Book Review: Choosing Charity by Terri Ferran

Choosing Charity by Terri Ferran is the last in a trilogy written around the characters Kit and Adam and their continuing relationship now that they are married. Kit still is dealing with the circumstances of being abandoned as a baby and her adoptive parent's recent divorce.

Kit tries to work through the changing issues in her life and find a way to forgive her parents for getting divorced and find the right way to go about things, this time she isn't all alone in trying to work through the tough things, she has Adam right beside her helping her sort it all out.

Then the unexpected happens and Kit's birth mother contacts her in a desperate bid for help. It takes everything in Kit to find a way to work through her birth mother's choices, and find forgiveness and she wants some answers. With the discovery of life changing news, Kit  that she needs to understand and learn what the real meaning of charity is. As she does, she applies it to the ever changing aspects of her life which teaches her that charity is to have the love of Christ within her. And it helps her to see things with a new perspective and gives her the ability to move forward inspite of the things in her life and find a way to rise above it and grow as a person and in the gospel. Hared decisions must be made as ways around obstacles are discovered.

As with the first two stories in the series Finding Faith, Having Hope and also in Choosing Charity, Terri Ferran does a wonderful job of helping her characters to grow through profound experiences and weaves that growth with gospel principles. Ones that touch the heart and feel the spirit and cause one's testimony to grow. I laughed, I cried and I wondered what would happen when there seemed to be no easy answers.


Book Blurb:

When Kit learns that her biological mother wants to meet her, it seems her perfect life is about to come tumbling down. With a new job, a husband she adores, and friends all around her, can Kit possibly be expected to risk everything for a woman who left her in a dumpster to die?
Of course, love comes in many forms. Now Kit’s about to learn that when faith and hope aren’t enough, charity can make things right.
Can Kit learn to forgive and let goof the pain in her past? Expertly written and full of heart, this captivating conclusion to the Finding Faith trilogy will delight fans of all ages.:

Choosing Charity is a wonderful end to the trilogy and I even though it is a part of a series of other books it has the ability to stand on it's own.  It is a book I would recommend to everyone who wants a wonderful way to spend some time and come away feeling uplifted.

Get your copy of Choosing Charity here and learn more about it here.

Book Review: Having Hope by Terri Ferran

Having Hope by Terri Ferran picks up where Finding Faith lets off and is the second book in Terri Ferran's trilogy.  It is a contemporary LDS  romantic fiction . At the beginning, Kit is still anxiously waiting for her missionary Adam Bridger to come home. She is firmly entrenched in the Bridger family and her faith in the gospel is growing stronger and her faith is solid in spite of the trauma she endured, she is healing. She is still working through the circumstances of her adoption and she is trying to figure things out for herself.  She is missing Janet, but meets new friends that pull her in different directions. One of which lead her across the world to work with the orphans in Romania as a part of her schooling. She is torn between going as she feels prompted and leaving Adam after he just returns from his mission.

With Adam's support she travels across the world and while she is gone, things back home begin to go awry as unexpected things happen in Romania. During this time Kit has to rely on her testimony and develop hope for herself and her future as parts of her life begin to unravel.

Having Hope is written with the same wonderful gospel teachings and insights that create a deeper sense of testimony in the reader, and helps expand understanding of gospel principles. I loved this books message that through all the tough times no matter how hard they are that having hope will always help you through

I really enjoyed Having Hope and seeing further development and growth in the characters as they meet thier individual challenges and find the ability to overcome. It was fun feeling like you were revisiting old friends.


 
Book Blurb
After being reunited with Adam Bridger, the missionary she waited for for two long years, Kit Matthews experiences feelings she cannot ignore promptings that take her halfway around the world.
The strong connection she feels with orphans in Romania because of her own abandonment at birth draws Kit to Romania where she meets a Romanian medical student, Marcel and when Kit challenges Marcel to learn about the gospel, she has no idea of the doors she has opened.
After learning of some disturbing news at home, Kit struggles to have hope that God is mindful of His children, and must decide between creating a new life in Romania and returning to repair her life in America.

You can get your copy of Having Hope  on Amazon by clicking here.  And click here to see it on good reads. Your testimony will be strengthened along with your hope for things to come.

Book Review: Finding Faith by Terri Ferran

Finding Faith  by Terri Ferran is about a girl named Kit who moved from California right before her senior year to Logan Utah. A place way different than what she is used to as far as culture is concerned. They have their own lingo and way of doing things that is foreign in many ways to Kit.

She takes part time classes at Utah State University where her father teaches, and is in high school part time. And finding friends isn't as easy as she thought it would be. Kit wanders around the mall and meet a girl with lots of energy, and then that leads her to meeting Janet. The girl who would become her best friend. And to make it better she sees a hot guy that she wonders about.

Things begin to look up when Janet invites Kit to her house. She learns that they are LDS and that they  have a deep belief and abiding faith in God. Kit isn't even sure God exists. But this doesn't stop her friendship with Janet from growing strong. At Janet's house a great discovery is made, Janet is related to the smoking hot guy she saw, and she is introduced to him. His name is Justin.

Justin and Kit hit it off and Kit finds herself spending more and more time with Janet's family. She feels like she belongs. As things progress in the story, Kit is challenged at every point in what she believes and learns that this faith that Janet's family has is hard to figure out. But in stages she begins to understand what it is that makes the Bridger family so fabulous.

Finding Faith is a story about new beginnings, learning how strong you can be in the most difficult and unexpected of circumstances and and finding faith. It is a love story that is sweet  and wonderful and a story of deep and abiding friendship. I found myself laughing, crying and wondering what Kit's decisions would be in the face of trials. It is about learning to trust and letting go.

Finding Faith, strengthened my own faith, just by the way Terri told the story. She was able to pull on the great strength having faith lends. I found myself wanting to write things down to remember the way the Bridger family helped Kit through the toughest times of her life. I found in many cases her lessons became my big reminders, and I felt comfort and peace and the spirit speak to me as my own faith grew. I am so glad I got to read this book that shows in such a beautiful way the depth and beauty of the gospel and how it changed the life a girl who did not have it in her own.

I know you won't want to miss the chance to read Finding Faith by Terri Ferran. I know that anyone who reads this book will have their own testimony strengthened in the truths of the gospel. I know that the spirit will testify to those who read this book, the truth of what it contains.

To find out how to get your copy of Finding Faith and  to find out more about Terri click on the links below.

Social Networking Links for Terri : here

Goodreads: here

when distractions get in the way

Ever feel like there are a million and one things to distract you from what you want most? That sometimes it is that very thing that ends up with the least amount of attention as everything else demands you to give it first priority?

I feel like that now. I want to finish my work in progress, to say YES!! I finally finished it, and to be honest, all I truly need is about 10 uninterrupted days to finish it. But right now, it seems like those 10 dedicated days of writing is a fantasy.

School just went back into session for my kids, so the last week or so, I have run to every store in the Denver Metro area seeking school supplies for my kids going to school here from elementary to High School. Then getting all the millions of forms filled out, not to mention helping with homework, lunch shopping and all the driving. And this year as an added bonus we get to have the benefit of school prep spreading from 5 am to at times 10 am. It is really quite insane, and that is just the getting ready and dropping off schedules. Pick up is just the opposite, and when games start... well, you get the picture.

Throw into the mix, teaching group exercise classes.... which is awesome!! But time consuming. And  trying to balance classes with my families always changing schedules, and then add in a dash of reviewing and editing and life can be very full. Oh and I almost forgot... trying to clean my house out. I think that is a lost cause and only a nuclear bomb will have any effect at this point. Ha!

But there are the distractions, when life gets even more harrowing. Little crazy stresses that can slowly drive you batty. Tugs on time and money and other resources like... um sleep. Since I seem to have only the time when everyone is sleeping now to write. But then I'm sleepy too, and my brain gets a little fuzzy.

But when I do get the time to escape into my own world, when I get to let my fingers soar across the keyboard as a story comes to life under my fingers, it is heaven. I love it. I feel free of all of the crazie little things that pull me away. It's just finding those minutes to truly create an entirely new world. It is worth all the distractions to get to that.

Now if I could just figure out a good way to manage my time. I used to be awesome at it when I was in college and before I had seven kids. I'm not quite sure what happened along the way.

Anyone out there have any ideas on how to get past distractions? I'd love to hear what you have to say about how you deal with them! =0)

Author Interview : Ashley Levering and Curse of the Beast

I am so excited. Today I get to interview author Ashley Levering who wrote Curse of the Beast. It is a paranormal YA and I am sure you will love it . Why you ask? Because it is a fractured fairy tale retelling of one of my all time favorite stories, Beauty and the Beast.  

First of all, I had the chance to meet Ashley at a writer's conference this summer and I we had a wonderful time getting to know each other. She is an amazing and talented person. Now I want to give you the chance to get to know her too. So I sent her some questions and she answered them for me.

So sit back, get comfy and learn a little more about Ashley and what inspired her to become  the great writer that she is.

 Me: How long did it take to bring it all together, pre writing and the actual writing?

 Ashley: With having small children and writing only part time, I finished Curse of the Beast in two years. However, I was able to use some of that writing for Star Cursed, book 2.

 Me: How do you find the time and how do you organize yourself so you can get your writing in when you have to work around your family?

 Ashley: That is a hard one. I find that I write a lot at night, and when I can find a babysitter. Sometimes when my girls are watching a movie I’ll sneak off to my bedroom and write. As to the organizing myself, I have a bulleted outline and a calendar. The calendar helps me keep the time frame organized and the moon cycles.

 Me: Are you already working on your next book?

 Ashley: Yes! In fact, I am sending Star Cursed book 2 in the Curse of the Beast Series off to my editor in September! Very exciting.

Me: What is your most favorite thing about being a writer?

 Ashley: I love being able to create my own worlds. It is great to have an idea and be able to mold it and then breathe life into it. It is the best feeling ever! And of course, to then share it with everyone.

Me: How did you come up with your cover?

 Ashley: I wanted the rose to be a big part of it. I also thought about the other elements that make up this first book. And Tayla and Beast came to mind. So with those three elements, I hiked up the mountain with my models and we started shooting pictures until I figured out what I wanted.

Me: I love the answers to these questions Ashley. I am excited for you to have your next book ready to go. That means we get to read it that much faster, which is a huge plus for us. 

 To make this all the  sweeter, Ashley is doing a huge giveaway on her blog for a signed copy of Curse of the Beast . So jump on over to http://www.ashleylavering.blogspot.com  to enter. And click here for your own copy of Curse of the Beast.