Book Spotlight and Giveaway - Becoming Mrs. Smith by Tanya E. Williams

Book Synopsis

Not all of war’s destruction takes place on the battlefield.

Violet’s heart flutters from the scarlet fever she survived as a child, and it beats faster at the sight of John Smith, the man she plans to marry. America is entrenched in WWII, and when John enlists, Violet is certain she won’t ever forgive him for dashing their dreams. As the realities of war slowly overtake her life, Violet’s days are filled with uncertainty and grief. She struggles to maintain her faith in John, as the world as she knows it, crumbles.

Becoming Mrs. Smith is the inspiring, and at times, heartbreaking story of a woman’s struggle to reclaim what she lost. War stole the man she loves, and childhood illness weakened her heart—perhaps beyond repair. While guns rage in Europe, the war Violet faces at home may be even more devastating.

“Wonderfully emotional and beautifully written, Becoming Mrs. Smith will take hold of your heartstrings and leave you longing for more.” –Kelsey Gietl, author of Across Oceans

Available on Amazon in Paperback and eBook

Author Bio

A writer from a young age, Tanya E Williams loves to help a reader get lost in another time, another place through the magic of books. History continues to inspire her stories and her insightfulness into the human condition deepens her character’s experiences and propels them on their journey. Ms. Williams’ favourite tales, speak to the reader’s heart, making them smile, laugh, cry, and think.

For more information, please visit Tanya Williams’ website and blog. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Goodreads, and Pinterest.

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away an eBook of Becoming Mrs. Smith! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on November 17th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

Becoming Mrs. Smith

Dear Abby - Halloween Dog Linky

Dear Friends,

Just a short post to wish you a very Happy Halloween!  If you have pets, do they enjoy dressing up?  What do they think of the holiday?

I am not so sure about Halloween.  It involves lots of knocking at the door, which I am not wild about.  I usually spend time in my bedroom listening to some relaxing music.   

I don't mind dressing up (upon occasion!) and you'll see a picture of me in my angel costume just above.

Today I would like to share a few fun Halloween links with you from previous years at my blog.

Vintage Halloween card featuring a Scottish Terrier

Vintage Halloween Dogs features lots of vintage illustrations, cards and photos of dogs on Halloween!

My friend Gizmo dressed up as a pumpkin

Pets in Halloween Costumes features me and some of my friends dressed up for the holiday. 

Calling All Girls magazine with vintage dachshund illustration

Calling All Girls: Halloween Covers features vintage teen magazines with dachshund illustrations on the cover.    

I hope you enjoy these links, and wish you a very happy Halloween!  I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Love,

Abby xoxoxo

Book Spotlight and Giveaway - Secrets and Pies by Jenny Kales

Book Synopsis

If you can’t stand the heat, get out of Callie’s Kitchen! Greek-American restaurateur Callie Costas faces down another killer in the small waterfront town of Crystal Bay, Wisconsin. Recipes included!

Summertime in Crystal Bay means tourist season for Calliope “Callie” Costas, owner of Callie’s Kitchen, a Greek-meets-Midwest from-scratch eatery. Business is booming but so is the stress. Callie can barely keep up with the demand for her famous summer fruit pies and savory Greek delicacies, plus she’s agreed to bake dozens of “pitas” for the annual Greek Fest.

When Callie is asked to deliver cast party treats for a Murder Mystery Night at the historic Harris House, it seems like a welcome break from her hot stove. That is, until she finds herself an unwilling player in yet another suspicious death. Worse yet, the victim is a family friend and graduate student working on a project involving Crystal Bay’s colorful past.

Before long, a motley crew of suspects makes things as juicy as the succulent berries strewn around Callie’s Kitchen. And that’s not all Callie’s got on her plate. Add family obligations, a deepening romance with a local detective and unexpected personnel problems to the mix. One thing’s for sure: Callie’s got the recipe for a long, hot summer!

SECRETS AND PIES is the third installment in the Callie’s Kitchen Mystery series.

Author Bio

Award-winning writer Jenny Kales is the author of The Callie’s Kitchen Mystery series. Though she’s worked as a writer and journalist for years, fiction writing is her first love and her marriage into a Greek-American Midwestern family inspired The Callie’s Kitchen mysteries, featuring Calliope Costas, food business owner and amateur sleuth. The setting of the story, “Crystal Bay,” is inspired by a favorite family vacation spot – Wisconsin’s beautiful Geneva Lakes. Kales is an avid reader, cook and baker and she’s addicted to mystery TV, especially anything on Masterpiece Mystery or BBC America. She lives just outside of Chicago with her husband, two daughters and one cute but demanding Yorkshire terrier. 

Website www.jennykales.wordpress.com,

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jennykalesmysteryauthor/

Twitter https://twitter.com/Jenny_Kales,

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard,

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jennykales_author/

Giveaway
eBook of Secrets and Pies by Jenny Kales.  Giveaway ends midnight on 10/31.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Book Review and Giveaway - KJV Know the Word Study Bible

Book Synopsis
Diving deeper into God's Word can be easy and rewarding if you break it down book by book, verse by verse, or topic by topic with the new KJV Know The Word Study Bible by Thomas Nelson. The book-by-book series of notes leads you through the main points of each book of the Bible. The verse-by-verse notes help you to dig deeper into God's Word. The topic-by-topic articles, which cover 21 theological topics, guide you through a series of insightful notes and give you a thorough biblical understanding of each topic. With the beautiful and timeless text of the KJV translation, the KJV Know the Word Study Bible offers you choices of how to study Scripture and grow in your relationship with Christ.

My Review
The KJV Know The Word Study Bible is a wonderful Bible for anyone who wants to read the Bible regularly and really study it.   Readers can choose to go book by book, verse by verse, or topic by topic.  I really like the selections of topic by topic articles available.  For instance:

"Love
Note 1: Love Is an Action (Gen. 22:2)
Note 2: Why Choose Love? (Col. 3:1 - 15)
Note 3: God's Love Poured Out (Rom. 5:5 - 10)
Note 4: How Love Behaves (I Cor. 13: 1 - 13)
Note 5: Because God Is Love, We Love (1 John 4:7 - 19)"

Each book of the Bible has a summary, a section on how to study that book, and Study the Book Highlights.  There are footnotes when needed and articles interspersed within the book.

This is the King James Version (KJV) translation, which I prefer.  I grew up with the KJV Bible and my first experiences memorizing and studying scripture were with the KJV translation.  This Bible features the words of Christ in red.

This Bible is well made with a dustjacket and cloth cover book.  The text is an average size font - could be a little bigger for ease of reading.

There are some useful sections at the end of the book, including Monies, Weights and Measures, a Concordance, and color maps.  The concordance is detailed and is especially helpful for reading and study.

I recommend the KJV Know the Word Study Bible to anyone who is interested in a closer reading of the Bible.  It is a beautifully made book and will be a big help on your journey.

Giveaway
This fall, become a regular student of the Bible and enter to win the Kindle Fire giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of the KJV Know The Word Study Bible
• A Kindle Fire 7
• A Kindle Fire case (winner's choice)

Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on October 31. The winner will be announced November 1 on the Litfuse blog.

I received a copy of this book from Litfuse.

Dear Abby - Famous TV Dogs: Bullet the Wonder Dog from The Roy Rogers Show

Dear Friends,

Today I would love to introduce Bullet, the Wonder Dog from The Roy Rogers Show.  This western theme TV show ran from 1951 - 1957.   My Momma has never seen this show, so we are learning about it, and Bullet, together.  When we asked friends about favorite TV dogs, Bullet is a name that was mentioned often.

The Roy Rogers Show starred Roy Rogers, his wife Dale Evans, a Palomino horse named Trigger, and Bullet.  The famous theme song from the show was "Happy Trails," sung by Dale Evans.

Bullet was a brave German Shepherd who helped lead Roy and Dale to the bad guys, helped when they were outnumbered, and helped them escape as needed.

Bullet was born in 1949.  He made his movie debut in 1951 in the Roy Rogers movie Spoilers of the Plains.  I have not been able to find out a lot about his life, or how long he lived.  However, after he died he was preserved, along with Trigger, and they were displayed at the Roy Rogers Museum.  They were sold in 2010 to RFD-TV.

Like most other retro TV dogs, Bullet inspired a number of products for children, including children's books:

Comic books:

And a toy by Hartland toys:

Bullet even appeared in commercials for dog food!


Do you remember Bullet, or The Roy Rogers Show?   I would love to hear from you in the comments below.

Wishing you a great weekend!

Love,

Abby xoxoxo