Is where we introduce listeners to people who have found their way out of the dark shadows of life and back to light and those who lead others on their journey from darkness to light.
STEP INTO THE LIGHT
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Patti’s Blogs; Patti’s Porch & The Over Fifty Writer; Podcast Step Into the Light
Meet seasoned authors, learn about new books and find inspiration to help you along your journey. No matter how far you’ve come or where you are going, I’d be honored to travel with you. If you like what you see, please subscribe to avoid missing updates.
2019-08-06
Episode #96 - Featuring Jamere Brown Spencer
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JESSIE'S HOPE - A SWEET ROMANCE WITH A DEEPER MESSAGE 9/18/2019 1:30:00 PM BY Patti Shene
IT WAS MY PLEASURE TO HOST AUTHOR JENNIFER HALLMARK ON PATTI’S PORCH A FEW WEEKS AGO AND FEATURE HER DEBUT NOVEL, JESSIE’S HOPE. BELOW IS MY REVIEW OF THIS DELIGHTUL READ.
Jessie’s Hope, as the title implies, is a story of hope, but it goes far deeper than that. The main character, Jessie Smith, has been paralyzed from a young age in an auto accident which also took her mom’s life. Jessie dreams of the perfect wedding to her fiancé, Matt Jansen. Jessie’s desire to connect with her alcoholic father, who abandoned her after the accident, leads to bitterness, disappointment, and the revelation of secrets long buried.
The story delivers a strong message of family love and devotion. Her papaw, Homer and mamaw, Martha, go to great lengths, despite limited financial resources, to make Jessie’s wedding dreams come true. They are there for her when she experiences her darkest moments of doubt as one obstacle after the other stands in her way.
Author Jennifer Hallmark captures the struggles of a young handicapped person and those affected by her limitations in a realistic manner. She gives her characters depth and courage and portrays their spiritual journeys from weakness to strength through faith in a realistic manner.
I especially enjoyed the spirit of community caring and support for Jessie and the complete turnaround of one character’s attitudes and behaviors when she experiences compassion and caring she did not expect to find.
This book sparked my interest from the first moment and held me captive to the very last word. It is a sweet romance told against the backdrop of the southern lifestyle with characters who find redemption and the healing power of God’s love and forgiveness.
Read about Jennifer’s suggestions for 10 acts of kindness before the holidays here.
Patti Shene Gonzales maintains two blogs, Patti’s Porch and The Over 50 Writer and is working on a novel. She hosts Step Into the Light, a podcast that strives to lead others out of darkness and back to light. When not writing, reading, or broadcasting, she is spending time with friends or attending her only granddaughter’s sports activities. Patti lives in Colorado with her devoted feline companion, Duncan.
LELA TO THE RESCUE - by Valerie Goree 9/13/2019 11:25:00 PM BY Patti Shene
FEATURED BOOK:Day of Reckoning
AUTHOR: Valerie Massey Goree
PUBLISHER: Pelican Book Group, Harbourlight Books
GENRE: Romantic suspense
SERIES OR STAND ALONE: 2ndin Stolen Lives series (stand-alone stories)
TARGET AGE: Women late teen +
IT IS MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME AUTHOR VALERIE MASSEY GOREE TO PATTI’S PORCH. VALERIE TALKS ABOUT HER ROMANTIC SUSPENSE SERIES AND THE ELEMENTS THAT MAKE HER STORY WORLD UNIQUE.
VALERIE IS OFFERING A GIVEAWAY! SIMPLY LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW TO ENTER THE DRAWING FOR WINNER’S CHOICE OF A PRINT OR EBOOK COPY OF DAY OF RECKONING.
LELA TO THE RESCUE
by
Valerie Massey Goree
My latest romantic suspense novel, Day of Reckoning, is a stand-alone sequel to Weep in the Night. Both stories feature agents who work for the International Retrieval Organization. Lela was introduced in Weep, and now she has her own story in Day of Reckoning. One aspect I love about writing fiction is creating my story world. The IRO—a top-notch detective agency of sorts—has unlimited resources, and therefore my agents have everything they need to accomplish their tasks.
As a seasoned operative, Lela is assigned the kidnapping case of businessman Chuck Davenport. When her boss allows Jay Vashon, Chuck’s brother-in-law to assist, Lela accepts the help with reservations, especially when Jay prays at the most inopportune times.
Jay would do anything to help bring Chuck home, even work with feisty Agent Ortiz. As Jay and Lela decipher clues Chuck sends to his son with special needs, they are forced to work in close proximity.
Can Jay break through the barrier Lela has constructed around her heart? Will Lela be able to overcome her distrust of men and God?
And Chuck? Can the pair locate him before the ransom deadline?
Ooh. Such intrigue! But that’s a perk to writing romantic suspense. Twists and unexpected turns are so much fun to create. If my characters sail along without a care in the world, then I haven’t done my job. We all know that life is full of bumps and sometimes craters. The ‘happily-ever-after’ will come, but not without facing hardships along the way.
Speaking of sailing… We recently moved to Washington state. Our condo is right on the water, and my office window overlooks the bay. Talk about inspiration! Little sailboats, fancy yachts, brave people paddling kayaks. And then to the north we often see cruise ships, or tankers and container ships heading to or from Seattle.
I haven’t incorporated any of these sights in a plot yet, but when my husband and I see a boat anchored in the middle of our bay—and yes, we do consider it ours—we speculate as to what the crew might be doing. Are they picking up a load of drugs? Tossing a body overboard? Spying on the houses tucked away in the trees on the bluff? The possibilities are endless. Of course, the crew could just be fishing or enjoying the weather. But that’s too tame.
In Day of Reckoning, Jay’s nephew, Sean, has fragile X syndrome. I worked with children with special needs for twenty-five years. I often include a special child in my stories. People use sign language to help communicate with Sean. The sign for ‘wait’ is cute. Hold your left open hand, palm up by your left side. Then hold your right hand in the same position, a little closer to your body, fingers pointing to your left wrist and wiggle your fingers. Wait. This sign plays a crucial part in solving the kidnapping case.
I’ve completed the third novel in the series. It will feature an IRO agent introduced in Day of Reckoning as the hero or heroine. Who will it be? Manny, Pamela, Smitty, Cooper? Hmm. I can keep a secret.
DON’T FORGET TO LEAVE A COMMENT TO BE PLACED IN THE DRAWING TO WIN CHOICE OF PRINT OR EBOOK COPY OF DAY OF RECKONING BETWEEN NOW AND TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24TH AT MIDNIGHT MDT. (US residents only eligible for print copy).
BY LEAVING A COMMENT, YOU GRANT PERMISSION FOR YOUR EMAIL TO BE REVEALED TO THE AUTHOR IF YOU ARE THE WINNER TO FACILITATE RECEIPT OF YOUR BOOK.
American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award winner Valerie Massey Goree resides with her husband on the beautiful Olympic Peninsula of Washington State.
After serving as missionaries in her home country of Zimbabwe and raising two children, Glenn and Valerie moved to Texas. She worked in the public school system for many years, focusing on students with special needs. Now retired, Valerie spends her time writing and spoiling her grandchildren.
Novels include: Deceive Me Once; Colors of Deceit; Weep in the Night; and stand-alone sequel Day of Reckoning.
Valerie loves to hear from her readers. Check her website to learn more about her books: and connect with her on Facebook.
EIGHTEEN YEARS AGO TODAY.... 9/11/2019 12:30:00 PM BY Patti Shene
photo obtained from Pixabay
I grew up out on Long Island in New York, about fifty miles from New York City. I seldom visited that great metropolis, and having moved to Colorado back in the 1970’s, never did view the twin towers in person.
The memories of that historic day eighteen years ago when those towering structures crumbled, and over three thousand people lost their lives in a most horrific manner, still remain in my mind as I’m sure they do for most Americans. The scenes that unfolded on the TV screen were vivid and terrifying. The conversations held at work for days after were filled with opinions, speculation, anger, and fear.
I am fortunate to have not lost a husband, a sibling, a parent, a child, or even a distant relative or acquaintance to the 9/11 attacks. Of course, the lives of each of us were forever altered that day, but it wasn’t until years after that I encountered people whose lives were directly affected.
One gentleman is a volunteer chaplain who responded and served at Ground Zero and ministered to victims, families, police officers, firefighters, and other volunteers. You can hear his story here Find his book, Triumtph Over Terror on Amazon.
An author I recently interviewed spoke about how her writing career was temporarily derailed because the literary agency where she had won a book contract was located in the twin towers. Listen to her story here.
A new acquaintance, fast becoming a dear friend is in the process of writing her story. She shares her son’s decision as a result of 9/11 and the manner in which the lives of his entire family were forever changed.
If you want to read a moving fiction story, written by a friend of the way things may have been for one family on that fateful day, click here for The Penthouse by Amre Cortadino.
Each of us who witnessed that day, whether in person or through our TV screens, have our individual memories of September 11, 2001. Hate reigned that day, people died that day, fear hung in the air that day, and a lifestyle was forever changed because of that day.
Hate still exists in the world. People still die every day. We all have our fears. Yet, we can change our lifestyle and that of others for the better day by day with a little more kindness, a little more understanding, a little more compassion, a little more love, and a lot of prayer for those we know and those we don’t, for those who are like us and those who aren’t.
What emotions does the anniversary of this date evoke in you?
Patti Shene Gonzales is published in two anthologies and local publications and has three western novels in progress. When not writing or reading, she is spending time with friends or attending her only granddaughter’s sports activities. Patti lives in Colorado with her devoted feline companion, Duncan.
IT WAS MY PLEASURE TO HOST AUTHOR JENNIFER HALLMARK ON PATTI’S PORCH A FEW WEEKS AGO AND FEATURE HER DEBUT NOVEL, JESSIE’S HOPE. BELOW IS MY REVIEW OF THIS DELIGHTUL READ.
Jessie’s Hope, as the title implies, is a story of hope, but it goes far deeper than that. The main character, Jessie Smith, has been paralyzed from a young age in an auto accident which also took her mom’s life. Jessie dreams of the perfect wedding to her fiancé, Matt Jansen. Jessie’s desire to connect with her alcoholic father, who abandoned her after the accident, leads to bitterness, disappointment, and the revelation of secrets long buried.
The story delivers a strong message of family love and devotion. Her papaw, Homer and mamaw, Martha, go to great lengths, despite limited financial resources, to make Jessie’s wedding dreams come true. They are there for her when she experiences her darkest moments of doubt as one obstacle after the other stands in her way.
Author Jennifer Hallmark captures the struggles of a young handicapped person and those affected by her limitations in a realistic manner. She gives her characters depth and courage and portrays their spiritual journeys from weakness to strength through faith in a realistic manner.
I especially enjoyed the spirit of community caring and support for Jessie and the complete turnaround of one character’s attitudes and behaviors when she experiences compassion and caring she did not expect to find.
This book sparked my interest from the first moment and held me captive to the very last word. It is a sweet romance told against the backdrop of the southern lifestyle with characters who find redemption and the healing power of God’s love and forgiveness.
Jessie’s Hope can be purchased at:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Read about Jennifer’s suggestions for 10 acts of kindness before the holidays here.
Patti Shene Gonzales maintains two blogs, Patti’s Porch and The Over 50 Writer and is working on a novel. She hosts Step Into the Light, a podcast that strives to lead others out of darkness and back to light. When not writing, reading, or broadcasting, she is spending time with friends or attending her only granddaughter’s sports activities. Patti lives in Colorado with her devoted feline companion, Duncan.