A Basket of Romance

A Basket is up for grabs at the Mercer PA newly renovated library!

Actually, 6 baskets with 6 different themes are up for raffle, donated by library patrons. The one I took in is shown above: a bit of romance by CRR authors.

As a Friend of the Library, I received the call for themed basket donations in the newsletter and decided to go for romance and reading!

I put out the call a few weeks before the basket was due and am so very grateful to the Classic Romance Revival authors who donated books, ebooks, pens, and postcards to represent CRR!

The basket contains:

Print Books by CRR authors:

One Small Victory by Maryann Miller
Samael by Marion DeSisto
Turning To Nature by Marion DeSisto
Protect The Heart by LK Hunsaker
Finishing Touches by LK Hunsaker
Destination Berlin by S. G. Cardin
The Giving Meadow by Stephanie Burkhart
The Duke’s Dilemma by Rachel McNeely 
The Best Selling Toy by Elaine Cantrell
A Knight’s Vow by Lindsay Townsend (donated by LK Hunsaker)
A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing by Deborah McGillivray (donated by LK Hunsaker)

Print Books by non-CRR authors (donated by S. G. Cardin):
Dragon Lair by Sharon K. Penman
Loving A Lost Lord by Mary Jo Putney

Ebooks on CD:

Turtle Soup by Danielle Thorne
Frontier Wife by Margaret Tanner
Holly and the Millionaire by Margaret Tanner
Thin Ice by Liana Laverentz (Liana also donated 2 print books for the library to keep!)
Tarbaby Trouble by Phoebe Matthews
The Cupid Diaries “Moments in Time” – short stories by CRR Authors

Promo Items:

Pens and postcards from Stephanie Burkhart (aka S.G. Cardin)
Postcards from Phoebe Matthews
Pencils and postcards from LK Hunsaker
Flyers from Maryann Miller

Also included:

A CD sampler with the first two chapters of Finishing Touches by LK Hunsaker along with the song included in the novel: Love Is Yours And Mine by Duncan Faure, autographed by Duncan

A large red “Rose Garden” candle custom made for the basket by SchoolCornerCrafts.com

A few Hershey Kisses for flavor ;-)

So if you’re in the Mercer County area and would love a little romance and reading break, grab raffle tickets at the library! And be sure to check out the authors above who so generously donated to help build the library’s fund! (All romances in the basket are on the classic side. Check CRR for details.)

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Book Review: A Reason To Hope

A Reason To Hope A.L. Marquardt   2008 Booksurge ISBN: 978-1-4392-1626-2   www.ALMarquardt.com

 

"Hope comes in an unexpected way, but not without a price."

"A Reason to Hope" is an inspiring debut novella by A.L. Marquardt, inspiring not only because of its genre, Christian Science Fiction, but also because it's one of the best indie efforts I've yet seen.

The story of a female assassin thrown from her job by a disfiguring accident leads to themes of perfection vs. misfits, sexuality, acceptance vs. condemnation, drug use, and salvation. Atypical for Christian fiction, homosexuality is portrayed as a main issue and dealt with as a question more than as a definite answer.

Pulled right into Preeah's journey with a hard yank that refuses to let go, a reader is opened to thoughts and ideas but left to come to her own conclusions. Right and wrong is pondered, but not "settled," in the vein of John Irving. "A Reason to Hope" gives us a reason to stop and think. It ends softly, giving us the feeling it is not an ending, but a beginning.

Other than a minor criticism of wanting more varying sentence structures and less use of "she" instead of the character's name (which I heard from early critiques of my work), Marquardt's prose is smooth and well-edited (a big plus for indie work), with pacing that keeps a reader well into the story.

The back cover states the author is seeking an agent for her full-length novel. I hope that happens soon, as this is an an author to watch!

** Side note: a signed copy of "A Reason to Hope" is included in the raffle below.

Twelve Days...

It's a Twelve Days of Christmas Give-Aways raffle from LKHunsaker.com!

LK Hunsaker, literary romance novelist, is celebrating Christmas by giving arts-related gifts to readers. To enter, email your name and general location to ElucidatePublishing[at]yahoo.com and list your favorite fiction genre or your favorite novel. There will be a random winner drawn each day beginning December 14th and ending December 25th, so be sure to have your entry in before 6 pm (Eastern US time) on the 14th! Winners will be emailed and asked for their mailing addresses (info will not be shared in any way). In January, all entrants will be sent an invitation to subscribe to LK Hunsaker's newsletter, which can be either accepted or denied.

Raffle prizes:

14th: 12 signed bookmarks
15th: 11 blue mood pencils
16th: 10 Elucidations art pens
17th: 9 signed book plates
18th: 8 stamped postcards
19th: 7 artsy pencils
20th: 6 packs of stickers
21st: 5 calligraphy markers
22nd: 4 sheets of labels (personalized)
23rd: 3 pretty notebooks
24th: 2 music candles (rain-scented, custom made by http://www.schoolcornercrafts.com/)
25th: 1 Rehearsal gift set: signed copy of Rehearsal: A Different Drummer, 3 treble clef soaps (by http://www.schoolcornercrafts.com/), several tea bags of different flavors, and 1 each of prizes 12 through 3

One each of prizes 12 through 9 will be given to every winner. Prizes 12 through 5 will be mailed before Christmas. Prizes 4 through 1 will be mailed shortly after the New Year. Labels are mailing labels personalized with winner's name and address and theme of choice.

Winners will also be posted daily at http://www.myspace.com/lkhunsaker Please say in your email if you do not want your last name used!

Family members of LK Hunsaker or Elucidate Publishing staff are not eligible to win.

Good luck! Feel free to pass this email along to friends or post in any reader gathering spots.

LK Hunsaker
http://www.lkhunsaker.com/

June Jubilee Author/Reader Mix

It's been a very hectic month around here, but still, I'm enjoying the time I can find to participate in Coffee Time Romance's June Jubilee celebration in their forums. Romance writers of several sub-genres are mingling with readers, giving away prizes, and talking about their hobbies.

I'm there, giving away another music and dance soaps gift set as a raffle for anyone who replies to my post. ;-) I'm also involved in the hobbies discussion under music, art, collecting, sewing, and movies (so far).

Drop in if you get the chance and tell them LKHunsaker sent you (the reference will help get your membership approved faster -- they are careful to avoid spammers).

http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/board/forumdisplay.php?f=15