Sarah Price's Blog, page 30

If you tuned in yesterday on Facebook I revealed the new covers (Yay!) for The Plain Fame Series. I am so excited to share the covers with everyone!

Soooooo.

Sometimes life is a struggle, yes? I mean, let’s be real. LOTS of times, life is just not pleasant. So, for me to say that lately my life has been a little messy, well, it’s probably no surprise to you. And, likely, your life is no bed of roses right now either.

(Really positive post so far, huh?)

I was at a point where my mind just wasn’t sure which way was up anymore. What was right? What was wrong? Is there gray? Should there be gray, or should everything be black or white? I felt God telling me to reach out to a certain individual. So, I followed His voice and made a phone call. The words she spoke to me touched me and felt so profound that I took notes while she talked. (I don’t think she believed me when I told her that so I sent her a picture of my notes! LOL).

You know, we are never going through things alone. And, almost always, someone else can relate to your struggle. So, I thought I would share with you some of what I received from her.

Sometimes things are beyond making sense. They just are. But He (God) hasn’t forgotten you.

When you are in the midst of what seems like a battle with another person, step back and do these three things:

1. Make sure you are without spot or wrinkle yourself. Examine your own heart and make right with God anything that is not.

2. Listen to what God is telling you. How do you listen to God? Read His Word (the Bible). Pray. Be still and allow Him to speak to your heart.

3. Remember that what is taking place is not an attack by a “person”, but it is the enemy (Satan) attacking you (perhaps through a person).

God has great plans for you. Satan wants to kill those plans. He wants to destroy what God has for you. Put on the Armor. (Ephesians 6:14-17 “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”)

Say, “Enough is enough!” and GIVE. IT. TO. GOD. Turn your feelings over to the Lord. God has equipped us and we are VICTORS through the Lord Jesus, Amen?

“It’s not what happens to us, but what happens in us that matters in the Lord.” ~~ My Great Aunt Ethel

Be encouraged!

Lisa Bull sees her life as a journey along God’s divine plan. While considering herself an expert on nothing, she enjoys laughing and has made “choosing joy” her motto. Lisa has experienced God’s unfailing love and grace in her life and wants nothing more than for others to enjoy that same gift in their lives.

Lisa is the daughter and granddaughter of ministers. She has multiple relatives in ministry on both sides of her father’s family including several pastors, pastor’s wives, and missionaries. In fact, ministry in her maternal grandmother’s family can be traced back several generations. She loves being a wife and mother of two terrific young men.

Visit Lisa at mommalisaof2-LISA’S PERCEPTIONS

The post Sometimes Life Is A Struggle by Lisa Bull appeared first on Sarah Price.

Soooooo.

Sometimes life is a struggle, yes? I mean, let’s be real. LOTS of times, life is just not pleasant. So, for me to say that lately my life has been a little messy, well, it’s probably no surprise to you. And, likely, your life is no bed of roses right now either.

(Really positive post so far, huh?)

I was at a point where my mind just wasn’t sure which way was up anymore. What was right? What was wrong? Is there gray? Should there be gray, or should everything be black or white? I felt God telling me to reach out to a certain individual. So, I followed His voice and made a phone call. The words she spoke to me touched me and felt so profound that I took notes while she talked. (I don’t think she believed me when I told her that so I sent her a picture of my notes! LOL).

You know, we are never going through things alone. And, almost always, someone else can relate to your struggle. So, I thought I would share with you some of what I received from her.

Sometimes things are beyond making sense. They just are. But He (God) hasn’t forgotten you.

When you are in the midst of what seems like a battle with another person, step back and do these three things:

1. Make sure you are without spot or wrinkle yourself. Examine your own heart and make right with God anything that is not.

2. Listen to what God is telling you. How do you listen to God? Read His Word (the Bible). Pray. Be still and allow Him to speak to your heart.

3. Remember that what is taking place is not an attack by a “person”, but it is the enemy (Satan) attacking you (perhaps through a person).

God has great plans for you. Satan wants to kill those plans. He wants to destroy what God has for you. Put on the Armor. (Ephesians 6:14-17 “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”)

Say, “Enough is enough!” and GIVE. IT. TO. GOD. Turn your feelings over to the Lord. God has equipped us and we are VICTORS through the Lord Jesus, Amen?

“It’s not what happens to us, but what happens in us that matters in the Lord.” ~~ My Great Aunt Ethel

Be encouraged!

Lisa Bull sees her life as a journey along God’s divine plan. While considering herself an expert on nothing, she enjoys laughing and has made “choosing joy” her motto. Lisa has experienced God’s unfailing love and grace in her life and wants nothing more than for others to enjoy that same gift in their lives.

Lisa is the daughter and granddaughter of ministers. She has multiple relatives in ministry on both sides of her father’s family including several pastors, pastor’s wives, and missionaries. In fact, ministry in her maternal grandmother’s family can be traced back several generations. She loves being a wife and mother of two terrific young men.

Visit Lisa at mommalisaof2-LISA’S PERCEPTIONS

The post Sometimes Life Is A Struggle appeared first on Sarah Price.

Having just finished writing my adaptation of Sense & Sensibility (due for publication in 2016), I have a confession to make: I have a crush on Colonel Brandon.

There is something about his patience and quiet demeanor that is extremely romantic. Yes, yes, I can hear thousands of readers shaking their head and saying, “But Darcy…”

Trust me, Darcy comes in as a close second. Colonel Brandon takes the prize, however, in my book.

To begin with, he loved and lost while a young man. Rather than rebound or retaliate by speed dating just anyone, he quietly mourned the loss of the woman he loved and continued on with his life. He established himself as a gentleman, working his way up through the military ranks and, later, established himself as a gentleman. I’m all for people who climb the ladder of society based on their own merits and not just because it was given to them.

When I was a child, my father was adamant that I had to work for what I wanted in life. He hired me to work at his company when I was out of college and, despite having a college degree—something which many people at the company did not have—I was the lowest paid employee. Later, after I gained more experience, I left his company and began to springboard my way up different corporate ladders until I finally found my home in academia as a college professor and the director of faculty training at an eight-campus institution of higher education. And along the way, I earned two (and a half!) more degrees.

Achieving something on your own merit and from your own blood, sweat, tears, and stress is something to be proud of. Having worked with so many young people as they struggle to acquire an education, I have seen first had the two types of people that are out there: those willing to work hard for their success and those that expect hand outs and lift ups from others.

Colonel Brandon was definitely the former.

The post Friday’s Food for Thought: Why Colonel Brandon is My Mr. Darcy appeared first on Sarah Price.

So…it’s Thursday. I’m back in the hospital having surgery today. More reconstruction but surgery nonetheless. Over the past two years, I’ve had NINE surgeries that I remember for this ridiculous breast cancer. Boo! Hiss! Go away cancer! You are an unwelcome guest with your nine surgeries!

1. Double Mastectomies (the girls) and Reconstruction (Louis and Antoinette)

2. Skin grafting to save Louis

3. Single Mastectomy (Louis)

4. Infections and Blood Transfusions in Isolation

5. Infection surgery to close wound

6. Single Mastectomy (Antoinette)

7. Lat-Flap Reconstruction and Fat Grafting (THE.WORSE.PAIN in my life…and worse recovery room guest who takes the award for saying inappropriate, self-serving and mean spirited things to me after a seven-hour-painful surgery–never got an apology on that one…hmmmmm)

8. Swap of implants (Thelma and Louise)

9. More reconstruction stuff

Are you tired of hearing about my surgeries and my cancer? Probably. I’m tired of living it so I can imagine how tired people are of reading about it.

Nine surgeries. Nine recoveries. Nine emotional traumas for my children. Nine situations dealing with people who either don’t get it (90%) or over-get-it (10%–namely my parents and hub). Nine times I felt the love from Facebook Family and my triangle of NJ BFFLs: Gina, Marisol, Iris. Nine times I put on a happy face, usually with the result backfiring on me–badly.

Let’s face it. Surgery stinks. The patient gets hustled out of the hospital and recovers at home. Once at home, people forget that the patient is recovering. One night, I had to make my own dinner! I practically crawled down the stairs on my hands and knees to get something…anything. I had no one to help b/c my parents were traveling and my husband was working. My neighbors…well, you know THAT story (cough cough, Gloria in Empty Cup). My son was M.I.A. which he tends to do when I’m recovering. Luckily, my dear daughter, Cat finally rescued me and made me almost cooked Mac and Cheese (her specialty…the shells, not the elbows).

I survived.

Recovering from these surgeries is not easy. It takes time. Just because people are smiling on the outside (or trying to) doesn’t mean they are smiling on the inside. My one operation from December…I’m STILL recovering from. The sites where the grafting was done still give me a ton of pain. But I can tolerate that pain. It’s like baby pain. You see, from December 1 to January 21st, I was in the worse MONSTER SIZED pain I ever felt in my entire life (think childbirth without pain med multiplied by five knife wounds in your sides and then Godzilla grabs you and squishes your sides…really hard…yeah, that’s what I’m talking about).

I’m not looking forward to tomorrow. You just go on autopilot to get through the day…the hour…sometimes even the minute. And look for any parts that you can laugh at.

I’ll close my ramblings about surgeries on this story:

The hospital called today to check me in via the phone. The administrator asked a ton of questions: Do you have body piercings? (no) Wear eye glasses? (no) Have a pace maker? (no) Take drugs? (only legally prescribed ones…ha ha ha–she didn’t laugh). Had a blood transfusion? (yes)

That made her pause and she said, “Did you have any reaction to it?”

To which I replied, “Why yes I did! I became sexier and smarter almost right away!”

Pause. Laughter. I got her!

One laugh at a time…that’s how I get through this…

Now that my writing life has slowed to a semi-normal pace, I’m back to my second favorite hobby: reading.

Full Disclosure: I love history. I love romance. Therefore, I love historical romances.

There’s just something about the regency period that hits me right here…

So, last week I finished The Marriage Act by Alyssa Everett. Since it has been a few years since I read a historical romance that was NOT a classic, it was interesting to dip back into the waters of high society England in the 1800s. Before I settled on The Marriage Act, I actually started three other novels and, before I was ten pages in, I deleted them from my Paperwhite.

Not so with Ms. Everett’s book. The first thing that struck me was how well-crafted it was from a literary perspective. Frankly, it was refreshing to read a book that was grammatically correct with strong sentence structure and expanded vocabulary. I’m tired of books that are thrown into digital format with crummy covers and even crummier stories…forget about the writing, dialogue, or character development!

…which is the perfect segway to Everett’s tale.

Not your typical storyline by any stretch of the (lack of) imagination. Ms. Everett took the time to come up with a new, different type of love story. Caroline is the daughter of a bishop who, on the spur of a moment, agrees to marry John Welford. Without giving anything away, the story fast forwards five years and things are not as they should be with the couple.

Ms. Everett has wonderful dialogue that moves the story along quickly and helps develop her characters. The story, while not necessarily believable (I don’t really consider a couple married for five years “newlyweds”, nor do I expect them to act lovey-dovey to each other in front of family), is exactly what I needed and that was a break! I wanted to get lost in the pages of a book that was different from what I write. The Marriage Act and the wonderful characters created by Alyssa Everett certainly did that!

The Marriage Act by Alyssa Everett is available for pre-order HERE. I received the book from the publisher who did not request a review, but I am giving one anyway because I really enjoyed this author’s writing and her story!

For the record, there is one love scene that was tastefully written, not too detailed, and not graphic. Finally, despite loving history so much, I didn’t care for the use of a word that dates back to the late 15th century (courtesy of Scottish poet, William Dunbar)–if not earlier.

I made this video (with the help of my cousin) at the request of my dad after I had posted a blog about us. I wanted to talk about how my dad’s love for me, as I grew up, was an example to me of how God loves us as His children.

Last year, my husband and I were looking to purchase an 80-acre horse farm in Northern New Jersey. Some of my followers may remember my posting the photo of the world’s largest crazy dog that wanted to eat his way through an iron barred horse stall (nickname: Cujo).

I’ve always wanted to have a lot of land and horses and wake up to the sound of silence (not cars and neighbors). I also wanted to create a place for people to visit to learn more about the Amish way of life. This was a life dream to have such a place (minus Cujo).

We didn’t get the property.

But God has a plan.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11

Things happen for a reason and sometimes we just do not know that reason. We may never figure out what the reason is or, perhaps, you have to really stretch your imagination to understand the reason.

Why did I have a miscarriage 15 years ago? (Answer: So I could have Cat)

Why did I get breast cancer? (Answer: To focus on what’s important in life)

Why did I inherit depression? (Answer: To become stronger and learn how to fight)

Why am I tired all the time? (Answer: To learn to slow down a bit)

When you look at the big picture, there is always a reason. We might not like the reason, but there is one.

Well, moving ahead…

We did not acquire that 80-acre property, but I never gave up on my dream.

Now, it appears that my dream is going to come to fruition. Barring any unforeseen road blocks, we have found a location to open The Amish Grove in Northern New Jersey*.

Several years ago when the Weaverton Schoolhouse was for sale in Lancaster County, several of my readers tried to persuade me to purchase it. The idea for the Amish Grove will be the same type of concept. By recreating a small Amish farm, people who are too far from Lancaster County, PA will have a place to visit and learn about the Amish. Additionally, my readers will know where they can find me and, if they are in the area, can stop by to visit.

This will become my home-base and allow me to educate more people about the real way of life for the Amish, and not the silly television “reality” shows that depict them in a horrible light.

I hope you are excited because we should have an awful lot of fun making videos and meeting people at The Amish Grove. In fact, all things moving as anticipated, we are planning to have the Plain Fame Trilogy Book Launch on September 29th with a Grand Opening. Stay tuned for more details.

*Once everything is finalized, I’ll share more information.

Hi Karen. Welcome to my blog! Can you share a little about yourself?

I’m a California girl who moved to Texas to go to college, met a handsome Texan, married him, and never left the Lone Star State. So now I consider myself a Texan, especially since my three kids were born and raised here. They’re all teenagers now (17, 15, and 13), so it’s a little like a constant stampede around my house. Plenty of room for western inspiration.

Tell us about your new book, A Worthy Pursuit.

There is usually a single spark that gets a book idea started. For A Worthy Pursuit, that spark was the idea of incorporating gifted children—child prodigies, each having a gift in a different field. And the one who doesn’t consider himself gifted ends up being the one who saves the day, proving he is, in fact, remarkable.

I also wanted to play with the idea of opposites attracting. So I chose a refined, educated headmistress who doesn’t trust men and paired her with a man of action and intrigue who practically walks off the pages of a dime novel. Charlotte has to learn to trust the man who was sent to destroy her in order to protect the children in her care, and Stone must dig deep to unearth the patience it will take to win the heart of the plucky woman he comes to admire.

Which character can you identify with most?

I probably relate to Charlotte the most. I don’t have the same trust issues, at least not when it comes to men, but I do share several other attributes with my heroine. She loves music. In fact, she is a concert-level pianist. I always wanted to learn how to play the piano, but we never had one in my house growing up, so I never learned. I did play flute from 5th grade up through my freshman year in college. Then I met my husband and joined the choir to be with him. I’ve always loved music. It really speaks to my soul. And though I’m not a prodigy like Charlotte, I would be lost without music in my life. Charlotte is also dedicated to her three charges and loves them as if they were her own children. She takes in two boys and a girl. I have three children—two boys and a girl. So the mama in me made it into the story as well.

What draws you to the historical fiction genre?

From my early days reading Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables I’ve always loved escaping into the past in a good book. I don’t know if it is the long dresses or the simpler times, but historical stories capture my imagination. And when it comes to romance, they have more of a fairy-tale feel to them. I read historical novels almost exclusively. So when I decided to try my hand at writing, there was no question in my mind which genre I would choose.

Do you have a favorite scene or quote from your book?

It’s hard to narrow it down, but I think my favorite scene is when Stone comes riding to Lily’s rescue with all the tough-guy glory of his dime novel persona. It takes two to battle all the villains they encounter on the road, though, so Charlotte has to accomplish her own heroics while Stone rides after Lily. Both show tremendous courage, and respect between the two flourishes to new heights.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I enjoy cross-stitching, watching movies, and, of course, reading.

What’s next for you?

Two of the secondary characters in A Worthy Pursuit, Dan and Marietta, will be getting their own story next. I just couldn’t let Dead-Eye Dan go without giving him a happy ending. And because I had so much fun writing the dime novel snippets in Charlotte and Stone’s story, I decided to start every chapter of Dan and Marietta’s with a scene from a Dead-Eye Dan dime novel. So even though it’s only a novella, you’ll be getting two stories for the price of one! I believe it is set to release in January. It will be part of another fun novella collection with Mary Connealy, Regina Jennings, and Melissa Jagears. The title is: On Bended Knee: A Novella Collection of Proposals Gone Awry.

Two-time RITA® Finalist and winner of the coveted HOLT Medallion and ACFW Carol Award, CBA bestselling author, Karen Witemeyer, writes historical romance fiction for Bethany House, believing that the world needs more happily-ever-afters. She is an avid cross-stitcher, shower singer, and bakes a mean apple cobbler. Karen makes her home in Abilene, TX with her husband and three children. Learn more about Karen and her books at: www.karenwitemeyer.com.

Second Chances – I Am Persuaded! – Review by Susan Scott Ferrell

As a lover of both Sara Price’s Amish fiction and classics of Jane Austen, I was anxiously awaiting the release of the third in Price’s Amish Classic series, Second Chances. After being wooed by First Impressions, then charmed by The Matchmaker, would Price be able to deliver on yet another retelling of an Austen classic (this from Persuasion)? For sure and certain!

Second Chances tells the story of 25-year-old Anna Eicher, who at age 17, under the persuasion of both her close family friend and her father decides to break off her courtship with her love and best friend, Freman Whitmore. Freman leaves Lancaster County distraught. So it is quite a surprise when he returns eight years later…and starts courting someone else! Is it too late? Has a lifetime of persuasion by nearly everyone in Anna’s life left her with any thoughts or beliefs of her own? Read and find out!

I was given Second Chances in exchange for my honest review. This was such a delightful read. I was fully invested in the various storylines. There was more than one occasion that I wanted to reach through the book and SMACK a particular character (you will know who I mean when you read it!) Such a satisfying read. Grab your copy today!

Giveaway time! One copy of Second Chances is up for grabs. To enter leave a comment. For an EXTRA chance share this post and leave a comment if you do. 

Giveaway starts today, Wednesday, June 10th and ends on Wednesday, June 17th.

*Giveaway is only open to US residents*

Susan Ferrell and her husband make their home in the Atlanta Metro area. Although Susan struggles with chronic migraine headaches, she stays very busy as a stay-at-home mom to one very precocious little girl. While catching her breath, she feeds her Amishaholic tendencies by reading vast amounts of Amish literature! Susan is a book reviewer for Destination Amish.