GUEST POST Author Kathleen Maher and BACHELOR BUTTONS #giveaway

Hi, Debra. I’m delighted to be back at Inkwell. Thank you for having me!

I’m all a’twitter with the re-release of my historical romance Bachelor Buttons. It’s exciting to see a fresh cover on it and apply a few editorial tweaks and give a fun story new life. Since all the St. Patrick’s Day hoopla is over, instead of going on about the Irish side of the story, maybe I’ll just talk about the historical setting a bit.
What was New York City like in the 1860’s? We know many Irish emigrated through the city as they fled the Famine. But there were also many German, Jewish, and other European immigrants who settled there to layer over its Dutch foundations. Plus a large population of freedmen, whether escaped from slavery or born into freedom.

 
My story is set in Manhattan—an island bordered by The East River, Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, which made this the mega trade and port town and global capital of trade and wealth that it is to this day. Those diverse cross currents of commerce, ethnicity, politics, socioeconomic strata, and nationality were now compounded by war.

The Civil War was not a popular war to many, as it entered its third year. Heavy casualties, inept leadership, the financial cost… all made for a smoldering powderkeg among those who started to resent Lincoln and his war. The Emancipation Proclamation had been issued at the beginning of 1863, which some said was a political maneuver to keep England from aiding the Confederacy. To some, it galvanized their cause. But to others, it only added fuel to the fire of resentment. Newly-made citizens, many Irish and other nationalities resented fighting a war to free people who might come and take their jobs from them.

Then the bomb dropped. The Battle of New York City, as some call it, exploded across Manhattan. It started when Lincoln ordered the draft. Democrat papers, critical of Lincoln to begin with, fanned the spark of ire into flame. Mobs of people, many of them Irish, protested the draft offices. The protests turned to riots, and looting, and fires, and lynching. Complete mayhem. Order was restored by troops sent up from Gettysburg, and the local police—many of them Irish, ironically.

Into this setting I have written a suspenseful historical romance novella. Here is the blurb:

Bachelor Buttons

The daughter of immigrants who fled the Irish Potato Famine, Rose Meehan longs for a better life than the tenements of New York City. Courted by two men--a young doctor who represents material security, and a poor violin instructor who has captured her heart--she must choose between the two. When Manhattan explodes in mob rule following Lincoln's unpopular draft, Rose’s decision could mean the difference between life and death.

Available on Amazon for only 99 cents: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0851WX4JC/

Thank you so much for having me on your blog, Debra.

CONTEST TIME
I am offering a giveaway to one of your readers of an e-copy of Bachelor Buttons. All they have to do to enter is share this post on social media. The more shares, the more entries. Just tell me in the comments where you shared to claim your entry(ies). And a way for me to reach you if random dot org selects your name. (email is great.)

Also, I am hostessing a huge Rafflecopter giveaway with another Christian historical author. Please take a moment to enter for your chance to win one of these great prizes!

HURRY—rafflecopter ends tonight at midnight

Grand prize is $50 Amazon GC, second prize is a $25 Ammy GC, third prize is an Irish goodie basket.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/0cc4b6534/?

Kathleen L. Maher’s Author bio:
"Where every underdog has his day."
Kathleen L. Maher’s first crush was Peter Rabbit, and she’s loved conflicted heroes ever since. She has two novellas in BARBOUR BOOKS' collections: Victorian Christmas Brides and Lessons on Love. Winner 2012 ACFW Genesis Award. Author of Sons of the Shenandoah Series: The Abolitionist's Daughter and The Chaplain's Daughter.
Kathleen and her husband live in an old farmhouse in upstate NY with their children and a small menagerie.

Find Kathy at:
Amazon
Facebook Author page
Pinterest
Goodreads
BookBub

Guest Post by Michelle Griep: BOW STREET RUNNERS Reviews by Rebecca Maney and #GIVEAWAY

Inspiration. . . You Never Know When it Will Strike

Today we offer a Guest post by Author Michelle Griep!

Some people listen to music to fire-up their muse. Others take a stroll out in God’s great creation. And what’s not inspiring about art masterpieces or great pieces of literature? These are all fantastic ways to spark free-thoughts and creativity.

But never underestimate the potential in a ratty old yellow-paged newspaper. 

My recent trilogy about the Bow Street Runners all stemmed from a small advertisement I came across in an old London newspaper. It encouraged the public to send a note to the Bow Street magistrate as soon as any serious crime occurred so that a “set of brave fellows could immediately be dispatched in pursuit of villains.” That one short phrase opened a floodgate of questions in my mind . . . Who were those fellows? What made them brave? Why would they willingly pursue dangerous criminals?

And so was born The Bow Street Runner trilogy: Brentwood’s Ward, The Innkeeper’s Daughter, and The Noble Guardian.

The first story is set in the streets of Regency London, from the grit of the alleys to the sweep of a grand ballroom. The second story takes place in Dover. Why the change of scenery?

A few years ago I visited the famed white cliffs, and while I was hiking, I came across several caves. Smuggling used to be prevalent in that area and it got me to thinking . . . could one of the caverns I’d peeked into have been a hide-out for stolen goods? What kind of goods? Who would put them there? Those are the questions that spawned The Innkeeper’s Daughter.

On that same trip we headed back up to London and visited the famed Hounslow Heath. It’s not as vast and open as it used to be, but there’s still a fair amount of unoccupied wild land. The heath is famed for being the haunt of highwaymen. We ate dinner at The Spaniard’s Inn (a known hangout for those rascals) and ended up walking quite a ways back to our tube stop in the dark. It was a tad creepy—which of course got me to wondering . . . how scary would it be to get stopped and robbed? Would anyone protect us? How dangerous is this area? And that’s where The Noble Guardian was born.

So, a newspaper article, hiking a trail, and staying too late at a restaurant were my unlikely places of inspiration. Motivation really can happen anywhere. Just be sure to keep your eyes open and dare to raise questions.

Deb here: And we're very thankful for that newspaper article, Michelle! I have both of these stories in audiobook which means I can (and have) enjoyed them more than once...okay, more than twice! 

Visit Michelle's Website, Twitter, Facebook page, Instagram, Goodreads, and Pinterest pages!

REBECCA's REVIEWS!

In anticipation of #3 in the Bowstreet Runner series, A NOBLE GUARDIAN and tomorrow's reviews, Rebecca couldn't help but share love for the first two in this series!

BRENTWOOD'S WARD:
“I fell in love with Michelle Griep’s Bow Runner series from the very beginning. Having read Brentwood’s Ward at least four times, it’s nice to know that book three in the series, The Noble Guardian, releases in just a few weeks!”

Nicholas Brentwood is a member of the elite Bow Street Runners; a highly trained law enforcement agency for hire, who does not make enough money risking his life for others to provide adequate care for his beloved, terminally ill sister. When offered a lucrative bodyguard position, he accepts; albeit with extreme caution after discovering that others have turned it down.

Emily Payne is beautiful, stubborn, and spoiled; and the fact that her father has hired a personal guard before leaving England on a business trip, has her extremely vexed. Nicholas Brentwood is a formidable character and leaves little room for argument while he investigates potential dangers that hover just below the surface of her pampered lifestyle; even posing as Emily's "cousin"; accompanying her to highly touted social occasions, and joining her on multiple shopping excursions.

The depths of this book are extraordinary; characters who long to be cherished, friends who cannot be trusted, family members who have regrettably "sold their soul", heroes willing to face down evil in its worst form, displays of courage and honor and faithfulness that are remarkable, surrounded by a constant reminder of a God who embodies everlasting love. The cruelty of human nature is gentled by mesmerizing romance within the chapters of this story, which emerges with dignity and grace.

"Brentwood's Ward" is truly an astounding read!

THE INNKEEPER'S DAUGHTER:
"There is nothing more - nor less - than trusting God. Therein surrender, and you will find rest."

Innkeeper Johanna Langley is bone tired; tired of trying to make ends meet, tired of chasing down her errant brother, tired of carrying the burden of her family's livelihood on her young shoulders. The old dilapidated Blue Hedge Inn stands just one payment shy of foreclosure, which would send all three members of her family to the poorhouse, when Joanna literally falls into the arms of an handsome stranger on their doorstep; Alexander Morton needs lodging and he is eager to reward their hospitality with bright gold guineas.

Officer Alexander Moore, a celebrated Bow Street Runner, has just been handed the chance of a lifetime or a dreaded death sentence depending on the outcome; find the traitor and "ingratiate, eliminate, then extricate". If only it didn't involve gambling away his entire future at the cost of dimming the lustre in Joanna Langley's beautiful eyes. She's a rare beauty, but Alex has his orders, and they involve the daughter of a viscount, not an innkeeper.

Danger lurks around every corner in this alluring story, where everyone is exactly who they aren't and "broken things are always the beginning of better things". It's Michelle Griep at her very best!

*I received a copy of this book from the author and publisher. The opinions stated are entirely my own.


BUY ANY AND ALL OF Michelle's books at Amazon

ENTER REBECCA's GIVEAWAY of a paperback of BRENTWOOD'S WARD:
 a Rafflecopter giveaway


RETURN TOMORROW FOR MICHELLE'S GIVEAWAY (June 1st): Michelle is giving away signed copies of The Innkeeper's Daughter and The Noble Guardian!

Book “Babies” Need Lots of Prenatal/Prepublication Care! ~And a Giveaway!

Welcome Carrie Fancett Pagels to the Inkwell!

First of all, thanks for having me on again, Susie!

I have an upcoming release, Saving the Marquise’s Granddaughter, that had so much help given to it that it feels like a seven to eight year birthing process for this novel!

I got started on the book eight years ago when I did some genealogical research and discovered an interesting ancestor, Johan Adam Rousch, who had a memorial from the Sons of the American Revolution dedicated to him because nine of his sons fought in the war. I asked myself, what would compel a young man from the Palatinate of Germany to come to the colonies? And I began researching. For a year or two I got assistance from my wonderful local librarians at Yorktown Library, including a special reference desk librarian who steered me toward a huge volume of European history that addressed the impact of the Hundred Years War on Europe and in particular the Palatinate/Germany. I also got to spend a special afternoon at the University of Virginia Rare Books collection, a climate controlled environment where the librarians wore gloves to handle the books. I was able to read from some volumes that were specifically about Johan and his descendants and felt I got to “know” him better. I was also blessed to be able to spend many hours visiting a real Palatinate house at the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton, Virginia, and was able to discuss mid-18^th century Palatinate with some of the staff there.  It allowed me to actually visit what would become Johan’s house and farm in the Palatinate! 

Besides researching, I spent a great deal of time on improving my writing craft. So I took every class that ACFW offered! Thank you to all the authors who have volunteered their time over the years! I “found” Camy Tang’s wonderful blog and began reading all her posts on writing and I took several classes from her for synopsis development. That was extremely helpful in getting a newbie ready to have the framework for writing the story. And I had my first experience with critique partners. I had some great help from my very first critique partner, and then joined a group that regrettably included primarily contemporary writers. Don’t believe people if they tell you although they don’t read or enjoy historical romance they can critique your work. It isn’t that you won’t get constructive feedback, but you won’t get the encouragement you’ll need from folks who enjoy reading your genre. Best to stick with writers in your own genre. 

But that experience gave me the impetus to join another critique group through the Fellowship of Christian Writers, which I belonged to for a few years. There I found critiquers who gave me the encouragement to begin submitting my work! So I went from little to no impetus from others that I was doing much right to being told I needed to start looking for an agent! And, thankfully, I soon met Joyce Hart, who later became my agent after Lena Nelson Dooley gave me my second professional critique, one during the ACFW conference and another later, and Lena offered an endorsement to Joyce. I was floored!

Then the realization hit. I had to have my manuscript all completed and polished before I submitted it to Joyce. My FCW critiquers, in particular Vicki McCollum and Lynn Squire, helped me get started on organizing myself.Then God sent me Kimberly D. Taylor, a petite spitfire from out west who was in the Tidewater, Virginia, area for a few years while her husband completed some studies at Regent University. Every week we’d exchange chapters and return them to each other. Later, I agreed to also work with Sarah E. Ladd, Kim’s critique partner, who was entering the Genesis with a story that had already won accolades but, like mine, needed to be finished. The three of us tended my book baby as well as each others’!  Then came the time I needed an editor’s help, and once again God blessed me by sending Susan Lohrer to help. She was an amazing editor and gave me so much insight into the more subtle, and some not-so-subtle, things I was doing wrong that my fellow newbie critique partners and I weren’t seeing. It was like having someone point out that your child shouldn’t really be dressed in mustard yellow nor would people caring for the child want to know certain “things.”  I learned a lot and we all shared our thoughts on how to use the feedback for each of our stories. 

There is so much MORE that went into the creation of this upcoming release, but I hope this little bit is helpful to someone who is new to writing and wonders what it takes. Some people may tell you they read a ton of books in their genre and then sat down and wrote. That didn’t work for me, nor does it for most authors in my opinion. Working on my own isn’t my style, so I am very grateful God has brought me a lot of helpers and I hope I’ve been able to return the assistance, too!

Saving the Marquise’s Granddaughter releases in ebook in early June (Pelican Books) and is available for pre-order now!  The paperback will be available in July. Bloggers, please note the PDF will be available from NetGalley during the month of July for download for reviews.

***

Giveaway: Winners choice of any one of Carrie's currently released books, choice of format (Kindle, Nook, or paperback). Answer the question to enter. Question: What experiences have helped your “book babies” along the most?

Please leave a way to contact you (email address). Winner will be drawn at random at 12:59 pm EDT Thursday, May 19, 2016, and announced the following day. Void where prohibited.

***

Bio – Carrie Fancett Pagels, Ph.D.

Carrie Fancett Pagels is a multi-published award-winning author of Christian historical romance. All three of her Christy Lumber Camp books were finalists for Family Fiction’s Book of the Year. Twenty-five years as a psychologist didn't "cure" her overactive imagination! She resides with her family in the Historic Triangle of Virginia, which is perfect for her love of history. Carrie loves to read, bake, bead, and travel – but not all at the same time!

Website: www.carriefancettpagels.com

Blogs: Overcoming With God and Colonial Quills

Facebook Author Page

Facebook Personal Page

Twitter

Pinterest

goodreads

LinkedIn

Amazon author page

Links to purchase:

“Requilted with Love” in The Blue Ribbon Brides Collection (Barbour, November 2016)

Saving the Marquise’s Granddaughter (White Rose/Pelican Book Group, June 2016)

Return to Shirley Plantation: A Civil War Romance (2^nd edition, January 2016)

The Steeplechase (Forget-Me-Not Romances, February 2016)

The Substitute Bride: A Novella (October 2015)

“The Fruitcake Challenge” in the Christmas Traditions Collection (Forget Me Not Romances, July 2015)

The Christy Lumber Camp Series: Lilacs for Juliana (August, 2016), The Lumberjacks’ Ball (April, 2015), The Fruitcake Challenge (2014)

“Snowed In”, in A Cup of Christmas Cheer, (Guidepost Books, 2013)

Contributor to God’s Provision in Tough Times (Lighthouse of the Carolinas, 2013)

Saving the Ones We Love: Guest Blogger Christine Lindsay

Please welcome author and speaker Christine Lindsay back to Inkwell Inspirations today. She's celebrating the release of her latest book, Sofi's Bridge, and talking about personality traits and how they influence our lives. And the lives of our fictional characters.

—SAVING THE ONES WE LOVE—

By Christine Lindsay 

I have always been fascinated with the study of personality traits. What aspects of personality affect people’s choices of work, family, exploits or their lack of exploits.

  • What is the good side and the down side to our personality traits?
There are many different types of personality tests such as 16 Personalities and Myers Brigg’s. In one test I found myself as a Protagonist under the heading for Diplomats. They describe this personality as:

Everything you do ripples outward and affects everyone. Your posture can shine your heart or transmit anxiety. Your breath can radiate love or muddy the room in depression. Your glance can awaken joy. Your words can inspire freedom. Your every act can open hearts and minds.

Which all comes in very handy considering that I’m an author and motivational speaker, but the down side is I can also lock myself away for hours on end with my laptop. I tend to be a workaholic, and prefer my solitude a bit too much.

While developing the characters for Sofi’s Bridge, I wanted to know the good side and the bad side to the personality traits of a doctor. On the site Medoholic the following traits are listed as the three most predominant personality traits in clinical students.

Conscientiousness—“Controlled by or done according to one’s inner sense of what is right, principled. Careful, painstaking, particular, meticulous, scrupulous.”

Extraversion—“The act of directing one’s interest outward or to things outside one’s self. The state of being concerned primarily with things outside the self, rather than with one’s own thoughts and feelings.

Empathy—“Cognitive empathy, sometimes called perspective taking, refers to the ability to identify and understand other people’s emotions.”

Clearly these are the traits of a doctor who will go beyond himself to save others. But what’s the
possible downside? In the Supporter Personality tests doctors and nurses are referred to as “Supporters” with the passion to be saviors.

 • So, what’s happens when a healthy individual with the personality traits to make a good doctor finds himself in a personal situation that twists his passion for saving others into circumstances that will destroy him?

I have seen the savior complex to mild degrees in my family, loved ones working hard to fix the circumstances in the lives of others. But I’ve also seen that the very service they offer hinders what God wants to do in that person’s life.

 • Have you ever stopped in the middle of helping your kids or a friend out of a jam, and thought, “maybe it would be better if they took their lumps and learned from their situation?” 

This particular truth inspired my latest historical romance Sofi’s Bridge. The hero and the heroine in this book are both savior personality types.

In Sofi’s Bridge, both Sofi Andersson and Dr. Neil Galloway must learn the same lesson that I had to learn in my life—that we cannot save the ones we love. Only Christ can do that.

Click HERE to read chapter one of Sofi’s Bridge.

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Seattle Debutant Sofi Andersson will do everything in her power to protect her sister who is suffering from shock over their father’s death. Charles, the family busy-body, threatens to lock Trina in a sanatorium—a whitewashed term for an insane asylum—so Sofi will rescue her little sister, even if it means running away to the Cascade Mountains with only the new gardener Neil Macpherson to protect them. But in a cabin high in the Cascades, Sofi begins to recognize that the handsome immigrant from Ireland harbors secrets of his own. Can she trust this man whose gentle manner brings such peace to her traumatized sister and such tumult to her own emotions? And can Neil, the gardener continue to hide from Sofi that he is really Dr. Neil Galloway, a man wanted for murder by the British police? Only an act of faith and love will bridge the distance that separates lies from truth and safety.

ABOUT CHRISTINE LINDSAY 
Twilight of the British Raj, Book 1 Shadowed in Silk, Book 2 Captured by Moonlight, and the explosive finale Veiled at Midnight. 
Christine’s Irish wit and joy in the use of setting as a character is evident in her contemporary romance Londonderry Dreaming. 
Her newest release Sofi’s Bridge features a dashing Irish hero, and her current work in progress is set on the majestic Irish coastline.
Aside from being a busy writer and speaker, Christine is the happy wife of David of 35 years, mom to four grown kids, and Nanny to five grandsons. She makes her home on the west coast of Canada, and in Aug. 2016 she will see her long-awaited non-fiction book released, Finding Sarah, Finding Me: A Birth Mother’s Story.
Please drop by Christine’s website www.ChristineLindsay.org or follow her on Amazon or Twitter. Subscribe to her quarterly newsletter, and be her friend on Pinterest, Facebook, and Goodreads.

PURCHASE LINKS FOR SOFI’S BRIDGE:
AMAZON.COM 
This book can also be purchased on Barnes & Noble, Pelican Book Group, and ChristianBooks.Com

PURCHASE LINKS FOR ALL OF CHRISTINE LINDSAY’S BOOKS CAN BE FOUND ON HER WEBSITE

Single Guy Reviews a Chick Flick: Leap Year

Guest blogger Calvin Chase

Hello, this is Calvin Chase, son of C. J. Chase, bringing you the second installment of my series, “Single Guy Reviews a Chick Flick." The premise of the series is simple: my mom chooses the movie, and I write the review. In the spirit of February 29, the movie under review today is appropriately titled Leap Year. Admittedly, I was a little apprehensive, considering how the last chick flick my mom picked (a drama) turned out, but from the moment the main character appeared on screen, I knew I would like this one.

The main character, Anna (played by one of my favorite actresses, Amy Adams), is a stager—a person who arranges a house to make it look as appealing as possible to potential buyers. Right off the bat, one thing is obvious about this woman: she is a control freak. For her, everything must have a plan, and every plan must go perfectly. Now Anna has heard from her best friend that her business partner/boyfriend is about to propose to her. Considering they’ve been dating for several years, she gets more than a little excited… which it makes it all the more disappointing when he gives her a pair of earrings rather than an engagement ring.

Tired of waiting for a proposal, Anna thinks about a story her father likes to tell. According to him, there is a tradition in Ireland where a woman can propose to a man on February 29. He claims that his Grandma Jane proposed to her boyfriend in such a manner and Dad’s been suggesting, with little subtlety, that Anna should do the same. Up until now, Anna had ignored her father’s urging, but with this latest disappointment fresh in her mind, she decides to do as her father suggests and “pull a Grandma Jane.”

Anna arranges to fly to Dublin, make preparations and meet up with her boyfriend, who’s already there on business. However, a storm diverts her plane to Cardiff (Wales) instead. After much hassling, she secures transport on a leaky tub to Ireland, and ends up in a pub in a backwater town a few hours drive from Dublin. As is the common cliché, the barkeeper, a rugged man named Declan (Matthew Goode), does pretty much everything in the village, including run the inn and drive the “taxi." Anna hires Declan to take her and a suitcase he dubs Louis the rest of the way to Dublin.

Declan and Anna take an immediate disliking to each other (partly because Anna shorted out the town’s electricity when she tried to charge her cell phone), and amidst their constant bickering, their journey hits one snag after another. Several cows, car crashes and bar-fighting thieves later, however, the two start to gain a deeper understanding of each other. I dare not go into more detail than that for fear of spoiling the movie, but simply put, the two of them will fall in love before they reach Dublin—and the waiting boyfriend.

And now, the verdict. This movie is hilarious. There are, in my opinion, few things more amusing than watching a control freak with no control paired up with a cynical macho man. I will say, there were times where I felt that the romance seemed a tad bit forced, but even there, the movie does a pretty good job. This is definitely the kind of chick flick I think most men are likely to enjoy.

Guest Blogger Paula Moldenhauer: Ten Years and It’s Still True

Please welcome guest blogger Paula Moldenhauer to Inkwell Inspirations today, celebrating the release of her new series of devotionals, just in time for 2016. 

What I found was joyously stunning.

Recently I read through hundreds of devotionals I’d written over a span of more than ten years. I was deciding which devotional thoughts I wanted to include my latest book project, SoulScents ~ A Journey in the Son’s Embrace, which offers four volumes of devotional reading: Awaken, Rooted, Bloom, and Flourish. As I read, made my choices, and edited my heart rejoiced because I still believed it all.

The journey of the last ten years has been arduous, but the glorious truths our sweet Savior taught me along the way stand the test of time.

I may have been naïve in 2004 before the big storms hit. Back then I wrote in wonder as I absorbed new understanding of who Jesus is.  I may not have understood how deeply the concepts I penned would be tested. I certainly didn’t understand what I was praying as I offered my thoughts of praise and surrender, nor did I guess how God would take me at my word.

But I’m delighted to report it’s all true.

I edited word counts and clunky sentences, but the foundational concepts which I so naively typed many years ago needed no revision. And guess what? The devotionals I penned a few weeks ago are again written in wonder as I “absorb new understanding of who Jesus is.”

In 2004 I invited readers to go with me on a journey into the heart of Jesus. I declared we’d never run out of places to discover, and we never have. He shows us glimpses of His character then allows life experiences to solidify the understanding of the insight. Over time He takes initial understanding deeper and reveals new wonders of His Person.

To be vulnerable, our family rode some difficult waters after the earlier devotionals were written. In spring of 2015 I tried to write about the really hard years, but I often dissolved into tears at the computer.

The Lord called me away from those efforts and invited me to spend time with Him. I journaled, did some more Bible study in the Song of Solomon, and rested. Truth be told I spent a lot of time talking to my plants last summer! And the Lord, always the Healer, did what He does best and healed me.

In the fall the Lord released me back into focusing on development of Soul Scents. I wasn’t really surprised (although I was very pleased) when those months of seeking God resulted in devotions for volumes 3 & 4 of this collection. Even though I believed I was not productive last year, I was writing the rest of this series without knowing it.

I love how organic that is.

I’m excited to offer fellow travelers a year’s journey in the Son’s embrace. It begins with volume 1, SoulScents: Awaken, and continues with a new devotional book releasing each quarter of 2016.

Author, speaker, and mom of four, Paula Moldenhauer encourages others to be released into full potential through freedom in Christ and the empowerment of God’s grace. Published over 300 times in non-fiction markets, her first devotional book series, Soul Scents, releases in four volumes beginning with Soul Scents: Awaken. Paula’s first two novels released in 2012. Sometimes empty-nesters, Paula and her husband, Jerry, enjoy four adult children and a wonderful son-in-law. Paula loves peppermint ice cream, walking barefoot and talking to her flowers. For inspirational articles, book information, and speaking topics visit: www.paulamoldenhauer.com