Baroness by Susan May Warren: Blog Tour, Book Review & Giveaway

About the book: Baroness – Book Two in the Daughters of Fortune series

Lily and Rose, daughters of an empire coming of age in the roaring twenties, can have anything they want ... except freedom.

Expected to marry well and to take the reins of the empire, they have their lives planned out for them. But, Lily, Esme's daughter longs to return home to Montana, to adventure outside the confines of New York City. And Jinx's daughter Rosie dreams of the bright lights of the newly emerging silver screen. But following their dreams - from avant garde France, to Broadway, to the skies in the world of barnstormers and wing-walkers will take all their courage.

And if they find love, will they choose freedom or happily ever after?

Find out more from Behind the Pages: http://www.susanmaywarren.com/books/baroness 

About Susan:  Susan May Warren is the RITA award-winning novelist of over thirty novels. A five-time Christy award finalist, a two-time RITA Finalist, she’s also a multi-winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Carol Award.

A seasoned women’s events speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!. 

She is also the founder of www.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice. You can find her online at www.susanmaywarren.com

Link to buy the book:  http://ow.ly/ajLQF 

Baroness Roaring 20s Kindle Fire Giveaway from @SusanMayWarren!

Find out what the reviewers are saying here!

Expected to marry well and to take the reins of the family empire, they have their lives planned out for them. But following their dreams -- from avant garde France, to Broadway, to the skies in the world of barnstormers and wing-walkers -- will take all their courage.  And if they find love, will they choose freedom or happily ever after?

Celebrate with Susan by entering her Roaring 20's Giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• Signed copies of Baroness and Heiress by Susan May Warren

But hurry, the giveaway ends on 5/7/12. The winner will be announced on 5/9/12 on Susan’s blog, Scribbles!

Just click one of the icons below to enter! Tell your friends about Susan's giveaway on FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.

I've Given Birth!

Yesterday, I posted here that I'm almost 31 weeks pregnant. I had that on scheduled post. Unfortunately, early Sunday morning on April 22, I woke up from sleep because blood was already gushing out of me. I tried to get up but even very small movements will make a lot of blood gush out. I woke hubby up and saw how anxious he became when he saw I was lying in a pool of blood on my bed. He called up my sister and asked for help to bring me to the hospital. They came after 15 minutes and in half an hour I was already at the hospital.

At the hospital, the profuse bleeding stopped when we arrived. My OB still wanted to give it time that maybe I might be able to survive this because the baby is only 30 weeks old. I was placed under observation in the labor room. But at 3:00pm, I started bleeding again. A decision was made to terminate the pregnancy in order to save me.

Our baby boy, Zachary Daniel, was born at 6:03pm. He is only 30 weeks old and is now in the incubator. I am very emotional about this all. At turns, crying then being thankful to the Lord that I and our baby are alive!

I just want to say thank you to all of you who prayed for us. Thank you to the people who sent text messages to my hubby. One of the things that weighed heavy on my heart was that there was no one available to be with my hubby when he was waiting for news about me. My operation - caesarian section and hysterectomy - took 3 hours to finish. He was waiting all alone.

I am recovering now. Our baby boy is in NICU and though the neonatologist said that he improved this morning, we still have no assurance of anything. Please continue to pray for our son, my recovery and our family's adjustment to this new and precious member of our family. Online casino Ireland. ###

Pregnancy Updates: Bed Rest is Not Easy

This week, baby turns 31 weeks old in gestation. He and I are holding on and constantly praying that we reach full term at 38 weeks. As I've shared in my previous pregnancy update post, I'm giving this the best I can by following doctor's orders of bed rest.

It may seem like such a luxury for some of you but I assure you that it is not easy. The heat here in Manila is just too much, plus we don't have airconditioning. Lying in bed in even less than an hour always makes me so sweaty all over. Then there are the aches and pains of being in just a few positions - lying on my side, lying on my back with my legs up, lounging on my side and sitting up. I'm glad to have my children keep me company but I'm also in need of adult conversation. I only get this when hubby is home and only when he is not too tired to talk. Good thing there's Facebook where I can somehow get some interaction. Everytime I see a pregnant woman on TV walking around, I just envy her!

This is why I've had to think of things I can do to help me through this period. Of course, we're still homeschooling as much as we can. Although not so much because of the children's summer activities and because we have no helper at home now. The children have to do everything for me so they're also busy at home. One of the things I began is to read the bible through from Genesis to Revelations. This is the one thing I haven't done yet. I mean I have my daily devotions but I've never tried the discipline of just reading my Bible through and through.

I googled Bible Reading Plans 8 weeks and came across this site HOW TO READ THE BIBLE. Here's a poem I'd like to share:

READ IT THROUGH

by Amos Wells

I supposed I knew the Bible,

reading piecemeal, hit or miss,

Now a bit of John or Matthew,

Now a snatch of Genesis;

Certain chapters of Isaiah

certain Psalms (the twenty-third),

Twelfth of Romans, First of Proverbs,

yet I thought I knew the word.

But I found a thorough reading

was a different thing to do,

And the way was unfamiliar

when I read the Bible through

You who like to play at Bible,

Dip and dabble here and there

Just before you kneel a-weary,

and yawn out a hurried prayer;

You who treat the (crown of writing)

as you treat no other book -

Just a paragraph disjointed,

Just a crude, impatient look -

Try a worthier procedure,

try a broad and steady view,

You will kneel in very rapture

When You Read The Bible Through.

The writer, Philip Green M.A., says that we should read the Bible beginning from Genesis straight through to Revelations. I learned that Bible reading and Bible study are two different things. We should schedule a reading time separate from Bible study. Four things are needed when reading the Bible:

PURPOSE - to know God and His Word better
PLAN - to read the entire Bible through in a set number of pages
SCHEDULE - reading a set number of pages (not chapters) each day to finish on a set day 
RECORD - keeping records of times read through the Bible, goals in Bible reading through, and marking a calendar each day when the set number of pages are read
(Taken from HOW TO READ THE BIBLE)

I decided that I can read 30 pages of the Bible for an hour each day except Sunday, as the writer suggested. Only he said to choose a large-print Bible. I don't have a large print Bible so it takes me an hour and a half to read 30 pages. I'm surprised to find that I can finish the book of Genesis and the first 20 chapters of Exodus in just three days. Our Bible history is just so interesting that it wasn't hard for me to read everything. I'm also so blessed by seeing the faithfulness of God through the generations.

I have to admit I'm not so good at sustaining things like this for the long term. I find that it really takes discipline to decide to read the Bible everyday. With the 30 pages daily, I should have finished the Bible in 9 weeks or so. Which means that by the time I give birth, I'm almost through with it.

Please join my GIVEAWAY for "The Guardian Duke" by Jamie Carie and keep on reading this blog for more giveaways and reviews!

The Guardian Duke by Jamie Carie: Book Review & Giveaway

About the Book:

The Guardian Duke is award-winning novelist Jamie Carie’s most exciting story yet, a uniquely arranged Regency-era romantic adventure where hero and heroine know each other through written letters but have yet to meet.

Gabriel, the Duke of St. Easton, is ordered by the King to take guardianship over Lady Alexandria Featherstone whose parents are presumed dead after failing to return from a high profile treasure hunt. But Alexandria ignores this royal reassignment, believing her parents are still alive and duly following clues that may lead to their whereabouts. Gabriel, pressured by what are actually the King’s ulterior motives, pursues her across windswept England and the rolling green hills of Ireland but is always one step behind.

When they do meet, the search for earthly treasure will pale in comparison to what God has planned for both of them.

About the Author:

When she was six, Jamie’s parents met Jesus and soon after started a church. It changed everything. Road trips with her dad—to and from Bible studies across Indiana—were filled with talks of things beyond earth’s bounds – creation and the fall, God and Jesus and the rapture, the earthly walk compared to the spiritual walk, and how we are born for more than what we can see or touch.

The highlight of those nights was stopping at a truck stop in the middle of the night where her dad would spend a little of the offering basket on two slices of pie and a couple of Cokes. Nothing ever felt so special as a middle of the night slice of pie with her dad. And nothing could stop the writing pouring out of her.

As Jamie’s relationship with God grew, she discovered her heart was filled with songs and poetry. During high school she wrote lyrics for her brother’s band. (And she sang them too!) After college, Jamie married, had two sons and decided to stay home with them. While she homeschooled she wrote skits, poems, plays and short stories for school and church.

When her eldest son turned five she dove into the world of novels. She’d read romance novels for years, but couldn’t relate to the flawless, saintly heroines in Christian romance novels. So she decided to write her own.

Snow Angel was born on a frosty night in an old farmhouse in Fishers, Indiana, where the cold floor gave plenty of motivation for the snow scene. Jamie loves to write late at night when the house is quiet and the darkness seems alive. Elizabeth and Noah had been playacting in herhead for a long time, so the story went fast.

Ten years later Snow Angel was published and won the ForeWord magazine Romance Book of the Year winner, was a National “Best Books 2007” Awards winner, and a 2008 RITA Awards® Best First Book finalist. It was the beginning of her dream career.

Jamie and her husband Tony have been married for twenty-one years and live in Indianapolis with their three sons and a giant of a dog named Leo.

If she could only say one thing to her readers it would be, “Live the dreams God has destined you for!”

MY REVIEW:
Lady Alexandria Featherstone is an independent young woman left alone by her treasure-hunting parents in their old, run-down castle. She is guarded and helped by two old married couple who are living with her. Gabriel, the Duke of Saint Easton, receives orders from the King to become official guardian of the young Lady Featherstone. He is told that her parents died while on a mission for the King. After receiving a letter from the Duke that her parents have died, Alexandria decides to embark on her own mission. She doesn't believe the news that her parents died and firmly believes that they need her help. She goes on a trip to find her parents by searching and following clues about her parents. Alexandria and Gabriel writes letters back and forth. Alexandria keeps the truth from him that she has left her castle without his knowledge. When Gabriel finally finds out, he leaves on a search for her. Unbeknownst to Alexandria, Gabriel is also fighting his own life challenge - that of becoming deaf. As they continue to write letters to each other, both have romantic ideas about each other.

The Guardian Duke is a Christian mystery and fiction book that is suitable for young teenagers to adults. The feeling I got from reading this book is that it is very gentle. The story is gently told. Gabriel treats Alexandria very gently in his letters. Alexandria shows feistiness and independent strength as she goes alone on her search. She believes in God and constantly prays for the people she loves and even tells Gabriel that she will pray for him.

While I do like the gentleness of the story, I feel sometimes it can get a little boring. Since this is a mystery, I was expecting some thrills along the way. But the thriller part is somehow lacking. I finished the book because I wanted to know if she will finally see her parents, but realized that this book is a part of a series. I'll have to wait to read the next book in the series to find out what happens next.

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

GIVEAWAY!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pregnancy Updates: Bed Rest

Yey! I'm excited! My baby has reached 30 weeks gestation and that is a good thing. As I've shared in my previous pregnancy update post, I experienced bleeding because of placenta praevia marginalis (the placents is located just at the edge of the cervix). As of this writing, the placenta has actually moved even lower and is now partially covering my cervix. So now it is placenta praevia partialis. My OB has placed me on bed rest until I give birth. I can only hope that he is already over 3 lbs. One of the effects of placenta praevia is a small baby but the last time I had my ultrasound, he was just the right size for his age. Praise the Lord!

During my last pre-natal check-up, she explained a lot of things to us which just left me open-mouthed and in a daze. In order to prepare us, she said placenta praevia presents a lot of complications. First, the bleeding which I'm going through now. I cannot walk around anymore to prevent the bleeding from turning into excessive bleeding. There's also the possibility of the placenta attaching itself to my uterus which will mean that the entire uterus will have to be taken out after delivery. Worst is having the placenta attach itself beyond the uterine wall to the other organs outside. Now that's really a problem.

The thing with placenta praevia is that there's nothing much you can do about it. It's not like you can take medicines or do some kind of exercise to move it. Just like the baby in my womb, the placenta is right there and will move or do what it will by itself. The bed rest will help but it's still not a guarantee. Bleeding can just come without anything precipitating it.

But you know, the Lord is good! Despite not having anything that I can do about it, I can still rest in the knowledge that my life, my baby's life and even this placenta is in God's hand. The best thing I can do about it is to pray to the Lord that baby can reach full term inside my womb, pray that my bleeding will stop, pray that there will not be any other complications.

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

Matt. 7:7 (NLT)

I'm also giving myself and my baby a fighting chance by following doctor's orders: bed rest, medicines and vitamins for the baby's growth.

• 
  

Philippine Homeschool Conference 2012

Click on this link to register for this conference:
http://hapihomeschooler.com/the-philippine-homeschool-conference-2012/how-to-register/

Hallelujah! Jesus is Alive!

Jesus is alive! What a wonderful blessing for all of us! In Him, we have hope, so much hope! Praise the Lord!

Matthew 27:57-66; Matthew 28 (NIV)

www.biblegateway.com

The Burial of Jesus

 ⁵⁷ As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸ Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. ⁵⁹ Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,⁶⁰ and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. ⁶¹ Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

The Guard at the Tomb

 ⁶² The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. ⁶³ “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ ⁶⁴ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”

 ⁶⁵ “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” ⁶⁶ So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

New International Version (NIV)

Matthew 28

Jesus Has Risen

 ¹ After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. ² There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴ The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
 ⁵ The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
 ⁸ So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

The Guards’ Report

 ¹¹ While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. ¹² When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, ¹³ telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ ¹⁴ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” ¹⁵ So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

The Great Commission

 ¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The Death of Jesus Christ on the Cross

I’d like to share this video that’s on Youtube featuring a segment of The Passion of The Christ. Watch and reflect on how Jesus Christ endured the torture inflicted on him and finally to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind.

NOTE: If this video does not play here, please watch it on YouTube. It’s worth it!
This video is by Countermint.

Grammarly - A Grammar Checker Product Review

grammar checker

I've been blogging since 2007 and writing essays and journals since I was in elementary school. I believed myself to be a good enough writer. I know I write with good grammar and can whip up a document or blog post in less than an hour. With this in mind, I tried out a new online tool for checking my writing with regards to grammar. This online tool is Grammarly - a grammar checker - "an automated proofreader and your personal grammar coach." (words in italics are from the website)

HOW IT WORKS

The way it works is very easy. You simply copy and paste or upload your document. Choose your writing style and click on the START REVIEW button. It takes about a minute or so for the site to create a review of your writing. It then comes back with the results of the grammar check, indicating where you have made mistakes in the document. It has a grading system of 100 points according to the number of errors.

There are six writing styles to choose from: General, Business, Academic, Creative and Casual. There are no descriptions available on the site of each writing style, so it's up to you to decide which style you would like to have your document checked on. Each writing style has a set of checks which are not disclosed because those are Grammarly's intellectual property. 

I checked one of my writings first under casual, then creative and general. Each check revealed varying grammatical errors. When I had finished editing my article in the Casual style where I finally received a grade of 97/100, I tried checking my edited article in the General style. This resulted in a failing grade of 69/100 (see above) as it found several other errors that were not found in the Casual style. This does not mean that Grammarly is inconsistent. It only means that the writer should be able to categorize his own writing in order for it to be properly edited.

THE EDITING PROCESS

The editing process opened my eyes to the fact that, though I thought myself to be a good writer, I was actually just an average writer. In some cases, I even failed! However, what I appreciated about it is that with every mistake highlighted, Grammarly provided an explanation and, sometimes, a solution on how to improve it. There are two kinds of explanations - the short and the long.

The long explanation provided samples of correct and incorrect sentences or phrases. The short explanation only gave the explanation of the error. It is possible just to ignore the error if you believe your writing is correct. Though if you ignore it, Grammarly will still consider it an error. 

The Creative style also provided plenty of possible synonyms. It's very similar to using the Thesaurus in Microsoft Word.

Grammarly also allows you to save your corrected documents in PDF with its accompanying errors and explanations. 

One of its neat features is that it is downloadable to your PC for use with Word. This is good if you're using Word to write your article, you won't have to go online, then copy and paste the document to Grammarly.

THE COST

Grammarly is FREE for the first seven days. If you'd like to sign up for the free trial, you will have to be ready with your credit card or your Paypal account. You will be billed after the seven days trial except if you cancel the subscription before your are billed. After this free full site trial, there are three billing options to choose from: Monthly $29.95, Quarterly $59.95, Annually $239.95. 

HERE'S WHAT I THINK

Grammarly is a great tool for homeschoolers and students in regular schools to use. In my case, I really appreciate that the editing process comes with an explanation. It acts like a tutor, and this is what most students, homeschooler or not, need in an online grammar checker. Right now I'm just using a USB connection for my internet, but it still performed quite fast. The results were returned in about a minute. This product is also great for writers and editors who can use this their editing process as it saves them a lot of time. The cost may be prohibitive for some homeschoolers in the Philippines, but the whole family can use one account. The student can subscribe to it until his writing improves, then the subscription can be cancelled any time.

Why, God?

Two weeks ago, the whole family went with me to get a congenital anomaly scan. This is an ultrasound wherein the doctor takes a look at all of the baby’s vital organs to check for any problems. It is about forty-five minutes to one hour long. We were so excited to finally learn that the baby is a boy. I was so happy to see the baby moving around inside my womb that I totally disregarded what the sonologist said about my placenta – that it was positioned at the edge of my cervix.

I was suppose to see my doctor during that week but, for some reason, was unable to. Last Sunday after church, I went to shop for groceries while waiting for Artsy Princess to finish her Youth Group Bible Study. Throughout my pregnancy, I avoided using the stairs because I easily became short of breath. That Sunday, I had to go up and down the stairs several times to get to the church. After two hours of grocery shopping, I was totally beat. Still, I had to stand around and wait for my daughter to finish with her church activities. 

When I used the toilet, I was shocked to see that I was spotting. I immediately sent a text to my doctor and was adviced that I should go see her at the clinic on Tuesday. On Monday, I still saw some spots of blood on my underwear. My doctor told me to rest and prescribed medication to help relax the uterus. As evening came and I saw a little bit more blood, I became very worried and decided to just go to the hospital.

At the hospital, they strapped a fetal monitor around my belly to see if I’m contracting. I had no contractions so I was told to go home, rest in bed and take medication. By Tuesday morning, I had terrible back pains which suspiciously felt like labor pains. Aside from this, Artsy Princess and Sunshine Princess are also scheduled to see their doctor for cough and colds. The three of us went to the hospital for our check up. Artsy and Sunshine were prescribed antibiotics. My doctor said I had placenta marginalis and adviced a 24-hour confinement to try to control the spotting and relieve the back pains.

My second day in the hospital was quite scary because I had several contractions throughout the day. In the evening, the spotting, which was previously dark brown, became bright red. Bright red blood is fresh blood which may signify that my cervix was opening. This really scared me.

But the morning of that second day, I was reading my Bible and pondering on God’s message. I realized that for the first time, I wasn’t asking God “Why?” In the previous years, whenever something bad was happening to me and my family, I always cried out to God and asked “Why is this happening, God?” I was acting as if I was entitled to a better situation and not deserving of any problem in my life. That day, when I was having contractions and bleeding, I was surprised to find that my attitude was not to question God. Instead, I had acceptance that this was a part of my life and may, in fact, be God’s will for me. Sure, I was anxious but I had the Holy Spirit assuring me that God is with me.

I remember the story of Job in the Bible. For those who don’t know, Job is the true Bible story of a man who was very rich, had a happy family and was devoted to the Lord. Satan went to see God in Heaven and challenged Him that Job only worshipped Him because He gave him everything. Satan asked God’s permission to wreak havoc in Job’s life and God agreed. The only condition was that Job should be spared his life.

Satan did everything to destroy Job. He killed all his children, destroyed his business and gave him leprosy – a skin disease that made him unacceptable in society. Job’s friends came to visit to console him. Instead of comforting and encouraging him, they mocked him about his faith in God. Job’s wife also told him to curse God. Throughout it all, Job’s faith in God was steadfast. One of the things that Job says to signify his faith in God is found in Job 1:21,

“The Lord gives, the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord!”

In the end, the Lord gave back to Job all that he had lost and even more. Job continued to be faithful to God.

I always remember Job’s story whenever I go through some challenge in life. It is the Lord who gives everything to us, including our very lives. It is also the Lord who will take everything away from us, including our lives. God is simply being God when He gives us good along with the bad. Our role is to keep on trusting in Him, never losing our faith. Do you know what happens if we persevere through life’s trials? We become the Lord’s trophies and He holds us up on high for everyone to see! We are His witnesses of His faithfulness, of His grace and mercy. Blessed be the name of the Lord!