And the Winner is....

Sorry, y'all, for the delay in announcing the winner of Cinderella's Boots by Darlene Franklin.

So without further ado...

The winner  is...

 

 Paula!!!

 

Congratulations!! Please Contact Us to claim your prize.

 

Stubby, the Hero Dog of World War I by Shirley Raye Redmond

Did you know that tens of thousands of dogs served as scouts and messengers during World Wars I and II? Others hauled ammunition. Many were guard dogs. Some were good at sniffing out deadly mines and booby traps too.

Many of these courageous canines came from kennels and dog pounds. But most of the dogs used during the wars were pets donated to the military by their families. One little English girl wrote in 1915: “We have let Daddy go and fight the Kaiser, now we are sending Jack to do his bit.”


Some dogs were trained for special tasks. Jack Russell terriers and other small dogs were taught to kill rats in the trenches during World War I. Messenger dogs raced dispatches from one place to another in both wars. They could deliver messages three times faster than a human! The Red Cross “mercy dogs” were released on the battlefield at night. They used their sense of smell to locate wounded soldiers.

Stubby was the most famous dog of World War I. But he wasn’t a trained war dog at all. In 1917, a soldier named Robert Conroy found the stray in Hartford, Connecticut. When Conroy and the 102nd Infantry were shipped overseas, Stubby was hidden onboard.

Even though he had no training, Stubby was a good soldier. Once, a German tried to sneak into camp. Stubby attacked the intruder. He wouldn’t let go until the Americans took the man prisoner.

One night, Stubby barked incessantly. He woke up Conroy and the other sleeping soldiers. The Germans were launching a gas attack! The men quickly put on their gas masks. Stubby’s warning had saved their lives. Sometimes, Stubby raced through the deep trenches carrying messages attached to his collar. In between battles, Stubby cuddled up next to wounded soldiers. He licked their faces. He tried to cheer them up. Grateful soldiers pinned their own medals and ribbons on his collar. French nurses made him a special little blanket to wear. Soon that was covered with medals too.

After serving in 17 battles together, Conroy and Stubby returned to the United States. Stubby was famous! He was given a silver medal that read, “Awarded to the Hero Dog Stubby.”

Stubby became an honorary member of the American Red Cross, the YMCA and the American Legion. In the years following the war, he met Presidents Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge. He took part in more parades than any other dog in the world. In 1925, Stubby became very sick. He died in the arms of the soldier who had rescued him years before.


An award-winning writer and frequent conference speaker, Shirley Raye Redmond is the author of three inspirational novels, PRUDENCE PURSUED, VIPER’S NEST, and AMANDA’S BEAU, as well as two dozen children’s books, including LEWIS & CLARK: A PRAIRIE DOG FOR THE PRESIDENT (Random House), which was a Children’s Book of the Month Club selection. Shirley Raye holds an M.A. in literature and teaches through the Institute of Children’s Literature. She has been married to her husband Bill for over forty years. They live in New Mexico and are blessed with two grown children and three adorable grandchildren. Touch bases at shirleyrayeredmond.com or Facebook.

Weekly Windup: Comment to Win The Duke's Dilemma by Elaine Manders

Weekly Windup

Welcome to the Weekly Windup! We have a winner to announce!

Winner of Cinderella's Boots by Darlene Franklin is...

 

 

 

 

  If you are a winner, please Contact Us to claim your prize.

 

This Week's Giveaway:

Elaine Mander's Brand spankin' new release, The Duke's Dilemma!

Should he wed the perfect match—or the one he loves?

Edward Dalton, the new duke of Langsdale, must soon take a wife to ensure the hereditary line. A young war widow seems the perfect choice. She is charming, well respected with impeccable character, and her connections to the Ton’s most important people is an asset he can’t ignore. But Edward is intrigued by another widow. The mysterious, hauntingly beautiful Lady Wayte.

Cassandra Wayte could not be a more unsuitable match. She isn’t received by polite society, and her notorious dealings with London’s underclass is the talk of nobility from White’s patrons to the most fashionable hostesses. It’s even whispered she murdered her elderly husband. But Edward sees a different side of the tragic lady, and he determines to discover the secrets tormenting her. As he peels away the layers of her resistance, he discovers a malevolent adversary stalking Lady Wayte and exposes a level of depravity that shocks even his war-hardened sensibilities. Can he win her trust and her heart? And at what cost to the dukedom?

As Cassandra’s relentless search for her husband’s murderer exposes both her and Edward to unseen dangers, all they can rely on is their love for each other and their faith in God.

 Comment on any post now through June 4th to get your name in the drawing! Winner will be announced in the June 5th issue of the Weekly Windup. Paperback giveaways are for U.S. residents only.

Coming up this week:

Tuesday, 5/30: Stubby, the Hero Dog of WWI, by Shirley Raye Redmond
Thursday, 6/1: ACFW New Releases!
Friday, 6/2:  Heidi Main's book review of "Behind the Scenes"
Saturday, 6/3: Author Interview with Kimberly Rose Johnson 

Happy Memorial Day!

A Big THANK YOU to all who've served 

from all of us here at Stitches Thru Time.

Meet Cynthia - A modern Cinderella from Cinderella's Boots by Darlene Franklin

 Today we welcome Cynthia Ellen Cooper, the heroine from Darlene Franklin's newest release, Cinderella's Boots. She's here to tell us a little about herself and her adventure.

Welcome! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Yes, I’m that Cynthia, Cynthia Ellen Cooper, AKA Cinderella—the Cinderella who left her groom at the altar four years ago to work on her penpal’s sheep station in Australia.

Aside from that aberration, I’m normal with a capital N. My parents divorced when I was little, but I love my stepdad and my half-sister who complete my family with my mother. Believe it or not, I ended up working in the animal clinic that belongs to my ex-fiance’s father. Now that Keith has finished vet school, he’ll be working with his father. I’m a little worried about what that will be like.

What brings you to back to the West?
I never intended to stay away. I only wanted to spread my wings before I settled down.

What would be your dream occupation?

A variation on what I’m doing now. I work at the animal clinic as a vet assistant and dog groomer. I’d like to run a full-service dog facility, with a mobile pet-grooming service. You know, doggy day care, boarding services, dog training, vet tech services.

What is your greatest fear?
I don’t like getting backed into a corner. I worry if I squandered my best chance at love when I walked out on Keith.

If you could go back ten or fifteen years, what advice would you give yourself?
I suppose you expect me to say I would tell myself not to leave Keith at the altar. And I would—but I wouldn’t say to marry him. I’d tell myself to be up front and tell him I needed more time. Tell him about the opportunity in Australia, and ask him for another two years.

Where do you see yourself being ten years down the road?
Married—to Keith? Or someone else. With children and maybe even my pet-grooming truck.

Any parting remarks?
For anybody out there who feels like you can recover from the mistakes you’ve made—I believe in second chances. Every day is a new beginning with God.

Thanks so much for sharing with us today, Cynthia!

Readers, don't forget to leave a comment to get your name in the drawing for this book!

About the author:

Best-selling hybrid author Darlene Franklin's greatest claim to fame is that she writes full-time from a nursing home. This year she expects to reach fifty unique titles in print and she’s also contributed to more than twenty nonfiction titles. Her column, “The View Through my Door,” appears in four monthly magazines. Her most recent titles are Capturing the Rancher's Heart, Romancing the Ranger, and Cinderella's Boot

Website and blog

Facebook

Amazon author page

Twitter: @darlenefranklin

Defiance by L. R. Burkard

Defiance is book three in the Pulse Effex series. The series has followed three teen-aged friends after an EMP has taken down the electrical grid in the United States. It details how they live and survive in a world that has gone mad.

This book picks up where Resilience left off and brings the reader along to a satisfying end to the series. It's a set of books that make you think about what it takes to live through difficult times, both physically and spiritually. You will be challenged in your faith as you read this series.

You won't want to put it down.


I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

Fried Chicken Fit for a Picnic

     

Memorial Day heralds the summer picnic season. Whether tail-gating at an event or going on an outing at the lake, beach, or mountain trail, a well-stocked picnic basket is a must.

The picnics of my childhood are some of my favorite summer memories. Way back in the woods, a deep spring connected to the river by a winding ice-cold, mossy brook. How we endured the chilly water I don’t know, but when the air temperature reached a humid 100 degrees, nothing was more refreshing.

As soon as we arrived at the swimming hole, a big, Georgia grown (best in the world) watermelon, complete with seeds for spitting contests, was lowered into the spring. It would stay there until we’d turned blue and our parents had pulled us out of the water. After we’d devoured our fill of all the other food, the usual fare of salads and desserts, we'd return to the water for awhile before slicing the watermelon.

I’m sure there was a variety of meat dishes at these picnics, but all I remember is the fried chicken my mother brought.

Fried chicken is one of those dishes where the cooking depends on technique and experience more than ingredients. I still can’t make it as well as Mama did, but here’s the recipe, and the result is a lot better than KFC. Notes in parenthesis are from my experience.

3-4 lbs whole chicken, cut into pieces, skin on. (Best to cut up your own chicken. Butchers do it wonky these days. If you eat low fat, wait until it’s cooked to pull skin off. Breast meat, especially, will be dry if skinned.)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 cups buttermilk

Self-rising flour for coating

Vegetable oil or peanut oil

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Place chicken in a zip top bag and add buttermilk. Seal and chill for at least 2 hours. (Overnight is OK. Buttermilk is a great tenderizer and commercially raised chicken is tougher than home raised.)

Pour oil to a depth of 1 ½ inches in a deep iron skillet or Dutch oven. Heat to 360 degrees. (Measure temperature. If it’s not hot enough, chicken will absorb too much oil.) Add flour coated chicken a few pieces at the time. (Don’t coat until ready to cook and don’t crowd.) Cover and cook 6 minutes. Uncover and cook 9 minutes. Turn chicken, cover and cook 6 minutes. Uncover and cook 5-9 minutes. (Larger pieces need longer cooking.) Turn the chicken the last 3 minutes.

Drain on paper towels spread over a wire rack.

Pack when cooled to room temperature. You’ll lose the crunch if you pack it hot. (This chicken is better eaten cold in my opinion, so it’s especially good for picnics.)

Enjoy your Memorial Day picnic.

What’s your favorite picnic food? Comment for a chance to win Cinderella’s Boots by Darlene Franklin. 

Ghosts Helped Win WWII

Imagine being a German field commander and hearing a tank battalion crank up a mile away, or an infantry regiment on the move just beyond that rise up ahead. What would you do? Chances are, what you heard was merely a sound recording.

Ghost Army logo

The U.S. Ghost Army was a 1,100-man unit officially known as the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops. The tactical deception unit impersonated other U.S. Army units to deceive the enemy during World War II. They used fake tanks, aircraft, and artillery, equipment pioneered by British, and used giant speakers to broadcast the sounds of men and artillery. Their ruses made the Germans think they were facing large forces, and deflected German units from the locations of actual allied combat units.

The American unit sailed for the England in early May 1944, and participated in Operation Fortitude, the British-designed and led D-Day deception of a landing force designated for the Pas-de-Calais. They then went to France and, until the end of the war, put on a “traveling road show” utilizing inflatable tanks, sound trucks, fake radio transmissions, and pretense. They staged more than 20 battlefield deceptions, often operating very close to the front lines.

93 pound inflatiale tank

Many of the ghosts had been actors, set designers, artists, and engineers, recruited from occupations that required creative thinking. Others were meteorologists and sound technicians. Among them were fashion designer Bill Blass and movie star Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

For visual deception, their equipment included inflatable airplanes, cannons, jeeps, tanks, and trucks that they inflated with air compressors. Imperfect camouflage allowed enemy air reconnaissance to see them. In a few hours, they put together dummy airfields, artillery batteries, motor pools, tank formations, and troop bivouacs, complete with fake laundry hanging out to dry.

Sounds of armored and infantry units were recorded, and mixed for each deception to match the desired scenario they wanted the enemy to believe. Played on powerful amplifiers and speakers mounted on halftracks, they could be heard fifteen miles away.

The Signal Company handled spoof radio, creating phony traffic nets and impersonating the radio operators from real units. Special operators were educated in mimicking a departing operator’s idiosyncratic method of sending Morse Code so that the enemy would never detect that the real unit and its radio operator were long gone.

Divisional insignia of units deployed elsewhere were applied on vehicles. To create the illusion of long convoys, trucks were driven in looping routes with two soldiers seated in the rear to suggest an entire infantry unit being transported under the canvas covers.

Since the dummy equipment was positioned in the dark, an inflated tank would sometime be discovered in the morning facing the wrong way, a dead giveaway to aerial reconnaissance. The morning sun could cause trouble, too. One day some rubber planes began collapsing with a series of loud reports because the sun heated air had expanded. There was trouble with leaks, too. The troops dreaded the sight of limp gun barrels at first light, when the German reconnaissance planes usually flew over.

The actors in the Ghost Army spent time at French cafes near the war’s front, spreading gossip among enemy spies who might be there. Some dressed up as Allied generals and visited towns where the spies would be likely to see them.

How successful were the effects of the 23rd's operations? Sometimes they seemed to have no impact whatsoever. Other times they confused other Allies more than the enemy. Often enough, though, the Germans were completely bamboozled. Axis Sally, the radio propagandist, reported an entire Allied division was preparing for battle in a spot that actually contained, at the time, no troops at all. Prisoners spoke in awed terms of an "elusive" division. A map overlay captured before one engagement showed that the enemy had mistakenly positioned a U.S. unit right where the 23^rd wanted them to think it was.

An adverse effect of their successful illusions resulted when the Germans believe they were real combat units and called down fire on them. Operating so close to the front lines left them as battle scarred as the troops they impersonated. 

The Ghost Army’s role was to create the illusion that their military force was bigger and more powerful than it actually was. They were to create chaos and confusion. They are estimated to have saved many thousands of soldiers’ lives with its deceptions, and to have been instrumental in several Allied victories in Europe. Yet the story of the Ghost Army remained a military secret until its declassification in 1996, and aspects of it remain classified.

In the words of one veteran who served alongside them in their most impressive performance at the Battle of the Rhine, “These men are real heroes―not heroes because they killed a lot of Germans―heroes because they saved thousands of American lives.”

Weekly Windup: Still Time to Enter for Cinderella's Boots by Darlene Franklin!

Weekly Windup

Welcome to the Weekly Windup! There's still time to get your name in the drawing for Darlene Franklin's newest release, so be sure to leave lots of comments! 

We'll have Darlene stopping by for an interview with her main character on Saturday. You won't wanna miss it. :D

 

 

This Week's Giveaway:

Cinderella's Boots by Darlene Franklin

Cynthia Ellen Cooper—known affectionately as “Cinderella”—left her wedding boot in the dust when she ran away from her wedding to work on a sheep station in Australia. 

Four years later, she’s back home—and so is her ex-fiancé, now a DVM from Oklahoma State University. They reach a truce and work side by side in his father’s animal clinic. 

Cyn soon discovers she wants more—but she has to battle bad history and a demanding pet owner for Keith’s attention. 

How can Cinderella find a second chance at love? 

 Comment on any post now through May 28th to get your name in the drawing! Winner will be announced in the May 29th issue of the Weekly Windup. Paperback giveaways are for U.S. residents only.

Coming up this week:

Monday, 5/22:  Remembering... A Devotion by Carole Brown

Tuesday, 5/23: Ghosts Helped Win WWII by Terri Wangard

Wednesday, 5/24: Woven Wednesday with Elaine Manders

Thursday, 5/25: Defiance by LR Burkard
Friday, 5/26: Fun Friday with Catherine Castle
Saturday, 5/27: Meet Cynthia - A modern Cinderella from Cinderella's Boots by Darlene Franklin

Remembering...

Memorial Day means more to me today than when I was twenty years old. Then it was another holiday that I vaguely realized celebrated those passed on. Today, I realize that it's a special opportunity to celebrate and  remember those who've touched our lives when alive.

• What did they leave behind that I can learn? 
• What touched me and made me a better person? 
• What skill, craft, or talent have I profited from because of him or her? 

Here are a few thoughts I had about celebrating Memorial Day:

• Reflect on those gone before. Rejoice that you had the opportunity to be in their lives, and they in yours. 
• Enjoy the thought that your loved one is in heaven and enjoying its riches. 
• Share what you've learned or who you are with someone else. A grandchild? Show them pictures or tell them tales of your loved ones life and adventures. Have a sit down session with the whole family and each sharing a memory.
• Plant a tree or some flowers in memory.
• Donate something meaningful to a charity or church or orphanage in memory.

Most of all, be happy and at peace that you had a period of time with that person(s). God gives and takes away. Just as a blade of grass is here today and gone tomorrow, so is life. Celebrate it in remembering...today.

Happy memories.

ABOUT CAROLE:

Besides being an active participant of many writing groups, Carole is an award winning author and enjoys mentoring beginning writers. She loves to weave suspense, tough topics, romance and whimsy into her books, and is always on the lookout for outstanding titles and catchy ideas. She and her husband reside in SE Ohio but have ministered and counseled nationally and internationally. Together, they enjoy their grandsons, traveling, gardening, good food, the simple life, and did she mention their grandsons? 

Personal blog: http://sunnebnkwrtr.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CaroleBrown.author

Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.com/Carole-Brown/e/B00EZV4RFY/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1427898838&sr=8-1

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/browncarole212

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/sunnywrtr/boards/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5237997-carole-brown

Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/carole-brown-79b6951a?trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile

Google+:    https://plus.google.com/u/0/113068871986311965415/posts

Word Sharpeners: https://wordsharpeners.wordpress.com/

Stitches in Time:  http://stitchesthrutime.blogspot.com/

Author interview with Becky Wade

Becky’s a California native who attended Baylor University, met and married a Texan, and settled in Dallas.  She published historical romances for the general market before putting her career on hold for several years to care for her three children.  When God called her back to writing, Becky knew He meant for her to turn her attention to Christian fiction.  She loves writing funny, modern, and inspirational contemporary romance!  She’s the Carol Award, INSPY Award, and Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award winning author of My Stubborn Heart, the Porter Familyseries, and the Bradford Sisters Romance series.

True to You (Bradford Sisters Romance #1): After a devastating heartbreak three years ago, genealogist and historical village owner Nora Bradford decided that burying her nose in her work and her books is far safer than romance in the here and now.

Unlike Nora, former Navy SEAL John Lawson is a modern-day man, usually 100 percent focused on the present. However, when John, an adoptee, is diagnosed with an inherited condition, he’s forced to dig into the secrets of his ancestry.

John enlists Nora’s help to uncover the identity of his birth mother, and as they work side-by-side, this pair of opposites begins to suspect that they just might be a perfect match.  But can their hope for a future survive their wounds from the past?

Becky, congratulations on your new novel, True to You, I read it last month and loved every word! Readers, I posted my review here. Thank you so much for joining us today amid your very busy schedule. Today we’re going to do something a little different, a rapid-fire interview, sound good? I’ll mix in a few lengthy questions, but I thought this format would be fun, so let’s go!

Housework or gardening? Housework.

Reading or watching tv? Reading.

Sweet or salty?  Both!

Aerobics class or running in the park?  Neither.  Yoga and walking are more my speed.

Favorite music to listen to? Contemporary worship music.

Can you tell us what inspired you to write about three sisters?

I’m the eldest of three sisters! I love having sisters. We did our share of fighting when we were growing up, but we’ve been a huge source of friendship, trust, comfort, and support to each other ever since we hit adulthood. We can talk for hours. We look alike. We all share the same sense of humor. My fondness for my sisters and for the bonds of sisterhood inspired me to pen a series based on sisters.

If you could decorate like someone on HGTV, who would it be? Joanna Gaines of Fixer Upper.

I KNEW you'd say that, you know Baylor U and all that! What’s the coolest thing about your home? The 4 glass doors across the back of our den that overlook our backyard. I sit at the kitchen table, looking out those doors, when I write.  The view and the sunlight never fail to cheer me up.

Sounds lovely. If you had a super-power, what would it be?  Guessing upcoming plot points in books and movies before they happen.

Ha, good one! If you could invite anyone, dead or alive, to visit you for the weekend, who would you invite?  My grandmother.  She passed away in the 1990's and I'd love the chance to spend time with her again. She was outgoing, gentle, loving, and she never met a stranger.  She was convinced my sisters and I had hung the moon.

And we all give you a collective AWWWW with that answer! Moving on, Becky, how would you describe your writing style?

Romantic, humorous, heartwarming.  I’m interested in writing about imperfect, flawed people who are nonetheless loved by a perfect God.  Thus, my books all have a strong faith storyline.  I strive to write authentically.  I like to laugh.  I delight in writing about modern-day people and places.  At least one of my two main characters is always ‘larger than life’ in some way.  And my books are very romance heavy.  My readers can count on a hunky hero who’s going to fall madly in love with the heroine.

Favorite app? Voxer

Favorite website? Facebook.

Favorite tv show of all time?  BBC mini series of Pride and Prejudice.

Favorite movie in the last year? Hidden Figures.

Favorite food? Chocolate

Yum. Guess I didn't say it had to be healthy ;-) Least favorite food? The "fall casserole" my mom used to make when I was a kid.  It was full of vegetables (including leeks) and my sisters and I all dreaded it.

Okay, you must come over for our minestrone soup, it has leeks in it and is delicious! Back to writing though, what’s your advice for other writers?

I think it’s incredibly valuable to take time to learn the craft of writing via writer’s groups, non-fiction books on the topic, conferences.  While learning the craft, I recommend practice.  Write one manuscript through to the end.  Then another!  As you go, try out different sub-genres and cultivate your own unique voice.  In the end, it’s critically important that you take the knowledge you’ve gained, and write your book the way that you love it best.

Best way to decompress? Watch a movie.

Window seat or aisle seat? Window.

What do you like on your pizza? Pepperoni, black olives, onions, green peppers.

What’s the most dangerous thing you’ve ever done? Skiing.

I hear a story behind that, but we must move on. If you could offer your thirteen-year-old self one piece of advice, what would it be?  To base my confidence in my identity as the Father's daughter.

That is so wise. As I think of the young ladies I know who seem to have it together and aren't following the crowd, those are the ones on fire for Jesus. But I'm getting distracted again, back to your novel. What impact do you hope that True To You will have on readers?

Because I write romances, I always hope that readers will close the final page of my books with a happy sigh and a smile. In this particular case, the theme of True to You is truth. I’m praying the Lord will use this story to remind readers of the fact that their true identity is, was, and always will be, in Him.

Wow, in today’s fast paced world, those words about our identity just made me slow down! I really appreciate how much time you spend on each novel that you write. They are so deep, well-thought out, and always have a strong faith message for the readers. Becky, tell us what you are working on next?

I’m finishing book #2 in the Bradford Sisters Romance series.  Eldest sister Willow Bradford and NFL quarterback Corbin Stewart are the heroine and hero of the second novel.  Corbin’s confident and charming and funny, which makes him a lot of fun to write!

Sounds like another page-turner, Becky, can’t wait! Thanks for joining us today, it was fun!

Readers: we are doing a giveaway, so leave you email addy for an autographed paperback of True to You. US only.

Also, grab Then Came You: A Bradford Sisters Novella for FREE on the kindle today!

Looking Glass Lies

Looking Glass Lies

by Varina Denman

I have another book for you, and it's hot off the presses! (don't you love that cover?) Just dropped May 2nd.

This novel brings to light the daily battle most women face every day when they look in the mirror. The conflict between what we see and what we want to see and what the media and our culture tells us we should see. Denman skillfully tells a story about multi-dimensional people with multi-faceted problems. In fact, the characters feel so real, I half expect to see them when I walk into my local coffee shop.

Cecily and Graham are really interesting characters and their rekindled friendship is fun to watch. But my favorite is a woman named Shanty. She is an old acquaintance of Cecily who runs a support group Cecily joins to work on her “self-image.” There are three members of this group, and the author uses group texts from Shanty to communicate SO much! They absolutely cracked me up because her voice comes through so very clearly and the other two respond with very specific attitudes. I have to admit though, the subject matter gets pretty heavy in parts, so these texts and Shanty’s personality came as a welcome reprieve. I think we all need a group text from Shanty every now and then. One part comic relief, one part genuine friend.

This book will help mothers of teen girls who are trying to figure out who they are even as they are being told every day what they should look like. The story gets into the nitty gritty on both sides of the media-image-problem. There are men who consume the images being created and there are women who try to emulate the expectations those images create.

The story is written from a Christian perspective, but is not overtly Christian. I think it points people in the right direction with a very gentle hand, while clearly showing bedrock truths about body image and healthy relationships. The story is very engaging - there's a romantic thread too - so it’s a quick read – I stayed up too late more than once with these lovable characters. I hope you will too! You can snag a copy here or check out the author's website here.

Do you ever find yourself stuck, looking in the mirror for far too long? What do you do to combat the constant barrage of images telling us what to look like?

Don't forget to leave a comment to get your name in the drawing for Cinderella's Boots by Darlene Franklin! Winner will be announced in the May 29th issue of the Weekly Windup.