April 27, 2009

Essie's Picnic

I spoke in Corsicana, Texas last week which is the town that Courting Trouble and Deep in the Heart of Trouble were set in.  When I arrived, I discovered my hosts had pulled out all the stops. They had decorated the entire venue like the picnic in DEEP that Essie went to on the Fourth of July.

I wish you could have seen the place. They had a bicycle, bluebonnets, banners, picnic blankets &  baskets. They had everything decorated down to the last detail--even the name place cards!

But that's not all.  The master of ceremonies, Barbara Watkins, wore a replica of an 1896 bicycle costume!  It looked just like one of the ones Essie wore!!

She had found a pattern on the internet and she and her mom sewed it up.  Can you believe it? I was completely bowled over.  It was the kind of event that every author dreams she could have, but doesn't ever really expect to.  Yet there it was.  I just couldn't believe it.

And if that weren't enough, one of my favorite locals from Corsicana attended the event.  Do you remember Carmack Watkins?  The one with the trophy room?  Well, he came to the luncheon! And you know what?  The master of ceremonies (Barbara Watkins) is his daughter-in-law! (I don't know if you can see it, but Carmack is wearing one of our Circle of Friends pins on his collar!)

All in all, I had a great time meeting more folks from Corsicana and delighting in a little bit of my book spread out before me in living color.

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The winner of our ARC for the week of April 20th was Kathryn from Menomonie, Wisconsin. Congrats, Kathryn! Last week's winner is currently being notified. So now we start all over again.

If you want a chance to win an ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) of my May release, A Bride in the Bargain, then leave a comment here on my blog between now (April 27) and Sunday (May 3).  We'll pick a new winner on Monday (May 4) and then go for another round.  So, be sure to check in again and good luck!

posted by Deeanne on 04/27/2009 - 34 comments - Post a Comment    RSS FEED

April 20, 2009

RITA Award

The RITA Award is the highest award of distinction in the romance industry.  There are twelve categories within the contest (all romance). There's a best historical romance, best contemporary romance, best romantic suspense, best paranormal romance, etc.

I just found out a couple of weeks ago that DEEP IN THE HEART OF TROUBLE is in contention for best inspirational romance.  I'm sooooo excited. You will recognize some of the other authors that have also been nominated in this category. They are:

The winner will be announced in Washington D.C. this summer. If you are going to be in the area, I'll also be speaking and signing books.  For more info, click here then scroll down to the bottom (July 15 & July 18 entries).

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REMINDER: I'm going to be in Corsicana, Texas and Downs, Kansas this week.  For more info, click here then scroll down to April 22 and April 24-25.  If you make it out, be sure to let me know so I can give you a Dee's Circle of Friends pin!

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The winner of our ARC for the week of April 13th was Erin from Alexandria, Virginia. This was a special one for me because she's from my home town, her parents go to our church and she went to the same high school as my girls.  I can't believe she's all grown up and working in VA!  That's so crazy!  Anyway, congrats, Erin! Last week's winner is currently being notified. So now we start all over again.

If you want a chance to win an ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) of my May release, A Bride in the Bargain, then leave a comment here on my blog between now (April 20) and Sunday (April 26).  We'll pick a new winner on Monday (April 27) and then go for another round.  So, be sure to check in again and good luck!

posted by Deeanne on 04/20/2009 - 36 comments - Post a Comment    RSS FEED

April 13, 2009

I Love Being A Christian

I love Easter. Such a wonderful celebration of our Savior's resurrection!  Our pastor gave one of the best sermon's of his life this weekend.  I'm so full of joy and thanksgiving that Christ is who He says He is and that He cares so, so much about me and you and all of creation. It reminded me of this:

You might have seen it on the web, but if not ... (to enlarge the picture, right click and open in a new window) ...

And beyond our sun ...

Antares is the 15th brightest star in the universe. It is more than 1000 light years away.

Now think about how "big" you and I are. Yet God knows how many hairs are on our heads and not even a single sparrow dies apart from His will. (Mt. 10:29-31)

Yeah. I love Easter. :)

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The winner of our ARC for the week of April 6th was Adrienne from Fayetteville, Georgia. Congrats, Adrienne! Last week's winner is currently being notified. So now we start all over again.

If you want a chance to win an ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) of my May release, A Bride in the Bargain, then leave a comment here on my blog between now (April 13) and Sunday (April 19).  We'll pick a new winner on Monday (April 20) and then go for another round.  So, be sure to check in again and good luck!

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Our Chat Room is under attack by spammers. We are going to take it off-line until we can beef up the security.  We hope to be back online tomorrow, but no later than Wednesday.  Sorry about that!! ... Okay.  We think we've got the problem fixed.  So, we're live again.  Thanks for your patience!

posted by Deeanne on 04/13/2009 - 45 comments - Post a Comment    RSS FEED

April 06, 2009

Avalon

There are only two celebrity-types I've ever wanted to meet.  Not because they were celebrities, but because I wanted to express to them how much their work has ministered to me.  One was Beth Moore. She revolutionized the way I pictured the Bible.

Pre-Beth Moore, I thought the Bible was the most boring book on earth and simply could not motivate myself to read the whole entire thing. (I adored Jesus, I'd just explained to Him that the Bible was a really BIG book with really LITTLE letters and NO pictures!!) 

When I started doing Beth Moore studies, she showed me how exciting the Bible was. Since then, I've read it twice and have been blessed in my spiritual walk so many, many times through that and through her studies.

I had the priviledge of meeting her a few years back. Because of the time and place, a photo-op would have been totally inappropriate. But that's okay. The main thing was I wanted to get my hands on her, thank her and bless her.

The other celebrities I wanted to meet were the members of the music group Avalon. I listen to their music pretty much every single day and it never fails to move me.  Their songs have ministered to me when I was in the valley, when I was on the mountain-top and everywhere in between.

This weekend, three of their members popped into our church for a surprise visit. (Our pastor and Greg Long go way back.) Anyhoo, Avalon sang before the message and after. I was front and center and cried through every song. I'm tellin' you, the Spirit is all over that group and when He moves, I can't help but be moved.

Afterwards they signed copies of their new Greatest Hits CD or any other CD you wanted.  I had them sign their Faith CD. I love all their CDs, but this one and their Christmas CD are among my favorites.

It was such and honor and a privilege to meet them, tell them thank you and hug their necks.  I should have had a stranger take pictures for me because my man never uses the camera and, bless his heart, every picture was blurred.

But again, that's okay. The most important thing was that I got to tell them on this side of eternity how very, very much they mean to me and to give them each a hug.

If I'd had more than two hands, I'd have laid them on their heads and said a blessing over them. Instead, I just did it in the silence of my heart. But God heard and I know He will give me the desire of my heart. And the desire of my heart is for Him to grant this group in general, and these artists in particular His grace, His mercy, His favor and His blessings.  Amen.

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The winner of our ARC for the week of March 30th was Mocha with Linda from Austin, Texas. Congrats, Linda! Last week's winner is currently being notified. So now we start all over again.

If you want a chance to win an ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) of my May release, A Bride in the Bargain, then leave a comment here on my blog between now (April 6) and Sunday (April 12).  We'll pick a new winner on Monday (April 13) and then go for another round.  So, be sure to check in again and good luck!

posted by Deeanne on 04/06/2009 - 46 comments - Post a Comment    RSS FEED

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