Book Blast - Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

Join Barry Tutor, author of the Alzheimer’s/Caregiver book, Never Giving Up & Never Wanting To, as he tours the blogosphere October 21 – November 1 on his first book blast with Pump Up Your Book! He will be giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky winner! To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form on the participating blogs and good luck!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Like most, I knew about Alzheimer’s disease. It causes old people to forget. When my relationship with this disease began, it highlighted how little I knew. Following my widowed mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, I researched this disease to gain insight about my new role as her caregiver and decision maker. What I learned and experienced during her affliction still left me somewhat unprepared for what was yet to come. Sixteen months following my mother’s diagnosis, my dear wife and best friend was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Though now I was familiar with this silent killer, my wife’s diagnosis set into motion many changes and challenges in our lives. Someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s every sixty-eight seconds. Currently, Alzheimer’s is the only disease in the top-ten causes of death that is on the increase and has no means of prevention and no possible cure. Given these facts, support for those afflicted relies on increasing levels of caregiving as the disease progresses. Let me explain something about this “old folk’s disease.” Alzheimer’s affects more than just parents and grandparents. It is also the disease of siblings, spouses, and children. Alzheimer’s forces many families to decide between home versus institutional care. An estimated fifteen million caregivers provide some level of care to the Alzheimer’s victims still living at home. No matter what level of care you are providing, the importance of preparation is paramount. Arming yourself with knowledge begins that preparation process. I was unprepared for the roller-coaster ride my life became as the sole caregiver for two Alzheimer’s victims. To meet their varied challenges, I adapted and developed multiple techniques for targeted personalized care. If only I knew then what I know now. By sharing my knowledge and experience, I hope to better prepare you for your caregiving journey.


Read a preview.

Available through Trafford Publishing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other retailers.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I have not read this book and therefore do not have an opinion on it. The views expressed within the book do not necessarily represent the views of Mocha with Linda. This post should not be construed as an endorsement.

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Where Wildflowers Bloom - Contest!

Where Wildflowers Bloom
Ann Shorey
(Revell)
ISBN: 978-0-8007-2074-2
January 2012/336 pages/$14.99


How far will she go to follow her dreams?

The Civil War stole a father and brother from Faith Lindberg--as well as Royal Baxter, the man she wanted to marry. With only her grandfather left, she dreams of leaving Noble Springs, Missouri, and traveling west to Oregon to start a new life, away from the memories that haunt her. But first she must convince her grandfather to sell the family's mercantile and leave a town their family has called home for generations.

When Royal Baxter suddenly returns, Faith allows herself to hope that she and Royal will finally wed. But does he truly love her? Or will another man claim her heart?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ann Shorey is the author of The Edge of Light, The Promise of Morning, and The Dawn of a Dream. She has also published selections in the Cup of Comfort series and in Chicken Soup for the Grandma's Soul. Shorey lives with her husband, Richard, in Oregon.

MY THOUGHTS:
Maybe it was the mercantile. Or the wagging tongues of some of the folks in Noble Springs, Missouri. But the setting of this wonderful story reminded me just a bit of Little Town on the Prairie, my all-time favorite series from childhood. So many great characters populate this novel. Faith's grandfather is adorable; I love the contrast between his feisty nature and his soft heart! Rosemary Saxton has such a kind and tender heart as well, and it's amazing that society of the times had such a negative and harsh view of her altruism during the Civil War. Her brother Curt, the doctor, the ready-to-give-advice checker players, and others all contribute to the town's charm. Yet although the story takes place more than a century ago, the challenges with which Faith wrestles are as contemporary as the latest tech gadget: faith, hope, and love.

CONTEST!

To celebrate the story, author Ann Shorey and Revell Books are proud to announce the MERCANTILE MEMORIES giveaway, featuring three incredible prizes!

GRAND PRIZE:
Our Grand Prize winner will receive an heirloom chess set, handmade from 1830s chestnut & cherry wood, just like the one Judge Lindberg and Curt use in their chess battles.

SECOND PRIZE:
Our Second Prize winner will receive a deluxe, Missouri-shaped box of mercantile goods from the Missouri Mercantile company. The box features an assortment of items just like those stocked by Faith in Lindberg’s Mercantile.

THIRD PRIZE:
Our Third Prize winner will receive a Memoirs Gift Set. Write your memoirs just like Judge Lindberg does in the story! The set includes the bestselling Writing the Memoir book, and a $30 gift card to Blurb, to create and print your story.

Click here for details and to enter!



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Baby, It's Cold Outside

Baby, It's Cold Outside
Susan May Warren
(Summerside Press)
ISBN: 978-1609362157
September, 2011/320 pages/$12.99

Hope finds the hopeless when a storm hits.

It's Christmas weekend 1949, and despite the threat of a storm, the townspeople of Frost are determined to continue their holiday traditions, if only as a means to forget the war that they had all just suffered through. But the suffering hasn't ended for Dottie Morgan who lost her only son in the war. She's preparing to wallow in her isolation for the weekend, when Violet, nearly a spinster at age 29, dares to make a request that will force Dottie to publicly revive the memory of her dead son.

When a storm traps the two women at home with a strange young man who has an unbelievable confession and a neighbor with more to do with Dottie's past than she would like, no one can predict how this Christmas will give them all a second chance.

Read an excerpt here and find out the story behind the novel.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Susan May Warren is an award-winning, best-selling author of over twenty-five novels, many of which have won the Inspirational Readers Choice Award, the ACFW Book of the Year award, the Rita Award, and have been Christy finalists. After serving as a missionary for eight years in Russia, Susan returned home to a small town on Minnesota’s beautiful Lake Superior shore where she, her four children, and her husband are active in their local church.

Susan's larger than life characters and layered plots have won her acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. A seasoned women’s events and retreats speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!. She is also the founder of www.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice.

Susan makes her home in northern Minnesota, where she is busy cheering on her two sons in football, and her daughter in local theater productions (and desperately missing her college-age son!)

A full listing of her titles, reviews and awards can be found at:www.susanmaywarren.com.

MY THOUGHTS:
What a fun book to curl up with on a cozy evening! Susan May Warren has once again created a novel with wonderful characters that leap off the pages into your heart. Oh, they have their moments when you want to shake some sense into them, especially Dottie and her neighbor, who seem determined to irritate the daylights out of each other in an effort to avoid admitting how much they really care! Violet, meanwhile, is caught off-guard by the arrival of a soldier who served alongside the man she planned to marry and whose death she is still grieving, and by the disclosure this visitor reveals. Summerside Press is kicking off this delightful new When I Fall in Love series with this gem of a story set in 1949. You'll be humming Baby, It's Cold Outside no matter what the temperature is where you are!

Read what the reviewers are saying here.

Baby, It's Cold Outside -
Warm up with a Kindle Fire from Susan May Warren!

Warm up to Chrismtas early this year with Susan May Warren's Baby, It's Cold Outside! To celebrate the release of her new Christmas book with Summerside Press, she and the publisher are giving away a Kindle Fire and hosting an early Christmas Party on Facebook!

One festive winner will receive:

• A brand new Kindle Fire
• Baby, It's Cold Outside by Susan May Warren

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. Giveaway ends on 10/26!

But, wait there’s more! Join Susan May Warren on 10/27 for merriment and a few early Christmas presents at her Baby, It's Cold Outside Christmas party! Grab your Christmas sweaters, socks and pj’s and join Susan and a few friends for a fireside chat about her recent books (Heiress and Baby, It’s Cold Outside), holiday traditions, favorite Christmas recipes, a trivia contest and more! Invite your friends and don’t miss the fun!

RSVP here and we'll see you on October 27th at 5 PM PST / 8 PM EST!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity and Summerside Press as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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It's A Muggy Day

Power Blogger (n.) 1. a blogger who has scads of people visit them daily to see what wit or wisdom they will dispense. 2. one who has the unmitigated gall ability to force convince people to do what they would never consider doing otherwise.
Synonym: 2nd Cup of Coffee

Sigh. The things she gets me to do.

I like my mugs. They are cute mugs. Collected from various trips and picked out specifically to remember that event. Such as my mug from the original Starbucks in Seattle. And others, given as gifts that show personality, many of which are a tribute to chocolate in some form.

But are any of those good enough my fellow Lid? Noooooo.

She deems that I need to find an ugly mug for her contest. Hideous. One that would taint the pleasure of my morning mocha as I sip and work my way through blogdom.

So I did the only thing that could be done.

Went to my man's backpack of Scouting paraphenalia.

Because, in spite of the plethora of "cute" camping gear at various stores aimed for those who think it adventurous to go for days without showers and sleep in the wilds of nature, he and the other men in the troop chose mugs made of some kind of seemingly petrified styrofoam. And then they oh-so-carefully decorated and engraved monogrammed labeled them with their group's moniker. With a Sharpie. And some beads.





Lest you are unable to read what it says and grasp the full essence of it's mug-ness, in spite of pictures from two different angles, the mug (and group) is titled:

RAMBO'S BEADHEADS

PLEASE! Vote for me so I can escape to Starbucks and my cute mugs once again!!

UPDATE: BTW, just so you know, this mug is dishwasher safe. Guess that's the (questionable) advantage of the "petrified" part!

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Blog Book Tour Giveaway!

UPDATE: Here are the winners of the 2 books!

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers: 1
Timestamp: 2008-05-16 18:57:58 UTC

("Scout's Honor" - I always hate being the first contestant; figured there was less of a chance - I guess it really is random! LOL) Congratulations to Lauren who was the 1st responder as well as the first winner!

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers: 6
Timestamp: 2008-05-16 18:58:05 UTC

Congratulations to Carole, whose emailed answer to the question "What surprise did author Amy Wallace receive on March 26?" was the 6th entry I received. (BTW, the answer is: Amy found out that her 1st novel, Ransomed Dreams, has been nominated for a RITA award!)

Thanks to the rest of you for your comments and interest. More book giveaways are coming soon!

I have a great book to recommend to you. And I have 2, (count 'em, 2!) copies to giveaway to one of you! Read through the end of the post for information on how to win!

Healing Promises
(Multnomah Publishers - April 15, 2008)
by
Amy Wallace
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Amy Wallace is the author of Ransomed Dreams, a homeschool mom, and a self-confessed chocoholic. She is a graduate of the Gwinnett County Citizens Police Academy and a contributing author of several books, including God Answers Moms’ Prayers and Chicken Soup for the Soul Healthy Living Series: Diabetes. She lives with her husband and three children in Georgia.




ABOUT THE BOOK

Facing a new threat.

When FBI Agent Clint Rollins takes a bullet during a standoff, it might just save his life. But not even the ugly things he’s seen during his years working in the Crimes Against Children Unit could prepare him for the overwhelming powerlessness of hospital tests revealing an unexpected diagnosis. If only Sara weren’t retreating into doctor mode…he needs his wife now more than ever.

Frozen in fear.

Sara Rollins is an oncologist with a mission–beating cancer when she can, easing her patients’ suffering at the very least. Now the life of her tall Texan husband is at stake. She never let the odds steal her hope before, but in this case, the question of God’s healing promises is personal. Can she hold on to the truth she claimed to believe?

Faith under fire.

As Clint continues to track down a serial kidnapper despite his illness, former investigations haunt his nightmares, pushing him beyond solving the case into risking his life and career. Clint struggles to believe God is still the God of miracles. Especially when he needs not one, but two. Everything in his life is reduced to one all-important question: Can God be trusted?

If you would like to read the first chapter, go HERE

This was a riveting book. It was suspenseful without giving me nightmares, and it was a challenge to solve the mystery. But I was captured by the struggles of Clint and Sara as they wrestled with their faith in the midst of their circumstances. This is a very "real" book which grapples with trusting God when life isn't tied up with a neat and pretty bow.

Check out Amy Wallace's blog, Heart Chocolate!

The publisher has generously provided 2 copies of this book for me to give away. If you'd like to win one of them, you can enter by one (or more) of the following ways (1) leave a comment on this post, (2) link to this post on your blog (be sure to let me know you did so!) or (3) email me the answer to the following question: what surprise did author Amy Wallace receive on March 26? (Hint: The answer can be found by clicking on the book title at the top of the page and looking at her journal entry on the Amazon page!). Do all 3 things and you'll have 3 chances to win!

So sorry, but I can afford to ship to continental US addresses only!

I'll accept entries until 12 noon CDT this Friday (May 16) and will draw 2 winners Friday afternoon!

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Motherhood Moments

I could never make this stuff up!

I've been sitting here contemplating this experience of motherhood. Wondering which moments are the most poignant, the most memorable, or even the most humorous to post as I anticipate Mother's Day.

Do I mention all-day sickness for 20 and 24 weeks of pregnancy, ultrasounds, amnios, marathon labors? Or hospital scares for meningitis, pneumonia, and newborn MRI's? No, too depressing.

What about the wonders of a sweet-smelling newborn, the gurgles and coos, first steps, the wonders of toddler discoveries, play dates. birthdays, starting school, or making new friends? Nah, they're special to me but everyone has their own equally precious version.

Or maybe the tender moments such as the way their faces lit up as they ran to meet me at the end of church nursery time, the bedtime talks, a hand in mine, a smile, a hug, or a snuggle in the night? Too cherished to describe.

Perhaps even the exasperation of toddler tantrums, timeouts and spankings, testing limits, teenage attitudes, rolling eyes, and sibling spats? Certainly not - let me forget those!

So here I sit, awash in memories, wondering what one moment stands out. Because the deadline is quickly approaching for the 5 Minutes for Mom Motherhood Moments Contest. And the prize is one of these cool USB Flash Drives:


And as I sit here, my girl, who has no idea what I am doing, walks up, holding something in her hand.

"Mom, you know that [really cheap freebie] flash drive you gave me to take to school for my projects? Well, this little connector broke and the flash drive came off this key ring and fell out of my binder somewhere and I need another one."

Sigh.

THAT is what being a mom is all about!

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Moody, Mundane, & Miscellany

It's been one of those days. A melancholy Monday, so to speak. Dreary and rainy outside. And a bit dreary on the inside as well. Clutter accumulates quickly when I become lax, in the house, in relationships, and in my soul. A good bit of debris went into our physical trashcan today, with more to follow, and cobwebs are being discovered and cleaned out in other areas not visible to the human eye as well. As II Corinthians 7:1 says, ". . .let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God."

Not all has been gloom and doom, however. You gals continue to bless me on a daily basis with your encouraging and challenging posts, as well as when you pop by here and leave me a comment! And I've had a couple of very nice surprises in the past several days. Recently several folks have been promoting The Busy Mom's Devotional, including Melody, and I won the book at her giveaway! Now before you groan, let me tell you that it took 2 tries to win it! The first winning gal won it at two different blogs, (talk about the magic touch!) so she declined Melody's and when Melody drew the second time, she drew my name! Then, I was absolutely stunned to see I won a Starbucks card from Lysa TerKeurst when Lysa put out the call for help with her book title! I don't suppose she'll deliver it in person, though. . . . Phooey! I don't think I've ever won a random drawing with so many other entrants - I was #154, for heaven's sake!


Some of you may have noticed on my sidebar and that of a few others, like the other Lidna Linda, a scrolling network of blogs titled Family Friendly Network. This is a relatively new network whose umbrella page, the Blogged-In Network.Nicely. site, has a variety of family-friendly articles, recipes, and all sorts of neat stuff. And right now, they are giving away some Blogged-In Bounty! Of course, I really don't want you to enter or anything, because I want the $100 Target gift card they're giving away. I just thought I'd let you know about it so you won't be surprised when I win. And 'cause telling you about it gets me 8 entries. (You get 10 entries if you subscribe to their email!) Now don't be knocking each other down on the way to the site. It is family-friendly and all. You girls act nice.


I mentioned awhile back when I got this award that I was going to hang on to it and give it out as the occasion arose. Well, today, I'm presenting it to Julie of Pragmatic Compendium. Because she, too, alphabetizes her spices. And is married to an engineer and has apparently birthed one as well. She, like I am, is dealing with some "Sandwich Generation" issues (tho' much much harder than mine) and is doing so with grace and wisdom. Although she IS responsible for completely grossing me out. . . .and causing me to buy the movie for my night with my girl this weekend. But she also makes me laugh now every time I order my mocha - you gotta watch this! She's become a sweet friend and I smile every time I see her name in my inbox. Julie, you make my day on a regular basis!

More to come. . . .(I'm sure you're on the edge of your seats!) Have a great Tuesday!

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