Booked for the Holidays - A Plain Perfect Day!

I've been so excited and eager to feature this book for a giveaway, but I've made myself wait until after Thanksgiving because I knew I was going to get to meet the author while I was in Houston over the long weekend. And what a delightful experience that was!

Some of you may remember a few weeks back that I posted about being surprised to discover the name of my high school in the book Plain Perfect by Beth Wiseman. I emailed Beth to ask if she had a connection to that high school or if it had just been a random choice, only to discover that Beth had indeed graduated from that same high school - the year after I did!

So when I saw that she had a book signing at the Lifeway near my in-laws' house the day after Thanksgiving, I knew that was the one and only store that I would hobble to on Black Friday!

What fun we had! I got there a little before the official book-signing started so we could have a few minutes to chat. And the "small world-ness" got even weirder when I asked her which neighborhood she had lived in "way back when". Yep. Same one as me, one street apart.

And here we are, lo so many years later! (Please note that my purple sweater matches my purple cast!)


If you missed my original comments about the book, you can read them here. It's a great book, and I enjoyed it even before knowing my connection with the author. (And it has already spent some time on both the CBA and CBD Bestseller Lists!) One of the things I especially loved about how Beth portrayed Lillian was this: In her struggle and quest for peace, she kept trying to "do" the Amish lifestyle without understanding the inner change that must come first. How easy it is for all of us to focus on the externals of our Christian walk and not take care of the internal heart issue from which those externals flow. (And believe me, as a "recovering Pharisee," as I call myself, I am a pro at that!)

Beth's second novel in this Daughters of the Promise series, Plain Pursuit, is due out in April, and she is finishing up the third one, Plain Promise, right now.

Take a peek at her website and her blog and enjoy learning more about this new author!

Now for the giveaway: Beth wouldn't even let me buy a book at the book-signing; she wants to send the book directly to the winner so she can sign it personally to you! How sweet is that?! So leave a comment on this post by Wednesday (12/3) at noon CST, and I'll draw a winner. (Continental US residents only) Remember, those who have the button in their sidebar or post about the giveaway this week get extra chances to win!

And be sure to come back tomorrow for a bonus giveaway I've been given the opportunity to do this week!

Hope your week and your reading are just Plain Perfect!