Take Off the Mask Blog Tour with Sonya Visor

Who I’ve Become is NOT who I AM is Sonya Visor’s first non-fiction book. Her passion is to minister to the people who hide behind masks. Sonya’s calling is to break and destroy the yokes of bondage, releasing the power of God into the lives of others by the preached Word and prayers of deliverance. When you can find the strength, to step into who you truly are; you can find the strength to BE THE (Tru U). TruU Ministries is the women’s ministry that God has charged her with to help other’s become free.

Sonya shares her heart with her husband, Pastor Tony Visor, who she calls her better half, for nineteen years. She and her husband have ministered effectively in the city of Racine together at NCC since 1999. Sonya is blessed to love two sons, Jason and Tony, Jr.

Visit her online at sonyavisor.com.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Who are you when nobody’s looking? It’s time to take off what hides who you truly are…the mask! Are you tired of going around family, friends and church folk with a frozen smile and a broken heart? Unmask your true identity and learn your real name as pastor’s wife and playwright Sonya Visor cuts to the heart with dynamic testimony of sexual molestation at a young age.

BEING SILENT GAVE POWER to the hands that touched her life. Can hands meant to protect you also have the power to crush your identity? YES! But when we stop allowing a mask of shame to hold us captive with CLOSED mouths, WE CAN let Jesus be real in our lives.

Discover who you have become and embrace who you really are in a book that goes past the pews and what other’s think about you — to bring glory to God by being transparent and transformed. It’s time to take off your mask and let the true you show up!

Excerpt from the Book (CHAPTER 7)

Audio excerpt version with commentary from Sonya

Can I Tell You My Story?

Can I talk to you for a minute? I mean like really; can I trust you with my stuff, or my situation? Or are you one of those people who run and thrive off somebody else’s trouble or mistakes? If people are really going to break the silence, are you a safe place for them?

Masking is often implemented because most folk can’t really handle the truth about others or what they are hearing. The situation, if shared, will usually render responses that immediately are classified as judgment or rejection. There’s a rare group of people who can handle the true story that’s being told or deposited into one’s hearing.

If someone came and told you that they were struggling with lust, pornography, lying, stealing, homosexuality, or lesbianism, what would you say? How would you address the problem presented? I mean, both you and the person know that the issue is wrong, so where do you go from there? People are dying because they can’t find anybody to be real with. So they remain quiet and undercover, which will eventually rot the inside of their souls.

My heart goes out to the person who everyone perceives to have all the answers, but in reality, they are barely making it. He finally comes to the point of sharing his heart, only to hear the person he was about to share with speak against someone else with a similar problem. So what happens? The mouth is closed; there’s a retreat. A whisper on the inside says, I can’t tell a soul.

This secret continues to eat at the inside of them. I know, because I felt that I could tell no one my story. It has to come out in order for the individual to be free. I tried, but they responded with the “right” religious jargon, but not the right spirit. Sometimes just having an ear to listen is the best gift you can give someone. The right heart or spirit loves the person right where they are, at that moment.

View the blog tour schedule and read an excerpt at http://bit.ly/TakeOffTheMask.

Discussion: If people are really going to break the silence, are you a safe place for them?

*A Tywebbin Blog Tour

My Mother’s Child Blog Tour with Dwan Abrams

Dwan Abrams is a full-time novelist, freelance editor, and publisher. She’s the best-selling author of My Mother’s Child (the sequel to Divorcing the Devil), Married Strangers, Divorcing the Devil, Only True Love Waits, and The Scream Within. She’s the founder, publisher, and editorial director of Nevaeh Publishing, LLC a small press independent publishing house.  She’s currently signed to Urban Christian, an imprint of Urban Books/Kensington. Her sixth novel, the second book in the Married Series, is set to hit national bookshelves in 2011.

Visit Dwan online at http://dwanabrams.com.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Lyric Stokes lives, by most standards, a charmed life. Married to Michael Stokes, a prominent heart surgeon, she has financial security and lives in the lap of luxury. All is not perfect, though. Lyric feels inadequate because she gave birth to a daughter, rather than the son that her husband so desperately wanted.

After an unexpected turn of events, Lyric discovers that she’s pregnant again, but now she has to decide whether she even wants to keep the child she has longed for. She seeks solace in her church, where her daughter also feels at home; but they can’t get Michael to join them. Disagreeing with organized religion, he has put his job before all else, including God. The distance between the couple grows further every day.

Nigel Fredericks has a history of stalking women. He’s been accused, but never convicted. Now he’s set his sights on Lyric. She’s at a low point in her life, and Nigel knows just how to take advantage of that vulnerability. Lyric’s life is turned upside down; Nigel is like a cancer eating away at her mental stability, her marriage, and ultimately, her life. Will Michael reevaluate his priorities and his faith in time to save his family?

CHAT/DISCUSSION

Read brief excerpt from My Mother’s Child …

Lyric couldn’t understand why God wouldn’t bless her with a son. If only she could get pregnant. She really wanted to give Michael, her husband of fifteen years, a son, a namesake. No matter how much Michael assured her that he was happy with her and their twelve-year-old daughter, Autumn, a part of her felt as if she were less than a woman because she couldn’t give her husband a son.

On the surface, she didn’t lack for anything―big house, fancy cars, and money. She didn’t know whether she was the luckiest or unluckiest, woman in the world.

A lot of women think that having a husband with money would make them happy.  Why do you think that women who seem to have it all still find something to complain about?  Could it be that some women are never satisfied and want what they can’t have?  LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW.

View the blog tour schedule and read an excerpt at http://bit.ly/MyMothersChild.

*A Tywebbin Blog Tour

Fifteen Years Blog Tour with Kendra Norman-Bellamy

Kendra Norman-Bellamy Addresses Foster Care in her latest release, Fifteen Years
Listen to the Excerpt

Can children in foster care be affected their entire lives by their experiences even if they have obtained a level of success?

ABOUT THE BOOK
Josiah Tucker, the son of a substance dependent and neglectful mother, spent most of his childhood years in the custody of the State, living in foster homes throughout Atlanta, Georgia. At the age of fourteen, he was taken from the foster family that he had grown to love, the Smiths, and returned to his negligent birth mother. Enduring the hardships faced while living with his birth mother JT manages to make something of his life.

However, fifteen years after being taken from the Smiths and at the peak of success, he finds himself feeling empty and at his lowest. When he decides to reconnect with the Smiths, JT finds his faith in God renewed and discovers his attraction to his foster sister.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KENDRA NORMAN-BELLAMY is a national best-selling author and the founder of KNB Publications LLC. She is the organizer of Visions in Print, an Atlanta-based national organization for faith-based writers, and The Writer’s Hut, an online fellowship for African American Writers. She is the founder of Cruisin’ For Christ, a groundbreaking at-sea ministry that celebrates writing, gospel music and other God-glorifying arts, and also serves as a motivational speaker.
A native of West Palm Beach, Florida, Kendra currently resides in Stone Mountain, George with her family.

For more information, visit www.knb-publications.com.

View the blog tour schedule and read an excerpt at http://bit.ly/FifteenYearsBlogTour.

**A Tywebbin Blog Tour

Dreams That Won’t Let Go Blog Tour with Stacy Hawkins Adams

The Jubilant Soul Series by Stacy Hawkins Adams

Dreams That Won’t Let Go by Stacy Hawkins Adams is the third and final book in the Jubilant Soul Series. Stacy is well known for writing Christian Fiction that truly uplifts the reader. Today, we want to introduce this series of books to you.

Have you read one of the books? Let us know which book inspired you.

**The Someday List (Book 1)

Rachelle Covington has it all. A fabulous home, a handsome and prestigious husband, two beautiful children, and a place in the upper crust that’s quite comfortable. But her life is not all it’s cracked up to be. Rachelle visits a dying friend who leaves her with an unsettling challenge. As she seeks to meet it, she takes an honest look at her dissolving marriage, loss of identity and an abandoned faith and tries to pick up the pieces. Read this inspiring tale to discover how one woman finally faces the truth and triumphs in the face of it

What did you add to your “someday list” after reading the novel?

**Worth a Thousand Words (Book 2)

Life has always gone Indigo Burns’ way. She’s smart, pretty, and talented, and she knows exactly what she wants. A photography internship at her hometown’s local newspaper is the next step in her well-laid plans for her future. But her long-term goals are put to the test when her boyfriend Brian proposes–two years before he’s supposed to and in front of all the guests at her college graduation party. Too concerned about his feelings to say no, she heartily agrees, but inside she’s cringing. Indigo knows in her heart that she’s not prepared to sacrifice her dreams to become Brian’s wife–not before she has achieved any of them.

Will she find the answers among family and friends in Jubilant, Texas? Or will the picture-perfect life she dreams of be left behind?

What personal truths were you able to embrace after reading about these characters’ choices?

**Dreams That Won’t Let Go (Book 3)

Indigo Burns is excited. Her wedding preparations to the man of her dreams are underway, her photography career is a success, and her family seems to be doing better than ever—all except her brother Reuben, who nobody has seen in years. But that’s about to change.

When Reuben decides to move back home to Jubilant, Texas, he hopes to find healing with his sisters. But Indigo isn’t so sure their relationship can be mended. And when younger sister Yasmin makes a life-altering choice, it seems like only a miracle can put the Burns family back together.

Will these siblings – and the rest of their family - ever be able to love unconditionally and release each other to live their dreams?

What dreams are simmering in your heart and waiting to be birthed?

DREAMS THAT WON’T LET GO GIVEAWAY!

WIN a set of signed books from the Jubilant Soul Series AND a free one-hour session with Helena Nyman, an executive coach.  Answer one or more of the following question in the comment section to be eligible for the giveaway.

• THE SOME DAY LIST
  What did you add to your “someday list” after reading the novel?
• WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
  What personal truths were you able to embrace after reading about these characters’ choices?
• DREAMS THAT WON’T LET GO
  What dreams are simmering in your heart and waiting to be birthed?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stacy Hawkins Adams is a nationally-published, award-winning author and speaker. Her contemporary women’s fiction novels are filled with social themes and spiritual quests that take readers on journeys into their own souls.

She holds a degree in journalism and served as a newspaper reporter for more than a decade before turning her full attention to penning books, speaking professionally and writing freelance articles.

Stacy lives in a suburb of Richmond, Virginia with her husband and two young children. Visit Stacy online at stacyhawkinsadams.com.

Visit the full blog tour schedule at http://bit.ly/DreamsThatWontLetGo.

SistahFaith Blog Tour featuring Robin Caldwell

Have you ever struggled with remaining silent to avoid confrontation or making a sister-friend angry? Have you ever remained silent and regretted it? Have you broken your silence and it saved a sister?

SistahFaith – A Revolution of Restoration

Silent as the Grave by Robin Caldwell

My friend Pamela and I would recite the lines from a particular scene in the movie “Sense and Sensibility,” where one of the characters cajoles another into sharing a secret by

vowing to be as “silent as the grave” or a keeper of the secret. The scene is comedic though it ends with one woman violently attacking the other. We’d rewind that scene over and over, laughing hysterically every time we watched it. And the line, “I’ll be as silent as the grave” became a catch phrase we’d repeat in jest, in an affected British accent and as our little secret between friends.

One of the requirements of my profession (publicist) is that our code of ethics vows us to secrecy and confidentiality. You don’t ask and we don’t tell. We don’t tell, praying to God you don’t ask. Sometimes we know every angle to a story, and have to eat insults, lies and even verbal attacks in the name of being as “silent as the grave.” I’ve been silent when someone’s interpretation of an event or circumstance inconveniences my credibility and dignity. So, I sometimes think it’s not too terribly useful to have to share my side of any story for the sake of peace. My peace.

That’s Robin professionally.

Robin personally… Well, let’s just say I’ve been known to cut off people who withheld the truth from me. Two of my besties have been instructed to come and get me from the altar should my denial take me that far and it looks like I’m about to say ‘I do’ to Mr. Wrong.  And if they don’t, the plan is for me to stop the ceremony to beat them down for letting me hurt myself.

To me, you tell the truth when you love someone. Right?

Etched in my heart is another idiom, “Silence is the voice of complicity,” and I’ve never understood how people could remain silent and watch as someone is hurting or being hurt. Remaining silent is like handing over a weapon or balling up a fist or signing the permission slip for abuse, assault and even death in some cases.

Remaining silent about something that has happened to you is just as deadly.

I’ve surmised that the difficulty most of us have in delivering such truths stems from an inability to tell our own truths. To tell the truth means we have to be transparent and to hear it means we have to be vulnerable. And in the interim, all of this shame and these stories are causing such pain on the inside that manifests on the outside, whether we think we’re clever, like me, in covering it up.

When Marilynn Griffith first shared her vision of SistahFaith, I was sold on two important aspects of the project. (1) Women would unite and learn to have more empathy for one another by (2) learning to be more transparent about our sufferings.

Marilynn said, “It’s time for us to lift up our skirts to show our scars.” That’s what the book represents to me. A collective group of women who have experienced the gamut in humiliations and indignities and who are willing to share our stories – lift up our skirts – so that some sister somewhere can relate and perhaps find fellowship in our common sufferings and our common triumphs. And God knows it’s needed because a unique gifting of women is that we can sure pretty up our messes, can’t we?

An irony in that scene from “Sense and Sensibility” is the violence between the two women. Yes, I laughed, but I have to admit that it saddens me that in keeping secrets we commit a form of violence against our own. Being silent as the grave can actually send someone to their grave.

Deep, ain’t it?

Have you ever struggled with remaining silent to avoid confrontation or making a sister-friend angry? Have you ever remained silent and regretted it? Have you broken your silence and it saved a sister?
ABOUT THE BOOK

Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people? (Jeremiah 8:22, NIV)

Twenty-five women, including Bunny Debarge, Sharon Ewell Foster, Stanice Anderson, Claudia Mair Burney and Marilynn Griffith, tell their stories of coming full circle from tragedy to triumph. Each contributor keeps it holy, keeping it real in these raw, relevant tales of redemption and restoration. Think of it as Prozac for the Christian Woman’s Soul!

A twelve week study is included for churches and book clubs. Instructions provided on gathering your own SistahFaith circle.

BUY THE BOOK

Join the network of sistahs at http://sistahfaith.ning.com/.

Check the tour schedule at http://bit.ly/SistahFaith

SISTAHFAITH CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

• MARILYNN GRIFFITH (Editor)
• STANICE ANDERSON
• TANYA R. BATES
• CLAUDIA MAIR BURNEY
• WANDA J. BURNSIDE
• ROBIN CALDWELL
• SHELETTE CARLISLE
• LADY CATHERINE
• ETTERLENE “BUNNY” DEBARGE”
• DEE EAST
• SHARON EWELL FOSTER
• DORIEN HAGE
• GAIL M. HAYES
• DR. NAIMA JOHNSTON
• DELORES M. JONES, MSW, LMSW
• STEPHANIE L. JONES
• CARMITA MCCALL
• LAVONN NEIL
• CARLEAN SMITH
• DAVIDAE “DEE” STEWART
• SONYA VISOR
• LITTLE SALLY WALKER
• ROSALYN “ROS” WEBB
• ROBIN R. WISE
• KISHA WOODS

Healthy Heart Blog Tour with Rhonda McKnight

The Broken Heart

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.~ Psalm 34:18

See details below on how you can participate in the Healthy Heart Blog Tour with Rhonda McKnight.

10% of donation during this blog tour will go to the American Heart Association (AHA).

MEET RHONDA MCKNIGHT

Rhonda McKnight has been writing since she was six years old. Her first book was about a family of mice who lived under the boardwalk near her home in the coastal town of Asbury Park. It’s no coincidence that more than thirty years later, she would pen her first novel about a family.  Family means everything to her.

When she wrote Secrets and Lies her own family was in trouble. Her marriage of nearly ten years was falling apart. While she is clear that the novel is a work of fiction, she admits some elements of the story are her own. The emotional intensity of Faith’s pain was hers and the feeling of utter hopeless filled her heart. Join her today as she shares some of that pain and frustration in her segment on “the broken heart”.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Faith Morgan is struggling with her faith. Years of neglect leave her doubting that God will ever fix her marriage. When a coworker accuses her husband, Jonah, of the unthinkable, Faith begins to wonder if she really knows him at all, and if it’s truly in God’s will for them to stay married.

Pediatric cardiologist Jonah Morgan is obsessed with one thing: his work. A childhood incident cemented his desire to heal children at any cost, even his family, but now he finds himself at a crossroads in his life. Will he continue to allow the past to haunt him, or find healing and peace in a God he shut out long ago?

An Excerpt from the Novel

Faith was surprised she was able to keep up the front of being “okay” until she put the children to bed because, in truth, she was boiling under the surface. How could he do this to her, again? How could he do it to Eric?

She pulled Eric’s bedroom door closed, took a few steps and then stopped. Unable to move forward, she leaned sideways against the wall. Her anger and disappointment were mixing together in her spirit like a cocktail of oil and vinegar. Neither dominated, but each equally strong.

“Lord, how much more am I supposed to take?” she spoke into the darkness of the hallway. “How many more times will it be okay for him to break my baby’s heart?”

Faith is angry with her husband Jonah in the excerpt. He was a no show for an important family activity and as you can see, it wasn’t the first time. She’s heartbroken. I think many of us have challenges with communication and time. The demands in our current workforce make it difficult for families to have quality time. But it’s a must if we’re going to have healthy, happy, strong families. Jonah Morgan’s work is more important than his family, or at least it appears that way. At the heart of his work-a-holism is a childhood hurt that has never healed. His broken heart affects everyone in his life – his wife, children, even his parents. But how much does Faith have to put up with? How much does anyone have to deal with when a person who’s hurting won’t talk about it or get help? I believe we owe our families to be the most healthy, happy, whole person we can be. Because who we are shows up in our relationships and our work and our spiritual lives.

“How many times?” Faith Morgan asks. How many times indeed? God answers Faith. You’ll have to read Secrets and Lies to find out how. But in the meantime – what are some ways you can carve out family time? What might be hindrances to making it happen? What do you think about “for better or for worse” when what’s hurting one spouse is crippling the other? What about the children?

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rhonda McKnight is the owner of www.urbanchristianfictiontoday.com, a popular Internet site that highlights African-American Christian fiction and Legacy Editing, a freelance service for fiction writers. Her second novel, An Inconvenient Friend will be released on August 1, 2010. She has two sons, ages four and eighteen and one lonely goldfish. Originally from New Jersey, she’s called Atlanta, Georgia home for eleven years. Her website is www.rhondamcknight.net

ENTER TO WIN 3 GREAT GIVEAWAYS!

GRAND PRIZE (one winner possible)

A “Start” Fitness Pack she purchased from the American Heart Association’s Online store. The online store helps in the fight against heart disease by promoting heart-healthy lifestyles that include physical activities like walking. Net proceeds from the sale of these items support the Start! movement.

The Fitness Kit includes: Start BackPack, Start Water Bottle, Start Shoe Wallet, and the Power to End Stroke 46 Recipe Healthy Soul Food Cook Book.

SECOND PLACE PRIZE (one winner possible)

Autographed hardcover copy of Secrets and Lies will be given away to the 2nd person whose name is pulled in the drawing.

THIRD PLACE PRIZE (one winner possible)

In honor of Rhonda’s birthday on Feb. 6th – a $10 Barnes and Nobles, Borders or Starbucks Gift Card will be given to the 3rd person whose name is pulled in the drawing. (winner chooses).

HOW TO ENTER THE DRAWING:

All entrants with 10 POINTS AND UP will be entered in a drawing to win the GRAND PRIZE – FITNESS PACK.

All entrants with 5 POINTS AND UP will be entered in a drawing to win PRIZES TWO AND THREE.

HOW TO Earn points:

+15 Point ENTRIES: Purchase a copy of Secrets and Lies from the online store during the tour through www.urbanchristianbooks.com.

+1 point ENTRY: join the discussion by commenting on one of the blog tour sites each day (must comment on the day of the tour site by 9 pm). Comment must include your thoughts on the subject. (can not just say – great point or I agree).

+1 point ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING INTERESTING YOU FIND WHEN YOU GO TO Rhonda’s WEBSITE or blog. LOOK AROUND AS THERE IS LOTS TO SEE. HERE are THE LINKs www.rhondamcknight.net and www.urbanchristianfictiontoday.com

+1 point ENTRY: BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY. On Twitter Retweet @rhondamcknight or use the hashtags #Health or #hearthealth

+2 point ENTRIES: Join Rhonda’s Facebook Reader Page or Sign up for her newsletter on her webpage.

THE RULES:

• U.S. Residents Only
• Email address must be included in comment **RAWSISTAZ will provide email addresses upon request to ensure privacy of participants.
• All Entries/Comments must be separate in order to count as more than one entry.
• Maximum of 3 points can be earned on any one tour day.
• Tour host bloggers can not enter to win.

DRAWING WILL BE HELD AT 9 PM EST on FEBRUARY 7th

Beautiful Ugly Blog Tour with Shelia E. Lipsey

A Man To Call Her Own

Kacie Mayweather, stricken with cerebral palsy, has had her share of men—five baby daddies for six children, in fact. But she’s never had one man to call her own.

Take a Peek Inside Kacie’s Story
(excerpt from Beautiful Ugly by Shelia E. Lipsey)

For the fifth time in a week, Kacie couldn’t muster up an appetite, not even for Coco Puffs, which was her all time favorite cereal since she was a little girl. The very thought of milk and cereal sent her to the bathroom heaving.  Having given birth to six children, she didn’t have to go to a doctor, or run to the drugstore for a pregnancy test.  There was no doubt about it.  She was pregnant. Kacie freshened up and when her stomach settled, she drank an ice cold glass of pineapple –orange juice.  Sitting alone at the kitchen table, Kacie stared outside at the orange and gold leaves as they fell to the ground.  The site was beautiful to her.  The leaves fell gently, one by one, some two by two.  Kacie folded her arms inside each other and hugged herself like she was warding off the cool wind blowing through the trees in the front yard.

Standing, Kacie retreated to the living room and started picking up behind the kids.  She paused a moment and massaged her belly.  Looking down; she smiled at the idea of giving birth to the child of the man she loved – the man God had finally sent her way.  “You’re going to have a wonderful daddy,” she whispered. “And, unlike the rest of the bums I’ve had in my life, this time, everything is going to be different.  I wouldn’t be surprised if your daddy asks to marry me.”  She drew back into the living room and leaned against the spotless wall.  She turned with a start when the phone rang.

“Speak of the devil,” she said when she looked at the Caller Id then down at her tummy.  It was Deacon. Kacie beamed with joy.

“Good morning, beautiful.”  The voice on the other end of the phone forced her to smile.

She loved Deacon.  The four and a half months they had been seeing each other seemed like a lifetime to Kacie.  It was like she’d known him all of her life.  Except for the times like yesterday when Deacon seemed like he’d fallen off the face of the earth, their relationship was good.  Maybe he didn’t tell her he loved her, like she told him, but Kacie believed he did.  “Actions are better than words,” Layla reminded her from time to time.  Kacie retained Layla’s words in her mind to retrieve whenever Deacon didn’t call or when she wanted to hear him say those three special words.

“Deacon, honey. I’ve been so worried.  You weren’t at church yesterday and you didn’t answer my calls.  Are you okay?” Kacie asked with grave concern.

“What have I told you about getting yourself all in a tizzy when you don’t hear from me everyday?  I got called out of town at the last minute late Saturday evening, after we talked.  You know how those trips can be.  Quick, exhausting and definitely spur of the moment.  I’m sorry. I wanted to call you, but I was up half the night with a client trying to kiss up to him so he would sign a contract with our company.  It was late by the time I convinced him to sign on the dotted line and I was exhausted.  I didn’t make it back to Memphis until after midnight. I wasn’t about to wake you up then, knowing you had to get up early yourself to get your kids off to school.”

Kacie exhaled. ” I was so worried. When I talked to you Saturday, you said you were going to see me at church.  I just started going out of my mind thinking all kind of crazy thoughts when I didn’t see you. I forgot how your job keeps you on call twenty-four seven.”

“Well, now that, that’s settled.  How’s my favorite girl doing?” he asked.

“Perfect, now that I’m talking to my favorite guy,” she answered.  Kacie walked around the sofa where she spotted one of the boys’ wrestling figures on the floor.

“I was thinking about coming by before going to the office this morning.  You up to seeing me?”

“Do you have to ask?” Kacie sat on the back of the sofa.

“Do you want me to stop somewhere and grab you a sandwich?”  Little thoughtful things like that is what made Kacie adore Deacon.  He was such a considerate man.

“No, I’m not hungry this morning.  I just want you.  You’ll be my breakfast,” she crooned into the phone.

“Hey, hey, I like that.  I’ll see you in about ten minutes, love.”

What Do You Think?

Like many women, Kacie has been searching for a man to call her own. Do you think Kacie is on the right track in the passage above? What do you think she may be or should be doing differently.?

Leave your comments below and DON’T FORGET to leave an answer for the contest question too.

To find out more about Kacie and her two friends, consider purchasing a copy of Beautiful Ugly. This book makes a great book club selection for discussion!

Win an autographed copy of Beautiful Ugly

Shelia Lipsey is the author of three other Christian Fiction novels. The trivia questions below are from one of those novels. Leave your response to the trivia question below in the comment section.

What was the relationship between Frankie and Rena? Tell us the title of the book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Author Shelia E. Lipsey is a multi-award winning author.  Her novels are available at most bookstores nationwide as well as online.  Lipsey’s books have been called gripping, life-altering, memorable and realistic. Lipsey was recently awarded the 2009 Top Shelf Award for Beautiful Ugly by Black Pearls Magazine. She also won 2009 Shades of Romance Readers’ Choice Awards for My Son’s Wife in the following categories: Author of the Year, Christian fiction Book of the Year, Christian Romance of the Year, Best Book Cover of the Year, Best Fiction Book of the Year, among several other awards for her novels, Into Each Life and Sinsatiable.

Lipsey is the proud mother of two sons and the grandmother of three blessed young men. She is president of UCHisGloryBookClub.net, founder of Living Your Dreams Now a non-profit organization and MAAW (Memphis African American Writers). For more information, visit www.shelialipsey.com.

Check the tour schedule at http://bit.ly/BeautifulUgly

Victorious Living for Women Blog Tour

What are some major issues you think keep women from living victoriously?

Deborah Billingsley says “We are our own worst enemy being harder on ourselves.  We tend to ask everyone how to get out of a situation and get emotionally tied to the circumstance. We continue to speak about it not knowing that what we’re speaking about, thinking about, keeps rehearsing itself in our lives.  We have a tendency to depend on others to help us get out of whatever it is and questioning our decisions constantly. We try and solve ourselves and do not listen to our heart only our head. We tend to not have direction, goals final destinations to what we want to happen out of life.  We know what we don’t want, but do we know want we DO want?  This keeps us going in circles back to the same situations.

I have learned that Jesus, God’s son was the best friend I could ever have. He directed my paths when I learned to listen. I learned that when a situation presents itself instead of thinking about how…. I relaxed in the things of God, music, aromatherapy for pleasant smells, enjoying beautiful landscape, helping someone else getting my mind off me and exercise to release tension and reading what God promised.  And I realized that most situations would only last a matter of three days!  If you research the word three days you will see that just about everything renewed after three days!”  

We need to RELAX, BREATHE and BELIEVE. There is more joy there.

Psalms 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them ALL.

Donna M. Saunders says “The first issue that comes to mind is fear.  We talk ourselves out of moving forward and living victoriously by fear of not being accepted, fear of failure, fear of losing control etc.  We must remember that the battle is the Lord’s and not ours (I Samuel 17:47, II Chronicles 20:14-16, II Chronicles 32:8).

I would like all women to remember that we must Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6, 8)”

ABOUT THE BOOK

Victorious Living for Women is filled with the inspiration, wisdom and pathways to victory of 42 incredible women who share stories of their life experiences, from their heart to yours. They have endured personal pain and have come through empowered, encouraged and victorious.

As they take you on their personal journeys you will find inspiration, encouragement and blueprints for victory embedded in each chapter. You will discover principles for transforming your life. You can learn how to overcome fear, find you purpose, define your destiny, recover from divorce, heal your heart, physical healing, dealing with the loss of loved ones and so much more.

This stellar assembly of women with inspiring true-life stories will captivate you throughout each page as you read how their lives were transformed from anger to joy, disappointment to destiny and trial to victory. Their candor, wisdom and inspiration can help you to pursue your path of becoming a victorious woman.

Read an excerpt and check the tour schedule at http://bit.ly/VictoriousLivingForWomenTour.

Now It’s Your Turn

What are some major issues you think keep women from living victoriously?

We look forward to your response in the comment section below.

Marriage 101 Blog Tour with Jewell Powell

**BLOG TOUR DRAWING**
At the end of the week, one winner (randomly chosen from all participating blogs) will receive a  $30 DATE NIGHT gift certificate to the restaurant of their choice (Applebees, Chili’s, Ruby Tuesday or Red Lobster) and a gift pack of books (includes Marriage 101, I Don’t Want a Divorce, and Have a New Husband by Friday.)

To enter, you MUST answer the question at the end of this post and actively participate in the discussion, not just leave an “I’d like to get this book, here is my email address.”

15 WAYS TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY WITH YOUR SPOUSE BY JEWELL POWELL

1. Listen attentively while your spouse is speaking, rather than concentrating on what you are going to say in response. This way, you can hear what your spouse is really saying. You may be also able to hear what your spouse is not saying, as well as what he is.

2. Learn to speak the same things (for example, you want to live debt free or have a happy, fulfilling marriage). If you are speaking the same things, you are in agreement. The scriptures ask, “Can two walk together unless they are in agreement?” The answer is no. Therefore, agreement is very important in a marriage.

3. Make eye-to-eye contact when you are speaking. Eyes will reveal anger, pain, sickness, and so on. Eye-to-eye contact also creates a connection between you and your spouse.

4. Think before you speak, thereby giving yourself time to speak your words with love. People are easily offended. Once anger or offense enters the conversation, the person who is offended stops listening and goes on the defensive. So think carefully before you speak.

5. Pray together. Again, this brings agreement, but more importantly, brings God into the conversation.

6. Dream together and write a vision. Understanding the purpose for your marriage should drive you and your spouse to accomplish God’s will for your life. Whether His reason is for you to raise your children a certain way, to start a business, to start a non-profit organization, to start a prayer meeting in your community, or to sing, every couple has a purpose.

7. Know your spouse and why she does what she does (for example, is it based on her upbringing? military background? being from a single-parent home? growing up poor?). Knowing this will help you to communicate more effectively. For example, if your spouse grew up poor, then you can understand why she responds a certain way when you spend a lot of money. Because of your spouse’s past, she might be used to people telling her to not spend as much or feelings of poverty may rear their ugly head.

8. Communicate with your spouse—he is not a mind reader. You must communicate your wants and desires.

9. Know what your spouse expects from you (such as dinner every night, or a phone call to let her know you are okay). You have been with your spouse long enough to know what she expects.

10. Understand what your mate is trying to say. Men are definitely from Mars and women are different from Venus. We can speak the same things, but in different ways. Understanding your spouse’s background and gender, and knowing his heart, will help you to decipher what he is really trying to say. For example, your spouse may have a hard time expressing love verbally but may be able to express it physically, giving you hugs or kisses that say, “I love you.”

11. Forgive one another. Every marriage, including yours, will get to a point at which your spouse will do something to hurt you. At the end of that day, make up in your mind to forgive your spouse. If you don’t, that unforgiveness will grow day by day until your heart is hardened or your ears get dull and you no longer want to hear what he has to say. Those are walls that start the separation process. Don’t let that happen. Forgive and move on. God says that He gives us new mercies every day; therefore, because He has given freely, you should give freely, too.

12. Compliment and say “I love you” and “I appreciate you” often. By doing this every day, this is something that can keep a marriage peaceful and strong.

13. Know the best time to talk with your mate. If your spouse is not a morning person, 7 AM is not the best time to have a serious conversation. If your spouse needs an hour after work to relax, wait to have that heart-to-heart.

14. Conduct family meetings regularly. This allows you to discuss what’s going on with the child(ren), plan dates and vacations, agree about large purchases, and other important matters.

15. Control your emotions. Keep your mouth shut! DO NOT discuss issues when either of you is upset. If your spouse is trying to discuss a matter while angry, find a way to let her cool off first. For example, excuse yourself to the bathroom and go pray. If you are the one who is upset, definitely pray first and wait until you are able to speak nicely.

© Jewell R. Powell, the Marriage Coach and author of Marriage 101: Building a Life Together by Faith. For more information, visit www.marriage101.us

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

In July of 1992, Jewell met her Prince Charming at a Roy Rogers restaurant. When the couple decided to marry four years later, both were aware of the latest marriage statistics and the legacy of divorce that lay between them. Her parents divorced when she was four, after moving the family to Maryland, leaving her to be raised by a single mother. To circumvent the odds, they went through pre-marital counseling, attended church regularly and felt a strong love for one another. They believed they were ready for marriage.

While desiring to have a happily ever after, Jewell found life after marriage anything but a fairy tale. In 2001, she and her husband, Lewis, had been married for five years but were growing apart, after experiencing problems with infertility, sleeping in separate bedrooms and Lewis’s increasing disinterest in going to church. As she searched for answers to her marital troubles, Jewell found herself on a journey, seeking answers to save her marriage.

Despite a shaky beginning, the Powells now have a relationship with a strong foundation. After successfully resolving their marital problems, they started the Happily Ever After Marriage Ministry to help others do the same. Her new book, Marriage 101: Building a Life Together by Faith (Revell Books February 2009, ISBN 978-0-8007-3332-2, $13.99), offers hope and guidance to help transform broken relationships through the use of biblical wisdom in a simple workbook format.

Jewell serves as co-owner of Antiok Holdings, an emerging full-service management consulting firm, which she owns with her husband. She earned a Bachelor of Science in business from the University of Maryland and is pursuing a Master of Divinity. The Powells reside in southern Maryland with their two daughters.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Your marriage can be strong, healthy, happy, and blessed. Marriage coach Jewell Powell shows you how in this 8-week plan for marital success. She reveals how God’s truths can transform two individuals into the union he desires. Laying a spiritual foundation is crucial to your marriage. In Marriage 101: Building a Life Together by Faith, you will discover God’s purpose for marriage, how to develop godly character, how to communicate effectively, and much more.

With biblical examples, study questions, and Scripture meditations perfect for individuals or couples, you will be challenged to examine areas in your life that may need change so that your marriage can thrive.

Follow the blog tour at http://bit.ly/Marriage101.

For more information, visit Jewell at http://www.marriage101.us.

**BLOG TOUR DRAWING QUESTIONS:  Of the 15 ways to communicate effectively listed above, which ones seem the easiest?  The hardest?  Why?  Which one(s) do YOU need to work on?