CatholicMom.com Progressive Dinner: One-Bowl Chocolate Cake (September 30, 2015) “That chocolate cake makes for a delicious end to any meal or as the perfect homemade birthday…
Leave a CommentRelevant Fiction for Body & Soul
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.
As the final hours click by, marking the hours until book launch, I’m reminded of that classic cinematic tension-builder, the one that catapults the story into action – the wedding scene.
“Speak now or forever hold your peace.”
In other words, this is it. My name will hereafter be linked to Stay With Me, for better or for worse, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health.
That prospect fills me with a range of emotions: excitement, pride, nervousness, embarrassment.
Have you considered reading Stay With Me with your book club? Stay With Me is a recommended selection of the Totally Feminine Genius Generations Book…
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We recently took our kids to the York Fair. Having grown up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, I did not frequent such fairs as a child. While I recall my family talking about a park fair that sounded akin to a traditional county fair, I’d never experienced one until I moved farther east, where sprawling farmland abounds. Here are my 5 Favorites from our experience:
–1–
The Animals
We strode up and down aisles of cows and goats. We marveled at the hours-old piglets. And my three youngest lapped up the soft, furry cuddles at the kids’ petting zoo, where they held kittens, rabbits, and guinea pigs for the first time in their lives.
(As a side note, am I the only (formerly) nursing mama whose heart pangs with empathy when I see a sow conked out while a dozen babies clamor for her teats? Or whose chest aches when I notice a cow’s udder dripping milk? I wanted to scream for someone to relieve the poor bovine posthaste.)
CatholicFiction.net Review of The Three Most Wanted by Corinna Turner (September, 2015) “Through their encounters with would-be allies, Margo and Bane reflect on the consequences of making a…
Leave a CommentI’m happy to share this interview with one of my favorite authors, Tammy L. Gray. I’ve had the pleasure of reading an advance copy of her new book Sell Out, and it’s a fantastic read. I highly recommend it.
In conjunction with the interview, Tammy is giving away an electronic copy of Sell Out. To enter the giveaway, click on the book cover for Sell Out on the side bar or simply click here. [Giveaway over.]
I read Shattered Rose (which is now permanently free on ebook!) more than two years ago and quickly became hooked on the Winsor Series. Avery’s college experience struck me as authentic. What inspired you to share her story, one I think many young women can relate to?
Shattered Rose is honestly a love story to anyone who has struggled with an addiction. It’s about allowing yourself to experience the love of Christ despite mistakes that you make.
For me, I became a Christian as an adult, so much of the college experience I put in there was my own. I think so often, the Christian community wants to close their eyes to the challenges that face our youth. They want to believe their kids would never do such things. But they do. And there’s a reason our teenagers are leaving the faith in droves. They want authenticity. They crave it.
My goal in every book I write is to show God’s incredible glory by showcasing what He can do with flawed people. And despite the masks that we wear, all of us can relate to flawed characters.
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Why small success? Because that’s the only kind I know! Even the big ones come in small steps. Here’s my paltry offering for the week:
- Back-to-School Paperwork Conquered – I survived the beginning-of-the-school-year-paperwork flurry. After filling out umpteen forms replete with multiple emergency contacts with multiple contact phone numbers for multiple children and a range of other forms requiring my signature, I thought my work was done. Then a second round of papers hit at back-to-school night. I think I’ve completed every necessary form and attached every necessary payment without letting things fall through the cracks. I think.
Sometime during high school, I read Nathaniel by John Saul. Roughly twenty-five years later, I can tell you nothing about the plot. Nothing. Not. A. Thing. However, the book contained a single sex scene, observed by a teen from a barn with a bedroom view. I can recall that scene in detail.
I’ve heard of people who can skim and skip explicit scenes in novels. The vast majority of times, such details can be passed over without diminishing the reader’s knowledge of the plot. In other words, they are gratuitous.
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