Blog Archives

Photo Friday

2/27/2015

I was thinking I might have to pull some old photos from my files for today's post because I didn't have anything new!
But before I did that, I decided to try to get a few good shots.
About two weeks ago, my grandparents got a new alpaca to protect their herd of sheep. They had one before, but Chico became ill and died recently and that left the sheep without protection from coyotes and foxes. So they got a new alpaca named Davis. He friendlier than Chico was, but he likes to spit and kick if provoked!! He is bonding well with the sheep and loves the new babies.
They also got a Hereford steer and heifer. I only found out about the new cows this morning so I decided to see what photo opportunities the sheep, alpaca and cows had to offer.
I got some good ones and it was especially fun to photograph the cows. We sold our cows last summer so I have not had any bovine's to take pictures of and the cows we had weren't cute!!
It was so hard to pick a favorite, but the top photo wins the favorite photo award for me this week. It just looks like a Hereford bull poster or something :)
The next photo comes in a close second place. Seeing Grandpa working with these two calves brings back a lot of memories of working with him on the farm.
Any favorites out there?

This is Davis checking out the new lamb that was born last night when it was -15*!!

I just had to throw this shot in for the fun of it! It always cracked me up when the cows did this on our dairy farm when I was younger. It still makes me smile.

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Quotes

2/25/2015

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Lotter Funny Farm Video #3: Sledding

2/23/2015

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One good thing about all this snow and cold weather is it makes for great sledding! My favorite kind of sledding is being pulled behind the four wheeler and I always want to be on the last sled. Here is Lotter Funny Farm Video #3 of our fun time sledding!

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Photo Friday

2/20/2015

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I took these pictures three weeks ago and they have been just sitting here on my computer waiting to get posted.
I didn't have time to get pictures this week, so I was glad I had some backup!
My favorites are the first two. I love the delicate frost crystals and the soft brown tones.
What are your favorites this week?
The temperatures here have been ridiculously cold! We have had more temps under 0* than we have above and several days it has gotten down to -13*! We haven't gotten a crazy amount of snow, but the cold is beyond crazy! I'm just a tad jealous of all of you who have been telling me you are walking around in short sleeves or a light jacket! I love the cold, but this is a bit much :) Hope you all who live in the semi-arctic are staying warm!

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Interview with Author Alicia G. Ruggieri

2/18/2015

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I met Alicia just a few weeks ago when she participated in the giveaway of my book, Rustlers and the Texas Trail, on my friend, Keri Aechliman's blog and won a copy!
I read this book, The Mystery of the Missing Cufflinks, because the title and cover intrigued me.
I have included my review of this book at the end of this post, but first, lets have a look at the cover,a synopsis and an interview with the author!

An eleven-year-old in Regency England, Jemima can hardly contain her excitement when she learns that Cousin Aimée is coming for an extended visit. However, Aimée turns out to be a different sort of girl than Jemima expected. Disdainful and rude but oh-so-accomplished, Aimée certainly doesn’t want Jemima to be her friend… and Jemima doesn’t want to spend any more time with Aimée than she must! To make things worse, when household items start to go missing, including Reverend Sudbury’s heirloom cufflinks, Aimée accuses the Sudburies’ faithful servant Robert of theft. Secret searches, overheard conversations, and night adventures lead to a solution to this mystery story in which Jemima learns that Jesus can give her the power to love her enemies and to do good to those who have done evil.

Buy it Here

Welcome to Heritage Literature, Alicia! Tell us a little about yourself.

Thanks for having me here, Lauren! I’m a native New-Englander, a lover of all things pertaining to George MacDonald and C.S. Lewis, and an author of Christ-centered fiction. With my B.A. in Communications and History, I love spending my days researching, writing, and caring for my family, which currently includes an emotionally-troubled pug named Mr. Pinch.

How did you get started into writing?

Honestly, I’ve been creating stories since I learned to write! My mother was (and still is) an enormous encouragement for me to persevere in writing and – equally important – to never settle for mediocrity in it. She strongly promoted constant reading in our family as I grew up; that greatly developed my “voice” as a writer, I think. The first story that I remember writing was a continuation of The Little Mermaid – I was probably around six when I wrote that. I love horses and dogs, so there were also a lot of horse/dog stories as I grew up. J As I grew older, I continued to write about what interested me most at the time – as Gilbert Blythe tells Anne Shirley: It’s usually best to write about the things and the sort of people you care about. For the most part, I wrote fiction as a hobby until around 2012 or so when I seriously pursued publication. I did that because, as I prayed about it, I believed that God would have me use this writing gift to encourage and exhort others.

What inspired The Mystery of the Missing Cufflinks?

My homeschooled niece Betsy needed more books at her reading level, which was upper-middle-grade (10-14 years old), but, since she is a voracious reader (a family trait!), she rapidly ran out of books that her parents deemed appropriate for her. It’s becoming harder and harder to find middle-grade books that don’t contain boy-girl crushes, feminist ideas, or violence, but which do contain fun adventures and wholesome characters. So, I wrote the first book in The Regency Adventures of Jemima Sudbury: The Mystery of the Missing Cufflinks in response to that need. (I also love Regency England – Jane Austen is a favorite writer of mine.) The series is rooted in historical research – Some homeschoolers are using them to supplement their history studies. The Regency Adventures contains age-appropriate main characters who act and live in a historically-authentic manner, exciting adventure and mystery, and a Christ-centered theme that reinforces, rather than tears down, the Biblical foundation that parents are trying to establish in their children’s lives.

What is the question you get asked the most in regards to being an author?

“How long did it take you to write that book?” is a frequent question. And the answer is: It depends which book we’re discussing! J The first draft of The Mystery of the Missing Cufflinks took about three weeks to write, after doing a lot of research. The second draft – in which I added about 10,000 more words and altered the some sections pretty significantly – took about two more weeks. Then final editing took another week or so. My other novels thus far have taken more time, as they are a more complex plot-wise and have a significantly higher word-count.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Read, read, and read some more. Not necessarily books about writing (though those are good, too), but lots of good, solid classic novels and biographies. And after you read, think about what works in that story as well as what doesn’t, and why. Also, pray. Pray about what God would have you write and how. He will answer you and direct you if you seek Him diligently and sincerely!

What other books have you written?

The House of Mercy was the first novel I published. This is the story of justice, mercy, and love in post-Roman Arthurian Britain. It’s legendary alternative fiction, rather than strictly historical. I’ve also written The Fragrance of Geraniums, historical fiction set in Rhode Island during the Great Depression of the 1930s. That’s the story of three women – fifteen-year-old Grace, her mother Sarah, and their neighbor Emmeline – and how they find the mercy of God in their brokenness. Both of those novels are intended for ages fifteen and up, due to a straight-forward handling of difficult themes.

Do you have any works in progress you'd like to share with us?

Yes, I’d love to share what’s coming next, Lord willing! J Currently, I’m writing the sequel to The Fragrance of Geraniums, partially due to the number of readers who have told me that they connected so well with the characters and would like to know what happens in their stories next. I’m also doing the research for another story, which I must keep under wraps for now. J The next Jemima Sudbury story should also be coming out sometime this spring or summer; right now, there are five total planned for The Regency Adventures of Jemima Sudbury series.

Where can people connect with you online?

If you’d like to be the first to know about new releases, free advanced reader copies, and more, you can subscribe to my newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/Z0lyL.

On Facebook, you can “like” my author page here: http://www.facebook.com/AliciaGRuggieri, and you’re welcome to “follow” or “friend” me here: http://ww.facebook.com/writeraliciagruggieri

I enjoy blogging about writing, books, faith, and life in general at: http://www.abrighterdestiny.blogspot.com. There, you can subscribe by e-mail to new posts if you wish.

I pin about the inspiration behind my novels and life at http://www.pinterest.com/aliciagruggieri

You can also find me on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/aliciaruggieri), Google Plus (http://www.google.com/+aliciaroqueruggieri), and Goodreads.

Now a few fun questions:

Coffee or Tea- Coffee, of course – unless you have peppermint tea!

Favorite ice cream- Homemade cookies-and-cream

Favorite season- Fall, though I really do enjoy every season!

Favorite time of day for writing- the morning, if possible, but sometimes it has to get done at other times. J

Thanks for being with us today, Alicia!

My Review of The Mystery of the Missing Cufflinks:
What a great book! This is exactly the kind of book I wished I would have had available to me in my early teens.
A very exciting story with twists and turns though out the plot, it is very constructive with a strong Biblical theme throughout.
The ending is strong and the story and characters felt very real and believable.
Overall, a great read and appropriate for all ages.

See this review on Amazon

I have also read Alicia's book, The House of Mercy. I would recommend it to mature readers over the age of fifteen. I also plan on reading her book, The Fragrance of Geraniums.

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Goodreads Giveaway of Whisper

2/16/2015

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I recently joined Goodreads and have been trying to figure it all out! I am enjoying some of the opportunities it presents for authors.
One of which is the option to do a giveaway of your book. The giveaway is put out to lots of Goodreads members and is great publicity.
I was a little skeptical of what the results would be, but I decided to give it a try by giving away one copy of Rustlers and the Texas Trail.
I thought I might get like 20 people to enter....instead, I got 547 participants!!! Wow! I guess it really works!
So, since that went so well, I decided to do it again, this time with two copies of Whisper!
This giveaway is now live and will end on February 21st!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Whisper

by Lauren K. Lotter

Giveaway ends February 21, 2015.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

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Photo Friday

2/13/2015

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Coffee, books and horses--*these are a few of my favorite things*! Anyone want to join me? :)
Usually when I take pictures, I am just snapping whatever happens to catch my eye. I am not good at actually setting up a scene and working to get the best shot of it.
So I set out to try something new.
I had gotten this wool blanket(I think it's wool...it's scratchy!) just about a week ago and thought it looked like the perfect beginning to a mini photo shoot.
I used my grandparents cabin as the setting, borrowed a tin cup from my grandma's décor inside, used my glasses and one of my favorite books. How do you think it turned out?
I snapped a few pictures of the horses on my way back. I really love this picture of Abby's eye. I don't often get good pictures of her but I really liked the tones in this one.

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Quotes

2/11/2015

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Some more great quotes I have run across on social media :)

This last one is purely for entertainment :)

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First "Whisper" Order has Arrived!

2/9/2015

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I came home from work to find 50 books sitting on our porch! I hadn't expected to get them until late this week or next week, so it was a pleasant surprise to come home to!
It was so nice to see two completed works side by side!

Now to finish editing TCCAS book #2 and finish the rough draft of Thunder! I have also started planning another story that will be similar to Whisper and Thunder, but it is still in the very beginning stages. I have done just a little bit of work on TCCAS #3, but that book is still far from done!

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Photo Friday

2/6/2015

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With all the snow, I haven't gotten out to take pictures like usual, but I did manage to get some after a major snow storm swept through, leaving a lot of snow behind!
I've been taking a lot of pictures of the birds and squirrels that visit the feeder just outside my bedroom window. They are so energetic it's hard to get good pictures, but I've managed to get a few :)
My sister's cat sits on the window sill and watches as the critters eat. The feeder is actually attached to the sill on the outside so he gets a front row seat! The squirrels know he can't get them and enjoy teasing him!
I have a lot of favorites this week, but I love the top shot of Bannie. He would much rather stay out in the elements versus going into his run in, so this is how he usually looks in the winter....and he seems perfectly happy and warm. I love the steam cloud in front of him.
I also like the shot below of the sparrow. I titled this shot "Leap of Faith". One of those once in a lifetime shots!
The close up of the squirrel and of Levi's face are next in line.
Any favorites this week?

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FREE Kindle Book!

2/6/2015

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I wanted to do a quick post to let you all know that my dear friend, Alicia Willis, is offering her incredible book, From the dark to the Dawn, for free on Kindle...today and tomorrow only!
This book is absolutely amazing and I highly recommend it.
Check out Alicia's other books as well!

Click here to purchase

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Whisper is Here!

2/3/2015

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I am very excited to share the finished cover of "Whisper" with you and to announce that Whisper has been published!!!
It is available as a paperback(5x8/214 pages) and an eBook. The eBook is on sale for $.99 for a limited time only!
A big thank you to Alicia for editing it for me and to Perry for the great job she did on the cover and interior!!

I received my proof copy last week. There were a few minor typos to be corrected, but otherwise it was perfect!

This book is dedicated to some very important individuals-most importantly, to my Aunt Dona.

Aunt Dona could relate to Ashwin, the horse that inspired Whisper, in many ways. She saw herself in this book and both the story and Ashwin mean a lot to her. She is Ashwin's #1 fan and I am excited to dedicate this book to her!

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Bible School Photo Slideshow

2/2/2015

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As promised, I made a photo slideshow of the Bible school pictures so you can get a taste of what we did this year.
I managed to squeeze 150 of the 2000 photos taken into 14 minutes!
Enjoy!

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Photo Friday

Quotes

Lotter Funny Farm Video #3: Sledding

Photo Friday

Interview with Author Alicia G. Ruggieri

Goodreads Giveaway of Whisper

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Whisper

by Lauren K. Lotter

Photo Friday

Quotes

First "Whisper" Order has Arrived!

Photo Friday

FREE Kindle Book!

Whisper is Here!

Bible School Photo Slideshow

Grab My Button!

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