Blog Tour & Contest: Songbird Under a German Moon by Tricia Goyer

I've looked forward to blogging about Tricia Goyer's latest book, Songbird Under a German Moon. One of the occupational hazards of being an editor is that my internal editor won't turn off when I read a book. I find myself editing another writer's writing--reconstructing sentences, downsizing word count, moving commas to their proper place.

And, yes, I realize others probably do the same thing to my writing. So be it.

While reading Songbird, I just sat back and enjoyed the story. Tricia weaves an intriguing mystery sets in post World War II. Her heroine, 21-year-old Betty Lake, is part of a USO show sent to entertain the troops occuying Germany. Tricia's plot includes a love story and a murder, as well as a dash of musical history thrown in. And while I suspected "whodunit", I didn't correctly guess the murderer's motive. It's always great to get to the end of a mystery and be surprised by the author's ending.

Tricia is the author of 20 books, both fiction and non-fiction. She also speaks regularly at MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers International) Conventions, and has a heart to encourage teen moms.

WHAT ERA? CONTEST:

To have a chance to win one of three signed copies of Songbird Under a German Moon:

Leave a comment on Tricia's blog or send an e-mail through her web page answering this question: What era in history do you wish you'd lived in and why?

Earn extra entries by signing up for Tricia's newsletter or becoming a fan on Facebook or Tweeting about the contest on Twitter (use hashtag #songbird)!

Disclaimer: As part of this blog tour sponsored by Litfuse, I received a complimentary copy of Songbird Under a German Moon.

12 Pearls of Christmas: Help and Support

12 Pearls of Christmas: Help & Support

Calling Elizabeth ... HELP!
by Tricia Goyer

Mary, the mother of Jesus is one of the most well-known women of all time. She was also a teen mom facing an unplanned pregnancy. This Christmas we will see evidence of Mary's story all around us. And as you hear it through Christmas songs and Christmas shows think of three things:

1. Mary was signed up for a big task she wasn't prepared for.
2. Mary no doubt faced criticism from people around her.
3. Mary found someone to turn to - a friend who could help Mary to succeed in her new role. It was Mary's older cousin Elizabeth.

Elizabeth played an important part in Mary's life. We know this because the book of Luke begins by telling us Elizabeth's story first. Elizabeth was the wife of a priest. She was very old and had no children, but God blessed her in her old age by allowing her to get pregnant. After Elizabeth's story comes Mary's story ... another surprise pregnancy. Can you imagine what a shock that was to everyone who knew both women? (Yes! I'm sure you can!)

The cool thing is that the angel Gabriel told Mary about Elizabeth's surprise pregnancy. It's as if he was saying, "Look, there's someone in your same situation. Turn to her. She can help you."

Mary did go to Elizabeth. In fact she lived with her older cousin for three months. Elizabeth was the first one who rejoiced over the child Mary held within her womb, and I imagine Elizabeth was there to encourage Mary as she coped with the idea of becoming a teen mom.

Like Mary, each of us should have people in our lives who we turn to for help, support and encouragement. Being a mom isn't an easy thing, and facing an unplanned pregnancy is even tougher.

When I had my son Cory I was 17-years-old, and there were a group of women from my grandma's church who supported me. They were the first ones who showed me that the child that was growing inside me was a gift. They gave me a baby shower, and they fought over holding my son after he was born.

As my son grew, there were other women I looked to ... and most of the time they didn't even know I was watching. One of them was Cheryl. Cheryl was patient with her children, she gave them big hugs, she laughed with them and played with them and I modeled myself after her. The thing about finding mentors is sometimes we can observe them without them even knowing. And if we're really lucky they enjoy their role of giving us advice.

Later, when I had two kids, I met a friend named Cindy. She and I were the same age and we became quick friends. Cindy was a support to me because we traded babysitting, talked about parenting problems, and we encouraged each other. She was someone who was walking the same road as me, and her advice helped more times than I can count.

No matter who we are, or where we live, each of us can look around and see the people we have in our lives. Some may cheer us on, some may guide our parenting, and others may just be there to walk along side us. If the mother of Jesus needed someone to look to for support ... shouldn't we? Everyone needs someone to provide a little help and support.

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Tricia Goyer is the author of twenty-one books including From Dust and Ashes, My Life UnScripted, and the children's book, 10 Minutes to Showtime. She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from ACFW, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer's Conference in 2003. Tricia's book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion in 2005. In addition to her novels, Tricia writes non-fiction books and magazine articles for publications like Today's Christian Woman and Focus on the Family. Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences, and has been a workshop presenter at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Conventions. She and her family make their home in the mountains of Montana. Connect with Tricia at www.triciagoyer.com.

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A three strand pearl necklace will be given away on New Year's Day. All you need to do to have a chance of winning is leave a comment here. Come back on New Year's Day to see if you won!

12 Pearls of Christmas Series and contest sponsored by Pearl Girls®. For more information, please visit www.pearlgirls.info

Blog Tour: Love Finds You in Lonesome Praire, Montana

*Fall in Love with Lonesome Prairie Contest*

Summerside Press offers a line of romance novels based on American towns and cities with fun names and interesting histories called Love Finds You. Authors Tricia Goyer and Ocieanna Fleiss offer up Love Finds You in Lonesome Prairie, Montana.


Tricia is the author of several books, including Night Song and Dawn of a Thousand Nights, both past winners of the American Christian Fiction Writers' (ACFW) Book of the Year Award for Long Historical Romance. Ocieanna is a published writer and edited six of Tricia's historical novels.


Love Finds You in Lonesome Prairie, Montana is the second book I read in the Love Finds You series. In 1889, Julia Cavanaugh rides the orphan train to deliver girls in her care to new families. After the final stop in Montana, Julia plans to head back east. But when she gets to Lonesome Prairie, she discovers she has been purchased as a "bride" by a miner.


The authors do a good job at bringing Lonesome Prairie to life, weaving together the realities of orphan trians, mail-order brides, circuit preachers and the isolation of life on the prairie. Besides Julia's dilemma, there are interesting subplots that move the story along.


For a glimpse inside the book, you can read the first chapter.

Enter the Fall in Love with Lonesome Prairie Contest and win a Montana Gift Basket!

To enter, fill out the entry form. The winner will be announced on December 14. The basket includes:

• winter fleece throw
• huckleberry chocolate bar
• Paula Dean candle
• Montana ball cap
• Montana apron
• Montana greeting card set
• and more!!

Book Blog Tour: The Swiss Courier by Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey

The Swiss Courier, co-written by authors Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey, is set during WWII. Gabi Mueller, a Swiss-American transcriptionist for the Americans, is recruited as a spy. Her first assignment? To safely courier a German physicist working on the budding Nazi atomic bomb project to the Swiss border. In a time of traitors and uncertaintym who can Gabi trust?

Before beginning the fast-paced suspense novel, readers are reminded of the failed attempt to assassinate Hitler by Colonel Claus Graf von Stauffenberg on July 20, 1944. The Swiss Courier is based on events set in motion by Hitler's reaction to the assassination attempt.

Here's a glimpse of the opening chapter:

Waldshut, Germany
Saturday, July 29, 1944
4 p.m.
He hoped his accent wouldn’t give him away.
The young Swiss kept his head down as he sauntered beneath
the frescoed archways that ringed the town square of
Waldshut, an attractive border town in the foothills of the
southern Schwarzwald. He hopped over a foot-wide, waterfilled
trench that ran through the middle of the cobblestone
square and furtively glanced behind to see if anyone had
detected his presence.
Even though Switzerland lay just a kilometer or two away
across the Rhine River, the youthful operative realized he no
longer breathed free air. Though he felt horribly exposed—as
if he were marching down Berlin’s Kurfürstendamm screaming
anti-Nazi slogans—he willed himself to remain confident.
His part was a small but vital piece of the larger war effort.
Yes, he risked his life, but he was not alone in his passion.

To read the rest of the excerpt, go here. There's also a fun trailer to watch and a discussion guide for book clubs wanting to read The Swiss Courier.

Book Review: Sweet September by Tricia Goyer

Tricia Goyer is one of the first writers I met when I ventured back on The Writing Road--and it's been delightful to watch her writing career thrive! She's written both historical fiction (The Liberator Series) and nonfiction (life interrupted and Generation Next).

Sweet September is her first contemporary fiction.

Tricia won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from ACFW, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer's Conference in 2003. Tricia's book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion in 2005. Tricia has also been published in Today's Christian Woman and Focus on the Family.

Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences, and has been a workshop presenter at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Conventions. She and her family make their home in the mountains of Montana.

Sweet September was just that--a sweet read that reinforced the importance of faith and family-and believing that God's grace is sufficient for all things.

To read an excerpt of Tricia's latest book, go here.

Tricia's hosting a blog tour contest to celebrate Sweet September!

Since Sweet September is all about family, Tricia wants to meet yours. Leave a comment on the Tricia’s blog tour post (http://triciagoyer.blogspot.com/2008/09/sweet-september-blog-tour.html) sharing who your favorite family member is and why and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win William-Sonoma’s Pumpkin Harvest Loaf Pan & Quick Bread Set.

To visit other bloggers posting about Sweet September, go to Tricia's blog!