Updates from Oyster Haven

My husband and I have been busy getting projects done at our Oyster Haven house, making sure that it's ready for its June 1 VRBO opening.  I've been painting, cleaning, shopping for kitchen items and various knickknacks, and decorating; he's been building things out of wood, clearing the beach of debris, hauling trash to the dump, shopping for outdoor furniture and water sports equipment, spreading a floor leveler in a basement room so that he can lay down some new laminate flooring...um, wow--when I see it in writing, I realize he's been working a lot harder than I have!  But what's new?  He's my hero and he always does the heavy lifting.  (Plus I have a very bad cold, probably a sinus infection...and the sun has been in my eyes, and I tripped on a rock...yadda yadda yadda.)

It has been beautiful here for the past few days.  Here's a recent photo of our view from the back of the house.

Isn't it glorious?  Whenever the water sparkled like this, my mother-in-law used to say that there were diamonds on the lake.  That's a perfect way to describe it.

Last night, as we were sitting in the hot tub after a long, tiring day, taking in this spectacular view (my guy had a scotch on the rocks, I had a coffee loaded up with cream and sugar), we decided that we would get up early today and take our new canoe out for its maiden voyage--as long as the lake was calm and glass-like.

Well, if you live in the Northeast, you know that the weather is about as fickle as a teenage girl.  As the old adage goes, if you're bored with the weather, just wait five minutes and it'll change.

So I woke up this morning, all excited about our planned canoe ride...and I looked out the window and saw big fat snowflakes falling.  That's right: it's April 26, and it's snowing.  As I sit here writing this blog post, the view from the kitchen window is gloomy and gray.  And did I mention that it's SNOWING?!

So the canoe ride will have to be put on hold, at least for another day.

I'm so excited that we'll be able to offer our guests the use of not only a canoe, but two kayaks and a stand-up paddle board.  Before too long, we'll be having a new dock put in.  We've picked out a nice  dining set for the deck and some Adirondack chairs for the yard.  Soon, we'll also be purchasing some comfortable patio furniture, so that people can relax around the outdoor fire pit.  Hopefully, by opening day there will no longer be the threat of snow and guests can enjoy plenty of outdoor sports and activities.  (Even here in upsate NY, winter does not extend into June!!)

While I was figuring out the décor for Oyster Haven, I decided to shamelessly use one of its walls to promote my two Catholic novels, Finding Grace and Erin's Ring.  Check out this framed piece of artwork in the front hall, which doubles as a marketing tool.

Actually, as another way to promote these novels, for the past two months I was running a giveaway on Goodreads.  It ended last night at midnight, and I've received the names of the winners.  I was thrilled to see how many people participated!  592 entered to win one of two signed copies of Finding Grace; and 753 entered to win one of two signed copies of Erin's Ring.  

But back to this little slice of heaven called Oyster Haven.

One of my sisters-in-law, who also has a VRBO home here on the lake (and whom we are using as our guide and mentor as we navigate the tricky waters of the business), says that we have to try to distance ourselves emotionally from our property.  If we feel too much like it's "ours," it will be hard for us to let anyone else use it. 

If only it was that easy!  Every time I spend a few days in this house, I grow more attached!

As we soaked in the hot tub last night, my husband and I talked mostly about how excited we were that our whole brood is going to be spending a week here with us in August--including the son stationed in Germany, who will be taking some leave.  Sometimes when I think of letting other people use our heavenly lakeside retreat, I'm a little jelly of the time they're going to get to spend here.  Unfortunately, however, we must rent this house out in order to be able to afford to own it; in a perfect world, we could use it whenever our little old hearts desired!

But as retirement approaches, we are trying to figure out where we belong: here, where we have roots--where we grew up, met, and fell in love; or in NH, where we raised our five boys--in the house where we've lived for the past quarter of a century?

In the meantime, we're just hoping that plenty of people stumble upon our VRBO listing and decide to spend their summer vacation at Oyster Haven.  We think they'll love it as much as we do.

Rings 'n Things

Recently, my husband and I were visiting with our oldest son and his family out in the Midwest.  We have been so incredibly blessed that in spite of the distance that has always separated us from him and his wife since their marriage in 2009 (and also since the birth of our first grandchildren, their twin daughters born in 2011), we have been able to see them quite often.

With all of our boys grown, four of them married, and the grandchildren coming fast and furious (praise God!), never have we appreciated the perks that come with my husband's job more than we do now.  I never thought I'd become a jet-setter; but life has a way of surprising you sometimes.

When my boys were little, the idea of airplane travel was the stuff of my worst nightmares.  I avoided it whenever possible, and never did it if it meant leaving my children behind.  Now, I fly all. the. time. 

Because if I didn't, I wouldn't see my  kids--and now my grandkids--nearly as often as I do.

Anyway, one day during this most recent visit, 4-year-old Cutie Pie (one of the twins) was sitting on my lap, fiddling with my Claddagh ring.  I pointed out all the elements on it--the crown, the heart, and the two hands holding the heart--and told her what these images symbolize.  She sighed, and breathed, in the most awe-filled little voice, "It's beautiful."


"Tell me more about this Cladddagh ring, Grammy."

I've had my gold Claddagh ring since 1979 (faith 'n begorrah, that was a long time ago!!  I'm old!), when my then boyfriend/now husband brought it home for me from a trip to Ireland that he'd taken with the Notre Dame rugby team.  We'd been dating for 6 years by that point, and it was the first serious piece of jewelry he ever gave to me.  I was about as awe-struck when I looked at it as Cutie Pie was a week or so ago.  (I might have said, "It's the most beautiful sight these eyes have ever seen," or something like that.  Or maybe that was Rudy's father when he first saw the Notre Dame stadium in the movie "Rudy"...but I digress.)


My Claddagh ring, still intact after all these years (although I've had to
 have it repaired a couple of times); and its original box.

Needless to say, after seeing how enthralled Cutie Pie was with my ring (which she'd never really noticed before, because she's typically so busy looking at/holding/turning over the gold Miraculous Medal that I always wear on a chain around my neck), Papa and I are already plotting a trip to Dublin to purchase Claddagh rings for all of our granddaughters!  (I know you can get them here in the US of A; but I think I need an excuse to finally see this legendary Emerald Island that has long captured my heart and imagination...)

Speaking of Claddagh rings, I actually wrote a book about one.  (How's that for a segue?!)  It's called Erin's Ring.

The past month, I was running a giveaway over at Goodreads, which ended last night.  Two people have been chosen to win free signed copies of Erin's Ring, an historical novel about an Irish Claddagh ring (and other stuff, too).  If you entered and didn't win, I'm sure I'll be running another giveaway sometime in the future.

Now no more navel gazing (or Claddagh ring gazing).  I'm off to cook up some bacon.  Sundays mean big egg and bacon brunches with my main man, something we always look forward to when we get back from morning Mass.

Here's a wish that your Sunday will be golden, too, wherever you may be. 

Reminder about the Goodreads Giveaway

Just a reminder: there's not much time left to enter to win a signed copy of Erin's Ring.  The contest over at Goodreads ends tomorrow, August 15, at midnight.  If you'd like to throw your name into the hat, click here.

Radio Maria Interview Today!

Today at 3:30, I'll be speaking with host Ken Huck about Erin's Ring, on his "Meet the Author" show on Radio Maria.  Tune in if you're interested (or just keep me in your prayers, as this sort of thing takes me way, way out of my introverted comfort zone!).

I "met" Ken already, when I went on his show last January to talk about Findong Grace.  He's a kind and interested interviewer, and he was able to put me at ease (relatively speaking!).  So I'm sure things will go okay today.  But prayers. Say them please.  That is all.

(P.S. There are only two more days left for the Goodreads giveaway, where you could win one of two signed copies of Erin's Ring.  Click on that big "g" on the sidebar to enter.)

Still Here (and Have I Got News for You!)

I'm still here, in spite of evidence to the contrary!  My poor little blog has been a very neglected baby as of late.  My "IRL" life has been a tad too hectic to allow much room for having much of an Internet life.  But I've missed blogging.  As a person who thinks and expresses herself better on paper (or make that on computer screen) than in person, I've come to believe that I sort of need this daily writing exercise to maintain my emotional and psychological health.  As weird as that sounds...

Anyhoo, there are many legitimate excuses for my Internet absence the past few weeks.  For one thing, there was that health scare of my husband's not too long ago, which I told you about.  But praise God, he's fine now--not quite back to normal yet, but his platelet count is rising steadily and he's able to do just about everything he wants to do...except go back to work.  But he's still on vacation anyway.  And if that vacation happens to be extended for reasons beyond his control...well, we'll enjoy our extra time together.

Aside from that unexpected sojourn at the hospital, there was also a big family wedding to celebrate.  All of my husband's seven siblings and their families gathered on the shore of Lake Champlain for the happy occasion.  Two of our boys--#3 and #4, with their wives Precisosa and Braveheart--were able to make it.  And let's not forget our sweet grandson G-Man!

As one dear old friend put it in a Facebook comment, after having spied him at church: "He is one chunk of cuteness!"  He is indeed.  And Papa and I were thrilled to spend some time with our little buddy.

Our beautiful young niece was married to her college sweetheart, by an archbishop who is the uncle of her new husband.  (They call him "Uncle Father Charlie."  Isn't that the best?)  This particular archbishop is the papal nuncio to Ireland, and having him come to the church in Plattsburgh where so many Irish Pearls have been married (my hubby and myself included) to say the Mass was a big thrill for all in attendance.

This girl is utterly beautiful, inside and out. 
And her hubby's not too shabby, either.

I must also mention that the archbishop (a truly humble, down-to-earth man with a wonderful sense of humor) gave the most beautiful, moving, spot-on homily about marriage that I have ever heard.  I wish I had it on tape so that I could play it for anyone who tried to tell me that traditional marriage (as in: the sacred union of a man and a woman in Holy Matrimony, as ordained by God) is no longer relevant.  I wish you'd been there, dear readers, to hear this holy man describe in the most succinct and perfect way just how sacred, how important, how relevant marriage is.

After the magnificent nuptial Mass, the wedding party and their guests made a pit-stop at the Old Stone Barracks in Plattsburgh, NY, an historic 19th-century building that once housed Civil War soldiers behind its thick stone walls.

My husband's older sister (the oldest of the eight Pearl siblings and the mother of that lovely bride in the photos) and her husband are in the process of restoring and renovating this breathtaking and iconic piece of Plattsburgh history, and turning the historic landmark into a thriving brewery/tasting room/event center/bed & breakfast.  With all the excitement being generated in the North Country with regard to their project, my sister-in-law marvels that Valcour Brewing Company has made the front page of the paper numerous times and has been the subject of several local TV news stories and PBS shows, yet they haven't had to spend one penny on advertising so far.  (Look for a future post, where I'll tell you more about this amazing dream project that my sister-in-law and her man-with-a-vision--a dynamic duo if there ever was one--have undertaken.)

But back to the wedding festivities: after the brewery stop, we all headed over to the reception, where somewhere in the neighborhood of 250 of us ate, drank, and danced the night away.  It was just a fantastic event, filled with family and friends, and bursting with so much love and joy. 

My husband enjoyed some local brews with two of his boys (not up to Valcour Brewery standards taste-wise, but at least the collector's bottles were cool-looking!).

 And he got to dance a daddy-daughter dance with two of his girls.

It was a magical night.  I only wish our other three boys could have made it, along with daughters-in-law Regina and Ginger, and our four precious granddaughters.

Now for our exciting news!  As if this summer wasn't crazy enough already, my husband and I have decided to take on an ambitious project of our own.  We are purchasing a house on the lake, just 3.5 miles away from the house where my husband grew up.  The two of us met and began dating in Plattsburgh, when we were only 15 years old, so it seems fitting that we should retire there and spend our golden years where we got our start--in the Adirondack region that we both love, with family nearby.  We love our home in NH; but with our boys all moving away, getting married, and establishing themselves in different parts of the country, Dover doesn't seem as much like home as it once did. 

We're not in a hurry, though.  We'd hate to sell the house that's been home to us for a quarter of a century, the house where we raised our five sons, and then have one or two of them move back to this area.  Plus, with my husband still working it would be tougher to commute from Plattsburgh than it is from here.  So...for the time being, we are looking at the house on the lake as a retirement investment for us, and we plan to put it on VRBO and rent it out for weeks at a time.  And perhaps we'll block off a week or two every summer for our own personal use, and hopefully the kids and grandkids will visit us there.  Then eventually, we'll probably sell the NH house and reside there full-time (when we aren't flying hither and yon to visit our far-flung brood).

So if you know anyone who's looking for a sweet spot to take a vacation, where they'll have the run of a house with 4 bedrooms, 2 and 1/2 baths, a gourmet kitchen, a large patio with a hot tub and a fire pit, a football field-sized grassy back yard, and 253 feet of lakefront (with a glorious private beach and spectacular views of Valcour Island, "Gunboat Island," and the mountains of VT), we might have just the ticket when we're up and running next spring.  And hey, at cocktail hour they could head on down the road to the Old Stone Barracks for a nice cold glass of Copper Nails, or one of Valcour's other trademark brews.   ;)

Okay, I think that pretty much brings you up to speed on what's been happening in my life.  I'll be back soon, I'm sure.  But before I go, don't forget about the giveaway over at Goodreads.  You could win a signed copy of Erin's Ring--for free, so what have you got to lose?!  The contest ends August 15, so don't delay.

I hope you're enjoying your summer!

Win a Copy of Erin's Ring

I am giving away two signed copies of Erin's Ring.  The contest starts tomorrow (July 15) and runs through August 15.  This book would make great summer reading for your pre-teen or teen--or dare I say, even for you!

Book Giveaway For Erin's Ring

Erin's Ring
by Laura H. Pearl (Goodreads Author)

I am giving away two signed copies of my Catholic YA novel, Erin's Ring. Published in 2014 by Bezalel Books, Erin's Ring is part historical fiction, p…more

[close] I am giving away two signed copies of my Catholic YA novel, Erin's Ring. Published in 2014 by Bezalel Books, Erin's Ring is part historical fiction, part modern coming-of-age tale, and it tells the story of the brave 19th-century Irish immigrants who were responsible for building the first Catholic church in a small New England town. [close]

Enter Giveaway

Giveaway dates: Jul 15 - Aug 15, 2015

2 copies available     

Countries available: US 

 

Okay, String of Pearls readers, if you're interested you can head on over to Goodreads and enter to win:
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/144678-erin-s-ring

Giveaway Winner (and Claddaghs on the Brain)!

Okay, as promised, I'm announcing the winner of the giveaway here at String of Pearls this morning.  When you hear who it is, you're going to think the contest was fixed, but I give you my word of honor that I chose the winning slip of paper with my eyes closed (and a prayer that I would choose the person who needed the book the most).  The winner is my Aussie blogging friend Erin, from Seven Little Australians and Counting.

Yes, the winner of a signed copy of Erin's Ring is named Erin.  That.  Just.  Happened.

Actually, I think Erin is the perfect choice, not just because of the book's title.  I'm also tickled that she won because she told me that so far, Erin's Ring is not easily available in the Land Down Under.  (For those of you who might have tried to order it on Amazon in the US and saw "temporarily out of stock" on the order form, I don't think it will take too long to receive your copy.  I have already been told by two friends that the books they ordered on-line have arrived.)

So that's one reason I'm glad the slip of paper I pulled out of the hat had Erin's name on it.  The other is that she is a homeschooling mother of ten (you read that right, TEN), and I've seen photos of her impressive home library on her blog.  I know this book will find a good home with her, and it will have a chance to be read by many young eager readers.

So Erin, I'll get that copy out to you as soon as I can.  (I'm going to have to look through my archives for your address--unless you want to just send it to me again.)

If you didn't win this contest, readers, there are three other signed copies out there, just waiting to be sent out to three lucky winners.  I'm hosting a giveaway at Goodreads--and if you enter before midnight on December 15, one of those winners could be you.

Aside from the Goodreads giveaway, my publisher Cheryl Dickow has a special Christmas offer going on: a "Mother-Daughter Package," available over at Bezalel Books (Erin's Ring and Cheryl's Elizabeth, a Holy Land Pilgrimmage, $17.99 with free shipping).  Award-winning author Nancy Carabio Belanger blogged about Erin's Ring and this amazing Bezalel offer here.  And if you'd like to order that set, click here.

I've kind of had Claddaghs on the brain lately.  I've always loved the look of Irish Claddagh rings and the symbolism behind the hands, crown, and heart: Friendship, Loyalty, Love.  I fell in love with this sort of meaningful Irish ring back in the spring of 1979, when I was a junior in college and my then-boyfriend brought me a gold one from Dublin, where he'd gone on a trip with the Notre Dame rugby team.  We'd been dating since the summer of 1973, and this was the first serious piece of jewelry he'd ever given me.  I put it on the ring finger of my left hand and couldn't stop looking at it!

This is the original box.  Over the past 35 years, the ring has developed several
cracks that I had to have fixed; but otherwise, it's the original as well.

My Claddagh was not technically an engagement ring, but it could have been--because at that point, we were sure we were going to get married after college.  (We were officially engaged--although without another ring--the following December, during our senior year, and then got married one year after that.)

I do love Claddaghs, and when the story for Erin's Ring started to form in my head, one of the first things I decided was that my young heroine would find an old-looking gold Claddagh ring poking up out of the dirt in a garden next to her parish church, right in front of a statue of Mary.  She would become intrigued by it, convinced by the engraving inside the band--"To Erin--Love, Michael"--that this ring must have an epic, romantic story to tell.  Erin's ring would in turn inspire her to explore the archives of the public library for clues, and in the process she and her best friend would learn all about the Irish immigrants who played a huge role in their small New Hampshire town's history.  (The story is set in Dover, NH, and there is a lot of true Dover history in this book.)  I wasn't even sure at first why the ring had ended up in the garden or how tragic I wanted its owner's story to be; but I let the characters lead me and eventually, it all came together.  In the last few pages, the mystery is solved...but I'm not going to tell you any more--you'll just have to read it!

Since finishing this novel, I seem to be obsessed with the Claddagh image.  Just recently, I typed the word "Claddagh" in a search box on the Etsy home page (a dangerous place to go, I assure you!), and I found this beauty.  It's a wall cross made out of balsa wood.  Look at that intricate scrollwork!  For $15, I thought it was a steal.

And it looks great on my wall of wedding pictures (a wall that's getting mighty crowded these days, now that four of our five boys are married!).

Well, I hope if you read Erin's Ring, you'll have Claddaghs on the brain, too!  (And don't forget about that Goodreads giveaway!)

Last Chance!

Just a quick reminder (the last one--I promise!) about the Goodreads Giveaway.  I'm giving away three paperback copies of Finding Grace.  If you want to enter, there are only 15 hours left to do so!  Just click on the "Enter to win" button there on the right for all the details, and you could be one of the lucky three.  Who doesn't like free stuff, right?

I made a mistake back at the beginning when I said the contest would run through midnight tomorrow--it actually ends at midnight tonight.  Don't dilly-dally, would-be readers.  The clock's ticking!

SOOOoooo...

If you're interested in getting to know Grace Kelly, her charming and funny Irish dad Jack, her brittle on the outside/soft on the inside mother Peggy, her hilarious and goofy friend Jimmy Sullivan (who'd like to be more than a friend, the poor guy), and the love of her life, Tom Buckley, then enter to win and you can meet them all!


This was MY "Tom Buckley" in high school.  Actually, he's still my Tom Buckley...
so it's not surprising that he and Grace's fictional love interest share
 a number of personality traits and stellar qualities!

Okey-doke, then.  You've been reminded.  And now my husband and I are off to Notre Dame to spend junior parents weekend with our youngest son.  Have a good one, everybody!  And if you enter the contest, may you have the luck of the Irish!

Giveaway Reminder and Tales from the Road

Don't forget to head on over to Goodreads, where you can enter to win one of three paperback copies of my novel Finding Grace.  There are only two more days to go before the contest ends and the lucky trio of winners will be notified.

There's a handy "Enter to win" button right there on the right, at the top of the sidebar.  Click that and it'll take you where you need to go to get your name on the list.  (Come on, hit that button; what have you got to lose?)

In other news, it's our youngest son's Junior Parents Weekend at Notre Dame this weekend, and my husband and I were planning to fly out of Boston early on Friday.  But Old Man Winter was heading to town, due to dump a ton of snow on us throughout the day Thursday (as part of a weather event that they're calling "Snowmaggedon" down South), and it looked like all the flights on Friday were going to be filled up by passengers whose flights on Thursday were sure to be grounded by the storm.  We thought about flying out last night to get ahead of it all--but obviously everyone and his brother had the same great idea, because all the flights were overfull last night, too.

So we packed the car up and got on the road at about 9:00 p.m., spur-of-the-moment-like, and drove about six hours well west of the storm's path.  The only trouble was that after stopping for gas a few hours into the drive, the car started chugging and we started getting a blinking "check engine" light.  So at about 3:00 a.m., we pulled into a hotel in Syracuse, NY, and my husband is planning to head over to the Nissan dealer this morning (after the complimentary breakfast, which I wouldn't miss for the world) to see what's going on.

My uneducated guess is that we got some bad gas (gasoline, that is--what are you thinking, anyway?) or something, because the car started chugging a little and the light came on right after we stopped to fill up.

So...it's a typical Pearl road trip.  Our tales of breakdowns and hours spent sitting on the sides of highways waiting for AAA to come rescue us are somewhat legendary at this point.  But we expected this sort of thing when we had our big old red 15-seater Dodge Ram van money pit; we didn't expect it with the sleek little charcoal-gray Nissan Maxima we got when the old girl died.  (Et tu, Maxima?  Et tu?)

At least we have a couple of days to get things squared away, because back when we thought this was going to be a trip by plane that was going to go off without a hitch, we weren't planning to arrive in South Bend until Friday afternoon.

Okay, then, enough about our woes from the road.  By hook or by crook, we will make it to that JPW at Notre Dame!  How, I'm not sure.  But I'll keep you updated.

A Reminder about the Goodreads Giveaway

Don't forget to head on over to Goodreads, where you can enter to win a free copy of my Catholic novel for young and even not-so-young adults, Finding Grace.  There are only five days left!  All you have to do is click on that "Enter to win" button on the right...see it?  Right at the bottom of that white box at the top of the sidebar over there.  That'll take you to the Goodreads page where you can put your name in the proverbial hat.  What have you got to lose?

This could be you.

Well hello, there, beloved middle son!

Or this.



And hi, sweet baby sister!

Look at those satisfied customers!  (What would I do without my ever-supportive family members?  They are the best book promoters and salespeople an unknown first-time author could ask for.  It's too bad I can't pay them better.)

Sorry, readers.  Do you feel as if you've been tricked today--that you clicked on here to read a blog post and got blindsided with, as Ralphie would put it, a "lousy commercial"?  (I just love that scene in "A Christmas Story" where he locks himself in the bathroom to decode his first secret message using his long-awaited and longed-for Little Orphan Annie decoder ring, and it spells out, "Drink more Ovaltine."  Oh, the disappointment!  The disillusionment!)

But anyway, truly: ENTER TO WIN; READ FINDING GRACE; OVER AND OUT.

Champagne Dresses for Grammy's Darlings

I've finished re-doing the sashes on the dresses my twin granddaughters Bonny Babe and Cutie Pie are going to wear in son #4's upcoming wedding (in less than 3 weeks!).  You might remember these little ivory satin dresses, with navy blue satin sashes and bolero jackets made out of some ivory velveteen I found in my late mother-in-law's attic.

Now these same dresses have got champagne-colored sashes, and I also switched the buttons on the boleros, which resembled little pearl clusters, to antique-looking buttons with large pearls in the center.  Son #4's bride is getting married in her grandmother's vintage satin gown and the bridesmaids will be wearing champagne-colored dresses with lots of beading and bling at the neck, so I thought my wee ones' outfits should have a slightly antique, slightly blingy look about them as well.

While I was fixing up the flower girl dresses, I realized I had enough leftover satin in both the ivory and the champagne to make a dress for my sweet Little Gal to wear, so that her outfit will coordinate with what her big sisters are wearing at the wedding.  Plus, wedding day is also a red letter day in her life: she's going to be turning one year old!  So here's what the little birthday girl is going to be wearing for her uncle's wedding.

It's a special little frock for a special Little Gal.

Grammy can hardly wait to see her darling girls all dolled up in these stylish numbers!  And I've gotta say, it really is fun--after raising only boys--to have little lasses to sew for.  Although I did manage to make a few things for my sons, when they were but sprouts--before they reached the age when wearing homemade clothing would have made them fashion outcasts among their peers.  (That age comes a lot earlier for boys than it does for girls.)  In fact, I made a white linen suit coat for son #4--the soon-to-be groom--to wear when he was six and played the role of ring bearer at his aunt/godmother's wedding back in 1994.  I don't have a picture of him wearing it (my sister-in-law does, in her wedding album); but I just brought it down from the attic, and after 20 years it still looks pretty good.  What's neat is that all those years ago, son #4 was the ring bearer at his aunt's wedding, and now her young son (who's about the same age he was) is going to be the ring bearer at his.  It's all come full circle!

(Before I sign off, here's a little reminder, because I'm going to keep bugging you about this until the contest ends on February 15: don't forget to enter the book giveaway contest on Goodreads!  You could be one of three lucky winners of a paperback copy of Finding Grace.)

WWRW: Olivia and the Little Way (Also, a Little Giveaway, and a Little Press on CTN)

I just love this 1895 painting of two sweet little boot-clad bookworms by eminent Impressionist artist Pierre August Renoir.  I forgot to look up its title, but I've decided I'm going to call it "What They're Reading Wednesday."  These two little girls would make the perfect audience for the book I'm reading today--their mom could read it aloud to them, and they would be entranced.  But more about that in a minute.

I've got exciting news: I'm giving away 3 paperback copies of my novel Finding Grace on Goodreads.   All of you voracious readers who frequent Jessica's Wednesday on-line book club probably know all about Goodreads already; but if you don't, it's a great place to find titles you haven't heard of yet and to read reviews by both published authors and fellow book enthusiasts.

Anyway, if you'd like to enter to win a copy, just go over to the sidebar, right there at the top right, and click on the "Enter to win" button.  The giveaway contest started today and runs through midnight on Feb. 15.

Maybe if you win a copy, Finding Grace could be the book you're reading some Wednesday in the future!

From all reports, there is a growing number of adult readers who choose to read young adult fiction, which they find feeds their souls in a way that many current offerings in the adult fiction market simply don't.  (And I know this is true from all my visits to WWRW, when I hear Jessica and other linker-uppers saying just that sort of thing.)  Yesterday on Catholic Television Network's show "This is the Day," Cheryl Dickow (the woman behind Bezalel Books, publisher of Finding Grace) was interviewed over the phone on this topic, and in the course of her interview she mentioned some great Bezalel titles--including my book.  My husband and I watched the show together, and he was so excited about it that when the segment ended, he turned to me, grinning ear to ear, and gave me a high five.  Cheryl's interview takes place pretty early on (from just before 7 minutes in until about the 14 minute mark) if you'd like to check it out. (http://catholictv.com/shows/this-is-the-day/young-adult-literature-retreat)

So, jumping right on the old bandwagon with enthusiasm, here's what this adult reader whose soul needs feeding is reading this Wednesday: Nancy Carabio Belanger's Olivia and the Little Way.

I've been meaning to read this YA novel of Belanger's for quite some time (as well as its sequel, Olivia's Gift).  I'm not finished, so I don't have a review for you yet.   But I'm excited about it, because--like Jessica and lots of other bloggers I know--I'm beginning to think there's more beef (and certainly less smut!) to be found in works targeted at young adult readers.  I know that the Olivia books are very well thought of and used regularly in Catholic and homeschool curricula, and I know that someday I'm going to want to pass them on to my granddaughters.  Before I do that, I decided, I need to read them myself.

I admire Nancy Carabio Belanger as both an author and a person, although I have yet to meet her.  And I'm sure that her heroine, a young girl who learns about St. Therese of Lisieux from her grandmother and calls on the saint to help her navigate the pitfalls of middle school life, will become a favorite character of mine.  (And my granddaughters', too!)

Hopefully, I'll be back next Wednesday with a review and a recommendation for you.

Now head on over to Housewifespice for more great recommendations, from the YA category as well as many others.

Announcing a Giveaway!

I'm giving away 3 paperback copies of my novel Finding Grace on Goodreads.

You can enter your name to win one of those copies starting at midnight tonight, and the contest runs through midnight on the 15th.  There's a handy little box there on the sidebar on the right, with a handy "Enter to win" button you can click on if you'd like to try your luck.

Why not enter?  What have you got to lose?!

That's it for today.  Now I'm off to work on some sewing projects for my 3 darling granddaughters.

What We're Reading Wednesday: All the Blue of Heaven (with a Review)

It wasn't until Finding Grace was published that I realized how important it is for authors to have reviews of their work posted by readers--whether on Amazon, on Goodreads, or on readers' personal blogs.  My novel, a labor of love that I'd dreamed of writing since I was a schoolgirl, was released a little over a year ago by a small Catholic publishing house called Bezalel Books--which is doing wonderful work, but is hardly a household name; yet even the larger houses rarely have big budgets for marketing and promoting their authors' works, so the burden of that responsibility falls mostly on the shoulders of the authors themselves.  (Ironic, too, because most of us bookish types are much happier quietly typing away on a laptop rather then standing before a group of people and saying, "Gee, you really should read my novel!")

Over the past year, I have had some incredible on-line conversations with a whole bunch of amazing Catholic writers--some of whom I'd heard of before, some of whom were new to me.  Getting to know them, and being on the receiving end of their encouragement and support, was truly one of the best off-shoots of having my book published.  When I got to meet several of them in the flesh at the Catholic Writers Guild conference held in early August in NJ, that was extremely special.

Catholic writers are fighting a cultural war, trying to spread the Faith through their words, and they need the support of their fellow soldiers in the trenches (not to put too dramatic a spin on it).  Most of the authors I've been fortunate enough to meet, whether on-line or in person, are more than willing to put in a good word for one of their fellow "evangelizers," knowing what a difficult task it can be to get good Christian literature into the hands of those who might be inspired or edified by it.  As blogger and writer Sarah Reinhard explained to me, after I thanked her for posting a positive review on my book's Amazon page, "Well, I'm an author, too.  I'm all about helping the peeps.  :)"

I want to help my peeps as well, so I've started writing book reviews for CatholicFiction.net.  I've also written a few for Amazon, and just last night I set up a Goodreads account.  One of the books I've recently read and reviewed for these sites is Virginia Carmichael's All the Blue of Heaven.  (I mentioned I'd started it in this previous WWRW post.)   I thought I'd share the review with you today, while linking up with Jessica for an installment of

Just me with my nose in a book.  What's new?

Carmichael is a good writer.  In this work of Christian romance fiction, her characters are well-developed and their conversations sound like real ones.  I like the "will they end up together, or won't they?" tension she created between the heroine and her love interest.  My only beef with the book was that it was rather poorly edited, but otherwise I really did enjoy it.  Here's a link to my Goodreads review of All the Blue of Heaven.  (The same one will appear on CatholicFiction.net and Amazon..) Now head on over to Housewifespice to see what Jessica and her peeps are reading this Wednesday.