Friday, March 26, 2010

My review: Cleansing of America by W. Cleon Skousen



I feel smarter now. And a little less worried about what’s to come.

W. Cleon Skousen's Cleansing of America is full of information and hope. As a people, we will face horrible things, but we have a guide—a system—of protection. Provided we humble ourselves enough to follow it.

I love the gospel. And I love America. If we trust in the Lord and follow his teachings, all will be well. That’s the comfort I took away from Cleansing of America.

While reading, I couldn’t help but be impressed at how the information in the book is organized. Each chapter yielded more and more. (chapter 5 is my fave) I kept thinking of people in my life I wanted to share this book with. I honestly can’t wait until I can run out and get copies for my brothers, my mom, and my hubby.

Growing up, stories of Armageddon and the Second Coming of Christ scared me. I worried about all the horrors that would come to pass before the Millennium, well aware that the time draws nearer every day. But Skousen’s book eases those worries. It’s a well-timed reminder that we have a plan; we just need to stick to it.

I also appreciate the unflinching, matter-of-fact style in which these points are presented. Having never read Skousen before, I was relieved not to discover a dusty tome that required deciphering. Anyone can pick up Cleansing of America and understand its message. Accepting it, of course, is their choice.

PURCHASE YOUR COPY HERE

Friday, March 19, 2010

What you've been waiting for!



CONTEST DETAILS!

We're already getting new followers for our blogs. How exciting!

Mel and I wanted to clarify a few points. We've been so excited about holding our first contest, some of our posts were done without our entire brains present. :)

My sis-in-law, Mel (Melissa) Chesley, has her own blog. In order to maximize your entries, if you become a follower on my blog, you will also want to follow her blog. This is just the first of several joint efforts we will be doing. She's braving the wilds of Alaska winters; I live here in Utah. We both love writing YA fantasy, and we both have a soft spot for pirates. I call my 5 children my traveling circus; she's dealing with one teenage girl with incredible talent. (no, I'm not trading lol) As Mel said on her blog, "All in all, we're family. We help family."

(BTW, here's where I quote her blog rather liberally, because I'm exhausted and recovering from a sinus infection) So our little contest we're doing is to boost our followers to 100 each. She or I could have been selfish and just said, "gimme 200 followers and I will give you stuff!" Nope, doesn't work that way, not with us anyway.

So here's a couple of little clues as to what we're giving away once we each reach 100 followers:

A Mystery Package - Includes Mystery genre books + goodies.
A Fantasy Package - Includes Fantasy genre books + goodies.
A Romance Package - Includes Romance genre books + goodies.

Don't know if that piqued your interest, since I didn't give much away. I'm silly like that. So again: Follow my blog AND follow MEL'S. Get us to 100 followers each so we can give these fun little packages away! It's also likely that we'll start following your blog as well. We like to keep our followers close. :)

Thanks to all who have started following so far. You're awesome!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

We Wanna Give Stuff Away!

To you!

My sister-in-law (and in heart)are launching our first contest! All we ask is that you become a follower of MEL'S BLOG and mine, and once we reach 100 followers each we will draw for prizes. This will include FaceBook followers, the ones listed below the other followers, you know? Okay, cool, I didn't want to have to explain further. As soon as the two of us reach 100 followers each, we're going to have a drawing. But I won't tell you the prizes yet. That's for another post. Have to keep you all reading somehow, don't I?

If you're currently a follower already, no worries. You can add to your entries by posting about our contest on FB or on your own blog. We're not going to leave you out! You gave us our blogging start!

So pass this around, tell your friends, we'll tell our friends and we'll keep networking like we do. We're good at that. And as soon as we reach that magic number, we'll be sure to let you know! By becoming a follower, there's no way you can miss it!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Book Review: Summer In Paris by Michele Ashman Bell


“Kenzie Williams didn’t want to die.” If that’s not a sentence to pull you into a book, then you don’t have a pulse. Seriously.
I loved Summer in Paris. Michele Ashman Bell has a knack for pulling her reader into her story, and hanging onto said reader until the last page. I don’t want to give away too much, but when rich, pampered Kenzie finds out her father has declared bankruptcy, the bottom falls out of her world. She’s packed off to Paris—Paris, Idaho that is—to spend the summer with her aunt, uncle and cousins while her parents sort out what’s left of their lives.
While in Paris, Kenzie begins to understand what her life has lacked since the untimely death of her younger brother. She sees her parents, and herself, with a clearer eye, and what is truly important in life comes sharply into focus. I’m not going to give away all her adventures, or the mysterious hunk she finds in Paris, though. You’re going to have to read the book and experience the story yourself. BUY IT HERE

Monday, March 8, 2010

BIG Contest Coming Up! Get your say in NOW!

What happens when two authors with the same last name get together and plan a contest? Well, my friends, you're about to find out!

Check out my sis-in-law's blog HERE for further information. In the next week, we're going to launch an all out Spring into Reading giveaway, and we want your input. We will be offering a First, Second, and Third prize to three names drawn through random.org. There will be entries given for joining our blogs, friending us on FB, and re-posting about the contest on your blog or FB. So, here's where you come in:

Post a comment on this blog, or Mel's, saying what you would most like to win. Is there a gift card to a certain place that really calls your name? Or a book that you REALLY want to buy? Or whatever else strikes your fancy. Let us know by this weekend, and we'll collaborate and open our contest up next week.