Winner of Heroine Picture Vote and my next project!

First of all, I want to thank you all so much for helping me choose the best picture that fit my heroine's description!!!  You all are so much fun! I enjoyed reading your votes and I appreciate you taking the time to help me!

Here's the description of the heroine:
Juliana Dutton is 21 years old, with sea-green eyes, and honey blonde hair. She is tall for her age and has a slightly athletic build.  Juliana is a hard worker, determined, stubborn, and independent. When she puts her mind to something, she never backs down. Due to her father's illness, she has been forced to take over the family merchant business in secret because women were not allowed to run businesses in 1692. Consequently, she bears the burden of her family's support, of getting proper care for her father, and of dealing with a lazy, pleasure-seeking brother.  Regardless of what society says, she believes women are equal to men and her greatest fear is poverty and loss of freedom. Which is why she never wishes to marry and become subserviant to a man.

And here's the results of your votes (taken from this blog, from facebook, and goodreads responses)

Blake Lively 1
Carrie Underwood and Saoirse Roman  1
Emily Blunt and Jennifer Morrison 2
Hayden Panettiere 3
Anna Sophia 6
Amanda Seyfried 11
Emily De Ravin 13
Jennifer Lawrence 29!!!

So, Jennifer Lawrence is the winner! Well she's not the winner, but her picture is the winner and will be used to help me visualize my heroine Juliana Dutton

Amanda Seyfried

Anna Sophia Robb

Blake Lively

Carrie Underwood

Emily De Ravin

Emily Blunt

Hayden Panettiere

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Morrison

Saoirse Ronan

Now, I thought you'd like to see the picture I chose for the hero. When I saw this picture, I knew it was the perfect likeness. Allow me to introduce you to Alexander Hyde, Viscount Munthrope.

Alexander Hyde is Captain Edmund Merrick Hyde's only son. (If you've read my pirate series, then you will remember Merrick!)  Raised in a loving, Godly, home, Alex grew to love God and the sea. However, due to his father's long absences, Alex felt abandoned most of his life. When the opportunity arose for him to take over the pastorate of their family friend Reverend Buchan in Port Royal, Jamaica, Alex jumps at the chance to prove himself to his father and win his father's regard. However, inexperience and multiple failures cause him to forsake the God he loves and turn to piracy. Now, disillusioned, he leads a duel life. One the one hand he's the infamous Pirate Earl, on the other he's the dandy nincompoop Lord Munthrope.  He maintains the charade only for his own entertainment--to stave off the emptiness in his soul and boredom of life. That is, until he meets the lovely Juliana Dutton.

The book is entitled Herald of Grace and I'm SUPER excited about it!!  Can't you tell?  I'm back in the Caribbean with my beloved pirates. I'm just starting to write this... however it probably won't be released until late 2014 or early 2015.  :-(  (Sorry about that! But I thought those of you who loved my pirate series would like to know about this one coming soon!)

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Wordless Wednesday!

Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. Revelation 8:8

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Are you Stuck in Prison?

The story of Joseph in the Bible is one of my favorites. It's the story of a prisoner who becomes a prince, a rejected son who becomes beloved. It's a story of a struggle against all odds, of a promise made by God, a purpose that would save a people.

Do you realize that before you're even born, as God formed your personality, He gave you certain gifts? Some of you may have the gift of writing, some painting, sewing, creating, some taking care of children, some teaching, some analyzing, some problem-solving (like my husband), some administration...etc...  God gives you these talents because He has a specific plan for your life, something or things He needs you do to that require these gifts.

His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue  2 peter 1:3 NKJV

Joseph had the gift of administration or management.  We see that even by age 17, his father had put him in charge of his older brothers. Joseph was not out tending sheep like they were, but he was administrating their work, writing reports on their labors, and checking up on them as a manager would do. Joseph would need this gift for the important task God had for him to do in the future. 

But Joseph had a problem. He was arrogant, bossy, and spoiled. Plus he didn't know when to keep his mouth shut!  God gave him visions and dreams of his grand future.. of his family bowing down to him, but instead of keeping them to himself and pondering their meaning, he bragged about them to his brothers. And they hated him for it. 

You know the story. Joseph's brothers conspire to kill him, but instead sell him as a slave to Egypt. 

Now, this teenage boy who'd been told by God that he would someday be so powerful his entire family would bow to him, finds himself a slave.

God may have given you a promise, God may have given you a vision or dream for your life, but you may not have the character to handle the fulfillment of that promise.

So, God had to build that character in Joseph! The level of responsibility you will have and the importance of that responsibility will determine the intensity of the training.  In Joseph's case, he would become Prince of Egypt, 2nd only in power to Pharaoh himself. In other words, Joseph would become one of the most important people in the world at that time. He would hold in his hands the survival of, not only the Egyptians, but his own people, and several other surrounding nations.

But can you imagine if God had placed Joseph at this point on the throne?  What do you think a spoiled, selfish kid would do with that kind of power??  Nothing good, I assure you!
 
If you haven't read the story, I encourage you to do so.. It starts in Genesis 37.  What happens to Joseph next?  He is a slave. He is falsely accused and thrown in prison. He is betrayed and ignored by everyone whom he helps.  FOR 15 LONG YEARS!!   
Yet during those years, two main things are happening: 

• God is stripping Joseph of his pride, his spoiledness, his bossiness. God is forming within Joseph a good, moral, humble, thankful, forgiving, kind character. God is forming a prince! 
• God is growing Joseph in his giftings! He is building on his gift of administration and teaching Joseph how to use it properly because everywhere Joseph goes, whether slave or prisoner, he is put in charge of others. 

Now, Joseph could have decided to mope around and feel sorry for himself. He could have gotten mad at God, decided he hadn't heard from Him after all, complained and wallowed in self pity. But, then God would have never promoted him to Prince and Joseph would have missed his calling, his purpose.

I meet so many Christians who are still in prison when they could be princes. They sit around complaining and whining and wondering if God has forgotten them. But they never submit to the hard lessons. They try and take the easy way out. They don't obey in the small things. God has not forgotten them. He's just waiting for them to get with the program!!  Sadly some of these people will die never having been promoted, having missed their calling.

So, my question to you is:  Has God given you a vision? Has He given you a promise for your future? Do you sense Him calling you to do great things??  Then do NOT resist, nor despise the years of your training. It could take 1 year. It could take 20. But you must be obedient, humble, and grateful.

Who knows, you could be the next prince (or princess) who saves his people from starvation!

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Help me pick a picture to match my next Heroine!!

I love this part of the writing process! It's so much fun to connect the character I've created in my head with an actual physical representation.  I normally do this before I even write the story, when I'm in the design phase and after I've fleshed out the main characters. I then use this picture whenever I'm writing the story and will refer to it often during the writing process.

Last week I gave my incredibly talented Motley Crew a brief physical description of my heroine in my upcoming book, Herald of Grace. And here are the actresses they came up with. Now it's your turn to read the character description of the heroine and vote for which one you think best fits the description.

No prize involved, just the satisfaction of having your voice heard and helping me a GREAT DEAL by choosing my next heroine.

Okay here we go!
Juliana Dutton is 21 years old, with sea-green eyes, and honey blonde hair. She is tall for her age and has a slightly athletic build.  Juliana is a hard worker, determined, stubborn, and independent. When she puts her mind to something, she never backs down. Due to her father's illness, she has been forced to take over the family merchant business in secret because women were not allowed to run businesses in 1692. Consequently, she bears the burden of her family's support, of getting proper care for her father, and of dealing with a lazy, pleasure-seeking brother.  Regardless of what society says, she believes women are equal to men and her greatest fear is poverty and loss of freedom. Which is why she never wishes to marry and become subserviant to a man.

Now, which of these actresses do you think best fit Juliana??   And thanks!

Amanda Seyfried

Anna Sophia Robb

Blake Lively

Carrie Underwood

Emily De Ravin

Emily Blunt

Hayden Panettiere

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Morrison

Saoirse Ronan

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Wordless Wednesday!

Behold, He spreads His lightning against the dark clouds and covers the roots of the sea. Job 36:30

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What are you going to do about it?

Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.  John 6:5-6 NKJV

You lost your job, your child is sick, you have cancer, your spouse left you, your best friend betrayed you, you have no food in the cupboard, your car broke down, the mortgage company is coming for your house.. Let's face it, life happens. And we often find ourselves with problems that seem IMPOSSIBLE to solve. In fact they seem insurmountable. There doesn't seem to be a way out.

That's what Philip thought when he saw over 15,000 people heading toward Jesus. These people had been out in the wilderness without food or water all day long while Jesus spoke to them and healed them. But now it was evening, and surely these people would faint from hunger if they tried to go home. But what to do? Neither the disciples nor Jesus had any money.  And no one had enough food for everyone. Can you imagine what was going through the disciples' minds?  Especially when they looked at Jesus and saw the peace in His eyes and the smile on His face?

So often we come to Jesus when tragedy strikes, when we don't know which way to turn and we want Him to perform some great miracle and fix all our problems: heal our child, give us a job, drop money out of the sky! Lord, help!!  Yet, Jesus simply smiles at us and says, "What are you going to

do about it?" It seems cruel at first. Here we are drowning and He's not helping!

We see from the Scripture above that Jesus was testing Philip. He wanted to know how much faith Philip had. He wanted him to think back on all the miracles he'd seen Jesus preform, all the times Jesus had come through in the end. He wanted Philip to realize that feeding these people wasn't going to be a big problem for Jesus. He wanted Philip to find peace in the problem.

But I think Jesus also wanted something else,  something He wants from all of us when trouble strikes. He wants us to take what action we can to solve our problem first. Yes, we should come to Him, but we should also do what we can in the natural before expecting Him to perform a miracle.

Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”  John 6:8-9

I doubt this kid just walked up to the disciples with his meal. I expect that the disciples went through the crowd, searching for food. When they'd asked everyone, they came back to Jesus to tell him what they'd found. 

Lost your job? Pray and then go looking for a new one.
Child sick? Pray and then seek medical help
Car broke down. No money to fix it? Pray and then do what you can to fix it yourself or find a friend who is a mechanic

In other words, God wants us to us the brains He gave us, to go as far as we can in the natural, to do all that we can do and then come back to Him and tell Him what we've done, how much we've accomplished. And then let Him handle the rest! Let Him perform a miracle.

Example from my own life: When the Lord told me to write a Christian Pirate Romance some 8 years ago.. I thought I was hearing things!  But, Father, I've never written a novel before! I don't have an English degree, my grammar is terrible, I don't know what I'm doing!  And I could have stopped there in defeat. Or I could have told God. Okay, but You have to supernaturally help me write it!  Instead, I got every book on writing I could and every book on pirates and I read them cover to cover. I joined online writing groups and critique groups and I learned and learned and learned. And then I wrote. Did I feel like quitting? Often! Did I feel like I was over my head? Yes, Drowning!!  But I kept going until I had a complete novel. I entered it in contests, I hired an editor, and then when I had done as much as I could do in the natural, I submitted it to agents and publishers and told the Father, now do with it as you see fit.  I got a contract withing 3 months (unheard of in the industry). It was truly a miracle!  But God only performed that miracle after I was obedient to do EVERYTHING I could in the natural.

Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.  So when they were filled,   John 6:10-12

Perhaps we should apply this in our own lives when a need arises:

• First, think back on all the times the Lord has provided for you, all the miracles, the times when you thought you'd never make it. (It's a good idea to keep a journal of these things so you don't forget)
• Pray with all your heart
• Then, go do what you can in the natural. Go as far as you can, do as much as you know how or God leads you to do. 
• Lastly, bring whatever you've accomplished to Him. 
• And then expect a miracle!

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Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Stop Number 10

THE CHRISTIAN FICTION SCAVENGER HUNT STOP #10

WINNERS ARE
First place: Wendy Van Soest won the Arthurian Book ends! 
Second Place: Bethany N. Wallace, received a $25 Amazon Certificate!
Third Place: Leslie McDonald Lipscomb received a signed copy of Forsaken Dreams!

Welcome to the 2013 Summer Scavenger Hunt! This hunt has 32 stops and runs 5/17-5/19/13. You can make the loop, reading unique content from 31 different authors, and if you complete the loop, and fill out the Rafflecopter form at Stop #32, you'll be in the running for an iPad Mini (loaded with all our books), or one of two runner-up prizes---all 31 of our new releases in paperback. In addition, some authors are offering additional prizes, so be sure to read each post thoroughly to be in the running for all that are available. The contest is open internationally.

If you've JUST discovered the hunt, I recommend you begin at the beginning, Stop #1, found at LisaBergren.com. But you can also begin here, and keep on rolling. Just be aware that you have to have the COMPLETED phrase in order, which you construct gathering the clue at each stop, within 24 hours of email notification from Lisa Bergren that you won. If Lisa doesn't hear back from you with the correct phrase within the time limit, she will move on to the next winner Rafflecopter draws. Ready? Here we go...

 I'm SO EXCITED to be Hosting my good friend and FABULOUS author, Ruth Axtell!!!  Ruth writes Regency Romances. But they are so much more than that. I had the privilege of reading some of Ruth's earlier works and let me tell you, they are really adventurous and full of rich history--the kind you never learned about in school.  Ruth has lived a fascinating life! She's lived in Paris, was an au pair in the Canary Islands, worked in international development in Miami, Florida, before getting married and living in Holland for 6 years!   So, please give a warm welcome to Ruth!

Ruth Axtell has published fourteen historical romances over the last ten years. Her stories are set in Regency and Victorian England, as well as nineteenth century coastal Maine. You can read more about her at http://ruthaxtell.com/regency/ and  https://www.facebook.com/ruth.axtell1?ref=tn_tnmn

Have you ever wanted to be a spy!??  Have you ever wanted to decipher secret messages intercepted from the enemy? Exciting stuff, eh?  Well, that's exactly what the hero in Ruth Axtell's new book, Moonlight Masquarde does.  Here's a little bit about the history and then a test to see if you are skilled as a spy!

How you'd write a code if you were in Napoleon's secret service

Most of us who have read a regency romance or two have heard of the Peninsular Wars.

The hero of the romance is usually back from the Peninsula, recovering from an almost fatal wound—but alive and whole, thank goodness, and still dashing in his red coat, though perhaps a bit wan and lean in the cheek.

Which peninsula was this? It was the Iberian Peninsula, encompassing both Spain and Portugal. England and France fought over this peninsula between 1807 and 1814. The peninsula catapulted then Lt. General Arthur Wellesley—later the 1^st duke of Wellington—to fame.

The armies depended on couriers conveying messages from troop to troop and commander to commander over the vast Spanish plain. Partisan fighters intercepted many of these French messengers and passed along their dispatches to the British.

A key but little known player in the British army was George Scovell, a deputy assistant quartermaster general, who had a knack for languages, organization and detail. The hero of my current regency, Moonlight Masquerade, is a little like this soldier. He is able to see patterns where others see only random numbers.

 If you’d like to test out your abilities at some simple code, try to decipher the names of my hero and heroine in Moonlight Masquerade using the key below.

344,   2&6((62,   .)#   @4(6)4   ”4+&.9

KEY:

A =  .      L = (       W = ”

B = 1     M = 9      X = +

C = @    N = )       Y = -

D = #     O = !       Z = ^

E  = 4     P = 2

F = %     Q = ?

G = 5     R = 3

H = &    S = ,

I =  6       T = :

J = *       U = 7

K = 8      V = /

Lady Celine Wexham seems the model British subject. French by birth but enjoying life in 1813 as a widowed English countess, she is in the unique position of being able to help those in need–or to spy for the notorious Napoleon Bonaparte. When Rees Phillips of the British Foreign Office is sent to pose as the countess’s butler and discover where her true loyalties lie, he is confident he will uncover the truth. But the longer he is in her fashionable townhouse in London’s West End, the more his staunch loyalty to the Crown begins to waver as he falls under Lady Wexham’s spell. Will he find the proof he needs? And if she is a spy after all, will he do the right thing?

Ruth Axtel's new release Moonlight Masquerade is available at these locations

Amazon

Barnes and Noble 

ChristianBook.com

  

AND NOW, YOUR NEXT STEPS:

Write down this clue:  They

Have it written down? Great! Now head on over to Ruth Axtell's blog Stop #11 for the next clue!

BONUS PRIZE Offered only on this SITE:

Grand Prize: Arthurian Knight Bookends 

2nd Place:  $25 Amazon Certificate

3rd Place:  Signed Copy of my new release, Forsaken Dreams!

Requirements to enter:

"Like" my Facebook Author Page

Sign Up for my Newsletter

Follow me on Twitter

Optional but fun! Leave a comment below with the names of Ruth's hero and heroine that you deciphered from the code! And tell her how much you enjoyed her post!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Starts Tomorrow!

Don't miss the yearly Christian Fiction Scavenger hunt which starts tomorrow!!!! The grand prize is a Kindle fire and 31 free books, but there'll be other prizes on each blog. I'm stop number 10, and Lisa Bergren is stop number 1. http://lisatawnbergren.com/ You don't have to do the stops in order, but you have to do them all.  More information on this tomorrow!

P.S. You may see my post go up here sometime later today but you cannot enter to win until the contest begins at midnight!!!

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Wordless Wednesday!

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Thorns in Eden by Rita Gerlach!!!!

Please welcome today my very good friend and great author, Rita Gerlach!  If you love the Revolutionary War time period, great adventure, and romance, then I highly recommend Rita Gerlach!! Right now, her new release, Thorns in Eden is only 2.99 on Kindle!!!  Of course if you prefer a paperback, you can purchase one of those as well. 

Thorns in Eden 

By Rita Gerlach

A 2-in-1 Collection / Historical Drama

In 1773, John Nash journeys back to England before the first shots of the Revolution are fired. Rebecah Brent, a young woman who has known little more than the solitude of an isolated manor, has lost her father and is now under the control of a domineering patriarch. As their romance unfolds, they become trapped in a slanderous scheme forged by Rebecah’s uncle, Sir Samuel Brent. The door is rapidly closing to return to the Colonies, forcing Nash to leave England and return to a land immersed in one of the most infamous Indian wars in Colonial history. When an unselfish request is made by Nash’s father, Rebecah flees the entanglements her uncle in order to be reunited with the man she loves. Can Nash protect his beloved from a renegade who has no allegiance to any nation, tribe, or creed, wanted for robbery and murder, who has vowed vengeance? In Thorns in Eden and The Everlasting Mountains, love and faith are the sustaining forces that cannot be overtaken by the vines of adversity. As the firebrands of the Revolution grow hot, they marry and work together to build their estate, Laurel Hill. Facing a strange new world, Rebecah experiences the prejudice of being English, but finds friendship and acceptance in the wilds of the Maryland frontier. John Nash leads a band of rangers who protect the frontier families from Indian attack. His friendship with Chief Logan has not prevented the Indian War from reaching their peaceful home along the lush hills of the Catoctin Mountains.


Purchase Ebook:
           In Paperback

 Rita Gerlach writes inspirational historical fiction with a romantic bent, with unique settings in both America and England. She lives with her husband and two sons in a historical town nestled along the Catoctin Mountains in central Maryland.

Her Titles Include: 

• Before the Scarlet Dawn 
• Beside Two Rivers
• Beyond the Valley 
• Surrender the Wind 
• The Rebel’s Pledge 
• Thorns in Eden and The Everlasting Mountains 

Rita’s Website: http://ritagerlach.blogspot.com 
Rita’s Blog: InSpire http://inspire-writer.blogspot.com/

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Is God a slot machine?

http://biblearts.blogspot.com/

You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,”
Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. Malachi 3:8-10

Like me, you've probably heard this Scripture before. I can't tell you the number of sermons I've heard on this passage right before the pastor initiates a fund drive for a new building or for expansion or new band instruments!  You can always see it coming. 

Yet I've also seen pastors misuse this Scripture by telling people that it's a guarantee that if you tithe your 10% faithfully, God will make you rich!  I've even seen a pastor tell people to stuff a 10, 20, or 100 dollar bill in the offering plate and expect God to return it 100 fold by the end of the year. Like God is some vending or slot machine! How insulting!

I've also known faithful Christians over the years who have given their 10% but who have never become rich. So, is God a liar? What does this Scripture truly mean? 

God does want us to be givers. As Christians, we should look around us at all the needs and try our best to meet them. Our of the abundance God gives us, we should give to others. This is what the early church did and it worked for them so that none of them had a need. Whether you give 10, 20 or 90% of your earnings is between you and God, but you should give as the Holy Spirit leads, and you

should give cheerfully, not EXPECTING anything in return.

I think it's wrong of pastors to use this Scripture as some sort of enticement for people to give. It creates the wrong attitude and motive and makes their giving of no consequence. God doesn't honor giving that isn't from the heart. If you're a parent, you know how very special it is when a child does something for you and doesn't expect anything in return. It makes your heart glow with pride and joy! 

Then why is God so adamant about testing Him on this if he won't follow through. Let's say you have the right attitude and you give faithfully, yet you're not any richer than you were before. 

There are two other places in the Bible where I found that God mentions "windows of heaven",  Both are in Genesis and both refer to rain. So, why would God use this phrase here if He meant money or wealth or possessions?  He could have easily used another phrase or just omitted this one altogether. I believe it's because God is giving us a hint as to the kind of blessing He wants to give us. Rain was a huge blessing to people in Biblical times. Without it, famine ensued and people starved. With it, crops grew and people had abundance. Just like in those times, God wants us to have abundance. Jesus said He came to give us life and life abundant. But what type of abundance is He talking about?

Rain is also a type of the Holy Spirit in the Bible. I believe that God isn't referring to riches in this verse, but instead He's referring to His Spirit, and with His Spirit comes revelation, wisdom, knowledge, self control, kindness, goodness, gentleness... in other words God's Spirit fills us and enables us to then use our God-given gifts to work hard and create the wealth we need to live on. 

You see, it's so much more than simply wealth and riches, it's the ability to make wealth, the knowledge and wisdom and character required. But the key is, you have to receive the Spirit, allow Him to teach you, and then you have to do the work. 

I think that's where most of us fail. We stand there like baby birds with our beaks open, waiting for God to dump goodies in our mouths, when He has already given us the ability to go out and find them for ourselves. God gave rain to the Israelites but they still had to go out and farm the land!.

One thing I've noticed about cheerful givers, they are Cheerful!!  People who aren't stingy and who give and give and give to those around them are the happiest people I know. They don't really want riches. (If they got them, they'd probably give them away!) They don't need riches. They are the richest of all people because God has rained so much of His Holy Spirit down on them, that they are unable to contain all the glory!

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