Thursday, March 12, 2015

Harvest of Blessings Blog Tour! (+$50 Amazon GC Giveaway!)

Title: Harvest of Blessings
Author: Charlotte Hubbard
Series: N/A
Pages: 368
Date Published: February 24th, 2015
Publisher: Zebra
Format: Paperback
Genre: Amish Fiction
Source: Goddess Fish Blog Tours

Synopsis:

The tranquil little town of Willow Ridge is facing a startling challenge. Wealthy Nora Glick Landwehr is determined to make it her home again—and put her past to rest. Cast out by her own family, Nora can’t reconcile with Old Amish ways or her strict father. But she’ll do anything to help her community embrace the future . . . and make amends to the daughter she had to give up. She certainly has no time for her reckless new neighbor Luke Hooley. They disagree about almost everything. And how can she trust him if he always seems to believe the worst about her? Somehow, though, his unexpected support and passionate heart are helping her find her own way in faith. And Nora will discover that even in the face of insidious lies and unyielding judgment, God creates unexpected chances for forgiveness—and love.
~Try an Excerpt!~
Nora focused on Miriam through her tears. “I’ve really, really made a mess of things, haven’t I?”

Miriam stepped forward to wrap her sturdy arms around Nora’s shoulders. “Now you’re talkin’ like the gentle, sweet Nora I remember,” she murmured. “You’re on the right path, but it’s not gonna be a walk in the park. When ya left, your dat insisted that none of us speak about ya ever again, and he’s maintainin’ that silence now. Your mamm, bless her heart, is out of bed for the first time in months, so excited that she saw ya.”

Nora eased away from the embrace that felt so heavenly, so welcoming. “She knew me?”

“For sure and for certain.” Miriam’s face creased with her smile. “You’ll always be her little girl, Nora. And your little girl is the spittin’ image of ya when ya went away.”

While that information formed a sweet, sentimental picture in her mind, it didn’t make her situation any easier. “What’ll I do?” Nora whispered. “How can I tell Millie about why I left her with Atlee and Lizzie? And what if she won’t have anything to do with me, or—”

“One thing at a time,” Miriam murmured. “If God has brought ya to this situation, He’ll get ya through it. Ya believe that, don’t ya?”

Nora sensed she was being tested, yet hadn’t she known she would have to deal with the Old Order faith if she was to reconcile with her family? “He’s about the only chance I’ve got left, ain’t so?”

The words sounded lame as they tumbled from her mouth, yet Miriam’s lips quirked. “Most of us find ourselves in that position at some time in our lives. But when you’ve landed at the bottom of the pit, the only way to go is up.” She glanced toward the back window. “Ben just went into the smithy. Let’s go introduce ya.”

Nora wasn’t all that comfortable with spilling her story to a total stranger, but she didn’t argue. “Ben’s your husband now—Luke and Ira’s brother, right?” she asked as they stepped out into the pale daylight. “Some of the stuff those guys told me yesterday might not have sunk in. I was pretty tired by the time the moving van pulled out.”

“That doesn’t mean Ben’ll have any control over what they’ll say this morning,” Miriam added with a short laugh. “He’s a gut man, though. He’s a preacher now, on account of how your dat’s retired because of his failin’ health—”


Nora sighed as they approached the small white smithy she remembered from her childhood. “I had no idea he and Mamma were doing so poorly,” she remarked. “I wondered about them and Millie the whole time I was away, but one thing and another kept me from getting here any sooner.”
~Meet Charlotte!~
Drawing upon her experiences in Jamesport, the largest Old Order Amish community west of the Mississippi, longtime Missourian Charlotte Hubbard writes of simpler times and a faith-based lifestyle in her Seasons of the Heart series. Like her heroine, Miriam Lantz Hooley, Charlotte considers it her personal mission to feed people. Faith and family, farming and food preservation are hallmarks of her lifestyle. She’s a deacon, a dedicated church musician and choir member, and when she’s not writing, she loves to try new recipes, crochet, and sew. Charlotte now lives in Minnesota with her husband and their border collie.

Seasons of the Heart, Book 5
Zebra (February 24, 2015)
ISBN-13: 9781420133097 •• ISBN-10: 1420133098
Click on these links to buy this book now!
The Book Depository •• Amazon •• Barnes & Noble
B-A-M •• Chapters •• IndieBound •• Powell’s •• Kensington Books
Ebook: • Kensington Books •• Kindle •• Kobo •• iBooks
 

One randomly drawn commenter will win $50 in Amazon Gift cards!  

19 comments:

  1. This sounds like something I'd enjoy reading, thank you for the reveal!

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    1. Thanks for reading the excerpt and commenting, Nikolina! You can see all the previous titles of this series at www.CharlotteHubbard.com--including excerpts and recipes from those books.

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  2. Thanks, Andra, for featuring my book on your blog today! I appreciate your taking a day on my tour to help me promote Nora's story!

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    1. Sure! It was fun to read about! What are you up to today???

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    2. Today I'm working on PROMISE LODGE, the first book in a new series that debuts a year from this week, in March 2016! The final book of the Seasons of the Heart series (THE CHRISTMAS CRADLE) is already turned in, coming out this fall. And of course I'm keeping up with FB promo and other writing business. Thanks for asking! We're enjoying a warm sunny day here in St. Paul, MN.

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  3. I enjoyed the excerpt, thank you.

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  4. Yesterday, in your response to my question, you said you wrote historicals because that's what was selling. Now you write Amish books for the same reason. Do you think the publishing houses often refuse some perfectly good stories based on 'what is selling at the moment'?

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    1. Oh you know that they do Karen! I have heard of many an author's woe, because the publishing house said that what they were writing wouldn't sell books. Some of those writers get accepted by one house willing to take a chance and end up becoming Best Sellers because they are new and different! Go figure. Thanks for commenting and sharing. Charlotte, what do you think??

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    2. Excellent question, Karen and Andra. Frankly, I'm surprised (and delighted!) that Amish books are remaining SO popular when there are now hundreds of authors writing them...which usually leads to a glut in the market and readers looking for the next new, interesting trend to follow. I've noticed that Western-set historicals are now popular in the Christian market (mine were a tad racier than these, because again, that's what I could sell at the time). Never forget that publishing houses are in business to make money--so if they sense a trend is ending, or an author's sales numbers are slipping, they stop offering contracts. Both of these things have happened to me during my writing career. Nowadays, however, authors have the option of self publishing, so they often take that route to get their stories out to an audience. Sometimes that's great, and sometimes not so much!

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  5. I've always been fascinated by how The Amish choose to live so this book sounds really interesting to me! Thanks for the giveaway!

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  6. You're welcome, Judy! Good luck in the drawing!

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  7. Great excerpt. Just curious, if you could choose only one type of book (historical, Amish, etc) and NOT have to worry about the publishing house what would you choose?

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  8. I look forward to meeting Nora's character in this book! It sounds like a great read :)

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  9. I like the excerpt (particularly the characterization of Nora).

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  10. My favorite part of the post is the author bio. Sounds like she keeps her self busy helping others.

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  11. I enjoyed reading the excerpt. Thank you for the giveaway.

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