A Wonderful Way to Celebrate the Four-Year Anniversary of Love Letters from God….

On this day four years ago, Love Letters from God–my first children’s book was published.

It came out with no fuss, no fanfare, no fine expectations. As a newbie-author, I didn’t really know how to market the book effectively. There was no ‘book launch’, no appeals for preorders and no ‘blog tour’.

Yet despite all this, four years down the road, that little book somehow morphed into a series of six, sold over 30,000 copies; received 170+ reviews on Amazon and was nominated for an ECPA Christian Book Award.

If you know me well, you’ll know that I attribute all of that to this great God I know, the real author of these books, who can truly do more than all I could ever imagine.

What shall we do to celebrate? I know… let’s do a FOUR BOOK giveaway! When I reached out to ask my awesome publisher, Zonderkidz, if they might agree to do that for me, they said YES!

Here’s four ways to enter, plus a peek at some of the wonderful illustrations by Sophie Allsopp and your chance to hear me read my favorite story from this cute book… Continue reading →

Meet Laura Sassi’s Brand New Picture Book- LOVE IS KIND: Five Fun Facts and a Giveaway!

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If one look at this adorable cover doesn’t grab your attention, then the sweet story-line certainly will.

Love is Kind, the newly released picture book from best-selling author Laura Sassi, tells the endearing tale of Little Owl, who sets out to buy a box of chocolates for his grammy. But what should be a simple task turns out to be a real test of Little Owl’s character, and he discovers, through many set-backs, the real meaning of love.

When I first sat down to read this book, I was in awe of the way Laura skillfully wove the attributes of 1 Corinthians 13 into this little story. It truly is a treasure!

It’s a blessing to welcome Laura to my blog today as she shares Five Fun Facts about writing Love is Kind, ( I love Fun Fact #2!) Be sure to enter the book giveaway at the end of this post, sponsored by Zonderkidz. Continue reading →

Revealing the Cover of the First Title In My New Book Series!

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It’s always thrilling for an author to see the cover of their new book for the first time, and even more thrilling when it looks like this:

This adorable cover art is the work of talented British illustrator Lizzie Walkley, whose charming illustrations complement the words of this little book perfectly.

Good News! It’s Easter! published by Discovery House, is the first title in this new series for little ones and is based on 2 Corinthians 5:17: The old is gone! The new is here!

Coming in spring 2019, the book features rhyming text, cute bunnies, chicks, butterflies, frogs, and Jesus… it’s a wonderful celebration of new life!

Good News! It’s Easter! is now available for preorder, and every preorder helps me. Here’s three reasons why you might consider it: Continue reading →

Thoughts on Moving, and Acorns…

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We cried.

Not many people know that, but when David and I got the phone call that we were moving to Dearborn, we cried.

We stood in our quiet lake home and looked at each other. And we knew, right then, that we wouldn’t say no. We could have. But we would never do that. If you sign up for the itinerant life as a pastor (which we did) and if you believe that God called you to it (which we do) then how could we say no? We couldn’t.

So we packed up our boxes and we cleared out our home and we stood on the dock and watched one last sunset and I rode to my cornfield to say goodbye. And I peeked in the robin’s nest one final time and bade farewell to my favorite tree, the one that always reminded me of a ballerina.

And we moved.

And left all this…

Continue reading →

Announcing the Winners of The Memory Box, and What’s Coming Next…

The Memory Box: A Book About Grief: Review and Giveaway

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My eldest son was only three years old when his great-granddad died. We tried to break the news gently, but our little boy was devastated. He pulled the bed covers high over his head and hid from us. And no matter how much we tried to talk to him, or comfort him, he wouldn’t come out.

I was a young, inexperienced mom, with another toddler to cope with and pregnant with a third. It was our first family experience of death. I didn’t know what to do. So I let him be.

If only I could have read a wonderful book called The Memory Box with him! My creative son would have made his own little memory box straight away, and we would have filled it with photographs and mementos of him and his great-granddad as they walked by the seaside, or caught crabs, or ate a cream tea together. That way, we would have ensured that his beloved great-granddad would never be forgotten. And in the making of that box, and in the returning to it, we would have shared memories, and conversation, and laughter, and tears.

This is the wonderful idea behind The Memory Box, a beautiful book written by Joanna Rowland to help a young child cope with the loss of a loved one. Read on for a peek inside and a chance to win your own copy… Continue reading →

The Final Stop on the Tour.. and Where I’m Going Next!

Meet the Illustrator of God Made Daddy Special… Plus a Giveaway!

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If you’ve peeked inside the pages of God Made Daddy Special you’ll have seen these adorable images of animal babies with their dads…

These wonderful illustrations were drawn by Estelle Corke, a British illustrator 🙂 living in the south of England.

Now if you’ve ever wondered, like me, where illustrators come up with their ideas, or what they do with sketches they’ve drawn but can’t be used, or how long it takes to develop characters, then you’ll want to take a trip to my next blog stop on the Mommy and Daddy book tour, where I sat down with Michelle Huddleston to chat about the books.

As well as seeing a little live interview with me, you’ll get to read all Estelle’s answers to the questions above, plus more. (Can you guess which of these animal daddies and their babies she had never drawn before: was it Daddy Octopus or Daddy Skunk?)

Find out here and enter the two-book giveaway!

Five Fun facts About My New Books, Plus Another Giveaway!

Where’s Your Two-Year Old on Sunday Mornings?

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So I’m perched on the front pew at Lake Harbor United Methodist Church in Muskegon.

I’d already known it was going to be a wonderful morning… what could be better than:

Being together with my ‘tribe’.
Walking into the sanctuary under a huge sign that read ‘WELCOMING ALL’ (and in the United Methodist Church, that really does mean welcoming all… NO MATTER WHAT.)
Being able to read my new books to lots of wonderful children there.
Witnessing the consecration of their brand new Grace Space (a welcoming area set aside in the sanctuary where young children can play.)
Listening to the witness of four-year old Lillian, as she loudly tells the congregation that her least favorite part of Sunday school is when she has to leave.

But the best part was yet to come…

It’s time for communion. As I perch on that front pew, I see a family come forward, not to receive communion, but to offer it. It’s a whole family… of five. There’s Mom and Dad, and three little (and I mean little ones.)

So, naturally, I grab my phone. I have to take pictures of this… it’s a new thing for me (and I don’t know it at the time, but it’s a new thing for them too.)

And as the people come forward… some in wheelchairs, some slowly pushing walkers, some skipping, some running, to receive their bread and wine, I’m watching this family… Continue reading →