The Cyber Monday Deals Continue!

I have decided to offer signed copies of both of my novels at reduced prices, with no extra charge for shipping and handling, from now until December 10.

Finding Grace: $10

Erin's Ring: $8

See yesterday's post for details on ordering.

Cyber Monday Deals at String of Pearls

I know I haven't been here at the blog in almost a month.  You don't have to remind me.  But can you blame me?  It has been an exceedingly busy month for this grandmother of 12--yes 12, with the addition of another wee darling granddaughter just a week ago.  It's been an exceedingly busy year, for that matter.  But I'm not going to get into any of that today.

I don't know about you, but I've been decking the halls like crazy since just before Thanksgiving.  I usually wait until the day after, but I cheated a little--because I was excited to see how the Christmas decorations I've been collecting over the years were going to look in our smaller, very different house here in VA.  (You see, back in March, we moved from the beloved home in NH where we'd raised our five boys, in order to be closer to them and their growing families.  But I'm not going to get into that today, remember?)  I've also been thinking a lot about gift-giving, and I thought you might be, too.

SO--

I've got some Cyber Monday deals for you, if you're interested.

1. I'm selling signed copies of my first novel, Finding Grace, for $10 each (that price includes the shipping and handling costs).

This handsome satisfied reader may or may not be related to me...:)

If you'd like to order a copy, there are two ways to do it.  You can make your purchase via PayPal by using the "Buy Now" button on the sidebar at the right on my blog's home page.  Once I've been notified of your payment, I will get your copy of this Catholic coming-of-age novel (a recipient of the Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval, geared toward readers high school-aged and up) in the mail to you ASAP.  PayPal is the quickest way to get your orders in.  But you can also contact me by clicking on the "Email me" tab and sending me a personal message.  I will email you back with instructions for purchasing a book (or books!) via check, if this is your preferred method of payment.

2. I'm also selling signed copies of my second novel, Erin's Ring, for $8 each (and that price includes the shipping and handling costs, too).

These enthusiastic young ladies came to a meeting at the Dover, NH Public Library (where I was honored to receive an award from the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution) to have their copies signed.

To order copies of Erin's Ring, contact me via the "Email Me" tab up there on the right side of this page.  Once I receive payment in the mail and know where to send your copies, I will get them shipped out to you ASAP.  Erin's Ring is a YA historical novel based on the true story of some 19th-century Irish-Catholic immigrants who were instrumental in getting the first Catholic Church built in their small NH town.  The recipient of two book awards from the Catholic Press Association, this novel can be enjoyed by readers from middle school to middle age.

I hope to hear from you!  Happy Shopping!

Grace-filled Tuesdays (Book Club "Meeting" #30): a New Book Review from Catholic Reads

Welcome to the club!  I'm so glad you're here, fellow bookworms!

So I've got some news today.  I was absolutely thrilled to read a new review of Finding Grace, which was published just yesterday over at a wonderful website I discovered recently called Catholic Reads.  This novel, my debut as an author and my beloved "baby," is not a newborn anymore; it has celebrated its fifth birthday already.  (Where does the time go?!)  But even though it's been out there, available for reading, for half a decade, it can still use all the help it can get as far as promotion and marketing.  So I will be forever indebted to the good people over at Catholic Reads for including Finding Grace (a recipient of the Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval) on their site.

Here's a snippet from that brand new review:

Finding Grace by Laura Pearl

A.R.K. WatsonOctober 23, 2017Leave a comment

Reviewed by S. Leigh Hall

The theme of Finding Grace, a young adult novel by Laura H. Pearl, is to understand the life of a teenage Catholic girl surviving high school amid the rapidly changing culture and tumultuous conflicts of the 70’s. There is so much to talk about because there is so much to Grace’s story as she strives to live her faith during a time when our society questioned deep moral issues.

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The first part of the novel covers 1972, Grace’s freshman year. From the beginning, we learn that Grace Kelly who comes from a traditional Irish family dislikes her name. She finds it humiliating that she is so unlike her namesake, the beautiful actress/princess from the movies. As she discusses the problem with her father, the first issue of the decade is introduced as he demonstrates an aversion to “women’s lib.” His hopes for his daughter’s future include a good marriage or life as a nun.

This topic of discussion isn’t the first conversation of its type, but her father indicates that he believes his daughter is a saint or will be someday, and Grace makes an important decision affecting the rest of her life. Her mission becomes learning all she can about the saints and striving to achieve that goal.


There's the teaser; now if you want to read the entire review, here's the link.  (Spoiler alert: there's a passage in there that particularly tickled me, about how the writing style reminds the reviewer a bit of St. Therese's autobiography, The Story of a Soul.  AND...I think I can die happy now.)

If you're looking for worthwhile works of modern Catholic fiction, you should check out Catholic Reads.  Here's an excerpt from the founders' mission statement, which appears on their website's "About" page:

Our Mission

We are four readers who got fed up with how hard is to find good Catholic fiction that features authentic  Church teaching, themes, and characters. When we did manage to find a good story it was usually something written fifty years ago or in a genre that wasn’t always our favorite.
But we love books and we love reading. So we kept searching.

And we found dozens of hidden worlds, indie authors, small presses, and magazines. Despite the lack of advertising, imagination and art are alive and well in our parishes. We started Catholic Reads with the aim of putting authentic Catholic fiction into people’s hands. We want our nation and our world to have the chance to see what the Church’s imagination has to offer.


Wow, I just love this!  And I hope that exposure on this wonderful site will lead more readers to Finding Grace, and that Finding Grace will in turn lead even just one soul closer to Christ.

Okay then, until next time, happy reading!