervan (October 1, 2009)
by
Lori Copeland




ABOUT THE BOOK:

Christmas trees, twinkling lights, skating in the park, and holiday displays are the hallmark elements for celebrating Jesus birth for the sentimental residents of Nativity, Missouri. Will fiscal responsibility replace Christmas their traditions when times are tough? Though their priorities and methods clash, Roni Elliot and Jake Brisco want the same thing, for the town to prosper. As the two get to know each other better, each begins to gain a new perspective on what the real wealth of Nativity and the season might be.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Christmas Lamp, go HERE


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lori Copeland has been writing for twenty-five years and has over three million copies of her books in print. She began her writing career in 1982, writing for the secular book market. In 1995, after many years of writing, Lori sensed that God was calling her to use her gift of writing to honor Him. It was at that time that she began writing for the Christian book market.

To date, she has more than 95 books published, including Now and Always, Simple Gifts, Unwrapping Christmas, and Monday Morning Faith, which was a finalist for the 2007 Christy Awards. Lori was inducted into the Springfield Writers Hall of Fame in 2000.

Lori lives in the beautiful Ozarks with her husband Lance. They have three sons, two daughter-in-laws, and five wonderful grandchildren. Lori and Lance are very involved in their church, and active in supporting mission work in Mali, West Africa.

Christmas w/ Straight No Chaser

One of the best Christmas montages I've ever heard. It's by Straight No Chaser.

CFBA: Whirlwind by Robert Liparulo

Song Stuck on the Brain: Everytime You Turn Around by Daughtry

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:
Whirlwind
by
Robert LiparuloThomas Nelson (December 29, 2009)

This book series is AMAZING! My 14 year-old nephew and I both are hooked on The Dreamhouse Kings. The action and pace is non-stop. I don't care how old you are, check these out. Robert Liparulo is a fantastic writer. The rest of his books are just as incredible.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Robert Liparulo is a former journalist, with over a thousand articles and multiple writing awards to his name. His first novel, Comes a Horseman, released to critical acclaim. Each of his subsequent thrillers—Germ, Deadfall, and Deadlock—secured his place as one of today’s most popular and daring thriller writers.

He is known for investing deep research and chillingly accurate predictions of near-future scenarios into his stories. In fact, his thorough, journalistic approach to research has resulted in his becoming an expert on the various topics he explores in his fiction, and he has appeared on such media outlets as CNN and ABC Radio.

Liparulo’s visual style of writing has caught the eye of Hollywood producers. Currently, three of his novels for adults are in various stages of development for the big screen: the film rights to Comes A Horseman. were purchased by the producer of Tom Clancy’s movies; and Liparulo is penning the screenplays for GERM and Deadfall for two top producers. He is also working with the director Andrew Davis (The Fugitive, Holes) on a political thriller. Novelist Michael Palmer calls Deadfall “a brilliantly crafted thriller.” March 31st marked the publication of Deadfall’s follow-up, Deadlock, which novelist Gayle Lynds calls, “best of high-octane suspense.”

Liparulo’s bestselling young adult series, Dreamhouse Kings, debuted last year with House of Dark Shadows and Watcher in the Woods. Book three, Gatekeepers, released in January, and number four, Timescape, in July. The series has garnered praise from readers, both young and old, as well as attracting famous fans who themselves know the genre inside and out. Of the series, Goosebumps creator R.L. Stine says, “I loved wandering around in these books. With a house of so many great, haunting stories, why would you ever want to go outside?”

With the next two Dreamhouse books “in the can,” he is currently working on his next thriller, which for the first time injects supernatural elements into his brand of gun-blazing storytelling. The story is so compelling, two Hollywood studios are already in talks to acquire it—despite its publication date being more than a year away. After that comes a trilogy of novels, based on his acclaimed short story, which appeared in James Patterson’s Thriller anthology. New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry calls Liparulo’s writing “Inventive, suspenseful, and highly entertaining . . . Robert Liparulo is a storyteller, pure and simple.” He lives with his family in Colorado.

Visit Robert Liparulo's Facebook Fan page: http://www.facebook.com/LiparuloFans


ABOUT THE BOOK:

Which door do you go through to save the world?

David, Xander, and Toria King never know where the mysterious portals in their house will take them: past, present, or future. They have battled gladiators and the German army, dodged soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, and jumped from the sinking Titanic. They've also seen the stark future that awaits if they can't do something to change it--a destroyed city filled with mutant creatures.

And they've still got to find a way to bring Mom back and keep Taksidian from getting them out of the house. The dangers are hitting them like a whirlwind . . . but the answers are becoming apparent as well.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Whirlwind, go HERE

Win Fields of Grace or Dangerous Heart

Hello friends,

We have a new contest for the month of December. You have a chance to win one of two new books.

Fields Of Grace by Kim Vogel Sawyer

or

Dangerous Heart by Tracey Bateman

To enter, click on the image in the sidebar and email me your entry. The contest ends at midnight, December 31, 2009.

Good Luck,

A.


Void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents, odds of winning depend on number of entrants.

And the winner is...

Congratulations, Charity!

Charity is the winner of Loves's Pursuit by Siri Mitchell

CFBA: Raising Rain by Debbie Fuller Thomas

Song Stuck on the Brain: The Squirrell Went Berserk by Ray Stevens

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:
Raising Rain
by
Debbie Fuller ThomasMoody Publishers (September 1, 2009)





ABOUT THE BOOK:


Raised to be a 'new woman' by her mother and three college roommates in
the 70's amid anti-war protests, feminist rallies, and finals, Rain
Rasmussen discovers that putting her career first has left her overdrawn
at the egg-bank, and her baby fever has now driven off her significant
other.

When her terminally ill mother demands a Celebration of Life before she
dies; they all confront ghosts from the past on a 'stormy' weekend in
Monterey. Bebe, the roommate closest to Rain's heart, revisits choices
that have impacted Rain the most, raising doubts about God's—and her
own—willingness to forgive and to be forgiven.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Raising Rain, go HERE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Debbie writes contemporary fiction from an historic Gold Rush town in Northern California. By day, she manages after school and day camp programs, and she burns the midnight oil to write what she loves. Her first book Tuesday Night at the Blue Moon, is a Christy finalist. Raising Rain, her second book became available September 2009.

Debbie has contributed to story collections such as Chicken Soup for the Bride's Soul, and Lord, I Was Happy Shallow, along with articles in Coping With Cancer magazine.

She has two teenagers and her husband is the executive pastor on Sonrise Church with 1,000 members. Debbie is a manager at Auburn Area Parks and Recreation.

CFBA: The Christmas Glass by Marci Alborghetti

Song Stuck on the Brain: Carol of the Bells by Kenny Rogers

Good 'ol Kenny. The one I said I'd marry... when I was 4. I guess it's a little too late for that... Still love his voice though.

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:
The Christmas Glass
GuidepostsBooks (October 1, 2009)
by
Marci Alborghetti



ABOUT THE BOOK:

In the tradition of The Christmas Shoes and A Christmas on Jane Street, the heartwarming story of The Christmas Glass shows how, today as always, the Christmas miracle works its wonders in the human heart.

In the early days of World War II in Italy, Anna, a young widow who runs a small orphanage, carefully wraps her most cherished possessions -- a dozen hand-blown, German-made, Christmas ornaments, handed down by her mother -- and sends them to a cousin she hasn't seen in years.

Anna is distressed to part with her only tangible reminder of her mother, but she worries that the ornaments will be lost or destroyed in the war, especially now that her orphanage has begun to secretly shelter Jewish children. Anna's young cousin Filomena is married with two-year-old twins when she receives the box of precious Christmas glass.

After the war, Filomena emigrates to America, where the precious ornaments are passed down through the generations. After more than forty years, twelve people come to possess a piece of Christmas glass, some intimately connected by family bonds, some connected only through the history of the ornaments.

As Christmas Day approaches, readers join each character in a journey of laughter and tears, fractures and healings, as Filomena, now an eighty-four-year-old great-grandmother, brings them all to what will be either a wondrous reunion or a disaster that may shatter them all like the precious glass they cherish.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Christmas Glass, go HERE



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Marci Alborghetti has been writing only slightly longer than she's been reading. In seventh grade she received her first writing prize for a zany Halloween story. The prize? A five dollar gift certificate to a local bookstore. She was hooked. The Christmas Glass is her fourteenth book, and she is currently at work on a sequel as well as a non-fiction book about service. Some of her other books include: Prayer Power: How to Pray When You Think You Can’t, A Season in the South and Twelve Strong Women of God.

She and her husband, Charlie Duffy, live in New London, Connecticut and the San Francisco Bay area. While in New London she facilitates the Saint James Literary Club.