Sheila's Guests and Reviews

 I won a book! If you play with Goodreads often enough, you'll find the place where authors offer books to readers. And if you look at the number of copies of each title offered, and the number of people "requesting" it, you'll know you're never likely to win. Hence the exclamation mark.  I won a book! Of course, I was out of the country visiting family in the UK when I got the email. So I knew I wouldn't be around to receive the book. But, thank to the US postal service and the fact that we'd placed a hold on our mail, the book was waiting in a (rather large) basket with lots of other things when we arrived home. So... Well, there was mail to sort (of course), washing (lots of it), dog-sitting (always a joy), catching up on emails (a nightmare), house-cleaning (ditto)... lots of things got in the way, but I did eventually find time to enjoy the fact that I'd won a book. The book in question is Second Shot by Cindy Dees . It's the first in a series

  Today I'm delighted to welcome author Lea Rachel to my blog. You may have seen my review of her book, Seeking Forgiveness, yesterday:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5077271568 . I read that the book is "semi-autobiographical," so I was eager to ask the author some questions, starting with the question about how Lea became the white mother of an adopted African American child.   How difficult is it to become qualified to adopt or foster? I believe that fostering-to-adopt is regulated at the state level, so what is required will differ depending on where you live. But regardless of the state you live in, becoming certified generally takes time and effort. Classes are required, homes have to be certified, background checks done… It took us around two years to become certified, and then another year and a half after that until we had a placement.   Did you always plan to adopt, or did something happen that made you decide to adopt, rather than just fostering?

Tomorrow I shall interview author Lea Rachel on this blog. And in getting ready to "meet" her here, I thoroughly enjoyed reading her novel,  Seeking Forgiveness. I've just posted my review at:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5077271568 Seeking Forgiveness is a fascinating story, told in the very convincing voice of a mother--and I'm a mom, so it's a tale I could definitely relate to. When protagonist, Rachel, muses   “The hardest thing about being a parent… was the worrying and doing your best but having absolutely no idea if what you were doing was good enough,” I know what she means. And I'm sure it’s a quandary all parents share. But Rachel, the protagonist in this novel, is the white mother of an adopted African American child, in white America. She struggles to choose between living in a “poor” area with bad schools and kids that look like her son, or a “rich” area with good schools where Miles will be the exception proving the school is integrate

 Today I'm delighted to welcome Kathryn Elizabeth Jones, author of " I walked with Jesus ," to my blog. I very much enjoyed her short stories retelling miracles from the life of Christ - we clearly have faith and short fiction in common with each other.  I loved how historical, real, and relevant Kathryn's stories felt. You can find my review here:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4904771188 . I'd love to meet the author and chat in person, but inviting her to my blog is the next best thing, so I asked her to let me and you how she finds her audience. Here's what she told me. Why I think my audience is beginning to find me by  Kathryn Elizabeth Jones One of the hardest things to do as an author, other than writing or marketing a book, is to find that often illusive audience. It’s easier with mysteries or children’s picture books, probably because you know who reads them; adults and teens who love sleuthing and children and their parents who love reading.

Today I'm delighted to welcome author Steven L. Shrewsbury back to my blog with his new, action-packed heroic fantasy novel, Killer of Giants! I've been a reader and fan of myths and legends, swords and sorcery, and dark fantasy since childhood, so I know I will love exploring this first story of the Keltos warrior Rogan! But... is there light in the darkness? Over to you Steven Novels for a Brighter World By Steven L. Shrewsbury I have in my bio that I seek after brightness in this world wherever it may hide. I know what I meant when I said it, but was asked recently what about this new book of mine, KILLER OF GIANTS adds to the world’s brightness. It’s a book, a story, a yarn that will take you away from the mundane stuff of everyday life. One doesn’t need to look at social media, wonder which spoiled Hollywood celeb is sleeping with who or slapped who…or how many people are killing each other in Asia. All the arguments over silly political nonsense that distracts people

Today I'm delighted to welcome author M.D.House to revisit my blog. He's touring the internet with the third book of his Barabbas trilogy, a series based around the world of Jesus' death and resurrection, and centering on the well-remembered figure of Barabbas. As an author of Biblical fiction myself (my Five-Minute Bible Story Series), I'm always fascinated to meet someone else with an interest in the same history and worldview. I hope you will give him a warm welcome and enjoy our conversation. Book 3 of the Barabbas series, The Barabbas Legacy, deals directly with major world events and travels more broadly than the prior two volumes. What excited you most about these new journeys? As I’ve journeyed with Barabbas, his family, the apostle Paul, and the centurion Cornelius, researching many of the places they could have traveled and the events they may have witnessed, my desire to know the people of that time and those places has intensified. My respect

  Today I'm meeting  Melkart Rouhana   o n my blog, introducing his book  Greatness is NowHere Self improvement from the prince of positivity; consultant to the likes of Ritz-Carlton. Greatness is NOWHERE shares a roadmap that will guide you to find greatness and lead your people to ultimately unleash their potential and, in the process, impact the future of our world. Not just for business leaders; applicable to those who lead families, sports teams, volunteering and other groups.  I suspect my dreams of greatness may be long gone, but I'm fascinated by Melkart's background and I'm sure you will be too. So... my first question for you, Melkart, is where did you grow up, and where do you live now? Melkart: I grew up in a beautiful Lebanese village, Beit-Mery, in Mount Lebanon overlooking Beirut floating under us like a splendid river. Beit-Mery, deriving from Aramaic, means “The House of The Lord”. In this village, I learned to dream big, amongst the ruins of the old P