My Heart Beats for You by Paula Lynn McGrew

"My Heart Beats for You is a heart-stirring picture of God's love for us. With tender dialogue and endearing imagery, Paula McGrew beautifully portrays how God delights in us, knows us personally, and wants us! For anyone who has a hard time picturing a father's love, this is the book to read. I felt like it was written especially for me. You will too!"

Mary Hanks

Please welcome Paula McGrew, author of My Heart Beats for You.

My Heart Beats for You is an intriguing title. How did you come up with it?

When I was first learning about God as a child, my Sunday school teacher taught my class a lesson about how we are the very breath of God, and how He breathed air into our lungs to give us life.  She emphasized that we have a wonderful heavenly Father who made us in His image, He’s planned an abundant life for us, we are His treasures, and He loves us with every beat of His heart.  The poetic beauty of those words resonated with me, and I used it for the title of my book.

What inspired you to write this book?

From the time they were little, I wanted my boys, Graham and Soren, to know they couldn’t do anything of their own accord to make God love them; He already did, always has and would never stop, no matter what, and that’s why I originally wrote the book.  
My sons knew my husband and I love them, and that their friends and other family members love them, and writing this book was one way I used to teach them about God’s love too.
  
Originally, I wrote this as an individual love letter from God for my boys and used their baby and childhood pictures to put together an electronic scrapbook for each of them.   From there, the book evolved into what is now My Heart Beats For You.

Who do you see this book being an encouragement to?

I see this book being an encouragement to everyone, but especially to people who have felt unloved or don’t feel like they’re anyone special.  I also think this book could be encouraging to someone who might think no one cares about them, or even to people who don’t believe in God or know Him in a personal way.  I want this book to be a reminder that there is a place for everyone in God’s family – the lonely, the downhearted, the seeking, the orphan.  We need to feel loved in order to give love in return to someone else.  I think My Heart Beats For You is also a great tool to use when talking to our children about why God created them and how much He wants to have a relationship with them and be their Friend.

Telling someone God loves them is like offering a lifeline of hope to another one of His children.  It is my prayer that God will reveal Himself to others through my writing, and that those who read this book will open their heart to Him and accept Jesus as their Savior.  

In one or two sentences, please tell us the theme of My Heart Beats for You.

God’s love for us is unimaginable, without limits, without end.  When I delved into the Scriptures while writing this book, I felt as if I was hearing God’s heart, like He was sitting beside me, assuring me of His love and that I was uniquely made by His own hands in order to have a relationship with Him.  That’s what this book is about, and the message I want to share with the world.  

As a mom, how does this book affect you?

Every time I think about how much I love my boys, I get tears in my eyes, and the depth of my love for them is not even a drop in the bucket compared to how much God loves me, loves them, love us.  His love far surpasses the love I feel for my own children.  I wept as I wrote this book and literally felt Him speaking to my heart, His voice gentle, kind, and full of love, assuring me I was created for a purpose, and that He wanted – even craved and longed for – my companionship.

Visit Paula's website to find out more about My Heart Beats for You.

http://www.paulalynnmcgrew.com/my-heart-beats-for-you.html

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Thanks for sharing your heart with us, Paula!!

Poodles at Play by Paula McGrew

Welcome, Paula McGrew, author of Poodles at Play!!
Readers, you've got to see this darling book!!

Paula, please tell us about your writing journey.

I fell in love with books from the minute I learned to put letters and sentences and paragraphs together, and I enjoyed reading Little House on the Prairie, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Trixie Belden, and Black Stallion books. I wanted to write stories just like them. I read those books over and over until they came apart or the covers fell off. Many of my paperbacks were held together with packing tape! Whenever I ran out of something to read, I would grab my parents’ set of encyclopedias and go through them, one by one. 

The first book I wrote was for an assignment in sixth grade. Our teacher asked us to put together a book about our favorite subject. At that time, my favorite subject was horses, so I wrote about several different breeds and included handmade sketches of them, stapled the pages together and added a cloth cover. I received an A, by the way! 

In high school, my favorite subject was English, and my friends and I wrote poetry about boys, school, friends, our hopes and dreams for the future, and our relationship with God. One year, I typed a few of my poems onto parchment paper and assembled them into books which I gave to my parents, aunts and uncles, and grandparents for Christmas.  

I didn’t take my own writing seriously, though, until I was in my 20’s and joined a local writer’s group and began publishing poetry, magazine articles, and children’s puzzles for Sunday school curriculum. Since then, I’ve continued journaling, writing book reviews, articles for my church newsletter, and stories for my two boys.

What is the inspiration behind Poodles at Play?

The idea for Poodles at Play came to me one day when I was at a dog show with my husband, and we saw how many different breeds and sizes of poodles there were. I thought to myself, “There are oodles and oodles of Poodles everywhere!” and that’s when I got the idea to make up a story about them to tell my sons. I started jotting down ideas, and the rhymes simply started flowing. I read Poodles at Play for the children in my youngest son’s second grade class, and when I saw how much they enjoyed it, I decided to take the indie author route and use CreateSpace as my publisher.

Does rhyming come easy to you? Do you have any funny stories about trying to find the perfect rhyming word?

Rhyming is easy for me, and I’m thinking up silly little rhymes all the time. That’s something I do to keep myself entertained. When my boys, Graham and Soren, were young, I’d make something rhyme to encourage them to do their chores, take a bath, brush their teeth, or make their beds. I’d say things like, “It’s time to brush your teeth, Keith!” or “It’s time to make your bed, Fred!” or “It’s time to set the table, Mabel!” I found that if they giggled about something, then they were more willing to do what I asked them to do. They liked the rhymes and thought they were fun.

Krystine Kercher's poodles are absolutely darling. Which scene is your favorite?

I like two scenes, in particular. The first one is when the poodles are being shampooed and brushed and combed and fluffed. I think including the soap bubbles in the illustration was brilliant! My second favorite scene is when the poodles are playing the sandbox and there’s sand flying all over the place. Krystine did an absolutely fantastic job on the illustrations, and I’m glad I met her. This book wouldn’t be what it is without her artistic talent. She gave me quite a few suggestions to make the book better than it was originally, and I’m pleased with the end result.

Can you tell us a little bit about life on your farm? Any poodles?

We live on ten acres in the country outside of Duluth, Minnesota. We plant a vegetable garden every year and have landscaped our property with flowers, fruit trees, berry bushes and herbs.  We want to live as sustainably as possible, so we raise our own laying hens and meat chickens, and my husband, Kevin, keeps one or two beehives during the summer. We have four Pygmy goats that are helping us keep the brush and weeds down, and we’ve cleared a few acres for horse pasture, but there’s more work to do before the horses arrive. Someday we’d also like to add a cow or two. 

No, we don’t have any poodles, but we do have a hunting dog named Pesto, and she is a delight! She is an orange roan Italian Spinone (rhymes with spumoni - !!), and Kevin takes her to North Dakota every year to hunt pheasants.

How does releasing your first book feel?

Scary is the first word that comes to mind!  Excited is a close second, though. I’m an introvert by nature and publishing my first book has taken me far outside my comfort zone into territory I hadn’t considered entering. Marketing and promoting myself and my work and creating a social media presence are new to me, and I have a lot to learn, so sometimes I also feel overwhelmed. I also spent a considerable amount of time – years, in fact – trying to find an illustrator, and holding Poodles at Play in my own hands somehow seems unbelievable as well as very rewarding. I look at the glossy, colorful front and back covers, open the pages, see the poodles and think, “I can hardly believe it. This book is really mine!” I won’t sleep with it under my pillow, but I have hugged it a few times!

To find Poodles at Play on Amazon, click HERE.

Explore Paula's beautiful website: http://www.paulalynnmcgrew.com/

Congratulations, Paula, on releasing your first book!!!

In the Presence of God

In God's presence, nothing else matters. Not that phone call or the bill looming over my head or hunger for the things of this world. In a second of time, it all goes away, and I'm caught and held in His beauty. In the presence of God, it feels like I'm in a vacuum of glory with waves of His love rolling over me.

Whenever we experience Him like this, we need to stay put, basking in His love, while He lifts us up to a higher place, heals us, and transforms our minds to become more like Him. Don't rush. Take time to love His presence.

Sometimes it's like we've drilled a hole in heaven's floor with our praises and suddenly, down flows the glory. "Why would I need to drill a hole in heaven?" you might ask. I think it's because faith and action go hand in hand. We can't just sit still, doing nothing, and expect God to pour blessings over us. In some way, we need to take a step in faith, grab hold of the glory or the healing or the filling of the Holy Spirit. It takes stepping out and doing something—praising, worshiping, dancing before the Lord, and believing enough to reach out. Not that we make it happen. But faith and action do bring about change and create an effect in the spiritual realm around us. "On earth as it is in heaven" inspires me to grab hold of the things of heaven and bring them to earth every chance I get.

Oh, how I love God's presence. I want to walk in it all day long, dancing in swirls of glory. If there's a cure-all for every need, it's being in the presence of God. I'm not talking about finding a quiet place to meditate or me telling God all my requests or reciting the Word. While these can be glorious, what I'm talking about is stepping into the stream of the very presence of God, and once I'm there, basking in that other realm for a while.

In His presence, I am changed, no longer the same.

In His presence is where I long to be, realms of glory taking over me.

Heaven is filled with awe and wonder,

And, oh, I've caught a glimpse.

Title: Book Blast: Deep in the Heart, Staci Stallings

Deep in the Heart

by: Staci Stallings

Only 99 Cents... January 28 & 29th!

About the Book

Just out of college and completely alone in the world, Maggie Montgomery has one shot left to save her life from an abyss of poverty and hopelessness. Clinging to the last shred of fuel and hope, she arrives at the mansion of Texas billionaire Conrad Ayer. Although Maggie is clearly not what Mr. Ayer and his wife have in mind for a nanny, they agree to hire her temporarily until they can find someone more appropriate to fill the position. However, Maggie's whole world is about to be up-ended by two way-over-scheduled children and one incredibly handsome hired hand. As she struggles to fit into a world she was never made to fit in, Maggie wonders if she can ever learn to become a perfect version of herself so she can keep the job, or is she doomed to always be searching for a life she can never quite grasp? Keith Ayer despises his life. As the son of Texas billionaire Conrad Ayer and the fiance to a Senator from Texas' daughter, it looks great on the outside, but inside, he is dying. He would vastly prefer to manage and train his father's racehorses. However, everyone else thinks that is beneath him. He needs to get into industry and build on his father's success. Suffocating under the constrictions of his life, he meets Maggie, and she begins to teach him that wealth and power is not everything in this life. But can Keith defy the two most powerful men in Texas to follow his heart?

"Staci Stallings... Christian fiction at its best!"

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Staci Stallings A stay-at-home mom with a husband, three kids and a writing addiction on the side, Staci Stallings has numerous titles for readers to choose from. Not content to stay in one genre and write it to death, Staci’s stories run the gamut from young adult to adult, from motivational and inspirational to full-out Christian and back again. Every title is a new adventure! That’s what keeps Staci writing and you reading. Staci touches the lives of people across the globe every week with her various Internet endeavors including being the co-founder of CrossReads.com and the founder of Grace & Faith Connection.

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Enter to Win a Kindle, 6" E Ink Display, Wi-Fi

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a $50 Amazon Gift Card!

(That's two separate prizes, given to two separate winners!)

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Drawing on February 4, 2014

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This book blast is hosted by Crossreads. We would like to send out a special THANK YOU to all of the CrossReads book blast bloggers!

Winter's Beauty

As I drove into town in my big pickup truck, my eyes widened in wonder at the glorious scene stretching out before me. It was as if a new dimension of beauty had opened up a door for me to see beyond the normal country road and farm houses I'd grown accustomed to. Immediately to my left and right, branches and roadside trees loomed toward me, looking as if they'd been dipped in thick white paint. Each delicate branch from low-hanging bushes sparkled with winter's frost, making a postcard-perfect view. It was amazing . . . like that touching moment in Anne of Green Gables when Anne sees The Avenue for the very first time. For a moment I wondered, have the trees been like this all winter and I never noticed?

Surely not . . .

But one thing was for certain, I wanted to drink it all in. Slowing the truck down, my eyes feasted on the beauty sparkling around me like a fairyland. I loved it! And for the first time this season, I truly enjoyed the perfect uniqueness and glory of God's artistry in winter. It really is pretty fabulous, isn't it? (Even for someone like me who doesn't like the cold.)

Each season has its magnificence, both in nature and in our lives. It's good for us to slow down enough to see the beauty around us . . . and to rejoice in its splendor. A new season is around the corner, but let's take the time to enjoy God's brilliant handiwork today.

CrossReads Book Blast with Sharon A. Lavy

Deadly Secret
By Sharon A Lavy

About the Book

The covering on Evalena Davidson’s head invites all kinds of confidences and sharing, a blessing on Denton Community Hospital’s oncology ward. But people expect her to be perfect, which makes living up to the promise of her Old German Baptist uniform a challenge. Pete Neper, head of the sanitation department senses unrest among the employees but finds it a challenge to track down the cause. Danni Wagoner, another oncology nurse is implicated in a drug scam. Old German Baptist Brethren with their adherence to traditional ways do not get involved with the law. But how can Evalena turn her back on a friend? This unlikely trio put their lives and reputation at risk to uncover a deadly secret in an attempt to identify a killer before someone else dies.

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Sharon A Lavy Writer of Inspirational Women's fiction with a touch of Suspense. Sharon A Lavy lives with her husband in SW Ohio. When not reading, writing, or sewing for her family, she enjoys traveling with her husband in the German crafted Flight Design airplane they call PaPa. Sharon is best known in the novel writing community, as that German Baptist lady. In the Old German Baptist community she's a dressmaker, a pattern maker, and the sister who writes. And in her own mind she's a wife, a mother, and a grandmother, but above all a child of God. ~~ Her greatest desire is to be a woman after God's own heart~~ Sharon has a heart for hurting women, and writes women's fiction. Because when~~it's all said and done~~It's all about relationships.
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Enter below to enter a $50 amazon gift card, sponsored by author Sharon A Lavy! a Rafflecopter giveaway This book blast is hosted by Crossreads. We would like to send out a special THANK YOU to all of the CrossReads book blast bloggers!

New Year's Promises

Yes, I made some New Year's resolutions.
Yes, I made an agreement with myself that this year I would get moving and eat healthier.
AND I set some big writing goals for myself.

As the hour hand crept closer to midnight on 12-31-13, did you join with me in setting some goals for the new year? Did you tell yourself THIS is my year?? Well, good for you!!! I'm thrilled you've decided to make changes or improvements in your life, and I applaud your personal resolution.

I think we should think big.
We should plan big.
If I set a small goal for myself, I'm much more likely to accomplish it, sure. It's safe. But if I set a giant goal, while I may not achieve it, I will have done more with my big goal, than the little bit I would have finished with a tiny goal.

My God is a big God! I heard someone say His dreams for me are much bigger than the dreams I could imagine for myself. What an encouraging thought! My heavenly Father has big plans for me. And I like that! I'm ready for some big dreams.

This year I'm going to move my body more and eat healthier. And I'm going to write more books, God willing.

Don't be afraid to announce your resolution. Proclaim it. Make it your own.
This is the starting month of a brand new year.
Anything is possible!!