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Author: CAstfalk

Carolyn Astfalk is a wife, mother, and author of contemporary Catholic romances, including her latest, All in Good Time. She formerly worked as a communications director and now works just to keep her head above water. Find her books on Amazon and her other words scattered around the blogosphere and social media.

Holding on to Hope

Published by CAstfalk on 02/25/2019

Hope Faith Love

Last month, I had the privilege of serving as a judge for a national writing contest for teens. I was randomly assigned to the poetry category, which left me somewhat anxious. Other than pages of song lyrics I composed in high school, I’ve not written poetry. I’ve read some, but not a lot.

I asked for prayers and the guidance of the Holy Spirit as I read entries and did my very best at evaluating the poems entrusted to me. Writing, and poetry in particular, can be very personal. And subjective.

The selection of poems impressed me, mainly because of the heartfelt emotions the students bared. And while some poems were a bit clumsy or poorly written, many demonstrated great skill.

What struck me most about the poems, however, was not their level of quality, but the hopelessness that marked many of the entries.

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Mining a Rich History, An Interview with Author Carmela Martino

Published by CAstfalk on 02/18/2019

Your historical novel Playing by Heart is based on the real lives of the talented and accomplished Agnesi sisters from 18th-century Milan. How did you first learn of them, and what inspired you to make them the subject of your novel?

I came to know about the Agnesi sisters in a rather roundabout way. Even though I have a B.S. in Math and Computer Science, I’d never heard of mathematician Maria Gaetana Agnesi until I came across her name in an article about forgotten women of history. I was appalled that there’d been no mention of her in any of my math classes or textbooks.

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An Author’s Best Friends: An Interview with Meez Carrie & Franciscan Mom

Published by CAstfalk on 02/11/2019

Let me introduce you to two fabulous women, Carrie and Barb.

Both are voracious readers, bloggers, magazine editors, and the best friends to authors that I’ve ever met! These ladies have written, raved, reviewed, tweeted – you name it – in sharing books.

As an author, I’m so grateful for both of these women, who voluntarily trumpet about the good books they read. They’ve helped authors reach an untold number of new readers with their promotions, articles, and reviews. They are the avid readers authors write for. And, they’re both responsible for the addition of dozens of books to my personal to-read list!

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Let’s get to know Carrie and Barb better, and then be sure to follow them and their endeavors and check out their beautiful magazines!

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Guest Post: Your Theme in 2019

Published by CAstfalk on 01/14/2019

Your Theme in 2019

Every January, we commit. 

We commit to exercise more and eat healthier.  We resolve to have the best year ever at work. And yet, we neglect the essential part—our spiritual connection with Jesus. 

Some people have the same reaction to the term “spiritual goals” as they do to the word “budget”! Begrudgingly, we settle for the more-easily-said-than-done, simple fixes.  If you ask a friend how they’re going to improve their spiritual relationship with Christ this year, they may give you one of these examples:

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