The Colonel's Lady launch!

I can't believe it's time for another book launch! It seems like Lael and Morrow just appeared - is it possible three years have passed? This time next year we'll be celebrating yet another series together, Lord willing. But we need to enjoy the moment right now:) I hope you like the gifts for the giveaways below. They have a colonial theme in keeping with the novel. Meanwhile, you're gifting me with more wonderful reader pics!

Sarah in Maryland!

Stacie Hope in Michigan!

Since some of you already have a copy of The Colonel's Lady or will be getting it, I wanted to have some other gifts along with the 4 signed copies I'll be giving away. If your name is drawn you can opt for a book or a non-bookish gift. I have 84 names in the drawings, collected from the post on June 29th. If you didn't comment and leave your name there, please send it to me at lauran@tfon.com to be entered in the drawings for all of August. Our first two winners will be announced this coming Friday, August 5th!

Last but not least, please stop by Rel's today for another fun and informative spotlight of The Colonel's Lady and some pictures of the real-life hero and heroine that inspired my creation of Cass and Roxanna. I'll close comments here in hopes to see you over there today. If I don't see you there, please stop by Wednesday for a post about my recent trip to historic Pittsburgh. It's quite a different destination than Philadelphia!

Bless you all!

heaven in their hearts

Well might our Lord say, "The Kingdom of Heaven is within you," for they who truly are born of God, carry heaven in their hearts.

The tide of popularity began to run very high...had it not been for my compassionate High Priest, popularity would have destroyed me. I used to plead with Him to take me by the hand and lead me unhurt through this fiery furnace. He heard my request, and gave me to see the vanity of all commendations but His own.

Lord, show that Thou dost love me, by humbling me and keeping me humble as long as I live. The means I leave to Thee. I am Thy clay. Thou art the Potter; mould me as it seemeth good to Thy sovereign goodwill and pleasure! Amen and Amen.

I desire to make mention only of the Lord's righteousness... Like a pure crystal, I would transmit all the light He poureth upon me... I would have Jesus all in all.

~George Whitefield

1714-1770

readers and roxie!!

When a book first appears it's always fun to hear where it is and SEE readers:) Thanks so much to those of you who have the book and have sent pics! I just love them and even Randy and the boys enjoy looking at them. I've been hearing from quite a few of you telling me what page you're on and which scenes they like best. Always happy news to an author! Here are some of the latest reader pics in my inbox...

Casey from Oregon!

Christy said she had a great mail day. TLC and tickets to Les Miserables!

Mandy and TCL from South Carolina!

Hooray for Carissa and Family Christian Stores!

Amanda from Rhode Island!

Coco and TCL! Bless you, Renee, in Pennsylvania!!

So...what page are you on? Any favorite characters or scenes? Or are you still waiting for your copy? I'd love to know!

historic Philadelphia

Thought I'd take you on a little tour of historic Philly since I've just come from there. I was part of the Faith and Freedom Tour hosted by The Providence Forum in mid-July. This was a walking tour of the historic district and let me tell you, we made tracks from dawn till dusk:) But I never felt tired as the history there is so rich and awe-inspiring.

Our hotel was in Old City Philly and was bordered by a brick wall that had been erected in 1793 during the yellow fever epidemic. Betsy Ross's house was just a street away as was Christ Church where many of our founding fathers worshipped. I could see the steeple clearly from my room and it was a sight to behold at night, all lit up and backed by a full moon! Imagine my delight when I checked in and learned I was to stay a week on the very sight George Whitefield built his preaching house and preached!! Those of you who follow this blog and know what a hero Whitefield is to me can imagine my delight. Needless to say, my sleep was very sweet upon this hallowed spot:)

Here's our fearless leader, Dr. Peter Lillback, (author, historian, and seminary president) wearing a William Penn hat. Since Philadelphia is essentially a Quaker city, this was very fitting. Plus all that glorious sun was HOT!

Here I am smiling as I'm about to eat! In back of me is the historic ship, Moshulu, where we began the tour with an unforgettable dinner. See below:)

Best crab cakes I ever tasted! Isn't the presentation lovely?

Guess I'm a member of the clean plate club as I ate everything they set down in front of me;) And then they served dessert! Of course I ate all that, too.

There were so many memorable moments during the tour. But if you asked me to choose one I'd confess it was meeting George Washington at Valley Forge. This re-enactor had me smitten the moment he opened his mouth:) His voice was so rich and his manner so commanding and eloquent he belongs in a novel!

I'm not a small woman but George was SO TALL I felt a little like Martha Washington beside him. He kindly reminded me that no lady would ever stand to the left of a gentleman and so I corrected my error. Oh, those 18th-century customs!

Here is George Washington's headquarters at Valley Forge, one of the most amazing sites I've ever seen. This is the original house and I have pictures of the interior rooms I'll share with you in a later post. Stone houses are very common in Pennsylvania and are so very charming. Hard to imagine the very tall Washington stuffed into this house with Martha, officers and wives, and regular soldiers. There's a tranquility here that is hard to describe.

Our group at Valley Forge posing beside a Revolutionary War cannon on the site where soldiers had their huts. That particular winter was very brutal and many of the men went without shoes and were dressed in rags and had little to eat. To say it was a moving experience to even stand upon the same ground is an understatement. We owe those men and women so much.

This is a charming 18th-century garden behind Dolly Madison's house not far from my hotel. I went there every chance I could:)

Remember Morrow and Aunt Etta's mantua-making shoppe in Courting Morrow Little? I placed it here in Elfreth's Alley, the oldest existing street in America. See that "to let/rent" sign? You can imagine what I wanted to do! I think this would be a wonderful place to live and scribble stories.

Ben Franklin made his home in Philly and there are a gazillion bobble head Bens in his honor! I passed on these but chose some books and CD's instead. My favorite for the moment is Thomas Jefferson's Fiddle as he was a fine violinist.

I have over 1500 photos from this trip and will share more as the month of August unfolds. Please stay tuned as I'll post more reader/TLC pics later this week! Bless those of you who are sending them to me. I light up like a Christmas tree when they come in! Next Monday, the official launch day for The Colonel's Lady, we'll begin the giveaways - can't wait!

it's here!

The Carpenter Shop bookstore in Athens, Georgia!

Diana from South Carolina

Michelle from California

Renee Ann from New York

I returned a mere 24 hours ago to some wonderful pics of readers and shelf-sightings and thought I'd post a few here. Coming home to these blessed me beyond telling:) There's so much I have to say but will need a couple of days to tame my laundry and email, organize my men, and all the rest. Will be working on a post about Philly and Pittsburgh with pictures to post in a few days. Suffice it to say, the Lord delighted me at every turn! And I can't wait to share with you here.

If you'd like to send a pic of you with The Colonel's Lady, I'd be thrilled! Or if you're feeling camera shy like I usually am, please send one of the book:) Just email me at lauran@tfon.com. I'll try to post them all in the weeks to come and we'll begin the blog launch and giveaways August 1.

Bless you all!

The Colonel's Lady...

I thought I'd leave you a little something before bidding you goodbye! I'll be away for part of July on a research trip/tour of Pennsylvania and am packing my bags to go. Revell has just released the book trailer so thought I'd post this morning. Do you hear those violins? Love that music! Please share if you like. As soon as I return we'll have a launch party here with lots of giveaways, book talk, pictures from my trip and more! Prayers for travel mercies are so appreciated!

If you'd like to be entered in the first of several drawings for a signed copy of The Colonel's Lady as well as other launch party gifts (some of which I plan to pick up in colonial Philadelphia!), please leave a comment below. Your name will stay in the kitty for all the drawings. I'll leave this post up until I return so comment away...

Bless you all!

about that book...

Just wanted to say I'm over at Colonial Quills today answering some interesting questions about my upcoming release, The Colonel's Lady. If you'd like to enter the drawing to win a signed copy of the book, please mosey over and leave a comment at the link above. Or just say hi and tell me what you're reading;)

Counting down till release day... August 1st is just around the corner!

Bless you all!

more Whitefield...

My mind being open and enlarged, I began to read the Holy Scriptures upon my knees, laying aside all other books, and praying over, if possible, every line and word. This proved meat indeed, and drink indeed, to my soul. I daily received fresh life, light, and power from above. I got more true knowledge from reading the book of God in one month, than I could ever have acquired from all the writings of men.

Lord, teach me in all things simply to comply with Thy will, without presuming to say, even in my heart, "What doest Thou?"

Take care of your life and the Lord will take care of your death.

Press forward. Do not stop, do not linger in your journey, but strive for the mark set before you.

~George Whitefield

behind the stories

Recently, when I was cleaning out the garage, I came across a book I'd bought about 10 years ago and never read. Well, I'd read about a chapter back then but it was so painful to me in those pre-publishing days that I buried it:) Now I'm really reading it and wish I'd stuck with it from the first as it would have encouraged me so much...

AND IT'S NOW AVAILABLE FOR ONE CENT BRAND NEW ON AMAZON!!! How's that for a summer reading deal?

Since it has one of my favorite historical authors inside, Liz Curtis Higgs, I read her chapter first:) But there are many other authors who have some wonderful things to say. I didn't know, for instance, that dear Liz was such a popular speaker and radio personality that she had a large audience waiting when she published her first novel. Or that Karen Kingsbury waited over a year for an editor to make a decision on the first manuscript that launched her career. This is just a few of the gems you'll find within its 288 pages.

I enjoyed these quotes at the start of each chapter...

The work of art which I do not make, none other will ever make. ~Simone Weil

Instead of a gem, or even a flower, if we could cast the gift of a lovely thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give. ~George MacDonald

I believe our heart desires are the allurements of God, coaxing us to a life beyond what we could ever ask or imagine. As we serve God out of our desires, we find a fulfillment and satisfaction like we've never known. ~Douglas J. Rumford

Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential. ~Winston Churchill

God is as creative in how He breaks into our lives as He is in the original creation. ~Lucy Shaw

closed doors, open windows

I've been reading a lot of Whitefield lately, spending so much time with dear George I think Randy is a bit jealous;) His amazing writing and all the truths therein keep coming to mind. One in particular bears repeating here...

That God never disappoints us one way, but He opens a door to do good in another.

Journals, Friday, December 1, 1738

This past spring it became clear that my summer schedule as planned was not going to fly. The one thing I was most looking forward to was my Kentucky book launch in August. I ignored all the little checks that tell you something isn't feasible and assumed a do or die attitude:) Who wouldn't want to get dolled up in a reproduction silk gown in 90 degree heat and sign books and drink tea and eat scones for a day? (Well, plenty of people, actually, but this history-loving author finds it hopelessly appealing;).

Several things happened that essentially wrote a big NO across my calendar for that particular event yet I was determined to make it work. And then I received notice that the tea room had closed. How's that for confirmation? It's since moved and reopened in another location but they no longer have that charming historic house. Disappointment crowded in along with circumstances that made it impossible to reschedule.

It seemed I had to give up my plans before the Lord could hand me His. Only then did He open the door for me to go to Pennsylvania for research. A few days later Paul was asked to play fiddle for the local radio and at a summer venue during the time frame I was to be in Kentucky. So I stopped complaining and started praising, wishing I would have trusted and praised Him when all those doors were slamming shut instead.

I apologize with all my heart to readers who were willing to travel to see me! Lord willing, we'll meet. I do hope to return to the area in future and have another book event there. The good news is that I can pour my resources and creativity into a book launch right here on the blog starting August 1, something I couldn't do while traveling. I'm so excited to tell you what giveaways we'll be doing beginning with release day and how much I love the book trailer I just received for The Colonel's Lady! But that would be a certain spoiler. So just stay with me and enjoy the fun...

Closed doors and open windows are something we are all familiar with. Have you had an experience where something was taken away only to receive something better instead? Does trusting come easily to you or do you tend to complain instead of praise?