Beautiful Christmas Tribute to the Children of Sandy Hook

Twas' 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38 when 20 beautiful children stormed through heaven's gate. 
Their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air. 
They could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there. 
They were filled with such joy; they didn't know what to say. 
They remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day. 
“Where are we?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse. 
“This is heaven" declared a small boy. "We’re spending Christmas at God's house”. 
When what to their wondering eyes did appear, 
but Jesus, their savior, the children gathered near. 
He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same. 
Then He opened His arms and He called them by name. 
And in that moment was joy, that only heaven can bring those children all flew into the arms of their King and as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace, one small girl turned and looked at Jesus' face. 
And as if He could read all the questions she had He gently whispered to her, "I'll take care of mom and dad. “then He looked down on earth, the world far below He saw all of the hurt, the sorrow, and woe, 
then He closed His eyes and He outstretched His hand, 
“Let My power and presence re-enter this land! 
“May this country be delivered from the hands of fools” 
“I’m taking back my nation. I'm taking back my schools!"
Then He and the children stood up without a sound. 
“Come now my children let me show you around."
Excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran. 
All displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can.
 And I heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight, 
“in the midst of this darkness,” I AM STILL THE LIGHT."

-written by Cameo Smith, Mt. Wolf, PA

In memory of: 

Olivia Engel, 6 
Emilie Parker, 6
Charlotte Bacon, 6
Ana Marquez-Greene, 6
Dylan Hockley, 6
Madeleine Hsu, 6
Catherine Hubbard, 6
Jesse Lewis, 6
James Mattioli, 6
Jack Pinto, 6
Noah Pozner, 6
Caroline Previdi, 6
Jessica Rekos, 6
Avielle Richman, 6
Benjamin Wheeler, 6
Allison Wyatt, 6
Daniel Barden, 7
Josephine Gay, 7
Chase Kowalski, 7
Grace McDonnell, 7
Anne Marie Murphy, 25
Victoria Soto, 27
Rachel Davino, 29
Lauren Rousseau, 30
Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung, 47
Anne Marie Murphy, 52
Mary Sherlach, 56

Scavenger Hunt Stop #11

Thanks so much for stopping by for the Fall Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! The hunt begins at noon (MDT) on October 25th and ends midnight (MDT) on October 28th. I'm number 11 on 31 stops of authors who have new or soon-to-be released novels. The rules are simple: 

1)  Begin at Stop #1 and collect the clue in red on the bottom of each post.

2)  After you collect all the clues, fill out the Rafflecopter form on Stop #32.

3)  On October 29th, the winner will receive an email. If you receive the email, be prepared to provide the completed clue quote (the words you will have gathered from all 31 stops). If the winner doesn't send the completed clue quote in 24 hours, another winner will be selected. 

Here are the prizes for this hunt:

 Grand Prize: A new Kindle Fire, plus 31 new novels!   
2^nd  and 3^rd Prizes: $50 Amazon, B and N, CBD or BookDepository.com gift certificate 

(Contest is open to international entrants. If the winner lives outside the United States, they will win the equivalent in gift certificate funds to the prize in US dollars.)

INTRODUCING RUTH AXTELL 
I'm so thrilled to have my friend Ruth Axtell as a guest today! Ruth has published thirteen historical romances, and she has lived all over the world including Paris, the Canary Islands, and the Netherlands. She now lives on one of my very favorite places (the coast of Maine) and her latest novel Her Good Name will take you on a journey back more than a hundred years ago to a small town in her beautiful home state.  

ABOUT HER GOOD NAME

(Holliston, Maine, 1892)No matter how striking she is, a fisherman’s daughter doesn’t stand a chance with Warren Brentwood, the heir of the local lumber empire. So in an effort to better her life and eventually catch Warren’s eye, Espy takes a job at the local professor’s home. But when the professor begins to tutor her, the rumors begin to fly.

Scandal turns Espy’s world upside down and she flees town in disgrace. Alone and penniless, Espy has nothing left but her faith when she is rescued by a missionary family. Espy longs to return home freed from the lies that surrounded her departure. But will anyone–particularly Warren–believe in her professed innocence?

I love being swept into another time period and place, and Ruth sweeps away readers in her latest novel Her Good Name. I hope you enjoy reading a bit of the "story behind the story" as much as I did. When you comment below, Ruth would love to know which historical period you enjoy reading about!

 

AN EXCLUSIVE FROM RUTH AXTELL
The thriving logging town of Holliston in 1890 downeast Maine is the main setting for Her Good Name. Here are some photos and a short video of the town it was based on. I took some liberties with the geography but from these photos you can get an idea of some of its primary features.

Click here to watch a video of Holliston. 

The bridge spanning these rapids in the Machias River (aka “Holliston River”) was a covered bridge in 1890. Here Warren and Espy cross each other’s path a few times. You can experience its deafening roar in the short video I filmed—hard to make romantic conversation there. One of Warren’s father’s sawmills was located right by the bridge, alongside the river. Remains of the actual mills are still visible.

You can see how calm the river is farther upstream. This wooded area shows where the logs came downstream during the spring river drives.

I’ve also taken a picture of one of the original churches right in town. This is the church Espy and Warren attend and where they work together with a young people’s club.

I hope this makes the setting for Her Good Name come alive for you. I love walking the streets of old towns and cities, imagining characters back in time. For more information about my historical romances, visit me at ruthaxtell.com.

You can purchase Ruth Axtell’s novel, Her Good Name, at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, CBD, BAM, or at your local bookstore. 

Which historical time period is your favorite to read about?

THE SCAVENGER HUNT BASICS

Before you go, write down this STOP #11 clue: MUST

Your next stop is Ruth Axtell’s own blog! 

BONUS PRIZE FROM MELANIE
I'm also giving away ten copies of my new novel, Where the Trail Ends. If you want to enter to win a copy, please click here. You can also click here to sign up to receive giveaway information when my new books are released.

Thanks so much for playing with us!

www.melaniedobson.com

Giving Away Ten Copies of Where the Trail Ends

I'm so pleased to announce the release of my latest historical romance novel, Where the Trail Ends (one of two novels launching the new American Tapestries series this fall).

Here's a quick blurb about the book:

A young woman traveling the Oregon Trail in 1842 must rely on a stranger to bring her to safety. But whom can she trust with her heart? 

For two thousand miles along the trail to Oregon Country, Samantha Waldron and her family must overcome tremendous challenges to reach the Willamette Valley before winter. But when their canoe capsizes on the Columbia River, they must rely on British exporter Alexander Clarke to rescue them from the icy water. Samantha is overwhelmed with men vying for her affections at Fort Vancouver, but the only one who intrigues her—Alex—is the one she cannot have.

If you would like to enter the contest to receive one of ten giveaway copies, please leave a comment with your email address below. After we draw the names on November 1st, I'll email the winners. Also, if you'd like to enter the drawing for a Kindle Fire promotion that is launching this series, please click here. That contest ends on Oct. 17.

I hope you enjoy the story of this harrowing but rewarding journey to Oregon! As a resident of this beautiful state, I'm very grateful for all those who sacrificed everything to come west.