Comments from a kind reader in Devon, England

I have received many kind comments from readers of our book "Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts: Stories to Warm Your Heart and Tips to Simplify Your Holiday" and each of these comments is very precious to me.
One woman whose comments about our book warmed my heart is Monix who lives in Devon, England.
I love Devon, England, by the way, and have not met Monix in person, though I find her blog charming.
Here is what she wrote on September 27, 2009 on her blog at http://randomdistractions.blogspot.com/
"I recently bought a copy of Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts and I recommend it to anyone who wants to recapture the real spirit of Christmas."
I love to see our book being read and enjoyed around the world and I understand it is being sold to readers in India and South Africa in addition to the United Kingdom. It is fun to imagine a reader far away holding my book and enjoying it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!
Originally uploaded by lordog
"Give thanks to God. Call out his name.
Ask him anything ... spread the news of his great reputation." Is 12:3-4

Happy Thanksgiving to all my bloggy friends around the world, as family and friends gather here in the USA. Joy to all of you.

Wordless Wednesday Thanksgiving Cornucopia

Thanksgiving Cornucopia
Originally uploaded by Lawrence OP

Winners of the two books are ...

Insert trumpet flare here, please
Ta da!
Kat at Heart2Heart won the copy of Thirsty and Jennifer won the copy of Touched by a vampire.
Congratulations, and my next book giveaway will feature a Christmas book for children, among others.

Nutcracker Collection at Our House

The nutcracker collection on our fireplace mantle last year. The lion nutcracker on the left symbolizes Aslan, for me. What is your favorite Christmas decoration?

Faith and Fangs, Touched by a Vampire, book giveaway

I am happy to give away a copy of "Touched By A Vampire", by Beth Felker Jones, to one person who leaves a comment here by November 23, 2009.
The subtitle is "Discovering the Hidden Messages in the Twilight Saga". which is that bestselling series of books by the new household name, Stephanie Meyer.
Touched by a Vampire is the first book to investigate the themes of the Twilight Saga from a Biblical perspective. Some Christian readers have praised moral principles illustrated in the story, such as premarital sexual abstinence, which align with Meyer’s Mormon beliefs. But ultimately, Beth Felker Jones examines whether the story’s redemptive qualities outshine its darkness.

Cautionary, thoughtful, and challenging, Touched by a Vampire is written for Twilight fans, parents, teachers, and pop culture enthusiasts. It includes an overview of the series for those unfamiliar with the storyline and a discussion guide for small groups. I think that "Touched by a Vampire" is a valuable resource for parents who want to guide their young readers, and find some meaning in the saga. Beth Felker Jones is assistant professor of theology at Wheaton College, so her credentials are impressive.
She offers many thought provoking questions related to the books in the series, including "Does your family try to put on a perfect face to the world?" and "How can ordinary, weak people reflect God's goodness to the world?"
A chapter titled "The superhero and the girl next door" examines gender roles in Twilight. Jones notes that there are two sides to Bella, she is both strong and weak and Jones writes that readers identify with Bella because she is an everygirl.
I haven't read the Twilight books, I admit it!
Thank you to the publisher for supplying my review and giveaway copy.

Faith and Fangs, Thirsty, book giveaway

Today is the first day of the book blog tour for the novel "Thirsty" by Tracey Bateman.
This book was provided by the publisher and I am giving away one copy to one lucky commenter.
"Thirsty" has a vampire main character in it, and a human heroine, and a Christian perspective. Nina Parker is the center of this novel. She is 3 months sober, just out of alcohol rehab, and living 3 states away from her ex-husband and their two children.
There's no place like home, they say.

"Hello, I'm Nina Parker…and I'm an alcoholic."

For Nina, it's not the weighty admission but the first steps toward recovery that prove most difficult. She must face her ex-husband, Hunt, with little hope of making amends, and try to rebuild a relationship with her angry teenage daughter, Meagan. Hardest of all, she is forced to return to Abbey Hills, Missouri, the hometown she abruptly abandoned nearly two decades earlier–and her unexpected arrival in the sleepy Ozark town catches the attention of someone–or something–igniting a two-hundred-fifty-year-old desire that rages like a wildfire.

Unaware of the darkness stalking her, Nina is confronted with a series of events that threaten to unhinge her sobriety. Her daughter wants to spend time with the parents Nina left behind. A terrifying event that has haunted Nina for almost twenty years begins to surface. And an alluring neighbor initiates an unusual friendship with Nina, but is Markus truly a kindred spirit or a man guarding dangerous secrets?

As everything she loves hangs in the balance, will Nina's feeble grasp on her demons be broken, leaving her powerless against the thirst? The battle between redemption and obsession unfold to its startling, unforgettable end. Markus is an old vampire who is obsessed with love for Nina, since she looks like the lady love of his life, who died long ago, and another vampire wants the love and allegiance of Markus, and will kill anyone who thwarts her desires.
This is the first novel I have read by a Christian author, where the novel has a vampire in it. The author did a great job of welcoming the reader in to her characters' world and entertaining the reader.
Two other novels feature a Christian writer's take on merging the vampire legend with Christianity, Eric Wilson's Jerusalem's Undead Trilogy and John Olson's Shade. I will keep a lookout for these two, now that I have read "Thirsty."
The publisher has given me one copy of "Thirsty" to give to one person who leaves a comment on my blog, and who I will select using random.org