Welcome to the Blog Blitz for The Mosaic Collection, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE COLLECTION

For His glory…
The Mosaic Collection is an international community of women authors who use faith-based fiction to touch hearts with the good news that Christ’s finished work on the cross has made us one family, and to nurture affection for the people God has placed within our circles of influence, so that the grace and glory of God may become visible and personal to everyone we meet.

…and our good
We are sisters, a beautiful mosaic united by the love of God through the blood of Christ. We have experienced the redemptive, restorative power of God’s grace in our marriages and families, and we believe our God is able to heal, restore and redeem our brokenness. His love fills us with the courage to persevere, and to offer others a Christ-like compassion that is full of His wisdom and grace.

Visit the Mosaic Collection Website to stay posted on each new release & follow the collection blog for meaningful posts from the authors!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Deb Elkink lives with her long-time husband in a cottage beside a babbling creek in rural Alberta, Canada. She grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and studied in Minneapolis–Saint Paul (B.A. Communications), publishing a dozen or so short stories and articles as a young adult. She spent the next twenty years as a rancher’s wife and homeschooling mom (rounding up cattle on horseback, cooking for huge branding crews, earning her private pilot’s license, readying kids for high school).

Graduate studies (M.A. Theology) then prepared her for editing a professional quarterly magazine, doctoral dissertations and scholarly articles, and an online expository Bible study. Today she writes and edits, travels like mad, drinks lots of creamy decaf with friends, and speaks to women’s groups about the Christian faith.

Her debut novel (The Third Grace) received Canada’s prestigious Grace Irwin Prize in 2012, and her literary work on the fiction of a late-Victorian British writer (Roots and Branches: The Symbol of the Tree in the Imagination of G.K. Chesterton) was published in 2015. Her upcoming novel is a contemporary women’s fiction with a historical/theological twist: Eat, Pray, Love and The Wizard of Oz meet the Book of Hebrews in showing that “home” is a state of soul, a state of inner rest.

CONNECT WITH DEB: Website | Facebook

Cornerstone message from the collection: 

Look for God in the Bible. Everything (art, literature, fashion design, engineering, philosophy, travel, cooking, health, romance, community, fitness . . .) can be a way to express or illustrate God’s action on our world, but only the living and breathed-out Word of God can give us knowledge of the Father our hearts are longing for. Only the mind of God revealed to the minds of mortals by the Holy Spirit through Scripture can bring us into alignment with the Person of Jesus Christ. In today’s increasingly pagan culture, “spirituality” has become a buzzword for any belief but the truth—the more mystical the better. But the Holy Book of God is the only source containing all we need for salvation and spiritual life.

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT

Favorite place to read: In bed beneath my down duvet, propped up on goose-feather pillows, and ensconced in crisp, white, Egyptian cotton sheets of high thread count–with a chocolate snack to nibble.

Favorite book character from childhood: Nancy Drew–so poised, so brainy, and so gullible all at the same time. She led me into and through many mysterious plots that stimulated my curiosity about dude ranches and treasure maps and old attics. It’s funny I didn’t become a mystery writer.

Favorite movie: Usually psychological thrillers (with no spiritistic thread) like Gone Girl or The Game, or any movies I can read theology into such as Chocolat or Father Brown. Currently, however: When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story

Favorite quote or Bible verse: 2 Timothy 2:15 . . . rightly dividing the Word of truth. 

Also Phil 1:9-11: And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Favorite splurge/treat: Chocolate! Dark, bittersweet, enveloping rustic candied ginger or cherries or salted caramel

Favorite character you’ve created: Mary Grace (renamed Aglaia after a Greek goddess), who ran from her rural background searching for herself (and love) in the arts. Or maybe Ebenezer MacAdam, the old Scottish sage full of truth. No, I take that back–better Libby Walker, who’s been walking away for all her life and finally finds her way home. That said, my current antagonist, Sybil Tansey, travels from one exotic international “sacred place” to the next for yet another thrill–gotta love the misplaced verve.

Last 3 great books you read: All the Light You Cannot See (Doerr); Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering (Keller); Hebrews (the Holy Spirit)

Dream vacation: A Japanese ryokan (traditional inn) in Kyoto during cherry blossom season

Hidden talent/little-known fact: I can hear the (silent to most) shriek of an armed but not activated high-frequency alarm in some shops–yikes, drives me bats!

Plotter or pantser: Definitely plotter

In no particular order, ten of your favorite things (i.e. hot cocoa, a warm breeze, the sound of my kids’ laughter, etc.) : Exotic perfume; Chinese brush art (ink on sepia paper); Mennonite food (especially vrenekje with schmontfat–look it up); deep red silk velvet; prairie thunderstorms; a huge church choir singing old hymns of praise beneath the vaulted ceilings of a cathedral; my sewing machine; a crisp sheet of blank superwhite paper and a new roller pen; my hot tub in a snowstorm; a warm hug

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a $50 Amazon eGift Card & an ebook prize pack*!

Winner will receive an ebook of:

• Where She Belongs
• Pieces of Granite
• Lifelines
• Christmas on a Mission
• Vigilant
• Other Side of the River
• The Third Grace
• Carolina Grace
• The Benefit Package (a devotional)
• Dance of Grace
• When Love Calls

Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway will begin at midnight July 10, 2019 and last through 11:59 PM EST on July 24, 2019. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. Open internationally, but international winner will receive a gift card only *(may be substituted for a Book Depository gift card if winner cannot accept from US Amazon)

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

See tour landing page for a complete list of authors & book release dates.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.

Welcome to the Blog Blitz for The Mosaic Collection, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE COLLECTION

For His glory…
The Mosaic Collection is an international community of women authors who use faith-based fiction to touch hearts with the good news that Christ’s finished work on the cross has made us one family, and to nurture affection for the people God has placed within our circles of influence, so that the grace and glory of God may become visible and personal to everyone we meet.

…and our good
We are sisters, a beautiful mosaic united by the love of God through the blood of Christ. We have experienced the redemptive, restorative power of God’s grace in our marriages and families, and we believe our God is able to heal, restore and redeem our brokenness. His love fills us with the courage to persevere, and to offer others a Christ-like compassion that is full of His wisdom and grace.

Visit the Mosaic Collection Website to stay posted on each new release & follow the collection blog for meaningful posts from the authors!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

In a fit of optimism at age eleven, Eleanor Bertin began her first novel by numbering a stack of 100 pages. Two of them got filled with words. Lifelines, her first completed novel, was published in 2016, followed by Pall of Silence in 2017, a memoir about her late son Paul.

She holds a college diploma in Communications and worked in agriculture journalism until the birth of her first child. The family eventually grew to include one daughter and six sons (the youngest with Down syndrome) whom she home-educated for 25 years.

Eleanor lives with her husband and youngest son, Timothy, amidst the ongoing renovation of a century home in central Alberta where she reads, writes, sweeps up construction rubble and blogs about a sometimes elusive contentment at jewelofcontentment.wordpress.com.

CONNECT WITH ELEANOR: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Cornerstone message from the collection:

Launch out into the far reaches of the universe. Delve deep into the intricate wonders of creation’s minutest particles. The farther humanity goes, the more awe I feel at the God whose power and genius spoke it all into existence. As a very young girl, I relished the delicious thrill of feeling tiny in the face of vast power, whether under a giant prairie sky, or failing in my count of the sparkling night stars. Like holding hands with a grizzly bear, God’s thundering bigness against my feeble smallness terrifies and quiets me.

That shivery awe fills the pages of the Bible, where God’s mighty power and fearsome holiness are vividly on display. There I read of a majestic King, both perfectly holy and utterly sovereign. That’s the terror part! He governs every detail of history, and every detail of my life.

But layered within that message is the constant harmony line of God’s pure goodness and the astonishing message of His never-ending love in the sacrificial death of His Son Jesus in my place.

“And from my smitten heart with tears

Two wonders I confess —

The wonders of His glorious love

And my unworthiness.”

(Elizabeth C. Clephane, Beneath the Cross of Jesus)

I’m flooded with joy knowing I belong to a trustworthy, loving God who forgives me and never leaves me!

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT

Favorite place to read: On my bed, or stretched out on the couch. With fuzzy blanket. And chocolate.

Favorite book character from childhood: Anne of Green Gables

Favorite movie: Pride & Prejudice (6 hr. BBC version)

Favorite quote or Bible verse: “Ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.” Dt. 32: 3,4 coupled with “He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zeph. 3:17

Favorite splurge/treat: Chocolate-covered dried cherries!

Favorite character you’ve created: Can I pick three? None of these are my main characters, but they appeal to me anyway.

Anna Fawcett, a wise senior whose insightful questions and warm caring transform those she touches. (She’s modelled after my own mother.)

Jesse Fawcett, her 24yo son who has Down syndrome. I love his quirky ways, many of which are derived from my own son, Timo, or accounts of real people with DS as told to me by their families.

Jake Adrian, cultish, controlling legalist, manipulative self-styled prophet, tyrant of his family, money lover and secret gambler, northern Alberta farmer. (It was alarming to me how easily his wonky theology flowed onto the page!)

Last 3 great books you read: Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin, The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul

Dream vacation: leisurely British/European tour of great art, museums, architecture, history

Hidden talent: Pie-making. (“Maybe it should be less hidden,” husband says.)

Plotter or pantser: I plot by the seat of my pants. By that, I mean I have an overarching theme that governs why I’m writing the book, I make a rough outline of key plot points, and then I live with my characters day in and day out, letting the details of their characters unfold. Unbound (my Mosaic book) is my most plotted book thus far. Three-quarters of the way through its sequel, Tethered, I still wish I’d taken the time to plot this one in more detail.

In no particular order, ten of your favorite things (i.e. hot cocoa, a warm breeze, There are no warm breezes in Alberta. The first time I experienced such a thing was in 100degree heat in Texas. I was not amused., the sound of my kids’ laughter, etc.) :

• The swish of a tape measure
• The squeal of a power tool {These two reveal my eagerness to see our 16-year whole-house renovation completed!}
• All my grown sons kibbutzing together (they’re very witty!)
• A long conversation about Jesus and theology with whoever will indulge with me
• Listening to Handel’s Messiah
• Mowing our acreage, seasonally scented by lilacs, chokeberry blossoms, wolf willow, or alfalfa
• Reading to/chatting/snuggling with my 5 (soon to be 7) grandchildren
• Sewing (especially quilts)
• Flower gardening (Lilies! Roses! Delphiniums!)
• A deep discussion with my husband (or daughter, or sister, or mother, or friend)

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a $50 Amazon eGift Card & an ebook prize pack*!

Winner will receive an ebook of:

• Where She Belongs
• Pieces of Granite
• Lifelines
• Christmas on a Mission
• Vigilant
• Other Side of the River
• The Third Grace
• Carolina Grace
• The Benefit Package (a devotional)
• Dance of Grace
• When Love Calls

Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway will begin at midnight July 10, 2019 and last through 11:59 PM EST on July 24, 2019. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. Open internationally, but international winner will receive a gift card only *(may be substituted for a Book Depository gift card if winner cannot accept from US Amazon)

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

See tour landing page for a complete list of authors & book release dates.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.

Welcome to the Blog Blitz for The Mosaic Collection, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE COLLECTION

For His glory…
The Mosaic Collection is an international community of women authors who use faith-based fiction to touch hearts with the good news that Christ’s finished work on the cross has made us one family, and to nurture affection for the people God has placed within our circles of influence, so that the grace and glory of God may become visible and personal to everyone we meet.

…and our good
We are sisters, a beautiful mosaic united by the love of God through the blood of Christ. We have experienced the redemptive, restorative power of God’s grace in our marriages and families, and we believe our God is able to heal, restore and redeem our brokenness. His love fills us with the courage to persevere, and to offer others a Christ-like compassion that is full of His wisdom and grace.

Visit the Mosaic Collection Website to stay posted on each new release & follow the collection blog for meaningful posts from the authors!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stacy Monson is the award-winning author of The Chain of Lakes series, including Shattered Image, Dance of Grace, and The Color of Truth, as well as her newest release, Open Circle. Her stories reveal an extraordinary God at work in ordinary life. Residing in the Twin Cities, she is the wife of a juggling, unicycling physical education teacher, a proud mom, and doting grandma.

CONNECT WITH STACY: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Cornerstone message from the collection: Our identity is found first and foremost in God. Made in His image, we bear His DNA. We are fully, unconditionally loved by our Creator. While society tells us we don’t measure up, we aren’t good enough, we need to conform, God tells us we are loved exactly where we are being who we are. He invites us daily to walk with Him, look to Him for whatever needs we have, and to trust Him no matter what happens to or around us because He is always there for and with us. Despite the negative messages that rain over us, His message shines through – you are loved.

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT QUESTIONNAIRE

 Favorite place to read: outside on the deck in warm weather; in the bathtub in the evening; snuggled near the fireplace in cold weather

Favorite book character from childhood: Trixie Belden – she was spunky, brave, and fun (which I wasn’t)

Favorite movie: Price & Prejudice (Keira Knightley) and The Greatest Showman

Favorite quote or Bible verse: Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart, and wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:14)

Favorite splurge/treat: Dairy Queen Butterfinger Blizzard

Favorite character you’ve created: Vanessa Jordan (Dance of Grace) and Grandma Em (Open Circle)

Last 3 great books you read: A Sudden Glory (Sharon Jaynes), Seven Trilogy (Sara Davison)

Dream vacation: European river cruise; my favorite vacation spot is Lake Tahoe

Hiden talent/little-known fact: Uh…

Plotter or pantser: Started as a total pantser, but am now probably 50/50

In no particular order, ten of your favorite things (i.e. hot cocoa, a warm breeze, the sound of my kids’ laughter, etc.) :  a long soak in a hot bath with a good book, hot cocoa, napping on the beach with the sound of laughing children in the background (not children I’m supposed to be watching!), golden retrievers, hanging out with my extended family, traveling (pretty much anywhere), writers retreats, our annual girls’ weekend away, laughing with my husband, laughing with anyone, and chocolate (that’s actually 11!).

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a $50 Amazon eGift Card & an ebook prize pack*!

Winner will receive an ebook of:

• Where She Belongs
• Pieces of Granite
• Lifelines
• Christmas on a Mission
• Vigilant
• Other Side of the River
• The Third Grace
• Carolina Grace
• The Benefit Package (a devotional)
• Dance of Grace
• When Love Calls

Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway will begin at midnight July 10, 2019 and last through 11:59 PM EST on July 24, 2019. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. Open internationally, but international winner will receive a gift card only *(may be substituted for a Book Depository gift card if winner cannot accept from US Amazon)

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

See tour landing page for a complete list of authors & book release dates.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.

MY REVIEW:
I loved reading this sweet, heartwarming love story! I really enjoyed reading about the day to day life in Alaska and Dr Scott and Volta’s travels. The author did a wonderful job with the imagery and describing their travels-I felt like I was flying and experiencing Alaska with them!

Clean romance, great characters, and interesting story line. Easy and fun to read-highly recommend!

I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Sweet Home Alaska
(Northern Lights #5)
By Beth Carpenter
Contemporary Romance
Mass Market Paperback & ebook, 368 Pages
July 1st 2019 by Harlequin Heartwarming

Some sparks last forever.

But once burned…

World traveler Dr. Scott Willingham is known for being calm and levelheaded—except where Volta Morgan is concerned. In the ten years since they parted, Scott still can’t forget her. Now he’s come to Alaska to find Volta and finally let her go, only to find their attraction is stronger than ever. Can Scott leave her behind one last time…or has he truly found a place to call home?

Goodreads│Amazon│B&N│Harlequin│Kobo│iBooks

Other Books in the Series

About the Author

Once upon a time …

when Beth Carpenter was a little girl, she read everything she could get her hands on, and entertained herself on the school bus by making up stories in her head. Not a lot has changed. She’s still consuming books like M&Ms, and spends her days creating happily-ever-afters for her imaginary friends.

She lives in Alaska and Arizona with her husband and an aggressively affectionate fifty-pound lap dog. She loves to hear from readers.

Website│Goodreads│Facebook│Twitter│Pinterest

Tour Schedule

Tour Giveaway

1 winner will receive:
– A copy of AN ALASKAN PROPOSAL
– A neoprene pansy-print lunch tote
– A $20 Amazon gift card

Please note: International entries welcome, but if the winner has no US mailing address, the substitute prize will be AN ALASKAN PROPOSAL and ALASKAN HIDEAWAY ebooks, plus a $20 Amazon gift card.

Ends July 17, 2019

a Rafflecopter giveaway

MY REVIEW:
This story had great characters, interesting plot with some action, romance, and a twist! I had a hard time imagining what it would be like to have such an evil family member and just how bad Mitch’s brother really was. The author did a great job with describing the ranch setting and the heartache that Mitch, his dad, and Jane experienced due to the bad choices of Wade. We also got a glimpse into Wade and Mitch’s childhood and the warning signs of Wade’s emotional anger that everyone around him ignored until it was too late.

I had a hard time liking this story as much as her other books due to the serial killer’s closeness to the main characters and how “real” he seemed. Definitely a more suspenseful book instead of lighthearted and fun, but I still enjoyed reading it! I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.

About the Book

Book:Danger on the Ranch

Author: Dana Mentink

Genre: Inspirational romantic suspense

Release date: June 1, 2019

After putting his serial killer brother in prison, former US marshal Mitch Whitehorse chooses a solitary country life—until his brother escapes. Now Mitch’s former sister-in-law, Jane Reyes, needs protection…for herself and the toddler she’s kept a secret. Mitch still isn’t sure of Jane’s innocence in his brother’s crimes, but to keep his nephew out of a killer’s grasp, trusting her is his only option.

Click HERE to purchase your copy from Amazon.

About the Author

Dana Mentink is a two time American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award winner, a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award and a Holt Medallion winner. She is a national bestselling author of over thirty five titles in the suspense and lighthearted romance genres. She is pleased to write for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense, Harlequin Heartwarming, Harvest House and Woman’s World Magazine. Dana was thrilled to be a semi-finalist in the Jeanne Robertson Comedy With Class Competition. Besides writing, she busies herself teaching third grade. Mostly, she loves to be home with Papa Bear, teen bear cubs affectionately nicknamed Yogi and Boo Boo, Junie, the nutty terrier, a chubby box turtle and a feisty parakeet. You can connect with Dana via her website, on Facebook, YouTube (Author Dana Mentink) and Instagram (dana_mentink.)

More from Dana

We’re kicking off a new cowboy series, but this one is going to take you for a wild ride! Set on a ranch that’s sandwiched between the sea and the hills required me to do some on site research of course! I spent quite a while in this gorgeous area of California, looking for cattle. (You can see the zany results in my video.) I found the cattle, and also the perfect setting for this first book. It’s a creepy one, I’ll warn you, as hero Mitch Whitehorse comes face to face with the serial killer brother he sent to prison….and his desperate ex sister in law. Saddle up and enjoy the story! God bless!

Giveaway