CFBA Introduces Maybelle In Stitches

I haven't posted in so long, I've almost forgotten how to maneuver around my own blog. I have a lot going on, as you know from my last post. I don't know why I thought I'd get a lot of writing done during this home renovation project. Fortunately, I have been able to read. Last week I finished Maybelle In Stitches. I chose this particular novel because I wanted to get a taste of the time period, the WWII era. Playing around with genealogy and reading some of the journals of my late father-in-law has whetted my appetite for ... something different.

 

The heroine in Maybelle in Stitches is a likable young woman who doesn't know a lot about much of anything. I sort of identified with Maybelle. Her mother did everything for her so no wonder she couldn't do things ... especially sew. My mother didn't do everything for me, she just found it easier to do it herself. That way, she could do it HER way and do it fast. When I tackled a sewing project for my home economics class, I had the same experience Maybelle had. She sewed a zipper in the neck of her dress. I sewed the skirt of my dress together. As much as I'd love to learn how, I still can't sew.

 

Maybelle In Stitches was a pretty fast read. Learn more about it below:

 

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Maybelle In Stitches Abingdon Press (March 18, 2014) by Joyce Magnin
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A word from the Author:

I am the author of seven novels. Five adult novels and two middle grade readers. I never wanted to do anything else but write and every day I wake up astonished that I get to do what I always dreamed about. My days are filled with words and images along with the usual family stuff. I have three children, Rebekah who is married to Joshua. They have three of the most adorable boys on the planet, Lemuel, Cedar and Soren. My daughter Emily Kate is a lovely young woman anthropologist and my son Adam is fourteen and a student--he's a genius who loves frogs and lizards and fish and plants. He amazes me.

I have never eaten a scallop. I love cream soda. Drink way too much coffee. I do not like elevators but I do enjoy needle arts and of course books. I prefer jazz over country (no offense), milk chocolate over dark, but not roller coasters although my life has often resembled a roller coaster ride.

One of my life's desires is to meet Amy Grant so I can tell her she saved my life.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Maybelle can’t sew. But when she finds an unfinished quilt in the attic of her mother’s house, she gets the crazy idea to complete it. At first, it’s just a way to fill the lonely nights while her husband, staff sergeant Holden Kanzinzki, is away fighting in World War II.

Yet when Maybelle discovers that the quilt is made from scraps of material that can be traced back through her family heritage, the project is suddenly much more important. Then word comes that Holden is missing in action, and with little else to do, Maybelle clings to the quilt as much as to the hope that her husband is still alive. As neighborhood friends gather around Maybelle to help her through the unknown days and nights ahead, it is the quilt that becomes a symbol of her unflagging belief that Holden will return—to her, to their home, and to their quilt-covered bed.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Maybelle In Stitches, go HERE.

Thanks to Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and Abingdon Press for my copy of Maybelle In Stitches. I received my copy free in return for an honest review and/or comments.

IWSG Day: Writer in a Box

Today is Insecure Writers Support Group day. It was started by Alex Cavanaugh. Here's a list of all the participants. I hope you'll check them out because there are some interesting people out there in IWSG land.  

This month I'm  covered up with way too many things to post a worthwhile message for you. On  Thursday, house renovation begins. Hubby and I have been boxing up everything, trying to get ready for new floors, new paint, new cabinets and more. Our wet bar is being demolished and we're adding floor to ceiling bookshelves. Hopefully, it will be a nice little reading nook. We're amazed at how much "stuff" we have--especially books. Because of the wall to wall, floor to floor book cases in my office, and my huge desk, that room will not be painted or get new floors so we're stacking boxes of books from other rooms there. Here's what my office looks like today:

While the house is being revamped, I hope to go to the library to write. My plan is to read over The Groom Wore Blue Suede Shoes, make a few changes then bring it out as an ebook. I hope I can read through it fast because there are other things I want to accomplish. I need to finish Circus Girl. The completed manuscript was requested by an editor last year, but I didn't get it finished. I don't know if I should contact her again or not. I'm sure she's deemed me a slacker. What would you do? Then the next project is A Bad Guy Forever. I'm almost finished for the LAST time! I can't tell you how many times I've rewritten that book. Everyone seems to be writing and publishing so fast and I just poke a long. I'm also working on two NF books. One is moving slowly--the other, almost finished. 

 

 

So, that's my plan. Hope I can stick to it.

 

Just in case I can't make it to the library, I've left a path through all these boxes to my desk. Maybe I can plug in the earbuds, listen to something interesting and drown out the hammering. The workers will be here for seven or eight weeks--maybe longer. I need to make every day count.

 

Keep your fingers crossed for me and share any advice you have. Without a doubt, I need all the help I can get!