Does It Hurt Enough Yet?

By Paula Renaye 

 
An old man is sitting on the front porch with his hound dog, and a friend comes up to chat. As the men sit and talk, every now and then, the hound lets out a pitiful howl. 

 
Finally the friend says, "What in the world is wrong with your dog?"

 
The old man didn't miss a beat. "He's laying on a nail and it's poking him."

 
The friend looks at the dog stretched out on the porch then back at the man, thinking that was about the dumbest thing he's ever heard. "Well, why doesn't he get up and move?"

 
The old man shrugged. "Guess it's just not hurting him bad enough."

 
Sound familiar? We've all been like that dog at one time or another. We'll moan and whine about what's bothering us, but if it doesn't hurt badly enough--if we can tolerate it--we won't do anything to change it. Worse still, we'll use TV, shopping, drinking, pills, sex or a thousand other things to distract ourselves and avoid facing our problems.  

 
If you've read The Hardline Self Help Handbook, you already know about my own "poor pitiful me" wake-up call. It wasn't pretty, but it was effective. After I'd told my same old sad story for about the millionth time, my best friend said, "Isn't it great, that for the rest of your life, no matter who you tell your story to, they'll say, 'you poor thing,' and you, my friend, can be a victim forever." 

 
Yes, I got the message. I also realized that no matter what anyone else said--no matter how good their suggestions and solutions--I wasn't going to get up off my own nail until it hurt too much not to. The pain of staying the same had to become greater than the fear of change.

 
And, unfortunately, those who had run themselves ragged trying to help me by listening and making suggestions, were really just delaying my descent to rock bottom. By complaining and asking my friends what I should do, I gave myself the illusion that I was actually doing something about my problem, which I was not. All it did was ease the pain enough to make it tolerable so I could keep doing exactly what I had been.

 
Pain is there for a reason--honor it. If you're moaning and complaining about something, but not really doing anything to change it, it's time to snap out of it. Choose to get up off your own nail now and move out of pain into joy. Woof!

* * * *

Paula Renaye is a motivational speaker, certified professional life coach and author of the acclaimed personal development guide. Visit http://hardlineselfhelp.com

Read More

Orangeberry Book Tours - Yvonne Hertzberger

Through Kestrel’s Eyes, the sequel to Back From Chaos in the Earth’s Pendulum trilogy begins seventeen years later. The peace that followed the end of the Red Plague is shattered when the lords of Gharn and Leith are toppled by traitors, throwing the land into chaos

Liannis, the goddess Earth’s seer, her apprenticeship interrupted by the death of her mentor, must help restore the Balance. Until it is, Earth’s power is weakened, preventing Earth from sustaining the rains needed for good harvests. Drought and famine result.

Liannis battles self-doubt and the lure of forbidden romance and deep loss as she faces tests that take her to the brink of her endurance. 

But Earth sends a kestrel that allows Liannis to see with her eyes and a white horse to carry her, both with the ability to mind-speak. 

Time is short. The people with starve if Earth cannot heal and the Balance cannot be restored.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre - Epic Fantasy
Rating - PG13


Connect with Yvonne Hertzberger on Facebook
Website http://yvonnehertzberger.com/

Check out where this author will be talking about her latest release!

Read More

No One Will Ever Know

By Janet Seever

Karen, Judy and I were the last ones back in the school room after lunch. We put our metal lunch boxes on the shelf above the coat hooks, which were mostly empty. All of the other sixth graders were already outside, playing marbles or hop scotch or jumping rope, since it was a pleasant spring day.

"Look what I found this morning in the storage cupboard when I was getting out some art supplies for Mrs. Eiffler." With a conspiratorial grin on her face, Karen held up a wooden box filled with short pieces of chalk in every color of the rainbow.

"Wow! What fun it would be to write on the chalkboard while everyone is outside." Judy's eyes twinkled with anticipation.

"But Mrs. Eiffler doesn't want us writing on the chalkboard," I responded, already feeling guilty, although we had not yet done a thing.

"Don't be such a 'fraidy cat', Janet. No one will ever know," said Karen, reaching into the box and drawing out a piece of chalk.

"Right. Everyone is outside, so we're safe. No one will tell on us." Judy was already drawing a house with sure strokes.

I reluctantly joined my friends in the artwork, wanting to be part of what was going on, but afraid of being caught. I knew well that we were breaking not one, but two class rules. The second rule was that no one was allowed to stay inside at noon without a written excuse from home if the weather was nice.

Trying various colors, we drew houses, trees and three-dimensional boxes. It was fun! All the time we were watching the clock, knowing that our fun would be over if anyone walked into the room.

Then Judy had an idea. "We're all right-handed. Let's see who can write their name best using their left hand."

Judy and Karen picked up their chalk and started writing. I chose a white piece from the box and wrote my name. The handwriting was a bit shaky, but no one would doubt that it said "Janet."

"I think Judy is the winner," said Karen. "Hers is the best."

"We'd better get this board cleaned off before Mrs. Eiffler comes back," said Judy, eying the clock. She picked up an eraser and began erasing our handiwork from the board.

Everything came off . . . but my name!

In disbelief, I looked at the chalk I held in my sweaty hand. On closer examination, it wasn't chalk at all. I had picked up a small piece of white color crayon which was mixed in with the pieces of chalk.

My stomach churned and my knees felt weak. What would Mrs. Eiffler do to me?

My mother had a saying: "Fools names and fools faces always appear in public places." I never understood fully what it meant before. Now I did! I was a fool, and there was my name in crayon to prove it. And the teacher would be returning soon.

"Quick, let's get some wet paper towels," said Judy, springing into action.

After vigorous rubbing, my name still remained.

"I think I saw a can of cleanser by the sink in the coat room," I said as I raced to find it. Precious minutes were ticking away.

We rubbed and my name came off all right, but in the process of removing it, we left an abrasion on the chalkboard.

Listening for footsteps coming down the hall, we dried the scrubbed area as much as we could with more paper towels and fanned it with a book to remove every tell-tale trace of wetness.

We were just slipping into our desks as the bell rang and the other students began entering the room. The teacher walked in soon afterward.

Mrs. Eiffler never asked about the abrasion and maybe never noticed it. But I did. Every time I walked past the marred surface of the chalkboard, I remembered. Oh, how I remembered.

The lesson I learned that day is one I never forgot, even though over forty years have passed since the event. "No one will ever know" is never true. Even if no one else found out, Jesus knew and I knew. Sometimes living with a guilty conscience is punishment enough.

Read More

I Am Grateful For You

(Update on 30th November - Winner is Kimmy Y)

First, a big THANK YOU for all the support
you've shown me in the past year.

To stand a chance to win
a $5 Amazon.com gift card


Feel free to
- Follow @PandoraPoikilos on Twitter
http://twitter.com/#!/PandoraPoikilos
OR
- "Like" Facebook page (Peace from Pieces)
https://www.facebook.com/peacefrompieces

Leave me a comment so I'll know who you are
and I can return the favour.

If you haven't got your copy,
here's another goodie for you.

Frequent Traveller

Genre Women's Fiction 

Rating PG-13

Coupon code PL83Z 

Expires 30th November 2011

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/102701

This Giveaway Hop is organised by two very Blog-A-Licious blogs, 
I Am A Reader Not A Writer & All-Consuming Books
and there are loads of giveaways happening 
so do come join us and check out the other 200++ participating blogs HERE

Read More

Orangeberry Book Tours - Mary Pat Hyland & Shawn Lamb

"Men like pie." Who would know the truth behind those words better than Elaina Brady's mother Maria? Months after she showed her teenage daughter how to bake perfect pie and hours after offering that culinary wisdom, Maria abandons Elaina, her sister Dee Dee and their father Walt. All it took was a lingering, lusty look from a Missoula trucker who stopped by their family's diner and ordered a slice of lemon meringue. Maria hitches a ride west with him, and with that impulsive decision, sixteen-year-old Elaina loses her mother and gains a job baking pies at the diner.

A decade after Maria's departure, Elaina is still working at The Terminal Diner, just around the bend from an upstate New York airport. Her humdrum life is defined by pie-baking routine. Elaina realizes painfully that all she still knows about the opposite sex is summed up in the three last words her mother spoke to her. Then one deceivingly beautiful morning in September 2001, horrifying acts committed by terrorists a hundred miles away upset her world, bringing new influences into her life and inspiring her to be like her mother-impulsive. Will Elaina survive the consequences of her actions?

This suspenseful story is the fourth novel by Amazon Top 100 bestselling author Mary Pat Hyland.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre - Suspense
Rating - PG13
Connect with Mary Pat Hyland on Twitter & Facebook page
Website http://www.marypathyland.com/thehylander/

Check out where this author will be talking about her latest release!

For Faith. For Friendship. For Freedom. 
In the time of Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu, when being a Protestant could mean death, The Huguenot Sword roamed the streets of Paris by night, defending those faithful to the young heretical religion. The nobility scorned them as ruffians, to the oppressed Protestants they were saviors, but to the Cardinal Guards they were a pestilence needing to be terminated. The situation becomes desperate when those in power launch a bold plan to destroy the group. One wrong move can be fatal. But the ordeal of Paris pales in comparison to the possible annihilation of their faith and people at the battle of La Rochelle.


Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre - Christian Historical Fiction
Rating - PG
Connect with Shawn Lamb on Twitter & Facebook

Check out where this author will be talking about her latest release!

Read More

You're A Super Hero Too

By Nathaniel Bronner Jr.

Dr. Marilyn spoke at our staff meeting. She took us through exercises as she worked to get our minds and spirits adjusted to a more positive direction.

"Close your eyes and think back to when you were small. What did you want to be? What were your dreams? What did you want to do? Close your eyes and think back." she instructed.

I closed my eyes and thought back. I remembered what I wanted to be.

Dr. Marilyn then spoke of her early beginnings as a writer. She told of the articles and the publishing successes that she experienced but so many of them were punctuated by, "I didn't get paid for that."

Her words struck me.

I worked in a corner drug store when I was very small. I was below the age limit to work but the store made an exception. My father owned the store, thus the exception.

I worked long and hard. I treasured my lunch breaks. Not so much for the food or the rest, it was what I did during my lunch breaks that I treasured. I read comic books. I read the action books, not the romance or the comedies, action, pure action.

When I closed my eyes and thought back, I knew instantly what I had aspired to be.

A Super Hero.

Superman, Batman, Spiderman and Ironman were some of my heroes.

In all of the action comics that I read, there were two distinct patterns. Those two patterns were in every action comic book that I can recall.

First, there was always a battle between good and evil. The battle was always tough. The battle was always a close call. No matter how strong or how many powers the Super Hero had, evil pushed him to the very limit and most times almost defeated him.

Second, the Super Hero was never paid for his contribution to society; he always earned his living in his alter ego.

Superman made money as Clark Kent, a newspaper reporter.

Batman made money as Bruce Wayne, a rich industrialist.

Spiderman made money as Peter Parker, a photographer.

Ironman made money as Tony Stark, owner of Stark Industries.

None of them were paid for being a Super Hero and the contributions they made as Super Heroes. As I listened to Dr. Marilyn state how she had never been paid for many things, a light popped on in my mind.

"The real Super Heroes don't get paid for the Super Hero stuff!"

I pastor a church and have never accepted a salary or taken up love offerings for myself. It's correct to be fairly compensated but I, like Paul, simply choose not to.

I am the editor of MountainWings and the AirJesus.com websites, and I don’t get any money for that either.

I realized as my eyes were closed. It is Super Hero stuff and my dream has been realized.

You've got Super Hero stuff too.

Parenting. 

Volunteering. 

Helping a stranger or friend in need. 

Doing anything beneficial that takes time, effort, energy or resources and where you expect no monetary return is Super Hero stuff.

Use your powers well.

Read More

When We Give Thanks

By Sidney B. Simon

We always celebrated Dad's November birthday on Thanksgiving Day, even after he entered a nursing home. As years went on, these events took on a double meaning for me - a traditional birthday party for Dad, and a personal thanking for all he had been to me in my life.

When we knew that it might be his last birthday, the whole family decided to rearrange Thanksgiving plans and come together for a huge Grandpa Simon birthday celebration at the nursing home. It was a crowded party with lots of noise and abundant food. Dad was having the time of his life. He was a marvelous storyteller, and here was the biggest captive audience he'd ever had. The party crackled around him.

During a quiet moment, I announced that it was now Dad's turn to listen to some stories for a change. I wanted everyone to tell Grandpa Simon what we loved about him. The room became still, and even Dad was quiet as his family crowded around him, like subjects around the throne.

One after another, people told stories from their hearts, while Dad listened with wet, flashing blue eyes. People recalled all kinds of lost memories - stories about when they were little, stories about when Dad was young, stories that are shared family treasures. Then someone told the story of Mother and the vase...

My mother was a short stocky woman, who always bent over the table to read the newspaper. Leaning her elbows on the table to support her chin, her body made a perfect right angle. One night, Dad placed her precious gold-plated vase, a family heirloom, right on her fanny at her body's angle. She couldn't move, couldn't stop from laughing, and screamed for help through her tears, while the vase teetered precariously. We all rolled on the floor laughing until Dad finally rescued the vase.

The stories flowed. Each one seemed to trigger the memory of two more. Even the littlest grandchildren couldn't wait to tell Dad why they loved him. For a man who had been kind to so many hundreds of people in his life, here was our chance to celebrate him.

A few months later, at Dad's memorial service, we more fully realized what we had given Dad that night. Those were the stories people normally tell at a funeral, after a loved one is no longer around to hear the words. They are told, then, full of tears, with the hope that the departed will somehow hear the outpouring of love. But we had given those loving memories to Dad in life, told through laughter, accompanied by hugs and joy. He had them to hold and roll over in his mind during his last months and days.

Words do matter, and they are enough. We just need to say them, to speak them publicly to the ones we love, for everyone else to hear. That's the way to give back love, and our chance to celebrate a person in life.

Read More

How To Survive Holiday Gatherings & Avoid An Aneurysm

By Paula Renaye

Hi Friends! Since the holidays are in full swing this week in the US, I thought you might enjoy seeing these family gathering survival tips that I am talking about on hundreds of radio shows throughout the holidays. If you happen to hear me, please let me know. There are more tips on my website, http://hardlineselfhelp.com. And, there is an ultra-short super sale on amazon.com for the Kindle version of The Hardline Self Help Handbook ($0.99 US, $0.86 UK). Get it and give it now! Okay, now to those tips that could keep you from replaying the same old family dramas and squabbles when you go home for the holidays!

How to Survive Holiday Gatherings & Avoid an Aneurysm

For those of us from families built on Debbie Downer DNA, there’s only one direction a mood can go during holiday get-togethers and that’s down. Whether you’re the smiley face among frowners, or a bit of a Depressing Dan yourself, there are tricks you can use to keep the table talk from getting lethal, says Paula Renaye, a professional life coach and author of “The Hardline Self Help Handbook,” (www.HardlineSelfhelp.com).

“You can take control simply by thinking about what you choose to say – or not say,” Renaye says. “If you hear yourself criticizing, judging or complaining, you’re part of the problem. Happy, self-respecting people don’t find it necessary to dump on others to make themselves feel good. If someone else is the problem, simply don’t give them the ammunition they need,” she says. Instead try these tactics:

• Do not say anything negative. Period. And no one-downing! One-downing is the opposite of one-upping. It’s the art of coming up with something worse when someone else talks about their problem.
• Do not talk about yourself. The only reason negative people care about what you’re up to is because they want something to ridicule, brag or gossip about to make themselves look or feel good. Whether you just earned your third PhD or filed for bankruptcy, don’t go there.
• Do your homework and become like Teflon. Why are you going? Get clear on what you expect to get out of the deal and then figure out what you need to accomplish that. If you've been cornered and questioned and felt on the defensive before, it's time to clear things up before you get there so you don't have to do it again. Start hacking away at the jungle of your own emotions and figure out what's really going on. If you're still waiting for someone to approve or validate you, or give you an "atta girl," you’re in for a long wait. Even if you just discovered a new solar system, it's going to get a lukewarm reaction at best because you turned your back on the family dog grooming business. So, don't set yourself up to be miserable. Get over it and go prepared.
• Use the 3Ds--Dodge, Distract and Detour. Just because someone asks you a question doesn't mean you have to answer it. Questions like, "Oh, dear, how are you holding up since that scoundrel you married ran off with that tramp?" do not deserve answers. Use the 3Ds instead: "Oh, how kind of you to be thinking about me, you've always been so thoughtful and supportive, like when you always made brownies when I came to your house. I have wanted to ask you for that recipe for ages." You dodged the question, distracted with something else and detoured away from a potentially unpleasant conversation into one that focused on a positive moment."
• Make a Happy List--Make a list of the people you expect to see and write out interests or memories that you can pull from to use as "distracts" in case you get cornered. Write out some general topics as well that can be used for generic situations. Do it--you'll be glad you did.

Remember, you know these people and you know what usually happens when they get together. When you see them gearing up to replay old dramas, vow to not go there with them. If you don't play your regular role, the show can't go on as usual--the pattern is disrupted. That doesn't mean you have to police the situation, just be absolutely certain that you don't contribute to it in any way. Go back to the rules: no negative talk--period--and use the 3Ds over and over. Don't do what you've always done and enjoy your family more than you ever have!

* * * *

Paula Renaye is a motivational speaker, certified professional life coach and a member of the International Association of Coaches. She has a background in psychology, financial planning and journalism. The Hardline Self Help Handbook is the winner of four 2011 Book Awards and is recommended by mental health professionals as "All the benefits of serious therapy in one book!" (amazon.com). Visit http://hardlineselfhelp.com

Read More

Orangeberry Book Tours - Terri D & Marsha L Randolph

What Secrets Do You Keep From The One You Share Everything With? Secrets. Lies. Half-Truths. A poignant tale of a circle of close knit friends whose lives are more intertwined than they realize. That is until the blurred lines of Love, Lust and Friendship begins to reveal the half-truths and lies that exist. Will the secrets they all hold from the past ruin their friendship and lives forever?

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre - Contemporary Fiction
Rating - PG13 
Connect with Terri D on Twitter & Fan Page
Website http://www.authorterrid.com/

Check out where this author will be talking about her latest release!

Many women enter a relationship overwhelmed by a man's charisma, good looks or even the size of his wallet. Some women believe their beauty will keep their husband faithful, while others believe their sexual exploits are enough to maintain a relationship; there are also the women who dedicate their life to being and doing whatever their husbands desire. This is the case of Vashtai, the main character. She believed that being everything her husband needed guaranteed eternal bliss. Unfortunately most women, including Vashtai, find they have built their marriage on a false foundation. After twenty years of being all things to her husband Vashtai Terrace found herself divorced. Despite being an ideal model of the Proverbs 31 woman, a completely submitted wife her husband replaced her. In addition she recieved little guidance from her church as to what to do with her physical desires now that she was single. 


Walking away from church into the single's social scene "Lady V" emerged. Her new friends: Pamela, a woman who used plastic surgery to improve her outer appearance; Valarie, a self confident plus sized woman; and Cassie the low key intellectual each shared their personal tips on dating. Of course, this was after Leon. This story is not about how Vashtai had to take her husband to court to get child support. This is not a story about a woman out to get revenge. This story is not even about how Vashtai found joy in caring for her children nor did she declare "Jesus was her man" as she lived the rest of her life celibate. This is a story about love, passion, victory and faith and how women overcome the crap that happens.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre - Women's Inspirational Fiction
Rating - PG13
Connect with Marsha L Randolph on Twitter & her Facebook Group

Check out where this author will be talking about her latest release!

Read More

Orangeberry Book Tours - Terry Callister & Elisa Hirsch

On his way to a job interview James Campbell is mugged, not a good start to his day but it leads to a fortuitous discovery, he can travel through time. James quickly realises that he can use this breakthrough to amass a small fortune. It rapidly changes his life and then quite accidently he travels back to 1647 the time of Oliver Cromwell and the delectable Esmeralda. Follow him as romance blossoms but not without one or two unexpected problems along the way.


Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre - Fiction
Rating - G
Connect with Terry Callister on Twitter & Facebook

Check out where this author will be talking about his latest release!

The night I met Cade I never would’ve thought that two years later, after we were homeless street musicians in Hawaii, we would have a little girl and another baby on the way. Our son was born with the type of birth defects that make televangelists cringe. As his health waned, my own breath evaded me, like I was the one who needed the ventilator—the life support. The “death home” gave him a really nice funeral, the kind I’d never wished to attend. When they tried closing his casket, I nearly fell on my face, not wanting them to shut the lid on my baby. We lost it after that, totally cemented in our grief. Cade got into drugs, joined a rock and roll band, and even grew out his damn hair. 


At the time, I was sick of “the oatmeal option” (the only food we had), so I kicked Cade out of the house, and started modeling and working as a diesel mechanic. That was how I met Earl, an old man and unlikely best friend; the “big sag,” a middle aged woman who still flashed folks, and "The Cowboy" a man who fell in love with me. It was slow at first, but Cade reverted to the man I’d busked with years before. It wasn’t until I killed a rogue skunk, and my daughter nearly choked on a fry, that I gave my husband another chance. But could our marriage recover from the death of our son?


Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre - Non-Fiction
Rating - PG
Connect with Elisa Hirsch on Twitter & Facebook
Website http://www.ecwrites.com/

Check out where this author will be talking about her latest release!

Read More

The Three Men I Married

By Pamela Dowd 

I have been married to three kinds of Rodneys over the past two decades. The Rodney I met right after college asked my father for my hand in marriage, but he never proposed to me. He claimed bragging rights among his fraternity brothers. He didn't have to bend a knee to a woman. It never occurred to him that his boast offended me.

When I brought it to his attention after the newly-wed sweetness dampened, he said, "You married me, didn't you?"

As a young attorney, he made an unarguable point. I looked at the traditional solitaire diamond ring and remembered June 10, 1978, the day of our wedding. Though he hadn't officially asked me to marry him, he'd given me his solemn vows that day - vows we both intended to keep.

The week before our tenth anniversary, June 10, 1988, Rodney and I fought long-distance. I was 150 miles away at a work-related conference. Each phone conversation left me in frustrated tears. I arrived home five days later in a foul mood with a sour disposition. I knew it was the end of a difficult relationship, and as much as I didn't want to leave the marriage, I convinced myself that he wanted out.

When I arrived home, I only wanted to see our three children. Rodney was the last person I wanted to spend time with, but he was the only person waiting for me. He suggested a walk down town in the heat. The vapors rose from the sidewalk on that June day and steam seemed to be pent up inside me as I tried to feel happy to be home.

As we walked he tried to engage me in small talk. He took my hand. Sweat mingled in our palms, and I thought of all the sweat and toil that had gone into keeping both of us sane through so much fighting over the years. Our marriage felt like the dry leaves clinging to the trees under which we walked.

He said, "Sit down," and indicated the courthouse steps.

I knew what was coming, and though I didn't want it to happen, I felt unprepared to stop it. I held my breath, shut my eyes and waited for the word "divorce."

"Would you marry me again?"

My eyes popped open as I said, "What?"

Rodney held a ring box gingerly before me. He laughed a gentle laugh and dropped down on one knee.

"I said, would you marry me again?"

As he opened the box, a deep blue sapphire and diamond ring caught the sunlight and winked at me. I let my held breath out with a rush and said, "Yes!"

I'd never been more startled.

"I didn't like you being gone this week," he offered as an explanation for his incessant fights.

"That's what all that was about?"

He looked sheepish, but he nodded and grinned.

"Surprised you, didn't I? You said you'd do it again, and now you can't take it back."

I smiled at him and thought to myself - and so I will do it again.

As we walked home hand-in-hand, the leaves didn't seem as dull; I'd finally gotten my down-on-one-knee proposal. This time though, I entered the "engagement" with less hope than I'd entered the marriage.

Proposal or not, things had to change. We talked about that too.

We changed all right, and when the third Rodney came to propose, he did it with a flourish and a gentled heart.

The morning of our twentieth anniversary, he called me from work.

"Let's go to the Versailles exhibit in Jackson, Mississippi, today," he said, as if it were normal to take three-hundred-mile day trips. I've learned to say "okay" over the years to my impetuous husband, so I willingly agreed.

The trip was pleasant. We talked and laughed and shared our dreams. Before we crossed the Mississippi River, he suggested we change drivers. We stopped at a small convenience store, and while I was inside, he sneaked out the back door to retrieve a small box from the glove compartment. When he slipped back inside, I was buying Junior Mints to celebrate. I never knew he'd been gone.

Back on the road again, we soon approached the Mississippi River Bridge. Right in the middle of crossing, he popped a ring box open and held it at the height of the steering wheel.

"Will you marry me?" he asked with a grin plastered on his gorgeous face.

The sun glinted off the diamond and emerald ring. I gazed at the green ring against the backdrop of the verdant bridge high above the water below; it's a wonder I didn't crash the car. Rodney had planned the perfect proposal for me, his incurably romantic wife.

We exited on the other side and talked a security guard at the Mississippi hospitality centre into capturing the moment on film. All my questions of when and how were answered with a hug and a smile. He'd been listening to my heart and taking notes for twenty years; he knew me well.

It's like I always tell young brides, "You don't often get the sensitive caring husband you long for on the day you marry him. That process takes years. You grow there together."

Read More

A Small Candle & The Man

Author Unknown

There was a small candle being carried by a man who was climbing the stairs of a lighthouse.

On their way up to the top, the candle asked the man, "Where are we going?"

"We're going to the top of this lighthouse, to give signals to the big ships on the ocean," the man answered.

"What? How could it be possible for me with my small light to give signals to those big ships? They will never be able to see my light," replied the candle weakly.

"If your light is small, let it be. All you have to do is keep burning and leave the rest to me," said the man.

A little later, they arrived at the top of the lighthouse where there was a big lamp with a loop behind it. Then the man lit the lamp with the light of the candle and instantly, the place shone so brightly that the ships on the ocean could see its light.

With our being and our limitations, we're hardly able to do any meaningful things. Yet, one thing you should bear in mind is that your life is like a small candle in God's powerful hand. All your abilities and expertise will remain as a small light if you don't put your life in God's hand. On the contrary, even if your light is so small or dim, if you entrust all your life to God, he is able to make your small light into a big one that brings blessings to many people.

Even it wasn't impossible for Joshua, who was Moses' servant, to feel slightly fear when God ordered him to lead the Israelis invading the Canaan. God comforted and strengthened Joshua that He would never leave him. God even promised him victory over victory. All God asked from him was, "Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go." (Joshua 1:7)

Do not look at your inability, limitations, and weaknesses. God entrusts you with something, whether it is a work or a ministry. Have faith that you are in His mighty hands and that He will use you according to His will. When we put all our trust in Him, we will see how He uses our lives, including our limitations, to be blessings to others.

Read More

Orangeberry Book Tours - Jeff Horton & Collette Scott

Would you believe it if someone told you that you were one of the last two prophets mentioned in the book of Revelation? It is the End of Days. The power of the Antichrist and his grip on humanity grows stronger with each passing day, enabling him to deceive the world and entice humanity into joining him in his corruption, and in his eternal punishment. With the help of the False Prophet, the Beast persuades many to fall down and worship him, also forcing them to take his mark. 


When someone tells John March that he has been chosen by God to become the last of the two prophets mentioned in the book of Revelation, he doesn’t believe it. After a visitation by an angel followed by a miraculous sign however, he becomes convinced that it is true and decides to embrace his calling, despite learning that doing so will lead to his untimely death. March begins his mission by proclaiming God's message: that the End of Days is at hand, to beware the growing power and influence of the Beast, and to know that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is imminent. 


Supernatural disasters, including a worldwide drought, rivers of blood, massive earthquakes, and a devastating asteroid, testify that the end of the world is at hand. Join John March on his journey to becoming, The Last Prophet.


Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre - Apocalyptic/Post-Apocalyptic Fiction
Rating - PG/PG13
Connect with Jeff Horton on Amazon & Facebook 
Website http://website-www.hortonlibrary.com/

Check out where this author will be talking about his latest release!

“If We Dare to Dream is captivating! Collette Scott delivers an emotional roller coaster ride of love, anger, guilt and suspense…. Addictive to the very end!”

- KC Stone, author of Replaced by a Stranger.

“Wow! I have to say after reading Forever Sunshine I didn't think I would read a book as well written as that again. Collette has done it again!... Collette writes so well that you can visualise what is happening in your head, as though seeing the action on TV or in a film, but better! I feel so privileged at being allowed to read this book before it has even officially been published.”

- Jeanzbookreadnreview.blogspot.com

Meet the Evans family:

A family torn apart by war and misfortune meets a family held together by the bonds of love.

Two families entwine after one fateful night changes their lives forever. Andrew Sheehan, former elite soldier, returns home from war and is suddenly accused of murder. Only Jamie Evans can prove his innocence.

What would you do?

A single meeting, the memory of one night, holds the key to a murder. If Jamie is correct, she gives a hero back his life. If she is wrong, she risks freeing a murderer from prison. Trusting her instincts, Jamie puts her life on hold and strives to free Andrew despite her family’s misgivings. Determined to do what is right, she vows to help him get his life back on track.

Andrew, feeling betrayed by the country he nearly died protecting, fights the demons he carries in an effort to make things work with Jamie and repair the fractured relationship with his brother Adam, who bears his own battle scars.

Dare he dream?

With Jamie and her family’s help, Andrew begins to pick up the pieces of his shattered life. Realizing that there is more to life than bitterness and resentment, he starts over again determined to make the best of his experiences. But the killer is still out there, and Andrew soon finds that he is haunting him still.

About the Author

Always composing stories in her head, Collette began her first novel at the age of eight. Since then, she has obtained her bachelor’s degree in English literature and master’s degree in education while squeezing in her writing whenever she can. If We Dare to Dream is Collette’s third novel and the beginning of the highly anticipated Evans family series. The New England native now resides in Arizona with her husband, three children and multiple family pets.

Buy Now @ Amazon, Smashwords

Genre - Chick Lit
Rating - PG13
Connect with Collette Scott on Amazon, Twitter & Facebook
Website http://www.collettescott.com/

Check out where this author will be talking about her latest release!

Read More

Who Would You Be If You Weren't Afraid?

By Paula Renaye

Who would you be if you weren't afraid?

Now, your first response to that question may be that you're not afraid and how dare I suggest that you are. Well, here's my response to that: we are all afraid of something--and sometimes a lot of somethings. And, most of the time we don't consciously recognize how much influence those fears have over our lives.

I knew a man through business associations who was fairly successful on the professional side of things, but like many of us not so great on the emotional maturity side. In fact, his fears and limiting beliefs ruled every moment of his life. He told me that he knew that from the moment he got up in the morning he was going to be tempted to do bad things and that he had to stay on alert at all times to watch out for them.

Now, as a coach and tough love author--not to mention to perpetual student of human behavior--I was absolutely fascinated by his words. On the one hand, I could say that I too stay consciously on alert; that I monitor my thoughts, words and actions so that I can identify things I need to change. But his approach wasn't on that same page. For him, there was nothing that needed to be changed; the world was simply a fearful place filled with all kinds of things that could lead him to the dark side. Consequently, he always found what he was looking for.

When I talked with him further about it, I realized how deeply his fears ran--and how important they were for him to keep. He wasn't interested getting to the root of the belief and changing it to something that empowered him, because his whole life--and "goodness"--required it. Without that belief mechanism in place, he was absolutely certain that he would do "bad" things. 

I gently asked if he might consider looking for good; that perhaps he could shift his belief to "I am always tempted to do good" or "good lurks behind every corner" or something similar. He thought about it for a moment and I saw the light bulb go on, but as he processed it through the rest of belief system he shut it back off. No, he couldn’t do that, he said. He had to stay focused and aware that there were bad things in the world so they wouldn't sneak up on him.

Now, this example may seem extreme, but we all do this same thing to one degree or another. And, it often sets up a paradoxical situation: The very belief we need to change to be happy is the one our subconscious mind believes we cannot live without. 

Who would you be without the limiting beliefs you argue most vehemently to keep?

Who would you be without your fears?

Find out!

* * * *

Paula Renaye is tough love motivational speaker, certified professional coach and author of the multi-award-winning self-empowerment guide, The Hardline Self Help Handbook, which is on sale for the holidays now at most retailers. Her Tweet-able Tough Love Quotes book is available free for a limited time. Visit http://hardlineselfhelp.com for more information and tips.

Read More