Hello lovelies! It gives me
great pleasure today to host Charlotte Hubbard and her new book, “A Mother’s
Gift”! For other stops on her Goddess
Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the
images in this post.
Be sure to make it to the
end of this post to enter to win a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift
Card!! Also, come back daily to interact
with Charlotte and to increase your chances of winning!
Thanks for stopping
by! Wishing you lots of luck in this
fabulous giveaway!
A
Mother’s Gift
by
Charlotte Hubbard
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Inspirational Romance (Amish)
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BLURB:
For
Leah Otto, marrying Jude Shetler is a long-held dream come true. As a young
girl, she was captivated by his good looks and talent as an auctioneer. When
Jude, now a widower with three children, begins to court her, Leah doesn’t
hesitate. Other men may not appreciate her tomboy ways, but Jude values Leah’s
practical nature and her skill with the animals she tends, and both enter the
marriage with joy and optimism.
Three
months later, Leah feels as if her world is coming down around her. Her twin
teenage step-daughters, Alice and Adeline, are pushing boundaries and taking
far too many risks, while five-year-old Stevie deeply misses his mother. Leah,
more at ease in a barn tending her goats and chickens than in a kitchen,
struggles with her housekeeping duties.
Then
a baby is abandoned on their doorstep, and Leah must search her soul. Caring
for little Betsy fills her with renewed purpose and the strength to begin
pulling her family together. With Jude’s steadfast support, Leah finds that
what she once thought of as a happy ending may be something even better—the
beginning of a life rich in love, faith, and unexpected blessings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT THREE:
“Denki
for thinking of me, dear, but we’re talking about you now,” Lenore insisted
gently. “I’m concerned because Jude’s mamm, Margaret, also lives with Jude and
the twins—not to mention Stevie, who seems rather immature for five. Margaret
will have her way of doing things, because she took charge after Frieda died.
And with Stevie still missing his mamm, you’ll have a lot of little-boy
emotions to deal with as you prepare him to start school next year. Most new
brides only have a husband to get used to until the babies start coming.”
“Jah,
but with Margaret running the household and tending the three kids—especially
Stevie—their routine can remain uninterrupted,” Leah pointed out. “That will
give Jude and me time to adjust to being husband and wife, and it’ll mean that
meals are put on the table and the laundry and cleaning will still get done.
From what I know of Margaret, she’ll have instructed Alice and Adeline about
doing their part in the process, too.”
From
what I know of Margaret, Lenore thought sadly, she’ll be snipping at you every
chance she gets, calling you a slacker—or worse—because you’re not assuming the
traditional role of an Amish wife.
Lenore
stared at the far wall, sensing whatever she said would go unheard. “Just be
ready for your plans to be changed, Leah,” she warned gently. “Spending most of
your time with Jude at auctions, or in the barnyard tending your animals, might
not work out the way you’ve imagined. Margaret will be a woman with a plan,
too, you know.”
Leah
rested her head against the wooden headboard, closing her eyes. “I’ll cross
that bridge when—or if—I get to it, Mama. Tomorrow’s my big day, and I know
it’ll be just perfect because Jude’s sharing it with me. The light in his eyes
when he looks at me is all I need to see to believe he’ll love me forever and
ever.”
Lenore
looked out the window at the half moon, which shone brilliantly in the night
sky. Bless your heart, Leah, I wonder if you still believe the moon’s made of
green cheese, as Dat and I teased about when you were a child, she thought with
a sinking heart. We probably should have done a lot of things differently as we
were raising you . . . but it’s too late to change your way of looking at the
world.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GUEST POST:
When I’m Not Writing
Ever
wonder what authors do when they’re not glued to their computers, cranking out
stories? Here’s how I like to spend my nonwriting time:
**I
cook. After a day at my computer—or when my ideas feel stalled—I like to spend
time in the kitchen. It gets me off my butt, working with something other than
words. And it gets supper on the table, too!
**I
walk my dog. At a year and a half, Vera, our Border collie, has a lot of energy and it’s best if we
exercise her at least three or four times a day. Vera keeps me from turning
into a couch potato (or a computer potato), and let’s face it—it’s just fun to
spend time playing with a wonderful dog who adores you unconditionally.
**I
crochet. Working with my hands, letting my mind wander during the repetitive
motion of crocheting, is not only restorative but it releases my writing mind
from the confinement of words. I often get my best, unexpected story ideas
while I’m crocheting—and working with bright colors refreshes me.
**I
play or sing. Music takes my thoughts to another place—and playing an
instrument or singing in a choir is a great way to fire up your mind! Sometimes
I fill in for our church’s organist, so I keep practiced up on the piano and
organ, and I also play in our bell choir and sing in the adult choir. Over the
years, as we’ve moved to different cities, I’ve found my best friends in the
choirs I’ve joined.
**I
go on road trips. Neal and I sometimes hit the road, often for holidays, to
visit our far-flung families in Iowa, Missouri, and Pennsylvania. My best friend
(of more than 50 years!) and I also do a chick trip every spring or fall. We
live several hours apart, so spending a few days together in a town somewhere
between St. Paul and Council Bluffs is a real treat for us!
**I
go on cruises. Spending time on the water, visiting cities around the world,
learning about other cultures—on a ship with wonderful meals and someone to
clean my room!—is the ultimate getaway for me. I enjoy river cruises and ocean
cruises, and on sea days I sometimes do a few hours of writing when I’m not
engaged in one of the onboard activities. There are people who live aboard
cruise ships fulltime, and when we no longer have a dog, I believe I could be
one of them!
**I
read—but not Amish stories. I want to keep my stories fresh and original, and I
don’t want to inadvertently copy ideas I see in other Amish books, so I read
mysteries and thrillers and historical fiction, mostly. I love discovering
authors whose books suck me in—and I love it even more when they’ve written a
series I can devour!
**I
clean. But I would much rather write—or do any
of the things I’ve listed above—than clean. That’s my story and I’m sticking to
it!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR BIO:
Charlotte Hubbard is the acclaimed author of
Amish romance and fiction that evokes simpler times and draws upon her
experiences in Jamesport, the largest Old Order Amish community west of the
Mississippi. Faith and family, farming, and food preservation are hallmarks of
her lifestyle—and the foundation of all her novels. A deacon, dedicated church
musician and choir member, she loves to travel, read, try new recipes, and
crochet. A longtime Missourian, Charlotte now lives in St. Paul, Minnesota,
with her husband and their border collie, Vera. Please visit Charlotte online
at www.CharlotteHubbard.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CONNECT WITH CHARLOTTE:
Website:
Blog:
Newsletter:
http://www.charlottehubbard.com/contact
Email:
charlotte@charlottehubbard.com
Snail Mail:
Charlotte Hubbard, P.O. Box
18731, West St. Paul, MN. 55118
Facebook:
BookBub:
Goodreads Author Page:
Goodreads Book Page:
Amazon Author Page:
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BOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon US Kindle:
Amazon US Paperback:
Amazon US Audio CD:
Amazon US Audiobook:
Amazon UK Kindle:
Amazon CA Kindle:
Amazon AU Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B073NPM8G8
Amazon UK Paperback:
Amazon CA Paperback:
http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ISBN=1496712188
Barnes and Noble:
Kobo:
Apple US iBooks:
Apple UK iBooks:
Apple CA iBooks:
Apple AU iBooks:
Apple NZ iBooks:
https://itunes.apple.com/nz/book/a-mothers-gift/id1254897917?mt=11
Google Play:
BAM! Books-a-Million:
Chapters Indigo:
IndieBound:
Book Depository:
Walmart:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/A-Mother-s-Gift/141672923
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFO:
Charlotte will be awarding a $50 Amazon or B/N
Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a
purchase made I may receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just
helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**
This contest is sponsored
by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish
Promotions. Prizes are given away by the
sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish
Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
Charlotte ~ Welcome back! It is always a pleasure to have you here! Congrats on your new book and good luck on the book tour! :)
ReplyDeleteAlly, thanks so much for featuring my book on your blog today, and for sharing your post to my FBpage!
DeleteGood morning Lisa! Thanks for stopping by and good luck in the giveaway! Hope you have a fabulous week :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteI am really enjoying following this tour, thank you for all the great blog posts and excerpts!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for spending time with us, Nikolina!
DeleteI just love your cover and I would love to read your book.
ReplyDeleteI love this cover, too, Bridgett! Thanks so much for your compliment and for stopping by!
DeleteThanks for following my tour, Lisa!
ReplyDeleteDelightful interview! Would love to hear you play in the bell choir and in church! Looking forward to reading your book.
ReplyDeleteBecky, thanks for spending some time with us today--and thanks for reading my posts!
DeleteI enjoy cooking, too (especially when I need distraction)!
ReplyDelete--Trix
Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the tour and I appreciate the excerpt and the great giveaway as well. Love the tours, I get to find books and share with my sisters the ones I know they would enjoy reading and they both love to read. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteWould love to win this book. I've read a few of Charlotte's books and they are very good. Vivian Furbay jtandviv (at) q (dot) com
ReplyDelete