Journey’s End

No strings attached…

/ Dora Hiers / 6 Comments

Don’t you just love this time of the year?
Kids bundling up to play in the snow, then racing inside with rosy cheeks, flushed with excitement. Christmas music playing softly on the radio. Pumpkin pies baking in the oven, the scents of ginger and cinnamon drifting through the house. Whispers and giggles as children point out colorfully wrapped presents under a gigantic pine tree loaded with pinecones and sentimental ornaments. Snuggling in front of the fireplace with hubby while you cheer for football teams or watch your favorite movie. Loading up the car for road trips to visit family members you haven’t seen in awhile. Squirting whipped cream on a tall mug of hot chocolate for a late afternoon yummy. Watching the glow of a thousand candles light up a sanctuary, and songs of praise reaching toward heaven.
Christmas is a highlight of my year. Sure, it’s crazy busy with buying and wrapping gifts, attending school and church programs, making the rounds at holiday parties, school exams, visiting relatives. But, during this hectic season, I make a conscious effort to slow down, to thank God for the “ultimate” gift given to me.
What’s the ultimate gift? A chance for a fresh start. A giant eraser to wipe away the grunge. Paint bright enough to cover black walls. Spring-cleaning from the ceiling to the floor and all those dusty blinds in between.   
It’s a gift given to you by a loving Father. No strings attached. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Eph 2:8-9, NIV)
Wow! Merry Christmas!
What about you? What’s your favorite time of the year and why?

Maggie’s Journey by Lena Nelson Dooley

/ Dora Hiers / 2 Comments

Back Cover copy:

Maggie’s Journey grabs you on page one with characters and events that reflect real-life joys and heartaches that change the characters forever. Make room on your “keepers” shelf! —Loree Lough, best-selling author of 80 award-winning books, including From Ashes to Honor.

A girl who’s been lied to her whole life…

Near her eighteenth birthday, Margaret Lenora Caine finds a chest hidden in the attic containing proof that she was adopted. The daughter of wealthy merchants in Seattle, she feels betrayed both by her real parents and by the ones who raised her.

Maggie desires a place where she belongs. But her mother’s constant criticism and reminders that she doesn’t fit the mold of a young woman of their social standing have already created tension in their home. With the discovery of the family secret, all sense of her identity is lost.
When Maggie asks to visit her grandmother in Arkansas, her father agrees on the condition that she take her Aunt Georgia as a chaperone and his young partner, Charles Stanton, as protection on the journey. Will she discover who she really is and, more importantly, what truly matters most in life?
My review:

I think I’ve mentioned before that I’m not really a big historical reader, but I just finished Maggie’s Journey, the first book in the McKenna’s Daughters Series by Lena Nelson Dooley, and I think I’m changing my tune.  
Never having read a book by Lena Nelson Dooley, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Maggie’s Journey focuses on a woman’s search to find her identity after she discovers that her birth parents gave her away, and the serious emotional struggles between a mother and daughter.
From the first page, Ms. Dooley creates the stage with the setting. You could feel yourself suffering through the long journey on the Oregon Trail, enduring the train ride, or touring a magnificent clothing-design mansion. I enjoyed the historical tidbits offered throughout the book.
And the characters jumped right off the pages. I rooted for Maggie as she searched for answers and attempted to be the person she was meant to be, rather than the customary woman of society. Other times, I wanted to scold Florence, but the author molded her from the beginning in such a way that I understood her motivation.  
The real romance in this book wasn’t between the main characters, but rather with Joshua and Florence, Maggie’s parents. I admired Joshua, a man of honor and passion, who demonstrated unconditional love for his wife in the toughest of circumstances.  
I’ll look forward to Lena Nelson Dooley’s next book in the McKenna’s Daughters Series, Mary’s Blessing, coming in May. Congrats, Lena Nelson Dooley! Five stars for an impeccably written story!
Disclosure: I received this book from the author for a fair and honest review.
Author Bio: Award-winning author, Lena Nelson Dooley, has more than 675,000 books in print. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writershttp://www.acfw.com/ and president of the local chapter, DFW Ready Writers. She’s also a member of Christian Authors Network, CROWN Fiction Marketing, and Gateway Churchin Southlake, Texas.

Lena loves James, her children, grandchildren, and great grandson. She loves chocolate, cherries, chocolate-covered cherries, and spending time with friends. Travel is always on her horizon. Cruising, Galveston, the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, Mexico. One day it will be Hawaii and Australia, but probably not the same year. Helping other authors become published really floats her boat, with fifteen signing their first book contract after her mentoring. Three of her books have been awarded the Carol Award silver pins from American Christian Fiction Writers and she has received the ACFW Mentor of the Year award at their national conference. The high point of her day is receiving feedback from her readers, especially people whose lives have been changed by her books. And she loves chocolate, especially dark chocolate.

Her 2010 release was Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico, from Summerside Press which recently won the Will Rogers Medallion Award for excellence in publishing Western literature. Lena is currently under two 3-book contracts with Charisma House/Realms. The first book released in October 2011. It’s Maggie’s Journey, book one of her McKenna’s Daughters series. 
In addition to her writing, Lenais a frequent speaker at women’s groups, writers groups, and at both regional and national conferences. She has spoken in six states and internationally. 
Lenahas an active web presence on Shoutlife, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and with her internationally connected blog where she interviews other authors and promotes their books.

Website: www.lenanelsondooley.com
Blog: Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

White Christmas by Tanya Stowe

/ Dora Hiers / 4 Comments

After his very public break-up from his fiancé, Chad Fletcher is convinced that a healthy marriage and his rising political career won’t mix. Christmas at his Aunt Nell’s home in White, Arizona is a great way to start fresh. 


Political watch dog Tessa Conway plans to spend her Christmas vacation enjoying her grandparents’ ranch before they must sell it. So she is not pleased with Grandma Sophie and Aunt Nell’s efforts to throw her and Chad together during White’s Christmas celebrations. 

Chad begins to believe Tessa may be the perfect antidote to his unhealthy relationships of the past. But when he decides to take support from a company with questionable ethics, his perfect bubble is burst. Fearing Chad is not the Godly man she believed him to be, Tessa ends their budding romance. Will Chad find the strength and courage to do what’s right even if it costs him his career?

Here’s an excerpt:

Now he remembered her. She always wore her hair tied back in a bun and secured with combs. She’d been so business-like, so informed and capable. Her curls and her embarrassment over the nickname made her human and real.

“Your secret is safe with me,” he said, laughter still in his tone. “I won’t remind you or rub it in. Especially after all the nice things you said about my work. I want to keep you on my side. In fact, I’m thinking of asking you to be my campaign manager.”

Suddenly, the laughter left her eyes and she gazed up in all seriousness. “Will there be a campaign? Is that why you refused another term in the assembly so you can run for Senator Rizzi’s seat when he retires next year?”

Chad caught his breath, wondering how he’d let that happen. He never spoke out of turn or let information slip. But they’d been talking like old friends and it just happened. What was it about this young woman that made him so comfortable? Before he could gather his thoughts and come up with a reason, she held up her hand.

“Don’t answer that,” she said, closing her eyes. “I’m sorry I even asked it. That’s none of my business and I don’t know why I said it. I–I just feel like I know you.”

Chad smiled, thinking how her words echoed his feelings. “We do. We’ve even worked together.”

Tessa opened her eyes and stared at him. A slow, sweet smile spread over her lips and made her blue eyes sparkle. He thought it just might be the prettiest smile he’d ever seen.

That’s when the alarm bells started going off.

Suddenly, he noticed that it had gotten dark and Aunt Nell still hadn’t shown up. He looked around. “Well, it was nice talking to you.”

He stopped short of saying Tessa. The name had taken on new meaning for him…untamed strawberry curls and a sweet smile. Now, it sounded far too personal.

“My aunt’s waiting for me, so I’d better get back,” he said rather shortly.

She nodded. “My grandmother’s waiting, too.”

Her tone sounded disappointed and those blue eyes that had sparkled all night lost some of their shimmer. She gestured across the street. He turned and saw Aunt Nell sitting on a park bench. Beside her was another little white-haired lady. They both smiled and waved.

“Wait a minute,” he said beneath his breath. “You’re not-”

He turned back around.

Tessa smiled and held out her hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Sophie’s granddaughter.”

Tanya Stowe has written for the real estate industry, television, publicity firms and national publications. Her first novel, a time-travel adventure, Time’s Embrace, was released in the United States in 1993 and internationally released in 1995. Tanya has held eclectic positions, doing market research, arts education at a performing arts center and for the American Cancer Society. Most recently, Tanya contributed to a collection of women’s survival stories titled, Triumph! The Beautiful Face of Courage and collaborated on her first full-length play, a Christmas musical titled, The Night Before Christmas.

Tanya has been married to her high school sweetheart for thirty-seven years which is a romance story in itself. They live in California on the edge of the Mojave Desert where they help their four children raise their seventeen grandchildren. She says they’re building a dynasty of Christian soldiers and improving the world, one baby at a time!

Visit Tanya at http://www.TanyaStowe.com and http://www.creativewritingforces.blogspot.com