GENRE: Amish/Inspirational Romance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
AnchorFor the peaceful town of Willow Ridge, November presents an early holiday surprise. Stranded in the snow, 18-year-old Lena Esh and her boyfriend Josiah Witmer need more than a place to stay for the night. Lena defied her strict family and their judgmental beliefs to run away with Josiah and have his baby. But she’s starting to wonder if he can prove as responsible as he is passionate. And she isn’t sure how—or if—they can ever find a place to truly call home.
Expecting their own miracle baby, Miriam and Ben Hooley rally the town to help the young couple, and Lena draws strength from their unexpected support. Though trouble may come calling, in this season of joyous rebirth, a little child will lead them. And two couples will see their dreams of forever family come true…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
Across the table, Millie lit up like a lamp. “What if we asked Josiah to cook your wedding feast, Mamma?” she asked excitedly. “It would be something different from the traditional chicken roast.”
“That sounds awesome!” Ira replied. “You broke the mold by joining the Mennonites, so why not serve a different sort of dinner?”
Nora’s eyes widened. “I’m no cook,” she teased, “so I was depending on my eighty-year-old mamm and Miriam and the usual helpers to handle the meal. But if Josiah grilled, those ladies wouldn’t have to.”
“That might help Josiah decide if he wants to set up his business here, too,” Ben pointed out. “He and Savilla would meet everybody for miles around—and if the guests leave a lot of food, they’ll know our folks don’t like his cooking before he commits.”
“Do you suppose Josiah and his sister could do that on such short notice?” Luke asked.
“We’re getting hitched a week from this Thursday,” Nora explained. “But that should give Henry Zook at the market plenty of time to get the meat ordered, along with the other food they would need.”
The baby began kicking inside Lena, picking up on her excitement. “I’ll call his cell and ask him. Maybe if Josiah knew he had this special event to cater, he’d warm up to the idea of settling here.”
“We’ll pay him whatever he wants to charge,” Luke insisted as he grinned at Nora. “The more I think about this idea, the more I like it.”
“So ya won’t want me to do anything for your wedding?”
The room got quiet as everyone took in Miriam’s plaintive expression. Lena thought the poor woman might cry because she wasn’t needed for Nora and Luke’s wedding preparations.
Rhoda grabbed her mother’s hand. “Nobody makes a wedding cake like you do, Mamma,” she said with a knowing smile at Nora.
“And the neighbor ladies are planning a pie frolic, so you’ll have lots of other desserts, too,” Rachel remarked.
Lena chuckled. “You make a gut point, because I don’t think Savilla’s ever made a wedding cake.”
“That settles it,” Nora proclaimed. “I’m glad you spoke up, Miriam, because the cake you baked for Rhoda and Andy’s wedding was fabulous.”
Miriam shrugged modestly. “I love makin’ them,” she admitted, “and I’m happy that so many young folks are hitchin’ up and settlin’ down here. But we haven’t heard Josiah’s answer.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Drawing upon her experiences in Jamesport, the largest Old Order Amish community in Missouri, longtime Missourian Charlotte Hubbard writes of simpler times and a faith-based lifestyle in her Seasons of the Heart series. Like her heroine, Miriam Lantz Hooley, Charlotte considers it her personal mission to feed people. Faith and family, farming and food preservation are hallmarks of her lifestyle. She’s a deacon, a dedicated church musician and choir member, and when she’s not writing, she loves to try new recipes, crochet, and sew. Charlotte now lives in Minnesota with her husband and their border collie.
Website: www.CharlotteHubbard.com
Facebook: facebook.com/charlotte.hubbard1
Buy Link:
B&N http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-christmas-cradle-charlotte-hubbard/1120552927?ean=9781420133110
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
Charlotte will be awarding $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn host.
Please use this rafflecopter code on your post:
Please follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2015/09/excerpt-tour-christmas-cradle-by.html
Related Articles
12 Comments
-
Enjoyed the post, sounds like a really good book, thanks for sharing!
-
Oh, what a great giveaway and super book!!!
Sonja recently posted…An Angel for Mistletoe by Teresa Ives Lilly
-
-
Thank you for introducing this author to us!
The book sounds very sweet :3 -
-
This sounds like a book my sister would love!
-
-
Thanks for the intro to a new author for myself! Looking forward to this!
-
I have just loved every excerpt that I have read so far. Thank you for sharing them!
-
Thanks for sharing, I enjoyed your post!
-
I enjoyed learning more about you and your book! Thank you for sharing!
-
This sounds like an inspiring story. Thank you for the chance to win.
-
This sounds like a wonderful book. Amish fiction is my favorite genre to read. I would like to know if Charlotte has any favorite Amish foods or recipes that she enjoys cooking or eating.
-
The Christmas Cradle is an amazing book. A must be read book for this Christmas season and see how the residents of Willow Ridge comes together at Christmas and in the face of a tragedy.
-
Thank you for hosting
