Tongue of Fire Book Review & Facebook Giveaway

David McKnight, the author of the new book Tongue of Fire, contacted me asking to read and review his book. The summary on the back cover reads:

The charismatic new preacher at the local mega-church is drawing followers by the hundreds. There’s only one problem. He’s a Mormon, and nobody knows it.  

John Peterson tries to follow the Spirit, but it tells him to preach, and preaching only seems to get him into trouble. His strident defense of the Mormon Church has gotten him fired again, forcing his family to move for the third time in as many years. Looking for a fresh start in Mayfield, John agrees to keep his head down. But when the owner of the local mega-church loses his pastor, he invites John to preach without asking the name of his church. After a spiritual prompting, John decides to preach, but as his following explodes, his new-found fame threatens to expose his religion and shatter his family’s hopes for a new life.  

The town of Mayfield is growing impatient with high school football coach Paul Connelly. The former pastor was hired to help save the football program after the greatest scandal in school history, but after four straight losing seasons, his time is running out. With John Peterson’s meteoric rise, the town appears to have found a new moral authority, and an excuse to find a new coach. When Paul discovers that John is a Mormon, he finds the key to restoring his moral standing—all he has to do is expose and destroy John Peterson.

The summary piqued my curiosity. Once I started reading, I was hooked! I finished it in 2 days. It was that good.

Smiles
*Fast-paced, easy read.
*Chapter divisions and endings are perfect.
*Great for everyone, from teens to adults, men to women.
*Many underlying themes, the most prominent being what defines a Christian and the most important being the unforeseen consequences of actions. I found myself analyzing the themes and characters as if I were back in AP English!
*Well rounded: includes romance, sports, and family dynamics, not just religion.
*Clean read. No swearing or sexual innuendos at all.
*Great cover illustration.
*Not just for an LDS audience. Other Christians could read, understand, and enjoy it.

Frowns
*I would have liked to have known more about John's experiences in the other towns and read one of his sermons in the new town.

For a limited time, David McKnight is giving away the ebook for free! All you need to do is like the Tongue of Fire Facebook page. Ten lucky winners will also receive a paperback copy!

Come back next week for an interview with the author.

WINNERS!

The winners of the What to Expect 3-book giveaway are comments #72 by A. Carmody and #119 by Sarah Yurga. Congratulations! Enjoy the books, lucky ladies!

The Very Hungry and Not-So-Hungry Caterpillars

felt garland by Handmade at No. 9

Caden is a little eating machine. All he wants to do is eat, eat, eat. But he never eats enough, which is why he is always hungry. He's a grazer and a snacker. I, on the other hand, have lost my appetite ever since I stopped nursing Caden. A nursing mother, not a pregnant one, eats for two! I was always hungry and could eat a lot, but now I'm hungry less often and I eat less. I'm still getting used to it.

Stake Conference with Elder Oaks

Sunday was a special stake conference for us. Elder Dallin H. Oaks came to address us. We got there over an hour early and were seated in the overflow. Before the conference started, Elder Oaks went around shaking everyone's hands. Lucky for us, we were the last row of people he got to before he made his way back to the stand. He is so much friendlier and nicer looking in person than on the screen! To me, watching him in General Conference, he looks so stern and sounds so authoritative and intimidating. But he was so cheerful and jovial in person. I'm glad I got to see that side of him.

He started the conference ten minutes early; "Hinckley Standard Time," he called it. When he spoke, he said that for stake conferences, he does not prepare talks but listens for promptings while the other speakers talk, particularly the stake president. He talked to us about paying tithing, being a single member in the Church (he was single for two years after his first wife died, and his second wife was single until he married her in her fifties), and how the plan of salvation is one of equal opportunity, not equality, in relation to the different roles men and women play (see my Mormon Light blog).

It was a very spiritually informative and uplifting conference. The only downside was keeping Caden entertained in our laps for 3 hours. First hour before conference was fine, of course. The last 2, Justin and I took turns taking him out into the hall (not to play). And I came prepared, too!

Featured Seller: Tina from Godiva Jewels & TS Crocheted

I've met many people on Etsy, and one of the best is my friend Tina from Godiva Jewels and TS Crocheted. She is the most genuine person I've met on Etsy. She puts all her heart and soul into helping others succeed. I can always count on her for help and support.

Her shop Godiva Jewels sells beads, pendants, and some jewelry.

Both of my grandmothers did a lot of sewing and hand stitching. They taught me their talents when I was very young. From there I always wanted to do crafting and sewing. My husband always supports my love for crafting and hobbies. He made me my own workshop in our basement, and I have more than made good use of it. Then my daughter-in-law wanted me to go to a bead party with her and I loved it. I loved it so much I started collecting beads and making jewelry. I have found my love of all crafting in beads and beading. I still do other crafting, sewing, and woodwork, but I love beads the most. I started getting such a big collection of beads, my friends started buying them from me. So this is how my online shop was started.

Her shop TS Crocheted sells crocheted items (and some other things).

 

 

Check out Tina's two shops for more beautiful things!

What to Expect When You're Expecting 3-Book Giveaway [CLOSED]

Raise your hand if you've read What to Expect When You're Expecting. The first thing I did when I found out I was pregnant was buy the book. I was absolutely clueless about pregnancy and childbirth! And I greatly fear the unknown. The title delivered its promise: the book gave me the basic facts I needed to lay a good foundation of knowledge that I built upon while making my birth plan.

You can imagine my excitement when their partnership director contacted me asking me if I would like to work with WhatToExpect.com, the website associated with the book. He sent me What to Expect When You're Expecting, What to Expect the First Year, and What to Expect the Second Year to review and is giving away sets of those 3 books to 2 lucky winners!

Smiles
*Extremely informative. Every question you can think of is answered!
*Sequenced so you can read what you need to at each stage of pregnancy and childhood, allowing you to take each section at a time instead of feeling you need to read the whole book at once.
*Includes indexes for easily finding answers you need right now.
*Written in a tone informal enough to feel like you are conversing with another mother yet authoritative enough that you feel confident in trusting the content.

Frowns
*Although the authors try to be unbiased and merely factual with certain controversial subjects, it is easy to tell which side they are promoting. So these books are best for mainstream moms or new mothers who haven't formed any parenting opinions yet. However, the authors frequently repeat something I strongly believe: only you know what is best for you and your baby, and a choice is right if it feels right to you.
*Repetitive: many questions are answered more than once.

Two of you lucky readers will win a set of the 3 What to Expect books! Perfect for you new mothers or to give as baby shower gifts.

Mandatory Entry: Browse WhatToExpect.com and tell me something you learned.

1 entry: Like What to Expect on Facebook. Leave your username.

1 entry: Like The Hand That Rocks the Cradle on Facebook. Leave your username.

1 entry: Follow What to Expect on Twitter (@whattoexpect).

1 entry: Follow this blog on Google Friend Connect.

1 entry each: Post this giveaway on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or your blog.

1 entry: Tell me if the books would be for you or someone else and why.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry. All entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, September 5. The winner will be announced Thursday, September 6. Please leave your email address in one of your entries so I can contact you if you win. This giveaway is open worldwide. Good luck!

Weaned

It has been exactly four weeks since Caden last nursed. I thought it would never end! As much as I loved breastfeeding him, I was ready for it to end. When your milk dries up and your kid has teeth, nursing doesn't feel good anymore. I'm glad we made it as long as we did, though--nearly two years.

The weaning journey wasn't easy. The hardest was going from three times a day to 2. During our two-week vacation back east, Caden was so busy and distracted that he only nursed once, if that. So when we got home, I tried to keep him distracted and busy. Then I told him no when he asked for it and gave him cow's milk instead. The first two weeks he kept asking for it and would get frustrated when I gave him regular milk instead. Then over the next two weeks he forgot about it.

But last night while he was sitting in my lap facing me, he grabbed my shirt and looked down. He kept staring at my chest intently, and then it clicked, and he signed milk. "You want to drink some milk?" I asked him, pointing to the fridge.

"No," he answered, pointing to my chest.

"There's no more milk there," I replied. "All gone."

And that was it. No tantrum or frustration or asking again. I knew then he was truly weaned.