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My interview can be found here.

My review here.

GUEST BLOGGING

Well, here I am. Carolyn has been so kind as to invite me to participate directly on her post as part of my 3-week long blog tour. Perhaps I should have warned her that I have been known to ramble and go off on rabbit trails before realizing the point of what I started out saying in the first place. I can get so lost on those trails that I end up taking a completely different one and never get back to my orginal destination.

So, anyway, where was I? Oh yes. The blog tour.

I’ve already done quite a few interviews and read a number of excellent reviews. But the questions Carolyn asked were among some of my favorites. She told me she didn’t think the questions were all that great, but I disagree. You’ll see some of the good ones in the interview here.

One of my favorites was being asked about writing as a child and whether or not I still have any of those pieces. As much as I would like to say I saved everything I wrote, that’s not the case. My mother stored a few things in a folder, but over the years as we moved, packed, discarded, unpacked, reorganized and sorted, a lot of what I did as a child went to recycling heaven. My parents had accumulated enough “stuff” of their own, they didn’t feel they needed all those papers from their children.

Not me, though. I recently married and now we’re trying to start a family. I also become a scrapbooker in my 20’s, so I value storing important items and archiving them for future purposes. When we have children, I hope I will preserve those special items and unique personal treasures they’ll want to have when they’re older. There isn’t a lot written down by members on either side of my family. But since my husband and I are both authors, we realize the value of the written word. Words remain forever, and they contain phenomenal insight into the culture, the people, the lives and the world of the times in which they were written.

So, the next time you’re holding that piece of paper in your hands and wondering if you should throw it away or save it…don’t hesitate. Find a binder or folder or scrapbook of some sort, and store it. You just never know where the need for them will appear again in the future.

There. I think I did all right this time. I didn’t stray too far, I don’t think. And hopefully, I’ve given you some food for thought. Thanks for sticking with me, and I look forward to seeing you on the rest of the tour.

~Amber

BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

Shirley Connolly (July month-long feature) - http://apenforyourthoughts.blogspot.com

July 7 - Margaret Daley (bio) http://margaretdaley.blogspot.com
July 7 - Dawn Kinzer at From Dawn til Dusk, Musings of a Night Owl http://dawnkinzer.blogspot.com
July 8 - Donna Moore at Write by Faith http://writebyfaith.blogspot.com
July 8 - Kim Woodhouse at God’s Grace, Love & Forgiveness http://www.kimberleywoodhouse.com
July 9 - Margaret Daley (interview) http://margaretdaley.blogspot.com
July 9 - Amy Riley at The Friendly Book Nook http://thefriendlybooknook.com
July 10 - Jenny Blake at Come Meet AusJenny http://ausjenny.blogspot.com
July 11 - Rose McCauley http://rosemccauley.blogspot.com
July 11 - Shauna Sturge at The Coffee Stop http://shaunasturge.blogspot.com; Long and Short Reviews http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.com
July 12 - Carolyn Strawder at Quiet Time with Carolyn http://www.quiettimewithcarolyn.com/Serenity
July 14-19 - CAN! blog spotlight http://canblog.typepad.com/canbookmarketing
July 14 - Martha Rogers at Martha Writes http://marthasbooks.blogspot.com
July 15 - Leslie Sowell at A Little Bit of Sunlight http://www.footprintsinthesand.us/blog
July 16 - CFBA blog tour date (various blogs) http://christianfictionblogalliance.blogspot.com
July 16 - Novel Journey / Novel Reviews http://noveljourney.blogspot.com /
July 17 - CFBA blog tour date (various blogs) http://christianfictionblogalliance.blogspot.com
July 17 - Eileen Astels at A Christian Romance Writer’s Journey http://eileenastels.blogspot.com
July 17 - Cheryl Wyatt at Squirrel’s Treehouse http://scrollsquirrel.blogspot.com
July 18 - CFBA blog tour date (various blogs) http://christianfictionblogalliance.blogspot.com
July 18 - Cara Putman at Cara’s Musings http://carasmusings.blogspot.com
July 18 - Tyora Moody at CB Reviews http://www.faithwebbin.net/cbreviews
July 19 - Stacy Johnson at Vader’s Mom http://jeffstacyandvader.blogspot.com
July 21 - Camy Tang at Camy’s Loft http://camytang.blogspot.com
July 21 - Jennifer AlLee at Musings on This, That & The Other Thing - http://jenniferallee.blogspot.com
July 21 - Trish Perry (interview) at Reading, Writing and the Stuff In-Between http://www.trishperry.com
July 22 - Cindy Woodsmall at the Plain Talk Blog http://www.cindywoodsmall.com/category/plain-talk/
July 23 - Delia Latham at The Melody Within (review/interview) http://themelodywithin.blogspot.com
July 24 - Margaret Chind at Creative Madness http://cherryblossommj.blogspot.com
July 25 - Delia Latham at The Melody Within (guest blogger) http://themelodywithin.blogspot.com
July 25 - Christa Allan at Fictionary http://cballan.wordpress.com
July 26 - Paula Moldenhauer at Grace Reign http://gracereign.blogspot.com

Tour Book title: Promises, Promises
Publisher: Barbour/Heartsong Presents
Release date: February 2008 through Heartsong Presents; July 2008 to bookstores and online retailers
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Delaware Brides, book 1
ISBN: 9781597899390
Ordering link: www.ambermiller.com/books.html

MY REVIEW

You are immediately drawn into Raelene’s grief. I lost my mother suddenly, but I had a great support system in place with my husband of 23 years, and my children who loved my mom as much as I did. Amber Miller, with her talented gift of writing, puts you right there, with Raelene, with the thoughts and emotionsshe is experiencing. The grief, the aloneness and yet fierce independence and determination to do it herself, Its all there. You know, all through the book that Gustaf will be her knight in shining armor, it has to be. And yet, Amber ties all these other characters into the storyline, and even though your heart is telling you “it’s Gustaf, it’s Gustaf”, your reading mind isn’t quite so sure. Much like life. In your heart of hearts, you know God is there with you, every step of the way. But, your head allows the world to interfer, and often God is questioned, is doubted, is put in the backseat, because we are so sure we can “do it outselves”. But, much like Raeline, we learn that we will find peace only when we allow him to be the center of our lives.

I enjoyed this book. It was hard to put down, and I would come home and sit down and read, rather than get on the computer like I often do.

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Amber has a second book come out — Quills & Promises. I am looking foward to reading it as well!
Book blurb (Quills & Promises):
Innocence paired with wisdom beyond her years–
With these traits, Elanna Hanssen unwittingly captures the attentions of Major Madison Scott. Her honest desire to understand the war fascinates him, and he resolves to get to know this perspicacious young lady better. When he is called away to fight the French and the Indians, they begin a correspondence, cautiously baring their hearts to one another. Elanna has never known emotions like these before, but she is drawn to the integrity she sees in her major. When a writer for the first newspaper in the colony questions the major’s credentials and activities, however, will she allow her heart or her head to rule? Can true love grow over such distance and around such obstacles?

For Pete’s Sake - Linda Windsor

ISBN: 978-0-06-117138-3
Publisher: Avon Inspire
Published: April 2008
Pages:294 (Paperback)

From the Publisher
For Pete’s Sake is a remarkable story about the unlikely live between a grown-up tomboy and the millionaire next door.

Ellen Brittingham isn’t sure true live exists until she contracts to do the landscaping of the estate of the sophisticated widower next door, Adrian Sinclair. Adrian has it all—at least on the surface, He’s engaged to a beautiful woman who helped him build a successful business and he’ll soon have a mom for his troubled son Pete.

Yet, from the moment Ellen rescues a stranded Adrian on her Harley, his well-ordered world turns upside down, cracking his thin façade of happiness and revealing the void of faith and love behind it. Even more, his son seems to have his own sites set on Ellen – as his new mom.

As Ellen’s friendship grows with Pete, she realizes that his father is about to marry the wrong woman for the right reasons. And despite her resolve to remain “neighbors only” with the dad, the precocious boy works his way into her heart, drawing Ellen and Adrian closer. Close enough for heartbreak, for Pete’s sake!

But how can her heart think that Adrian Sinclair is the one when he’s engaged to a sophisticated beauty who is everything Ellen isn’t. When Ellen’s three best friends see she’s been bitten by the love bug, they jump into action and submit her to a makeover that reveals the woman underneath her rough exterior and puts her in contention for Adrian’s love.

But Ellen must ask herself whether she’s ready to risk the heart that she’s always held close. Will Ellen be able to trust that God brought this family into her life for a reason? Or will her fear of getting hurt cause her to turn away from God’s plan and her one true chance at love?

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I always love a good love story, and this was a good one. As a step mom, I struggled when the kids were little, to balance things out between my boys and my husband’s girls. I admired the way Ellen was able to connect with Pete, in his own special way, and that he always came first. This is what I tried to do with our children, but it wasn’t always that easy. Being “the other woman” in any sense of the word are different shoes to walk in. Even though Ellen didn’t see it in herself, she did it with dignity, beauty and grace, and thankfully Adrian was finally able to see that and let Ellen know just how much she meant to him.

Great read, and I am off to explore other works by Linda Windsor.

Truffles By The Sea - Julie Carobini

ISBN: 978-0-7642-042-2
Publisher: Bethany House
Published: February 2008
Pages: 315 (Paperback)

From the Publisher
Gaby Flores has a penchant for drama and an unfortunate knack for dating Mr. So Wrong. After breaking off yet another relationhip, watching her apartment building burn to the ground, and discovering that her dippy delivery driver has just run off with most of her business, Gaby decides it’s time to turn things around!

She moves to a tiny waterfront loft adn takes on a new motto: “Be gullible no more.” With help from her friends, she works to rebuild her flower shop — and her bank account,. But when a lawsuit, an eviction notice, quirkly neighbors, and two surprise romances invade her beachy world, Bagy’s motto and fledgling faith are put to the test.

Can a young woman prone to disaster in both work and love finally find happily ever after?

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When I began reading this book, I was not familiar with Julie Carobini or any of the books she had written. Half way through Truffles by the Sea, I ordered Chocolate Beach, which focuses on Bri’s story, and was Julie’s first novel. Julie really hits the mark with her writing of characters who are just like you and me, who face many storms in their lives, and are often hesitant to bother God with our problems.

Often, when you read a book, you know almost from the beginning who she is going to end up with in the end. But, Julie kept us guessing. I felt like I knew, but I wasn’t 100% sure until closer to the end.

I loved this book, and am looking forward to reading more of Julie’s writings.

Order here
Visit Julie’s Website here