Sisters In Christ Interview

Hello! I just wanted to drop in and let you know that Faith P. posted an interview with me on her blog this morning. Be sure to check it out and leave a comment! We would both love to hear your input!

Nature Shots

I recently visited my grandparents in Pacific Grove and pulled out my camera. I only got a few photos of the ocean this time, but I got several of a seagull and my grandma's flowers. To view them larger, just click on the picture. Enjoy!

Isn't the expression cute?

I was so happy with the clarity of this one.

Believe it or not, I didn't take these in sepia. Aren't they cool?

This is probably my favorite of the flower pictures.

I like the framing and colors on this one.

All photos are © Bethany R.

What do you think? Which is your favorite? Any tips for me? Also, as a side note, now that Camp NaNo is over, if you would like to enter the writing challenge but weren't able, I will still be accepting entries for a few more days. Thanks for stopping by!

The Silent Blade Blog Tour

I am so excited for today's post. I am participating in a blog tour for the release of The Silent Blade. The author, Jesseca Wheaton, is a good friend of mine and a very talented author. I am honored to have been a beta reader for her and also to have written the back cover copy for The Silent Blade. That being said, I am thrilled to say that this novel is releasing today! Congratulations, Jesseca! I can't begin to tell you how happy I am for you. This is quite an accomplishment. :)

When I first saw the cover for The Silent Blade I was amazed. It looks so professional and does a splendid job of capturing the general feel of the story. Isn't it beautiful?

 

Jesseca Wheaton-Author

 ~Author Bio~

Jesseca is an 18-year old daughter, sister, and a child of God. Her days are spent reading, cooking, spending time with siblings, or playing piano.  And writing, of course! At an early age words fascinated her, and her love for the printed page has only grown. She lives with her parents and seven siblings in the sunny state of Kansas, and she’s convinced there’s no place like home.

~Synopsis~

Dromiskin, Ireland. 925 A.D.

Eira has no greater desire than to see her life returned to what it once was—before her older brother Kevin's sudden disappearance four years earlier. But the simple life she hoped for seems unattainable; on the contrary, her life is about to get all the more complicated.
When she suddenly finds herself and Willem, her twin brother, taken captive by someone who claims to be Kevin’s enemy, things go from bad to worse. It soon becomes clear that she and Willem are to become bait in a trap set for Kevin, and Eira knows she must try to warn him. But how, when she herself is a captive?
As mysteries of the past are unveiled, and loyalties are revealed, Eira realizes how precious her friends truly are. And when mortal danger threatens those nearest to her, will she be able to trust God with the lives of her friends and family?

~My Review~

Reading The Silent Blade left me in awe. From the first page to the last, the book captivated me. It held everything that I had been hoping for—and more. From sword-fighting to a hint of romance, this novel was well-written and exciting. The plot—intriguing. The characters—well formed. The setting—realistic. The whole story remained true to the time period and proved to be well researched. It transported me into ancient Ireland. The plot was well-crafted and flowed easily from one scene to the next.

One area of novels that is always crucial for me to enjoy a story is in the characters. Jesseca went above my expectations. Each of the characters are so . . . real. As I read, I got to know them. I saw into their heart and fell in love with them. They weren't made perfect, but rather with faults and little personality quirks that make reading about them so much more enjoyable. The way that they handled situations was God-honoring and refreshing.

~Summing it Up~

I am so glad that I have been able to read The Silent Blade. I enjoyed it immensely and would recommend it to all who enjoy reading Christian historical fiction. To celebrate its release, Jesseca is hosting a giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also, below is a list of other fans participating in this blog tour. To read what they have to say about this outstanding book, I encourage you to click on the links. Thank you for reading my thoughts on this wonderful novel. Now, pay a visit to Amazon and order The Silent Blade.

Wednesday, July 20th

Mikayla H.at The Bubblegum Ballerina --Review

Blessings Counter at Counting your Blessings One by One --Author Interview

Ivy Rose at  Lakeside Publications --Review, Spotlight

Mallory Beth at Renewed by Grace --Review

Thursday, July 21st

Lydia Dyslin at Through the Wardrobe --Review

Rebekah Eddy at Rebekah’s Remarks --Review, Interview

Abigayle Allison at The Left-Handed Typist --Review, Spotlight

Friday, July 22nd (Publication Day!!)

Blessings Counter at Counting your Blessings One by One --Review

Rebekah Ashleigh at Rebekah Ashleigh --Spotlight

Amanda Tero at  With a Joyful Noise --Review, Interview, Spotlight

Deborah O’Carroll at The Road of a Writer –Review, Spotlight

Kaitlyn K. at Prairie Gal Cookin’ --Review, Spotlight

Bethany R. at A Great God and Good Cocoa --Review, Spotlight

Deborah C. at Reading in June --Spotlight, Review

Emily at A Purpose and a Promise --Spotlight, Review

Saturday, July 23rd

Kellyn Roth at Reveries--Review, Interview

Jason McIntire at Elisha Press--Interview

Natasha H. at Looking Through my Lens --Review

Faith P. at Stories by Firefly --Review, Interview

Monday, July 25th

Jesseca Wheaton at Whimsical Writings --Blog Tour wrap-up post

Once again, Jesseca, congratulations. I loved reading The Silent Blade and I'm so thrilled for you. Thank you for allowing me to participate in the blog tour, be a beta reader for you, and write your synopsis. I'm so proud of you! Now you can finally go sit back, relax, and enjoy your accomplishment. Super job!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Blog!

*cues confetti*

I made it through three years of blogging! Hurray! This has been a wonderful way for me to make friends, share my life, and have a creative outlet. Through these three years of blogging I have "met" many people and learned that yes, you can have friends over the internet. Each of the people I've gotten to know through blogging have truly impacted my life. Being homeschooled, I am not out and about making too many new friends so having you has been wonderful.

You are what really keep me blogging. I have been one of the most inconsistent bloggers that I know, yet you continue stick with me. Your comments make my day. I love how you are so encouraging, and I can only hope that I am the same to you. You have made my blogging experience most enjoyable. I cannot thank you enough for sticking around. I really appreciate your participation. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Summer Days and Lost People

Quite an interesting title, I know. How do they relate? They really don't. :) So please, bear with my rambling.

I am not overly fond of summer. It gets hot. Where I live in central California, temperatures are usually anywhere from the 90s to the one hundred and teens.  And I don't particularly enjoy heat. Give me rain and cold any day.

Of course, there are benefits to the season. Our pool is often like a jacuzzi. And naturally, no school. :) Most of our summer is busy nonetheless, but there are those days when you have practically nothing to do. Yesterday was one of those days. I read about 500 pages! I read nearly all day, and let me tell you—it felt wonderful. Just lounging around, immersing myself in another world, another time period, another land. It is an escape from reality, but in some cases, also a call to face reality.

So it was with one of the books that I read most of yesterday. An Echo in the Darkness by Francine Rivers is the second book in the Mark of the Lion trilogy. It is set in ancient Rome and Ephesus shortly after Jesus walked the earth. Reading Books One and Two of this series was very enjoyable, but it also a bit depressing at times.

Whenever Rivers described the cities, I felt as though she was discussing America today. Tolerant of everything, all lifestyles, all sins. It opened my eyes to how many people are searching for answers but don't know where to look—or they do but won't humble themselves. They worship whatever god they need at the time, and then move on to the next idol. Their lives are purposeless, without meaning. They engage in anything to please themselves, without thought to consequences or right and wrong. Their motto is live for today. Whatever is right for you is right for you. Supporting and praising sin. Abortion. Transgender bathrooms and locker rooms. Not staying pure until marriage.

I know that America is only one of many countries who have fallen into deep sin. Reading this novel and the first one made me look around. How could I help these lost people? Many times I wonder if anything I do could even make a difference. How can one person change lives? Again, this book helped me see how much difference one person can make, even when he/she doesn't think they are making a change. In this book, Rivers actually used a non-Christian character to convert someone! Talk about God working in mysterious ways.

Okay, I think that's enough for now. To sum this all up: we live in a world headed for destruction. But God has placed each of us in a specific place for a special purpose. Don't neglect that purpose or forget that no matter our circumstances, God has a plan and you can always reach out to others. He will use difficulty to bring others to know Him through us. By trusting God in all things and sharing Him with others, each one of us CAN make a difference in a lost and dying world.

And just a reminder, don't forget to check out my new summer blog design and enter the writing challenge! The deadline is July 22. Thank you!

Writing Challenge #6!

Today I come before you with another writing challenge. I look forward to reading the entries I shall receive! As a refresher, here are the rules:

1) I give you a "moral." (See below)
2) You write a 500-600 word story that reflects this moral.
3) Send it to me via the "Send Me an Email" gadget on the right sidebar of my blog. (Or just through my email if you have my address.) Please include your name or an alias.
4) The due date is July 22. Shortly thereafter I will post the entries.

Your moral is . . .
 Sometimes remaining silent is the best option.

I'm super excited to read what you write! If you are participating in Camp NaNo but you still want to participate in this, you can make your story shorter than 500 words if need be.

And finally, check out my newest summer blog design! Let me know what you think!

Discipline

No, I'm not in trouble. :) Let me begin to explain the title: I went to L.I.F.E. Camp last week (June 13-16) and we studied a few of the various spiritual disciplines. Before I talk about that, let me recap a bit of my week of camp.

I was pretty nervous about going to camp this year in particular because it was my first year attending the high school camp. There were only seventeen campers and I knew very few of them. As the week went on, I learned more about studying the Bible and I made several new friends. The awesome thing is, many of the friends I made had actually been attending the camp for the exact number of years as I had. In the small group environment, we finally "met" each other and became friends, for which I was so grateful. Making these friends changed the course of my week and made camp so much more enjoyable for me. (Thanks, you guys! You're the best!)

As far as the activities at camp, we did tomahawk throwing, swimming, slip 'n slide, capture the flag, Apples to Apples (SO MUCH FUN IN A BIG GROUP!), lazer tag, an after-dark hike, and so much more. It was amazing. The staff had all been at previous years of L.I.F.E. Camp and I knew them all. They were wonderful mentors for us!

As I mentioned above, the focus of the teachings was the spiritual disciplines. As a group we made a list of them. They are in no particular order.

1. Prayer
2. Silence/Solitude
3. Fellowship
4. Bible Reading
5. Encouragement
6. Resisting Temptation
7. Fasting
8. Scripture Memorization
9. Meditation
10. Speaking
11. Preaching
12. Worship
13. Testimony
14. Celebration
15. Service
16. Rest
17. Accountability

Of course, this list could include many more areas, but these are the ones we came up with. I found this series of teachings to be very fascinating and a great reminder of the things we should be doing. Some of these are easier than others depending on the person, but all are equally important. This is why they are called spiritual disciplines. We have to discipline ourselves in all these areas.

Even Jesus was disciplined. At age twelve in the temple he studied with the teachers. The important thing about learning these disciplines is that they take work. None of them will be easy at all times, and most take training. Jesus also demonstrated this.

Looking at this list, I shake my head. How am I supposed to do ALL THIS?? But I can, it just takes work. If you wish, join me in trying to train toward being better at all these disciplines. Let me know and we can encourage each other! And keep each other accountable. Hey, that's two of the disciplines right there!

Hopefully sometime in the semi close future I can bring you up-to-date on everything going on, but next week I'll be gone at camp again—this time as a counselor! (It's my first time counseling and I'm the youngest counselor.) I'm super nervous and I'd really appreciate all your prayers. Thank you all!

The Blades of Acktar: Defy Blog Tour

Ah yes, The Blades of Acktar series by Tricia Mingerink. This is a Christian fantasy/fiction series which I was introduced to this year. I am going to start this post by saying . . . YOU MUST READ THIS SERIES!!! I don't care who you are—you have to read these books. They are amazing. From the first moment that I opened each book, I couldn't put it down. If this says anything, they are among my very top favorite books.

Defy is book three in the Blades of Acktar. I am absolutely honored to be a part of the blog tour and release of Defy (see the bottom of this post for other blogs participating in this "tour"). Last night I was thrilled to participate in the Facebook Party celebrating Dare's (the first book in this series) first year anniversary and Defy's release. It was so much fun to chat with the author and her "characters."

The Blades of Acktar series has everything a reader could want. From assassins to orphaned girls struggling to forgive. From lords and ladies to an evil king. From spies to The Resistance. (And, of course, horses!)

Each character is well developed and everyone has a different personality. They are so well-crafted that they seem to be alive. (They ARE alive in my mind!) No details were forgotten in the making of these books. Every plot twists and turns so that it is impossible to predict the ending. Danger fills every page but it mingles with romance threatening to be destroyed.

Now, on to Defy. Can I rate it six stars? Or seven? I can't tell you how much I enjoyed reading this book.

As I already mentioned, the characters were stunning. The struggles that they face are handled so well and . . . realistic! Leith (my favorite character by far after watching what he has overcome) has so much turmoil in his spirit. He struggles with his past and its consequences. He is being hunted by the best assassins in the land. Meanwhile, he has to get to the assassins headquarters to rescue Renna! The only way to do this runs the high risk of losing his life brutally.

That brings me to Renna. Throughout the story, she is the character to probably grow the most. Originally, she relies on her own strength—not God's. Then, she slowly comes to see that she really does need God, and that He is still there even when everything has gone wrong. She transforms from a young lady trembling at death, to a strong woman who does what is right. And then, the choices she has to make! Oh my goodness. I wish I could go into detail but I won't because I won't spoil it for those of you who haven't read the series. Just read it. :)

Brandi, Renna's younger sister, starts the book by being quite the opposite of her usual bubbly self. She resents that she was saved from captivity and potential death and Renna wasn't. She also deals with some pride when she wonders if Renna can stay strong without her. She gets a bit cocky in her faith. After she gets over this, she plans to rescue her sister in any way possible. Which may or may not include disguising herself and joining the army.

Shad remains a steadfast and loyal friend and leader throughout the story. He handles himself well and isn't afraid to do what must be done. He is willing to sacrifice himself for his friends.

Jamie is a wonderful friend for Brandi during this time, and their relationship blossoms. He also remains true to Leith and willingly risks his life to save both Renna and Leith.

Martyn. Oh, Martyn. Through the novel, Martyn faces horrible choices between loyalties. He stands by and watches his best friend be tortured, but finally makes the right choice in the end. His situation is absolutely heart-wrenching. I'm so glad that it turned out well!

Finally, I am going to mention King Respen—the villain of all three books. He is as nasty as nasty gets. As brutal as possible. Horribly wicked. Unfeeling and uncaring—or is he? Watching his role throughout all the books was terrifying. Definitely one of the worst villains I've ever read about.

My friends, I truly can't tell you how much I love this series—this book. After Dare, I didn't know what could top it. Deny did just that. Again, I wondered how the next book could even compare. It did. Defy was terrifying, heart-tugging, exciting, adventurous, dangerous. I could go on and on but you get the picture. I. LOVED. IT. SO. MUCH. You have to read this series!!!

Tricia, thank you so much for writing such a wonderful, and God-glorifying series. You are such a talented writer. I am honored to have been able to participate in this blog tour! Please hurry up with book 4!

The sale actually goes until June 4.

Please click HERE to buy Defy!

Below is the schedule for the blog tour. Be sure to visit everyone's pages for more Defy fun!
May 26

• Author Interview & Book Review – Soleil Bourdon
• Book Review – Claire Banschbach
• Author Interview & Book Review – Hope Brockway
• Book Spotlight – Gabrielle Nadig

May 27

• Book Review – Rachael Steele
• Book Spotlight – Mandy Fender
• Book Spotlight & Review – Jesseca Wheaton
• Book Spotlight – Micailah Cialella

May 30

• Author Interview & Book Review – Gabriela Paige
• Author Interview & Book Review – Alyssa Van Fossen

May 31 – Release Day!

• Book Release Announcement – Tricia Mingerink

June 1

• Author Interview & Book Review – Jessica Dowell
• Book Review – Hannah M. Rodes
• Author Interview & Book Review – Ivy Rose
• Book Review – Hannah Williams

June 2

• Book Review – Jaye L. Knight
• Book Review – Abby Cashen
• Book Spotlight – Faith Potts
• Facebook Party! 

June 3

• Book Review – Shantelle Hannu
• Book Review – Bethany Reinstedt
• Book Review & Spotlight – Jonathan Trout

The Golden State

Those of you who don't live in California may think that California got its nickname "the golden state" from the Gold Rush. Others say that it is because of the Golden Gate Bridge. One lesser known reason is shown below.

Yes, this time of year as summer rolls around and the temperatures begin to climb into the 100s, the grass on the hills turn golden. Don't you dare call them brown. Golden. :) California is not made up of just a bunch of surfers. In fact, much of California looks like these pictures.

What would you take a picture of that represents your state?

Quote Tag - 3

Alas, we have come to the end of this tag. Thank you all for joining me! Two of today's three quotes come from C.S. Lewis. (He has some amazing ones, you guys!)

In my case, it's a cup of coffee large enough. ;)

Once more, thank you Emily, Rebekah, and Jonathan. I had a super fun time doing these!