Is where we introduce listeners to people who have found their way out of the dark shadows of life and back to light and those who lead others on their journey from darkness to light.
STEP INTO THE LIGHT
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Patti’s Blogs; Patti’s Porch & The Over Fifty Writer; Podcast Step Into the Light
Meet seasoned authors, learn about new books and find inspiration to help you along your journey. No matter how far you’ve come or where you are going, I’d be honored to travel with you. If you like what you see, please subscribe to avoid missing updates.
WELCOME AUTHOR SARA L. FOUST 3/22/2019 11:25:00 PM BY Patti Shene
TITLE: Rarity Mountain
AUTHOR: Sara L. Foust
PUBLISHER: Mantle Rock Publishing, Inc.
GENRE: Inspirational Romantic Suspense
SERIES OR STAND ALONE: Third book in Love, Hope and Faith Series
(can be read as a stand alone)
TARGET AGE: Adult
IT IS MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME AUTHOR SARA FAUST TO PATTI’S PORCH. SARA, AUTHOR OF THE LOVE, HOPE, AND FAITH SERIES, SHARES WHAT SHE HAS LEARNED ABOUT ALL THREE DURING HER SPIRITUAL JOURNEY.
SARA IS OFFERING A GIVEAWAY! SIMPLY LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW TO ENTER THE DRAWING FOR WINNER’S CHOICE OF AN EBOOK OR PAPERBACK COPY OF RARITY MOUNTAIN.
LIFE is HARD BEAUTIFUL
by
Sara L. Foust
Life is hard. It seems one trial often leads to the next, with only a brief reprieve in between. We know God never promised the walk would be easy. And He always keeps His word. I’ve made so many mistakes along the way. I’ve done so many things I’m not proud of, especially in my teen years before I was saved. I’m 36 now, and it has taken years to work through some of the emotional toils I unknowingly inflicted upon myself. Years to fully forgive myself for some of my past sins. And yet, through all those painful moments, God has been at my side. I wouldn’t have made it had He not been.
He has chosen to continue to bless me as I heal. He has chosen to continue to love me, even as I make more mistakes every day. It has taken a long time for me to realize, and come to accept, that my worth isn’t in my performance or lack thereof. My worth comes from Him. My identity is defined by Him. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10 KJV) He created me with purpose, on purpose, for a purpose. Despite my sins, or maybe even because of them, He has a plan for me to use my past experiences toward future good works. I am unique. My experiences are unique. And that gives me the unique ability to help others in a different way than everyone else around me.
God has given me more than I ever deserve, during my current struggles, during all my past ones, during all my future ones. Because of His great care and love in creating me, I can rest assured that no matter what comes He has a vested interest. God, the one who created the stars and the moon, the tides and the seasons, the miracle of reproduction and death, has a vested interest in me.
Every day I wake up, I can be certain He is with me (Isaiah 41:10). I can be certain that He cares about my future and wants what is best for me (Jeremiah 29:11). I can be certain that He is helping me (Hebrews 13:6). And most importantly, no matter what I have done, no matter what I feel I deserve, I can be certain that He loves me (Romans 5:8). So, yes, life is often hard, but it’s also incredibly beautiful, filled with blessings, and wonderful because of His great love for me.
Blurb for Rarity Mountain:
On the surface, SIMON FINCUFF and FERN STRONGBOW have nothing in common. Simon has served his sentence, but his past conviction still haunts him. Fern is a veterinarian and grew up on an off-the-grid homestead. The one thing they share? Each has a dark secret they would do almost anything to protect.
When their current careers are yanked away, they are left scrambling to pick up the pieces. A reality television show falls into their paths, offering a life-changing opportunity that tests their resolve and their faith.
These two unlikely partners must battle to survive for thirty days in the untouched wilderness of Rarity Mountain with only a handful of survival items and a director who is out for drama, no matter the cost. With their lives and their carefully guarded skeletons on the line, they will discover how far they are willing to go to win the million-dollar prize for Survival Tennessee.
DON’T FORGET TO LEAVE A COMMENT TO BE PLACED IN THE DRAWING TO WIN A CHOICE OF AN EBOOK OR PRINT COPY OF RARITY MOUNTAIN) BETWEEN NOW AND TUESDAY, APRIL 2ND AT MIDNIGHT MDT. (US residents only eligible for print copy).
BY LEAVING A COMMENT, YOU GRANT PERMISSION FOR YOUR EMAIL TO BE REVEALED TO THE AUTHOR IF YOU ARE THE WINNER TO FACILITATE RECEIPT OF YOUR BOOK.
Sara L. Foust is a multi-published, award-winning author and homeschooling mother of five who writes surrounded by the beauty of East Tennessee. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from the University of Tennessee and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She is the author of the Love, Hope, and Faith Series, which includes Callum's Compass (2017), Camp Hope (2018), and Rarity Mountain (March 2019). She also has a story, Leap of Faith” in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Step Outside Your Comfort Zone and a novella, Of Walls (November 2018). Sara finds inspiration in her faith, her family, and the beauty of nature. When she isn’t writing, you can find her reading, camping, and spending time outdoors with her family. To learn more about her and her work or to become a part of her email friend’s group, please visit her website.
Patti here:
I am honored to be an influencer for Sara’s recent release, Rarity Mountain. Below is my review:
Rarity Mountain takes the premise of survival for money off the TV screen and puts it between the pages of a book. Author Sara Foust has created the drama of two people enduring intense physical denial, discomfort, and dodging danger to win the cash prize that will solve all their problems.
Yet, the two contestants, Simon Fincuff and Dr. Fern Strongbow discover that their physical well-being is not all that’s at stake. Forced to face their own personal demons of their pasts, both grow in not only stamina, but in a knowledge of themselves, each other, and God.
Add to the drama the strange and complex nature and motivations of the creator of the reality TV show, Survival Tennessee, and you have a novel filled with colorful characters, suspense, and pulse pounding adventure.
WELCOME AUTHOR BARBARA ELLIN FOX 3/20/2019 11:10:00 AM BY Patti Shene
IT IS MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME AUTHOR BARBARA ELLIN FOX TO THE OVER 50 WRITER. BARBARA SHARES REASONS WHY WRITING CONTESTS ARE A VALUABLE STEP IN THE WRITING JOURNEY.
THE VALUE IN ENTERING WRITING CONTESTS
by
Barbara Ellin Fox
In January, Patti shared advice from the judges viewpoint for entering writing contests. I’ll share with you a few benefits of contests from the writer’s side of the fence.
Deadlines
Unless you’re a controversial head of state or have done something remarkable such as landing a plane on the Hudson, each of us begins unpublished, and without an agent, editor, or deadline.
Contests provide practice for deadlines. Get your chapters written, polished and uploaded by the entry closing date. With certain contests, when you final you can edit using the judges’ comments, then resubmit. The time frame could range from as little as forty-eight hours to a week. Your final entry will go before the big guns, an agent or editor who works in your genre. No pressure, right?
Feedback
In most contests you’ll know if judges are readers, unpublished writers, published writers, agents, or editors. Judges, published or not, are readers, and knowledge of how any reader reacts to my story benefits me. I consider judges before I enter.
Feedback can be controversial, and it’s the primary reason I enter contests. Contests are an inexpensive way to receive critiques from a variety of people. By the time I enter a portion of my ms, it has gone through at least one critique group and a first reader. My computer has read it, and I have read it to myself so many times I’m deeply invested and cannot see the proverbial forest for the trees. Getting my story’s beginning in front of new readers, reveals my story’s impact on someone who doesn’t know me.
It’s a rare person who receives feedback without emotion. You may be thrilled a judge loved your entry, down when the judge says you told your way through the entire twenty pages, or angry because someone didn’t get you, or they plain didn’t like what you wrote. This is okay. Reactions are necessary, and we need to recognize how long we take to recover, because a smart writer will go back later to see what they can glean, even from negative feedback. Feedback teaches you to sort truth from opinion and helps you make choices.
You’ve heard that writers need to develop rhino’s hide. Rhino’s hide implies you should toughen up and be indifferent to what readers say. I prefer to think of feedback as opportunities to strengthen yourself to control emotions when someone doesn’t agree with you. Strength serves a Christian better than does indifference. Think of feedback, both positive and negative, as practice for handling reviews once you’re published or when you receive comments from an agent or editor.
Beginning writers receive feedback that relates to a beginning level of writing. As you move up in your scores by improving your writing and become a finalist, feedback becomes appropriate for that level. Receiving a request for a full manuscript is exciting. Receiving a compliment or one tiny thing you can improve from an agent or editor makes those hours of contest preparation worthwhile.
Our industry
Keyword: Patience
Waiting for contest results is an exercise in patience. Contests you enter during February may not reveal winners until September. Sometimes it seems silly to enter five contests before you’ve even received the comments from one, but all feedback helps. Even negative comments are helpful if you view them through a reader’s eyes.
I gained a better understanding of how busy editors and agents are when I received comments on a winning entry almost a year after I entered. Knowing it took that long to have a small piece of my ms reviewed by agents and editors as a contest win, helped me better understand the long wait to have a full submission reviewed.
Supporting the Industry
It takes work to enter a contest. Not only do I go through my writing, editing and critiquing stages, sometimes I must adjust my entry to fit a particular contest’s word or page count. Or I adjust content. It’s disappointing to receive notice that a contest cancelled my category for lack of entries. This has taught me to support contests with inspirational romance categories. Often I’ll send multiple entries. If we don’t support the inspirational category, especially in secular romance contests, we will lose an important venue for upcoming writers.
Contests need judges and they usually provide training. Judging helps the contest and other readers. Judging helps you as a writer when you learn to critique kindly the writing of another who has poured their heart into their entry.
Thank-you notes
Finally, I love to send a thank-you note to everyone who judged my entry and the contest or category coordinator. Judges and coordinators donate their valuable time to us. A thank-you note, even when you didn’t like the feedback, is the least the writer can do.
All of Barbara Ellin Fox’s firsts in the fiction writing life occurred after she was fifty years old, and this month she celebrated her seventieth birthday. Barbara writes inspirational romance usually with an equestrian twist. In 2018 Barbara’s entry placed first in long contemporary in the Touched by Love writing contest, first in inspirational romance in the Orange Rose, and was a finalist in multiple other writing contests. Barbara has two blogs. Barbara Ellin Fox is her developing author’s site. Her blog, TheRidingInstructor, has been devoted for more than ten years to helping people who teach horseback riding. Barbara would love to hear from you, whether you want to talk horses, writing, or about the Lord.
WELCOME AUTHOR DAPHNE SELF 3/16/2019 12:20:00 PM BY Patti Shene
FEATURED BOOK: The Case of the Missing Firehouse Dog
AUTHOR: Daphne Self
PUBLISHER: Ambassador International
GENRE: Early Reader
SERIES OR STAND ALONE: Book 1 of a 5-book Series
TARGET AGE: 5 to 9 (K to 4th grade)
IT IS MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME AUTHOR DAPHNE SELF TO PATTI’S PORCH. DAPHNE EXPLAINS HOW SHE DERIVED NEW MEANING FROM A WELL-KNOWN BIBLE VERSE.
DAPHNE IS OFFERING A GIVEAWAY! SIMPLY LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW TO ENTER THE DRAWING FOR WINNER’S CHOICE OF A PRINT OR EBOOK COPY OF EITHER THE CASE OF THE MISSING FIREHOUSE DOG or MISSISSIPPI NIGHTS.(see blurb below).
JUST GIVE ME JESUS
by
Daphne Self
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (NKJV)
John 16:33 is a verse that many people turn to for comfort and to fortify their soul. Not too long ago, I found a newer meaning to this verse. It wasn't a verse I sought; it wasn't a verse that I was led to; it wasn't a verse that was sent to me.
It was only after what happened that I found this verse and a new meaning came to me. Read the last part: "I have overcome the world." The world.... not a country, not the sea, not even people. But the World. And the world isn't just the planet. It is everything within it. The World.
How is that possible? It is possible because of who Jesus is. I didn't say "who Jesus was". I said "who Jesus is". He is alive!
Back to the verse and its new meaning. It started when I came across a band I used to listen to. I enjoyed this band. Not all the songs, because being a hard rock, secular band there were some with explicit lyrics. Then there were the ones that I listened to and this was many years ago, during a time of extreme emotional distress. I was alone. Not physically, but emotionally and spiritually (in my belief, that is).
Fourteen years ago, I was a 31-year-old widow. Lost my husband in the line-of-duty and then two months later my father died in my arms from a massive heart attack. I had failed to save him. During this time, my mother and I grew apart. Grief will do that when there are no mentors or others there to help someone through the grief. We were alone. Our church wasn't there with us. Our extended family left us. And I struggled to balance work, raising two young sons, and dealing with all that was spiraling around me. I could not allow myself to break or fall.
Looking back, it came to no surprise that I was attracted to the songs by Godsmack. They were angry. They were hard. But they were poetic and lyrical. The raspy smoothness of the lead singer caused me to gravitate to their music. I felt soothed. And it drove me down a path that led to more heartache, more helplessness, and destitution. It took years to pull myself away from all that. To pull myself away from that music.
Fast forward to a several weeks ago, I came across their YouTube channel. One of those flukes in advertising while watching another video. New song? Really? New album? Interesting. Out of curiosity I clicked on it. Two songs in and I was captivated, again. But the song that spoke to me was When Legends Rise.
For days that song played in my head. No other song could drown it out. No other song could erase the melody and words from my mind. I would wake up and, in my head, that song played. I would read the Bible and, in my head, that song played.
I could not travel that dark road again. And Godsmack would lead me down it. That is the dark part of me that is drawn to that style of music. And I wanted it. But I didn't desire it!
Even after asking people for something that was like Godsmack, there wasn't anything out there remotely similar that would erase them from my mind....until one sponsored Facebook post did. And I followed the link and watched the video. And now I had a new song in my head. And relief had been found.
So how does this tie in with the verse? The power of Jesus. He overcame the world. And all we must do is seek Him. All we must do is cry out, "Just give me Jesus!".
And that is what the song by Unspoken has done. Their song Just Give Me Jesus shows the power in Jesus' name. He erased a song from my head and replaced it with something that glorifies Him. He took a temptation and gave me freedom. He took the darkness and the anger and gave me light and happiness.
He has overcome the world, even if that world is inside someone's head. We matter to Him. And nothing is too small for Him and nothing is too large. We just need to cry out and say, "Just give me Jesus".
Book Blurb: for The Case of the Missing Firehouse Dog
Beautiful Majesty has been dognapped!
Majesty, the firehouse dog, is missing.
Willie and Jax are on the case to discover who is the dognapping culprit. Could it be their neighbor, Mr. Applebee? Or maybe it is Ms. Thornton?
Join the Pintail Duo, Wilhelmina van der Coup and Jackson Barnaby, as they follow the clues to rescue Majesty in The Case of the Missing Firehouse Dog.
Book blurb for Mississippi Nights
Two brothers, one death–the bond of brotherhood faces its greatest challenge against resentment and guilt.
Can the love between two brothers eventually win against pain and guilt?
When Firefighter David Boyette’s fiancée perishes in a car fire, he blames his brother, Sgt. Jeremy Boyette, for her death. Three years later, David returns home with a dark and devastating secret. With the help of family, a woman’s love, and a small child’s devotion, can David overcome insurmountable odds as he and Jeremy face the bitterness that enslaves him? Together the brothers must decide if the bond of brotherhood is stronger than resentment and hate.
DON’T FORGET TO LEAVE A COMMENT TO BE PLACED IN THE DRAWING TO WIN A PRINT OR EBOOK COPY OF EITHER THE CASE OF THE MISSING FIREHOUSE DOG OR MISSISSIPPI NIGHTS BETWEEN NOW AND TUESDAY, MARCH 26TH AT MIDNIGHT MDT. (US residents only eligible for print copy)
BY LEAVING A COMMENT, YOU GRANT PERMISSION FOR YOUR EMAIL TO BE REVEALED TO THE AUTHOR IF YOU ARE THE WINNER TO FACILITATE RECEIPT OF YOUR BOOK.
Daphne Self, formerly published under the name D.M. Webb, resides in Iowa. A transplant from Mississippi who fell in love with the Midwest state, she spends her days writing, editing, hiking, antiquing, and planning adventures with her husband and sons. Having always dreamed of being a writer she pursues this dream with only one goal in mind: to glorify His Name. Daphne is also an avid reader who devours books in many genres. As a long-time member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers), she volunteers her time judging contests for unpublished and published authors. She also helps upcoming authors polish their manuscripts. Find Daphne online:
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TITLE: Rarity Mountain
AUTHOR: Sara L. Foust
PUBLISHER: Mantle Rock Publishing, Inc.
GENRE: Inspirational Romantic Suspense
SERIES OR STAND ALONE: Third book in Love, Hope and Faith Series
(can be read as a stand alone)
TARGET AGE: Adult
IT IS MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME AUTHOR SARA FAUST TO PATTI’S PORCH. SARA, AUTHOR OF THE LOVE, HOPE, AND FAITH SERIES, SHARES WHAT SHE HAS LEARNED ABOUT ALL THREE DURING HER SPIRITUAL JOURNEY.
SARA IS OFFERING A GIVEAWAY! SIMPLY LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW TO ENTER THE DRAWING FOR WINNER’S CHOICE OF AN EBOOK OR PAPERBACK COPY OF RARITY MOUNTAIN.
LIFE is
HARDBEAUTIFULby
Sara L. Foust
Life is hard. It seems one trial often leads to the next, with only a brief reprieve in between. We know God never promised the walk would be easy. And He always keeps His word. I’ve made so many mistakes along the way. I’ve done so many things I’m not proud of, especially in my teen years before I was saved. I’m 36 now, and it has taken years to work through some of the emotional toils I unknowingly inflicted upon myself. Years to fully forgive myself for some of my past sins. And yet, through all those painful moments, God has been at my side. I wouldn’t have made it had He not been.
He has chosen to continue to bless me as I heal. He has chosen to continue to love me, even as I make more mistakes every day. It has taken a long time for me to realize, and come to accept, that my worth isn’t in my performance or lack thereof. My worth comes from Him. My identity is defined by Him. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10 KJV) He created me with purpose, on purpose, for a purpose. Despite my sins, or maybe even because of them, He has a plan for me to use my past experiences toward future good works. I am unique. My experiences are unique. And that gives me the unique ability to help others in a different way than everyone else around me.
God has given me more than I ever deserve, during my current struggles, during all my past ones, during all my future ones. Because of His great care and love in creating me, I can rest assured that no matter what comes He has a vested interest. God, the one who created the stars and the moon, the tides and the seasons, the miracle of reproduction and death, has a vested interest in me.
Every day I wake up, I can be certain He is with me (Isaiah 41:10). I can be certain that He cares about my future and wants what is best for me (Jeremiah 29:11). I can be certain that He is helping me (Hebrews 13:6). And most importantly, no matter what I have done, no matter what I feel I deserve, I can be certain that He loves me (Romans 5:8). So, yes, life is often hard, but it’s also incredibly beautiful, filled with blessings, and wonderful because of His great love for me.
Blurb for Rarity Mountain:
On the surface, SIMON FINCUFF and FERN STRONGBOW have nothing in common. Simon has served his sentence, but his past conviction still haunts him. Fern is a veterinarian and grew up on an off-the-grid homestead. The one thing they share? Each has a dark secret they would do almost anything to protect.
When their current careers are yanked away, they are left scrambling to pick up the pieces. A reality television show falls into their paths, offering a life-changing opportunity that tests their resolve and their faith.
These two unlikely partners must battle to survive for thirty days in the untouched wilderness of Rarity Mountain with only a handful of survival items and a director who is out for drama, no matter the cost. With their lives and their carefully guarded skeletons on the line, they will discover how far they are willing to go to win the million-dollar prize for Survival Tennessee.
Buy Links:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
DON’T FORGET TO LEAVE A COMMENT TO BE PLACED IN THE DRAWING TO WIN A CHOICE OF AN EBOOK OR PRINT COPY OF RARITY MOUNTAIN) BETWEEN NOW AND TUESDAY, APRIL 2ND AT MIDNIGHT MDT. (US residents only eligible for print copy).
BY LEAVING A COMMENT, YOU GRANT PERMISSION FOR YOUR EMAIL TO BE REVEALED TO THE AUTHOR IF YOU ARE THE WINNER TO FACILITATE RECEIPT OF YOUR BOOK.
Sara L. Foust is a multi-published, award-winning author and homeschooling mother of five who writes surrounded by the beauty of East Tennessee. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from the University of Tennessee and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She is the author of the Love, Hope, and Faith Series, which includes Callum's Compass (2017), Camp Hope (2018), and Rarity Mountain (March 2019). She also has a story, Leap of Faith” in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Step Outside Your Comfort Zone and a novella, Of Walls (November 2018). Sara finds inspiration in her faith, her family, and the beauty of nature. When she isn’t writing, you can find her reading, camping, and spending time outdoors with her family. To learn more about her and her work or to become a part of her email friend’s group, please visit her website.
Patti here:
I am honored to be an influencer for Sara’s recent release, Rarity Mountain. Below is my review:
Rarity Mountain takes the premise of survival for money off the TV screen and puts it between the pages of a book. Author Sara Foust has created the drama of two people enduring intense physical denial, discomfort, and dodging danger to win the cash prize that will solve all their problems.
Yet, the two contestants, Simon Fincuff and Dr. Fern Strongbow discover that their physical well-being is not all that’s at stake. Forced to face their own personal demons of their pasts, both grow in not only stamina, but in a knowledge of themselves, each other, and God.
Add to the drama the strange and complex nature and motivations of the creator of the reality TV show, Survival Tennessee, and you have a novel filled with colorful characters, suspense, and pulse pounding adventure.
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