I want to share my exciting news with you! UNDER THE TULIP TREE is a Finalist in the 2021 Selah Awards Contest, sponsored by the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference! For a complete list of Finalists, go to the BRMCWC Facebook page. Winners will be announced at the conference later this year.
If you haven't had a chance to check out UNDER THE TULIP TREE, now is a good time to do it! Here's a blurb about the story:
Sixteen-year-old Lorena Leland’s dreams of a rich and fulfilling life as a writer are dashed when the stock market crashes in 1929. Seven years into the Great Depression, Rena’s banker father has retreated into the bottle, her sister is married to a lazy charlatan and gambler, and Rena is an unemployed newspaper reporter. Eager for any writing job, Rena accepts a position interviewing former slaves for the Federal Writers’ Project. There, she meets Frankie Washington, a 101-year-old woman whose honest yet tragic past captivates Rena.
As Frankie recounts her life as a slave, Rena is horrified to learn of all the older woman has endured—especially because Rena’s ancestors owned slaves. While Frankie’s story challenges Rena’s preconceptions about slavery, it also connects the two women whose lives are otherwise separated by age, race, and circumstances. But will this bond of respect, admiration, and friendship be broken by a revelation neither woman sees coming?
Thank you, Readers and Judges, for choosing UNDER THE TULIP TREE! It's truly an honor.
UPDATE: The winners of my giveaway--Susie Q and dpruss--have been notified via email. THANK YOU to everyone who left a comment. And WELCOME to everyone who signed up as a NEW subscriber to the blog!! I appreciate you all very much! I'll have more giveaways in the coming months, so stay tuned! ~Michelle
Hello, Friends!
I want you to be the first to know my exciting news!
I've just signed a contract with Tyndale House Publishers for my NEW historical time-slip novel, tentatively titled HOLD ON TO THIS MOMENT. Whoo-hoo! Release date to be determined, but look for it sometime in 2022! I'll share more details in the coming months, but for now I want to celebrate and you're invited to join the fun!!
I'm giving away TWO signed copies of UNDER THE TULIP TREE to TWO lucky subscribers of my blog (which is also my newsletter)! Here's all you need to do to be entered:
Become a subscriber if you aren't already subscribed! It's easy to do. On the upper right hand corner of this page, you'll see a box that says "Sign up to receive my blog in your inbox." Type in your email address and submit. Done! If you're already a subscriber, you're already entered in the contest.
Next, leave a comment on this post and tell me the name of your all-time favorite novel. (Nope, it doesn't have to be one of mine. Haha!) But remember, only subscribers who leave a comment will be entered in the contest. (If you're reading this in an email, click the link to the blog and pop over here to leave your comment.)
On Saturday, February 6, I'll draw ONE winner from the list of subscribers and ONE winner from everyone who leaves a comment. I'll notify the winners via email and post an update here.
Thank you for your continued encouragement and support. I appreciate each one of you more than you'll ever know!
I want to share some exciting news with you! I've signed a contract with Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. to publish my NEW historical novel! Release date is tentatively set for Fall 2020. I'm in love with this story and the characters, and I can't wait to share it with you! If you've followed my posts the past year while I worked on this book then you know it's a time-slip story set in Nashville in 1936 and the 1860s. Stay tuned to the blog and/or my social media outlets to keep up with dates, news, and happenings.
Signing with Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. is like coming full-circle. How? Let me explain.
Way back in 1973, my Sunday school teacher gave me The Children's Living Bible. I already owned a Bible Mom and Daddy had given me, but it was the King James Version and I didn't always understand it. The Living Bible, a paraphrase, made things so much clearer. A few years later, for Christmas in 1980, Mom and Daddy gave me The Living Bible. I was a senior in high school, getting ready to spread my wings and leave the safety of the nest. Mom knew I'd need God's word to protect and grow me, and the verse she wrote inside the cover, Psalm 119:11, is a verse that is still very near to my heart.
The reason I feel like I've come full-circle is because these Bibles were published by Tyndale House Publishers. From Tyndale's website, the story of Tyndale House Publishers and it's founder, Kenneth N. Taylor goes like this:
For Dr. Kenneth Taylor, making Scripture accessible for all people was his life’s passion. Concerned that his ten children were having a hard time understanding the King James Bible, Taylor began paraphrasing the scriptures, so they could better understand the nightly Bible readings.
In 1954, as he rode the commuter train to his job in Chicago, Taylor started paraphrasing the New Testament into modern English. After seven years of writing and rewriting, he submitted the manuscript to several publishing houses, but it was rejected by all of them. Convinced that there was value in the work for more than just their children, Taylor and his wife Margaret, decided to use their limited savings to publish Living Letters.
In 1962, Taylor exhibited his self-published Living Letters at the Christian Booksellers Association convention. The following spring Billy Graham saw a copy of Living Letters and asked if he could print a special edition and offer it on the telecasts of his crusades. Half a million copies were given away through the Graham crusades. Ken Taylor’s dream had become a reality and more—a publishing entity had been born. Tyndale House Publishers grew from a modest home into a major publishing entity that reaches every continent in the world.
It makes my heart smile to know the same year I was born, Dr. Taylor and Rev. Billy Graham birthed Dr. Taylor's dream.
Fast-forward to May 27, 1992. That's the day Jesus got all of me. I've shared about that amazing day here on the blog, but what simply happened is that I was reading in the Book of John, chapter 6, from my Living Bible, when God became real and personal to me. He went beyond the pages of the book and into my heart.
Now it is my utmost honor and privilege to become an author for Tyndale House Publishers. Not only was this company founded on biblical principals that are still in place all these years later, they strive to give back from the blessings they receive. This video titled "Tyndale House Publishers: Who We Are" is so informative and inspiring.
So that's my news. To celebrate, I'm giving away TWO print copies of The Mail-Order Brides Collection, but only subscribers to this blog will be entered. If you haven't signed up yet, it's EASY! Just type your email address in the space to the right of this page where it says, "Sign up to receive my blog in your inbox." DONE. You'll be entered in the contest, plus you'll receive news and updates without having to remember to check back here. (I promise you won't be inundated with emails from me!) I'll draw two winners--one from "old" subscribers and one from "new" subscribers--on August 30. Sound good?
Thank you, Readers and all, who've supported me with your purchases, your encouraging emails and reviews, and your continued interest in my writing. I appreciate each and every one of you! I'm very excited to share this new novel with you. SOON!
UPDATE: Congratulations to Connie Porter, winner of the free eBook copy of The Planter's Daughter!! Connie, I sent the book to you via Amazon email. I hope you enjoy it!!
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Happy 2nd Birthday to my historical romance novel The Planter's Daughter! I can't believe it's been two years since it released out into the world. I'm so grateful for all the readers who've fallen in love with Adella and Seth's story. You've cheered for them as well as the slaves as they all seek Freedom.
To celebrate the 2nd birthday of my book-baby, I'm giving away an eBook copy of it! To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment on THIS post. I will only draw names of those who leave a comment HERE!
Thank you again, Readers, for all your lovely 5-star reviews, wonderful comments, and enthusiasm for the the second book in the series, The Widow of Rose Hill.
I'll draw a winner at the end of March and post the name here on the blog and on social media! If it's YOU, I'll need you to contact me and provide an email address.
THANK YOU to everyone who signed up to receive my blog via email! I post a new article a few times a month on topics I hope you'll find inspiring and beneficial as we walk this earth together.
