Saturday, November 15, 2025

"The Songbird and the Surveyor" by Denise Weimer Farnsworth

About the Book

Book: The Songbird and the Surveyor

Author: Denise Farnsworth writing as Denise Weimer

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: November 3, 2025

A marriage of protection. A past full of pain. In Georgia’s wild gold country, love might strike when it’s least expected.

Genevieve Gillbard knows she’s no longer safe in the rough-and-tumble gold rush town when she overhears her controlling guardian’s plot to steal gold from a local mine owner. It takes every ounce of her courage to escape, and now she’ll do anything to keep herself safe, even accept a temporary marriage of convenience from a man who clearly wants nothing more than his independence.

After losing his first wife, surveyor Jesse Holden swore never to let anyone close enough to need him again. But when he discovers the woman he knows as the Songbird of Auraria injured and unconscious in the woods, he can’t abandon her, not with the memory of his failure to protect his wife hanging over him. He’ll keep this woman safe until she’s out of harm’s way, even if it means doing the one thing he swore he’d never do again.

As Genny recovers under Jesse’s care, she discovers he’s nothing like the manipulative men of her past. But can she trust him with her heart—knowing he plans to leave as soon as her guardian is brought to justice? And even then, she fears the sham marriage might not be enough to keep her safe from her guardian’s long reach.

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts

I liked reading this book. I found it to be well written. I liked Genny and Jesse. I found it interesting to learn about how the land was surveyed in preparation for the land lottery in Georgia after gold was found. I wanted to keep reading to see what was going to happen. I look forward to reading more books by Denise Weimer Farnsworth in the future.

About the Author

North Georgia native Denise Farnsworth has authored around twenty traditionally published novels and a number of novellas—historical and contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and time slip. As a freelance editor and Acquisitions & Editorial Liaison for Wild Heart Books, she’s helped other authors reach their publishing dreams. A mother of two wonderful young adult daughters, Denise always pauses for coffee, chocolate, and old houses.

More from Denise

A Gold Rush…in Georgia?

Celebrate Lit Blog Post for The Songbird and the Surveyor by Denise Farnsworth

(writing as Denise Weimer)

Did you know there was a gold rush in Georgia that began twenty years before gold was discovered in California? That Georgia gold was purer than any found in the country? Comment below if you did. And I tip my hat to you. I come across many native Georgians who are unaware of this major event in their state’s history.

My first series, The Georgia Gold Series, touched on the Georgia Gold Rush. In the ten years since its release, I’ve written novels set between the Revolutionary War and contemporary times. (I also recently got married. Thus, the name change from Denise Weimer to Denise Farnsworth. I hope you’ll look for my future novels under my new name!) The period of the 1830s is one largely untouched in American history by fiction writers. I always knew I might revisit that decade in more detail. Thus, The Twenty-Niners of the Georgia Gold Rush was born.

Gold was first discovered by white men on Coker Creek in 1827, but it wasn’t until fall of 1828, when Benjamin Parks found a nugget as he returned from filling his cattle’s lick log west of the Chestatee River, that the mining industry exploded in North Georgia. The area was flooded by prospectors who clashed with the native Cherokee people. The land was soon taken from them and divvied up in a lottery of ninety-two districts, with farming plots set at a hundred and sixty acres and gold lots at forty acres. By June of 1832, almost six hundred surveyors from across Georgia were hard at work.

The gold belt stretched from Clarkesville to Canton (the setting of book two), with major concentrations near Dahlonega (the setting of book three). Auraria, located on the mountain ridge between the Etowah and Chestatee rivers, was one of the boom towns that lingered into the twentieth century, although now only a few abandoned buildings remain. Think Wild West before the west went wild. Into this setting I dropped the story of a guilt-haunted surveyor with a dangerous streak of wanderlust and an orphan who’s learned to sing for her life.

Genevieve Gillbard’s neglectful father has died and left her in the care of her guardian, a volatile saloon owner with unwholesome intentions. When she overhears a plot that implicates Charles Martin and one of his employees in a scheme to kidnap her and siphon off a local miner’s gold, Genevieve flees…right into the arms of another man she surely can’t trust.

Blaming himself for the death of his wife, Jesse Holden wants nothing less than being saddled with the wounded songbird he rescued from a drunken miner on his first trip to Auraria. But when he learns that Genny’s guardian is the same man responsible for his wife’s death, he agrees to shelter her to give his sheriff friend, also his former brother-in-law, time to entrap Charles. Neither of them expect to be forced into a marriage in name only—at least until Genny reaches her majority. Despite his efforts to hold his heart at bay, Jesse was raised by his minister-father to treat women right—something so new to Genny, it crumbles her walls. But will the emotional price of trusting Jesse prove higher than the risk to her physical safety?

Although set near raucous boom town of Auraria, The Songbird and the Surveyor is a story of quiet healing and second chances. Of rescues and God’s miraculous redirection. Of learning to spot the real among the counterfeit…and hold onto it for all you’re worth.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 14

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 15

Blossoms and Blessings, November 15

Texas Book-aholic, November 16

lakesidelivingsite, November 17

For Him and My Family, November 18

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, November 19

Pause for Tales, November 19

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, November 20

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 21

Stories By Gina, November 22 (Author Interview)

Lyssa Loves Books, November 22

Devoted To Hope, November 23

Books You Can Feel Good About, November 24

Books Less Travelled, November 25

Holly’s Book Corner, November 26

The Mommies Reviews, November 26

Cover Lover Book Review, November 27

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Denise is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/3d5a4/the-songbird-and-the-surveyor-celebration-tour-giveaway

Wednesday, November 12, 2025

"Chasing the Blue Boat" by Connie Kallback -- Author Interview

About the Book

Book: Chasing the Blue Boat: A Novel of Longing

Author: Connie Kallback

Genre: Historical Coming of Age

Release Date: November 26, 2024

Nine-year-old Dana Foster will follow her older brother, Luke, wherever he goes. From climbing on ledges, jumping in a fish pond, and causing general mischief, Luke is fearless. But when tragedy strikes the Foster family, everything that Dana has ever known is suddenly turned upside down. When the storms of life come, will the Foster family stand firm in their faith? Or will they shatter under the pressure? Suddenly, a blue boat that Dana and Luke received from their uncle leads Dana on a journey of faith, hope, and love that she will not soon forget.

In this coming-of-age story, discover the truths of God’s grace in suffering, the blessing of forgiveness, and how to hold on to your faith when all hope seems lost.

Click here to get your copy!

Author Interview

1. What is your favorite part about writing?
The writing process itself. I enjoy sitting at my PC and letting my fingers fly across the keys. I’m
not a planner or outliner because I like to see where the mind goes when I get started. It’s
usually a surprise.

2. What is your least favorite part about writing?
I don’t like to stop to do research. If there’s any fact I don’t know or can’t remember, I bold it or
insert a notation to myself and keep on writing. Then I take time to do research and nothing
else, usually on a different day.
When I was in college, I became so efficient at writing term papers, I thought I should look into
a career that involved research. In truth, I became an English teacher because I preferred
literature and the entire English curriculum above everything else. When my boys were young
and I had a part-time teaching job, I also did a spate of writing. I realized then that research
wasn’t my favorite pastime.

3. Do you have a way to keep track of your story ideas? I throw them in a folder or in a file on
my PC. I categorize them sometimes into separate files, but I’m not a great organizer.
Sometimes I wander through either electronic or paper files and find myself reading about
thoughts I once recorded that I’ve forgotten. If I were a properly organized writer, maybe I’d
have 20 books under my belt by now.

4. Where do you get your ideas for your books?
I often rely on life experiences, my own or others, as well as my imagination. Verisimilitude can
become the result. It seems like real life because it is, as far as physicality goes. Another ring of
truth comes from the characters’ emotionality and how they react. When I wrote Chasing the
Blue Boat, my coming-of-age novel, none of the characters were people I’ve known, but real-
life incidents became an important part of the book. Here’s one:
Nearly five decades ago, my friend’s son took a boat ride with his buddies on an upstate New
York lake. A wave bucked one of the boys off the side of the boat, tossing him into the water.
He lost his life. I heard about the funeral and could only imagine the sadness of all those
families. In my book, the boy who died became the brother of Dana, the main character. It
evolved as her story of trying to live without her only brother and deal with her parents trying
to do the same.
When the publisher’s staff at Ambassador International finished poring over my manuscript,
the publisher asked if I would write a short piece explaining why I chose to write about a
difficult topic. My response appears at the beginning of the book.
All this makes it sound as if the story is purely one of grief, but other characters, who enter the
plot as it moves along, bring humor, joy, and even more. The new characters become
instrumental in bringing about one of the novel’s themes of forgiveness as well.

5. Do bits of yourself/friends show up in your characters?
I think most writers emulate the habits of actual people, including emotional ones, in creating
fictional characters. I have not experienced, though, the deep grief of losing a child or sibling as
my characters do, and I was not a child of divorce. When I married my husband, my sons from
my first marriage were out of school and working, but my new husband’s children, ages four to
eight, had spent part of their formative years during their parents’ divorce. They were nine
months to nearly five years old when their mother left. I couldn’t imagine how it affected them.
In my novel when Dana understands her father is leaving to take a job in another state, she
thinks of ways to make him stay. I may have borrowed my stepchildren’s wistfulness to write
about her final conversation with him. Dana doesn’t know whether to give in to sadness or
anger. My stepchildren likely dealt with mixed emotions, too. Dana swings back and forth
between those feelings. In one scene, she runs away from the house to avoid talking to her
father on the phone.

About the Author

Connie Kallback grew up on the plains of Cheyenne, Wyoming, attended the University of Wyoming, and graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle. She transitioned from English teacher to publishing in New Jersey with CCMI/McGraw-Hill, Prentice Hall, and CPP, Inc, in positions from writer to acquisitions and managing editor. Her early writing, penned while teaching, appeared in magazines, newspapers and literary journals. No longer wearing the hats of Mary Poppins or Sherlock Holmes, necessities of raising six children in two separate families, she writes in South Carolina where she lives with her husband.

More from Connie

The idea for Chasing the Blue Boat began with the memory of a dangerous escapade from my early childhood years. The thought of it scares me to this day.

I grew up in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and lived one block from the Wyoming State Capitol Building. One day I followed my older brother there, up nearly 20 steps from the ground to the grand side entrance with giant doors flanked by a waist-high wall and soaring support columns. We scaled the wall close to the building and placed our feet on an architectural ledge that circled the entire structure. Hoping to follow it all the way around, we began to sidle sideways, hugging the stone.

I remember being scared, but my unrealistic stage of thinking made me hope the grass would break my fall!

We made it around the first corner – I don’t know how – and continued along the front until a woman in an office inside spotted me. Knowing we shouldn’t be there, we reversed our steps and ran home.

That’s how the fictional coming-of-age story begins. Dana, the young girl, joins her brother in many adventures before a tragedy changes her whole family and sends each of them on separate journeys of suffering, accompanied by hope and forgiveness.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 1

Texas Book-aholic, November 2

Simple Harvest Reads, November 3 (Author Interview)

Inspired by Fiction, November 4

lakesidelivingsiste, November 4

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 5

Artistic Nobody, November 6 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, November 6

Becca Hope: Book Obsessed, November 7

Devoted To Hope, November 8

Guild Master, November 9 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 10

Fiction Book Lover, November 11 (Author Interview)

Blossoms and Blessings, November 12 (Author Interview)

Cover Lover Book Review, November 13

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, November 14 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Connie is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/3dc6b/chasing-the-blue-boat-a-novel-of-longing-celebration-tour-giveaway

Monday, November 10, 2025

"Defending You" by Robin Patchen

About the Book

Book: Defending You

Author: Robin Patchen

Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

Release Date: October 14, 2025

She stumbled onto a deadly secret. The man she once wronged is the only one who can keep her alive.

Cecilia “Cici” Wright has built a life she loves as a jewelry appraiser. But when her latest find—a priceless ruby necklace—links to decades-old murders in her hometown of Shadow Cove, Cici becomes the target of ruthless killers. Forced to flee for her life, she must rely on the man she humiliated in the most shameful moment of her life.

Asher Rhodes puts his Navy SEAL training to good use as a bodyguard for high-paying clients. Keeping his emotions locked away is the secret to his strength. But Cici Wright isn’t just a client—she’s the girl who scorned him, the last woman in the world he ever wanted to see again. Having her close churns up all the reasons he once loved her. Protecting her means facing not just the killers chasing them but the wounds she left behind.

Cici and Asher find themselves in a deadly game of cat and mouse, where trust is their only weapon and attraction their greatest vulnerability. With time running out, they must overcome their painful history and work together to defeat their enemies—before it’s too late.

Don’t miss Defending You, book 7 in Robin Patchen’s Wright Heroes of Maine series. Packed with heart-pounding suspense, sizzling romance, and unforgettable characters, you won’t be able to put this one down.

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts

I have enjoyed reading this series of books about the Wright family. I was glad to get CiCi's story. There were good biblical truths woven through the book and the characters grew. I felt the book was well written and the suspense of what was going on and what was going to happen kept me turning pages. I liked the characters and felt they were relatable. I look forward to reading more books by Robin Patchen.

About the Author

Robin Patchen is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of Christian romantic suspense. She grew up in a small town in New Hampshire, the setting of her Coventry Saga books, and then headed to Boston to earn a journalism degree. Working in marketing, she discovered how much she loathed the nine-to-five ball and chain. After relocating to the Southwest, she started writing her first novel while homeschooling her three children. The novel was dreadful, but her passion for storytelling didn’t wane. Thankfully, as her children grew, so did her writing ability. Now that her kids are adults, she has more time to play with the lives of fictional heroes and heroines, wreaking havoc and working magic to give her characters happy endings. When she’s not writing, she’s editing or reading, proving that most of her life revolves around the twenty-six letters of the alphabet.

More from Robin

Meet Cici Wright: The Relatable Heroine of Defending You

There’s nothing I love more than crafting a heroine who feels like a friend—someone to root for, cry with, and cheer on as she faces impossible odds. In Defending You, the seventh book in my Wright Heroes of Maine series, that heroine is Cici Wright. She’s a jewelry appraiser with a sharp eye for gems, a heart full of courage, and a quiet struggle that I think many of us can relate to: the need to prove she matters.

A Woman on a Mission

Cici Wright is the middle daughter of five girls, and if you’ve read the earlier books in the series, you know her older sisters, Alyssa and Brooklynn, have come through some difficult times—and proved themselves not just capable but heroic.

When we meet Cici in Defending You, she’s doing what she loves: traveling from city to city and gazing into some of the world’s most precious gems. But beneath her confident exterior lies a woman who feels the weight of her sisters’ accomplishments and wonders if she’ll ever measure up.

Who hasn’t felt the pressure to prove themselves—whether to family, friends, or even their own inner critic? Cici’s journey begins when she discovers a long-lost necklace tied to a decades-old crime. Her decision to protect it sets off a chain of events that thrusts her into danger, forcing her to confront not just external threats but her own insecurities.

Strength in Vulnerability

What I love most about Cici is how her strength shines through her vulnerability. She’s a woman who loves beauty, who finds joy in the sparkle of a well-cut diamond, and who’s suddenly caught in a deadly game with rules she’s never learned. Despite her lack of training, Cici manages to keep herself alive long enough to get help.

Cici’s resourcefulness proves that heroism doesn’t always come from training or experience; sometimes, it’s born from sheer determination and a refusal to give up.

Enter Asher Rhodes, the bodyguard tasked with keeping her safe. Their history—his high school crush was crushed by the most humiliating moment of his life—adds layers to their dynamic. I loved writing their reunion, which is filled with tension, a little humor, and a slow-burn romance that I hope will leave you swooning.

Cici’s not afraid to call Asher out when he’s being overbearing—which she thinks is pretty much all the time. But she learns to trust him…for the most part.

A Journey We All Understand

For Cici, the story is about more than surviving danger; it’s about discovering her own worth. She starts desperate to distinguish herself, to be seen as more than the other Wright sister. By the end, she’s learned that her value doesn’t come from outshining others but from embracing who she is—flaws, fears, and all. It’s a journey I think many of us can relate to, whether we’re chasing a career goal, navigating family expectations, or simply trying to find our place in the world.

As I wrote Cici’s story, I thought about the readers who’ve told me they see themselves in my heroines. Cici’s not perfect—she’s stubborn, a little impulsive, and sometimes lets her pride get in the way. But she’s also fiercely loyal, quick-thinking, and willing to risk everything for what’s right. She’s the kind of heroine who reminds us that courage doesn’t mean being fearless but acting despite the fear.

Join Cici’s Adventure

Defending You is a story of heart-pounding suspense, a romance that sparks amidst danger, and a heroine who discovers her own strength when it matters most. If you’ve ever felt the need to prove yourself or wondered if you’re enough, Cici Wright’s journey will resonate with you. And if you love a good mix of action, mystery, and a love story that grows through trust and second chances, I think you’ll fall for Cici and Asher as much as I did.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, October 30

Pens Pages & Pulses, October 30

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 31

Texas Book-aholic, November 1

The Mommies Reviews, November 1

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 2

For Him and My Family, November 3

Mary Hake, November 3

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, November 4

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 5

Stories By Gina, November 5

lakesidelivingsite, November 6

Blogging With Carol, November 7

Holly’s Book Corner, November 8

Book Looks by Lisa, November 9

Cover Lover Book Review, November 9

Blossoms and Blessings, November 10

Pause for Tales, November 11

A Good Book and Cup of Tea, November 12

Bizwings Blog, November 12

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Robin is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and a copy of Capturing You!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/3d28b/defending-you-celebration-tour-giveaway

Sunday, November 9, 2025

"Lily and the Lawman" by Erica Vetsch

About the Book

Book: Lily and the Lawman

Author: Erica Vetsch

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction

Release Date: October 13, 2025

A desperate aunt and a duty-bound sheriff—thrown into marriage by necessity, driven by danger, and risking everything to rescue a child…and their hearts.

All Lily Whitman wants is to open her bakery and provide a good life for her sister and infant niece. But when her niece is kidnapped by a ruthless gang, Lily is frantic to get her back. The only one who can help is the new acting sheriff, Trace McConnell. Though she’s sworn never to trust a man again, she finds herself forced to rely on this quiet lawman—worse, she’s forced to marry him to protect her reputation during the search.

Trace McConnell, a man who sees the world in black and white, does everything by the book, and keeps his feelings to himself. He’s dreamed of being a real lawman his whole life, not just a temporary replacement. When a U.S. Marshal arrives with news of a child kidnapping ring, Trace sees his chance to prove himself worthy of the badge. But his new “wife” keeps throwing his carefully laid plans into chaos with her determination to help—and his growing feelings for her threaten to compromise his focus on justice.

Can two people burned by past betrayals learn to trust again in time to save an innocent child? Or will their fears cost them not only their chance at love, but the life of the baby they’re desperate to rescue?

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts

The is the second book in the Brides of the West series and is Trace McConnell's story. We met Trace in he first book so it was fun to get to know him better. I found the book to be well written. It had a nice biblical faith thread woven through the book. I look forward to reading Cal's story.

About the Author

Best-selling, award-winning author of The Debutante’s Code, first in the Thorndike & Swann Regency Mystery Series, Erica Vetsch loves Jesus, history, romance, and sports. When she’s not writing fiction, she’s planning her next trip to a history museum.

More from Erica

Lily and the Lawman has one of my favorite opening lines that I’ve ever written.

No man should have to arrest his own father—at least not more than once a month.

And so begins Trace McConnell’s adventure to lasting happiness. Trace is a lawman, and his father is the town drunk. He heads out on the trail of some bad men who have kidnapped a baby girl. He doesn’t go alone, the child’s aunt goes with him. Mayhem, danger, and love along the way happen, hopefully leading to a satisfying conclusion for everyone but the bad guy.

But I wanted to talk about first lines in fiction. First lines have to do some heavy lifting! So much responsibility! If you are a writer, you have to consider so many things when writing that first line. Does it set the tone of the book? Does it reveal something up front about the character? Does it make the reader ask a question? Does it make the reader want to continue on to see what happens next?

When I’m writing a new story, I often put in all capital letters in the first draft: WRITE A GREAT FIRST LINE HERE. Then I go on with the opening scene.

You see, there is something intimidating in starting a new story, seeing all the blank, white space where words need to go. And it’s worse when you know how important a first line can be. So I put in a place holder. Often I don’t know what the first line should be until I’m into the story a ways. Only rarely do I know what the first line will be, and even then I often change it later.

When I need inspiration, I peruse my bookshelves to read first lines. Here are two of my favorites, both from the late secular writer, Dick Francis

From To the Hilt: I don’t think my stepfather much minded dying. That he almost took me with him wasn’t really his fault.

From Longshot: I accepted a commission that had been turned down by four other writers, but I was hungry at the time.

Do you have a favorite first line?