Starting From Scratch By Kate Lloyd

An Old Flame Brings a Spark of New Hope
En Alt Maedel—an old maid.
At age twenty-nine, that's what Eva Lapp considers herself. And who could argue with her? Finding a good Amish husband at her age will be next to impossible. Plus, Eva's unwarranted bad reputation in Lancaster County precedes her. Maybe living the Englisch life would be better.
Squeezed out of her childhood home by her brother's boisterous family, Eva finds lodging and a new job managing a small café at a local plant nursery. But the challenge of her new position isn't enough to distract from her current predicament.
To Eva's surprise, her first love, Jake Miller, suddenly returns to Lancaster County. Flooded with emotions and filled with questions about Jake's past, can Eva trust what she's feeling?
Jake and Eva face many obstacles in their quest for a fresh start in the community, but perhaps with God's help, they can find the redemption they both desperately need.

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Starting-Scratch-Lancaster-Discoveries-Lloyd/dp/0736970231/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1521944369&sr=1-1&keywords=starting+from+scratch+by+kate+Lloyd

Author Kate Lloyd is a passionate observer of human relationships. A native of Baltimore, Kate spends time with family and friends in Lancaster County, PA, the inspiration for her best selling novels Leaving Lancaster, Pennsylvania Patchwork, and Forever Amish, the third book in the Legacy of Lancaster Trilogy. Her novel, A Letter from Lancaster County, released July 1, 2017. Starting from Scratch will release April 3, 2018 and in and is available for preorder.

Kate is a member of the Lancaster County Mennonite Historical Society. She and her husband live in the Pacific Northwest, the setting for Kate's first novel, A Portrait of Marguerite. Kate has worked a variety of jobs, including car salesman and restaurateur. For relaxation and fun, Kate enjoys walking with her camera in hand, beachcombing, and playing with her two young grandchildren.

Find out more about Kate Lloyd at her
Website: www.katelloyd.com
Blog: http://katelloyd.com/blog/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/katelloydbooks
Instagram: katelloydauthor
Twitter: @KateLloydAuthor
Pinterest: @KateLloydAuthor

Kate loves hearing from readers!

My Thoughts...

By Far Kate's best book to date!
Ready for a book that you can't put down.This is not your average Amish book. Not a story that you have heard before. It is a great afternoon read.
Great plot, great characters. This is a 5 star read. I HIGHLY recommend this book. 
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Inside the Atheist Mind By Anthony Destefano

From USA Today bestselling author Anthony DeStefano, an entertaining retort to atheism and its proponents, revealing the intellectual bankruptcy at atheism’s core and equipping Christians to respond to its hollow arguments.
A witty and devastating takedown of the "new" atheist position, Inside the Atheist Mind debunks the theories of Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, and others, revealing how inconsistent, illogical, and frankly ludicrous their conclusions truly are. Poking fun at atheists in a clever and intelligent way, Anthony DeStefano demonstrates just how full of holes the new atheism is and reveals that it is actually a "religion" of its own, complete with a creed, a set of commandments, a rigid moral code, and rewards and punishments. More than that, DeStefano exposes that atheism is itself a "superstition" of the worst kind.
Using irony and a healthy dose of playful sarcasm, Inside the Atheist Mind lampoons, teases, and deflates the atheist position, unmasking it for what it is--an empty, intellectually barren philosophy, devoid of any logic and common sense.

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Atheist-Mind-Unmasking-Religion/dp/0718080564/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1522610607&sr=8-1&keywords=inside+the+atheist+mind+anthony+destefano

Anthony DeStefano is the best-selling author of four Christian books for adults: "A Travel Guide to Heaven", "Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To", "Angels All Around Us", and "A Travel Guide to Life- Transforming Yourself from Head to Soul" as well as several bestselling children's books, including: "This Little Prayer of Mine", "Little Star", "The Donkey No One Could Ride", "A Travel Guide to Heaven for Kids", and "The Sheep that No One Could Find."

Anthony has also written three photo-gift books: "I Just Can't Take It Anymore," "OK I Admit It, I'm Afraid." and "The Love Book."

Anthony has been the host of two television series, "A Travel Guide to Life," and "A Travel Guide to Heaven," both broadcast on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN).

He has received many awards and honors from religious communities throughout the world. In 2002, he was given an honorary Doctorate from the Joint Academic Commission of the National Clergy Council and the Methodist Episcopal Church for "the advancement of Christian beliefs in modern culture." The commission is made up of outstanding Evangelical, Orthodox and Protestant theologians and educators.

Anthony is a Knight of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the oldest Order in the Catholic Church. He is an avid pilot, a successful businessman, and a longtime pro-life activist, having worked with Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, for over twenty-five years.

Anthony has appeared on many national television and radio programs, including Fox's America's Newsroom, Fox and Friends, CNN, the 700 Club, Focus on the Family Radio, and Janet Parshall's "In the Market." His books have been endorsed by Dr. James Dobson, Pastor Jack Hayford, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Cardinal Renato Martino, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, Regis Philbin, Quincy Jones, Delilah, Pat Boone, Mark Taylor, William Bennett, Lee Iacocca, Dr. Paul Cedar, Dr. Dick Eastman, Bernice King--daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and many others.

My Thoughts...

As always Destefano writes a very informative and concise read.
I have been a  fan of his from his first book.
There is no part of this book that is not clear and biblical. This is a book that everyone needs to read. You will not be disappointed.
It was a clear and thought out well researched book.
I gave this book 4 stars and I recommend it.
 The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.  

No One Ever Asked Interview with Katie Ganshert

Challenging perceptions of discrimination and prejudice, this emotionally resonant drama for readers of Lisa Wingate and Jodi Picoult explores three different women navigating challenges in a changing school district--and in their lives.When an impoverished school district loses its accreditation and the affluent community of Crystal Ridge has no choice but to open their school doors, the lives of three very different women converge: Camille Gray--the wife of an executive, mother of three, long-standing PTA chairwoman and champion fundraiser--faced with a shocking discovery that threatens to tear her picture-perfect world apart at the seams. Jen Covington, the career nurse whose long, painful journey to motherhood finally resulted in adoption but she is struggling with a happily-ever-after so much harder than she anticipated. Twenty-two-year-old Anaya Jones--the first woman in her family to graduate college and a brand new teacher at Crystal Ridge's top elementary school, unprepared for the powder-keg situation she's stepped into. Tensions rise within and without, culminating in an unforeseen event that impacts them all. This story explores the implicit biases impacting American society, and asks the ultimate question: What does it mean to be human? Why are we so quick to put labels on each other and categorize people as "this" or "that", when such complexity exists in each person?

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/No-One-Ever-Asked-Novel/dp/1601429045/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1521592602&sr=1-1&keywords=no+one+ever+asked+katie+ganshert


Welcome Katie...



1.       Tell us about your new novel, No One Ever Asked.

No One Ever Asked is a story about three very different women whose lives are brought together when an impoverished school district loses its accreditation and the affluent community of Crystal Ridge has no choice but to open their school doors. Camille Gray is the wife of a corporate executive, mother of three, and a long-standing PTO chairwoman. Jen Covington is a newly adoptive mom who’s struggling with a happily-ever-after so much more difficult than she anticipated. And Anaya Jones is the first woman in her family to graduate college and a brand new teacher at Crystal Ridge’s top elementary school, unprepared for the powder-keg situation she’s stepped into. It’s a story that explores the implicit bias impacting American society, and asks the ultimate question: What does it mean to be human?

 

2.      What inspired you to share this story?

 

A couple years ago, I was listening to an episode on a popular podcast called This American Life. The episode was titled, ‘The Problem We All Live With’, featuring investigative reporter, Nikole Hannah-Jones, who covers race in the United States. She was sharing about a modern-day integration story, wherein a Missouri school district comprised almost entirely of low-income, black and brown students lost their accreditation, triggering a law that allowed these students to transfer to a mostly white, affluent school district nearby. The podcast included several sound bites from a town meeting held in one of the affluent district’s high schools, and the pushback from the parents was shocking. I couldn’t believe it was from 2013. It was a story that captivated me about a topic that impassions me. So when it came time to write my next novel, this was where my heart kept returning.  

 

3.      The book is told from the perspectives of three main characters with different experiences and backgrounds. What did your research process look like to accurately capture each of their voices and stories?

Writing a book truly takes a village, especially a book like this one! I’ve never been on the PTA, and I’ve never organized a color run (a district-wide fundraising event that takes place in the story), but I have friends who have, and they let me interview them. While I am an adoptive mother, like Jen, I’m not very familiar with the struggles that often come with adopting an older child. I’m part of a Facebook group much like the one Jen is a part of in the novel, so I reached out to the moms in that group quite often with specific questions. As far as things in Anaya’s life that are unique to the black experience, I listened to a lot of people, and I read a plethora of books, memoirs, and articles, all of which helped bring authenticity to Anaya’s character.

 

4.      How can readers engage in racial reconciliation in their own homes and communities? What are some good resources that can point readers in the right direction?

If you’re white, I think the most important starting place is listening to people of color. Tune into black voices. Follow people on Twitter. Watch documentaries. Listen to sermons. Read books and poetry (check out The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, or Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, or Citizen by Claudia Rankine). There is so much information out there. Join Latasha Morrison’s Be The Bridge Group on Facebook. Subscribe and listen to Pass the Mic, the official podcast for The Witness, a black Christian collective. Check out Scene on Radio’s ‘Seeing White’, a fourteen part podcast series. If you’re a parent, start talking about these issues with your children around the dinner table. Talk to your friends at church. Learn about your community’s racial history. Educate yourself about the current issues in your city and how these issues impact communities of color. Use your vote in such a way that reflects your desire for racial reconciliation. Find and support organizations in your area that are already doing the work. The Bible has so much to say about this topic. Let what it says guide you on your journey. Resist the urge to defend yourself or center yourself. Resist the urge to minimize pain or explain away another’s experience. Sit in the tension. Press through the confusion. Don’t retreat if you make a mistake. We all make mistakes. Keep on listening. Don’t succumb to white guilt. Rather, use your privilege to remove yokes of oppression, wherever and whenever you find them in your midst.

 

5.      What are you currently reading?

I just finished listening to Every Last One by Anna Quindlen on audio, and holy buckets! Talk about heart wrenching. She captivated me with her honest prose, and when I reached the part in the book where the title is first mentioned, I literally gasped out loud. It’s definitely not a light read, but it is a moving one. I’m also reading Becky Wade’s Her One and Only, which has had me laughing out loud at several points, and smiling big throughout. She writes wonderful romance!

 

The Read-aloud Family By Sarah Mackenzie

Connecting deeply with our kids can be difficult in our busy, technology-driven lives. Reading aloud offers us a chance to be fully present with our children. It also increases our kids’ academic success, inspires compassion, and fortifies them with the inner strength they need to face life’s challenges. As Sarah Mackenzie has found with her own six children, reading aloud long after kids are able to read to themselves can deepen relationships in a powerful way.
Founder of the immensely popular Read-Aloud Revival podcast, Sarah knows first-hand how reading can change a child’s life. In The Read-Aloud Family, she offers the inspiration and age-appropriate book lists you need to start a read-aloud movement in your own home. From a toddler’s wonder to a teenager’s resistance, Sarah details practical strategies to make reading aloud a meaningful family ritual. Reading aloud not only has the power to change a family—it has the power to change the world.

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Read-Aloud-Family-Meaningful-Lasting-Connections/dp/0310350328/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1521945822&sr=1-1&keywords=Read-aloud+Family

Sarah Mackenzie is an author, speaker, and podcast host. On the immensely popular Read-Aloud Revival podcast, she helps parents all over the world make meaningful connections with their kids through books. She lives in the Northwest with her husband, Andrew, homeschools their six kids, and loves making sure her family is well-stocked in the best books she can find.

My Thoughts...

This a really good book for families, I am a firm believer that mommy's and daddy's should be reading books every night to their little's.  
I gave this book 4 stars. I recommend it to all parents. Give it as a gift to a new family.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Chasing The Wind By Paula Scott

Welcome to the Chasing the Wind blog blitz and giveaway, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

 

 

 

Here is a little excerpt from Chasing the Wind...

Peter felt the tremor in Isabella’s hand. “Why didn’t you tell me you came from this kind of

life?” He waved his other hand out over the ballroom.

“I didn’t come from this kind of life. I came from a rancho.”

“You came from wealth and privilege.”

She smiled, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “The Vasquezes were deep in debt. My brother

had to marry Rachel because of Don Pedro’s gambling debts, and s+ll, in the end, everything

was taken by the Americans.”

“You could have stayed here with your sister. Married a ship captain in tall boots who would

build you a mansion in this city.”

“I don’t want a mansion in the city.”

“What do you want?” His throat +ghtened as he waited. He hadn’t shared his dreams with

anyone but Maggie, and that had gone so wrong. Jedediah said that with God, all things were

possible. Was it possible to build a happy life with Isabella?

“I want a farm with chickens and as many children as God will give us"

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-California-Rising-Paula-Scott/dp/0692069429/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1522189383&sr=8-1&keywords=chasing+the+wind+by+paula+scott
 

 

 

Paula Scott has a background in journalism. She and her husband live on a farm in Northern California with their sons. They also have two grown daughters and several grandchildren. Paula writes historical and contemporary fiction, and blogs about life, love, and farming at psbicknell.com