The Destiny of One: October 2014

Adventure Between The Pages: Top Ten Books of 2014

1:00 AM

Every year, I like to make a list of my favorite books out of all the books I have read. This year, I have read a lot of really good books. I decided to narrow down my list of awesome books by listing the 10 books that have had the biggest impact on me this year. All the books listed in some way impacted my faith in a positive way. They inspired me and drew me closer to God.

Would you like to read my review of the book? Click either the title, or the image.

10. Discovering Hope

I really have grown to love this author, but his book reaffirmed my reasons for having high standards when it comes to relationships with guys. It has one of the best conversations about the physical side of relationships I think I have ever read.

9. The Shadow Things

This book was just wonderful in reminding me of God’s Goodness in the hard times. It also is a wonderful reminder that the best is yet to come.

8. Never

It is hard to even describe this book. It had a deep and intricate plot with a message I love: Never compromise your standards.

7. Resistance

I don’t think it is often that a fantasy book makes it onto my top ten, but this one was a powerful story of standing up for your faith. The story was nothing short of masterful.

6. In His Image(Firmament, #2)

I was going through a hard time, and this story really touched me, proving once again that God uses even fiction to reach his children.

5. Beauty for Ashes

Grace Livingston Hill has always been a favorite in our family, but it had been a long time since I had read any of her books. This story really touched my heart and reminded me that Beauty does rise from Ashes.

4. What are youAfraid of?

What Are You Afraid Of?: Facing Down Your Fears with Faith

This book was a very powerful reminder that God is stronger than any fear. Dr. David Jeremiah goes through some of the most common fears and provides biblical as well as practical advice on each.

3. 10 Things JesusNever Said

10 Things Jesus Never Said: And Why You Should Stop Believing Them

This book was one of those books that just is a great reminder of the lies that we too often buy into about Jesus. It a was a huge encouragement to me, and a reminder to stay grounded in the Bible.

2. From the Dark tothe Dawn

From the Dark to the Dawn: A Tale of Ancient Rome

This was the first book I read this year and I knew it would be on this list. It really encouraged me during a rough time I was going through. It is a powerful tale of faith in dark times.

1. A Memory Between Us

A Memory Between Us (Wings of Glory, #2)

This book stuck with me like nothing else. God used this book to really convict me of some of the pride and other issues in my life. It has really stuck with me through the year and God keeps using it in my life. The story was pretty amazing as well.

Adventure Between the Pages

Blog Tour for Faith Blum's new book Be Thou my Vision

9:45 AM

Faith to start your week

Faith to Start Your Week: Hope

9:43 AM

Adventure Between the Pages

Adventure Between the Pages: The Princess Spy

5:19 PM

Buy it Here

Age Appropriate For: 13 and up for mild romance and mild violence

Best for Ages: 13 and up

Description: Margaretha has always been a romantic, and hopes her newest suitor, Lord Claybrook, is destined to be her one true love. But then an injured man is brought to Hagenheim Castle, claiming to be an English lord who was attacked by Claybrook and left for dead. And only Margaretha---one of the few who speaks his language---understands the wild story. Margaretha finds herself unable to pass Colin's message along to her father, the duke, and convinces herself 'Lord Colin' is just an addled stranger. Then Colin retrieves an heirloom she lost in a well, and asks her to spy on Claybrook as repayment. Margaretha knows she could never be a spy---not only is she unable to keep anything secret, she's sure Colin is completely wrong about her potential betrothed. Though when Margaretha overhears Claybrook one day, she discovers her romantic notions may have been clouding her judgment about not only Colin but Claybrook as well. It is up to her to save her father and Hagenheim itself from Claybrook's wicked plot.

I didn’t think that any of Dickerson’s book would ever come close to The Captive Maiden. After all, I love Cinderella, and her retelling of that story was just so wonderful. However, The Princess Spy has taken the spot of my #1 favorite fairy-tale book.

Margaretha was my favorite female character in all of Dickerson’s books, maybe even one of my top 10 of the year. She had so much spunk and fire, while still being lady-like. Too often, when writers write about spunky girls, they make them tom-boys. Margaretha was a wonderful exception. I loved her fault of talking too much at times, and how Dickerson wove that into the story.

Colin was pretty awesome himself. Some readers might remember his grandparents from the book The Merchant’s Daughter. He had come to Germany from England to avenge the death of a friend, only to find his enemy threatening the only person that spoke English, Margaretha.

I don’t think that I have read a book that did as good a job showing the difficulties of the language barrier. Margaretha constantly has to repeat things in English for Colin, and there are some words that she doesn’t know in English (which is often humorous).

I don’t think I have laughed so hard with any of Dickerson’s books. Not only did the difference in language make for some very funny scenes, but Colin and Margaretha where just the perfect mix for humor. I laughed so much during this book that a couple of my siblings said that they had to read the book as soon as I finished. However, even though it was funny in parts, it also kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was coming next

I loved the faith element in this story, and the romance was even sweeter than normal. Colin’s love for Margaretha, despite her faults, was so wonderful.

I highly recommend this book to those who love fairytales, romance, and exciting stories that keep you turning pages.

Was this review helpful? Vote it up on Amazon.

I received this book from Zondervan in exchange for my honest review. I was under no obligation to write a positive review. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

Authors I Love

The Best Books and Blogs for Writers By Amber Schamel

10:14 AM

Today, I am taking part in Amber Schamel's blog tour for her newest book, The Messiah's Sign. Here is a bit about the book:

The Messiah's Sign Volume 2 Days of Messiah Series

Dreams…they shouldn’t bother him, but when Tyrus’ worst nightmare is vindicated, he has no choice but to face reality. His wife has been unfaithful, and God has punished her with the most feared disease in the land: leprosy. Banishing her to the leper colony, Tyrus struggles to raise their son alone and protect him from a merciless outlaw. But when Malon begins following the teacher from Nazareth, what remains of their business and reputation is at stake. Can Tyrus save his son from the beguiling lies of a false Messiah before he loses the only thing he has left?

Now, for a great post by Amber:

I've often been asked what my advice for beginning writers would be, and the answer to that is two parts: First, be teachable, and the second plays into that, which is LEARN! Learn how to be a better writer, learn how to market better, and search out this information. The problem is, a lot of times writers don't know where to start. I have a number of great blogs and books that I've found, so I thought I'd share them with you.

The Best Writing Books I've Found:

Rivet Your Readers with Deep POV by Jill Elizabeth Nelson

This is a book you'll want to add to your keeper shelf. Jill shows you how to take your writing to the next level and really pull your readers into the story world through the method of Deep POV. This is a fairly new method, and I believe this is the first book to be written on it, but it will make a HUGE difference in your writing. It did for me!

Goal, Motivation & Conflict by Debra Dixon

I wish I would have read this book years before. I was missing something in my writing, and I knew I was, I just didn't know WHAT it was. While reading this book, my light bulb lit up. I had characters with lots of tension and conflict, lots of terrible things happening to loveable people, and they even had a motivation at times. But they were ping-pong balls being bashed around in my story world with no particular goal or purpose. When I picked up GMC and started reading, I could have hugged Debra for what she taught me. She has a gift of explaining in terms that we can understand, and uses lots of examples for those of us that learn that way.

Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn from Actors By Brandilyn Collins

This is a great book on developing our characters into life-like people. One of the best I've read so far.

The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman

This book gives you a really good overview of beginner mistakes and how to avoid them. It's a really great place to start.

The best marketing book I've read is by far Platform by Michael Hyatt.

Michael does a great job at explaining how marketing our writing works, what works best, and where to start. He's included lots of extras, examples, and helpful links in his book as well. It's worth every penny if you are serious about selling books.

My Favorite Writing Blogs:

Seekerville Blog

Seekerville is an AMAZING writer's blog, and most of you have probably already found it, but for those of you that haven't, I'm listing it here. Seekerville was my Writer's University, and I continue to learn from EVERY SINGLE post. The blog authors are amazing writers who are dedicated to helping other authors and encouraging them in following God's call to write. The help, encouragement and wisdom I've gained from this group of authors is immeasurable. http://seekerville.blogspot.com/

Seriously Write Blog

I discovered the Seriously Write blog about a year ago, but it has quickly become one of my top five blogs. The posts are timely, educational, uplifting and practical. They cover topics such as writing tips, marketing, how to's, connecting with editors and agents, and much more. http://seriouslywrite.blogspot.com/

The Write Conversation

This is Edie Melson's blog, and she posts a lot of helpful information for writers, especially those published by small presses, or those that are going indie. http://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com

Novel Rocket

The Novel Rocket blog is put out by a team of authors with the goal of helping other writers "rocket" their novel to success. I'm subscribed to daily updates from this blog, and love it. They have instructional posts, author interviews, contest updates, and more. http://www.novelrocket.com/

The ACFW Blog

Put out by the American Christian Fiction Writers Association, this blog has a guest author each day sharing encouragement for writers, tips, and answers to writer questions. You can subscribe to the blog without being a member, however if you are a Christian Author, I would highly suggest membership. http://www.acfw.com/blog/

There are a lot of other books and blogs that I could recommend, but these are the best of them all.

What are your favorite writing books and blogs? Will you share them with me?

I'd like to invite each of you to join me in celebrating my new release with the Name-A-Character Giveaway! Enter to for a chance to pick the name of a main character in Amber's upcoming book The Christmas Pardon. Terms and conditions apply.

In the aftermath of the Civil War, a young lawyer battles with the U.S. Supreme court. In what seemed to be a Christmas miracle, he had secured a pardon for his friend from Lincoln himself. The army executed the boy anyway. On the fifteenth anniversary of his death, will the lawyer finally clear his friends name and bring justice to his memory?

http://www.amberschamel.com/contests.html

Best selling author Amber Schamel writes riveting stories that bring HIStory to life. She has a passion for history, books and her Savior. This combination results in what her readers call "historical fiction at its finest". A homeschool graduate from a family of 12 children, Amber found her calling early in life. First published at age 21, she has continued to hone her craft and is now the author of over half a dozen books. Between ministry, family and working in their family-owned businesses, Amber loves to connect with readers. Find her on the Stitches Thru Time blog, or on any of the major social media sites. Amber is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, and the Historical Novel Society.

http://amberschamel.com/
Blog: http://www.stitchesthrutime.blogspot.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmberSchamel
Twitter: @AmberSchamel
Pintrest - http://pinterest.com/AmberDSchamel/
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7073165.Amber_Schamel