Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt – Stop #7

Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt – Stop #7

by | Oct 25, 2018 | Giveaways and Contests, Scavenger Hunt

Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! If you’re just joining us, the hunt begins at www.LisaBergren.com, with Stop #1. If you complete the loop of 26 stops, writing down the clue on each author’s site, you can enter to win all 25 books as well as Amazon gift cards, an iPad and more! 

Without further ado, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to my guest for the Scavenger Hunt, Suzanne Woods Fisher! Suzanne is an amazing author of bonnet and historical fiction, and it’s a true honor to welcome her to my blog today. She’ll be chatting about her latest release, The Light before Day. I have this one sitting on my shelf now!

Here’s her official bio: Suzanne Woods Fisher is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than thirty books, including THE LIGHT BEFORE DAY, book 3 in the Nantucket Legacy. She is also the author of several bestselling nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace and The Heart of the Amish. She lives in California. Learn more at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com and follow Suzanne on Facebook @SuzanneWoodsFisherAuthor and Twitter @suzannewfisher.

Here’s the summary of her latest book:


After three years on a whaling voyage, Henry Macy returns to Nantucket to news that his grandmother has passed, bequeathing her vast fortune to him and his sister, Hitty. But the inheritance comes with a steep cost, including when they should marry and whom. As Hitty and Henry seek a way to satisfy the will’s conditions, they’ll be faced with obstacles on every side–and it may be that their grandmother will have the last word after all.

Thanks for stopping by on the hunt! Before you go, make sure you WRITE DOWN THIS CLUE:

Secret Word: five 

Got it down?? Great! Your next stop is #8, on Suzanne’s site. And if you get lost, a complete list of the loop with links can be found on Lisa Bergren’s website.


And now, a special giveaway! Since I’m celebrating the release of the final book in the Shadows Over England trilogy, I’m offering a signed copy of the whole set to one lucky winner!


Word of the Week – Sleep Tight

Word of the Week – Sleep Tight

by | Oct 22, 2018 | Word of the Week

In my house, this has become a bit of a joke. Not knowing–or pausing to ask–the origin of the phrase sleep tight, we just sort of assumed it was related to being tucked in. Rowyn, who likes to be tucked and covered, “sleeps tight.” Xoe, who sleeps on top of her blankets, argues that she prefers to “sleep loose.” So every night, I call out to Rowyn, “Sleep tight, buddy!” and to Xoe, “Sleep loose, sweetie!”

Hasn’t gotten old yet. We still grin and chuckle over it pretty much every night.
But recently Xoe came darting out with her history book, which had a fun little lesson on the history of the phrase. Apparently, it dates to colonial times, when mattresses rested on ropes hung between the two sides of the bed frame. These ropes would be secured with metal fittings that had to be cranked periodically to keep them tight–to keep the mattress from sagging. So the phrase “sleep tight” originated as a sort of “hope your mattress doesn’t sag!” wish, LOL. Who knew? (Today’s equivalent would, I think, be for those sleeping on air mattresses…we all know to wish them a fully inflated sleep, right?)
When she shared this history with us, Rowyn was quick to say, “Ha! See, you sleep tight too!”
At which she remembered the time the slats in her bed broke and her mattress did indeed sag down. Apparently, she’s still the one person in our house who has slept loose. ?

Thoughtful About . . . What Is Worth Fighting For?

Thoughtful About . . . What Is Worth Fighting For?

by | Oct 18, 2018 | Thoughtful Thursdays

As I’m sure is no secret to you, we live in what’s being called an “Outrage Society.” People seem to love to get their dander up. To point fingers. To be offended. To declare each other unreasonable, stupid, and declare for all of social media to see that if you think that then we can’t be friends.

We live in a world where people have become addicted to that flash of anger. The increase in adrenaline that comes with being outraged. We live in a world where, though we say that all opinions matter and are equally valid, what we really mean is that our opinions matter and are more “equally” valid than any other, and those who think otherwise are monsters.

We live in a world where people are so quick to pick a fight. So quick to take a side. So quick to vilify the other.
I’ve long been sorrowful over that…but it wasn’t until recently that I began to think it isn’t just sad. It’s scary.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s heard rumors about what might happen after this next election. Both the left and the right have their…honestly, I don’t know what to call them other than conspiracy theories. Or in this case, conspiracy fantasies. They both want the other side to be given a big “up yours.” And both couch it in pseudo-legal ideas.

What no one seems to be pausing to consider is that when we twist the legal system to achieve our political–or moral or idealistic–goals, what we’re doing is putting ourselves in danger. Our own ideals. Our own morals. Our own politics.

When we refuse to extend fairness and respect to the other side, we’re saying we don’t value fairness and respect. 
And when we stop valuing fairness and respect, we stop getting fairness and respect.

This, my friends, is not how we can #BeBetter. This is how we become worse.

Should we argue and fight for what we believe in? Absolutely. BUT, only if we’re also arguing and fighting for our opposition’s right to believe differently. Should we have opinions on our legal and justice and political systems? Of course! So long as we also recognize that forcing our opinions on others can result only in the destruction of the system we think we’re fighting for.
What’s worth fighting for? The right to fight. The right for all sides to fight, argue, believe what they want. That’s the only way we stay a free people. That’s the only way we know we will get to keep on following our own consciences legally.
I’m sure many of you have heard or read the following, from a pastor in Germany in the days of Hitler, Martin Niemöller:
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
I’ve always found that striking. But these days, as I hear people on both the right and left calling for things that are not only illegal in the American justice system but would in fact set a precedent for tearing apart that whole system, I can’t help but think this is even more dangerous. Because we have people not just not speaking out. We have people–good people, godly people–cheering. Hoping they “come for” the opposition.
Have you done that? Have I? Have we gotten so caught up in our frustration over what we deem wrong that we cheer at the thought of others’ destruction? Maybe…probably. It fulfills that need inside to be proven right. Those conspiracy fantasies (I like that phrase, I’m gonna keep it, LOL) make us feel like we’re winning, like good is triumphing over evil.
But here’s the thing. Our King chose to be crucified. Our Lord chose humility. Our Savior tells us to love and not hate. To champion grace, not just justice. To seek to show Him to our enemies, not to show them. Our God calls us to #BeBetter.
So I really have to ask. What’s worth fighting for?
Not just my side. Not just your side. We, my friends, need to be fighting for the freedom to choose a side at all. We need to be fighting not for a win, but for Him. And He had quite a lot to say about enemies. That it isn’t even about what we do. It’s about what’s in our hearts.
So I guess that’s my answer. What’s worth fighting for? The hearts of mankind. And that isn’t a battle waged in political arenas or courtrooms. It’s one waged on our knees.
Let’s stop being outraged. And let’s start being outspoken about His love.

Remember When . . . The World Between Books

Remember When . . . The World Between Books

by | Oct 17, 2018 | Remember When Wednesdays

It’s kinda strange sometimes. I’m still celebrating the release of An Hour Unspent, book 3 in the Shadows Over England Series. But I’m in the editorial process for The Number of Love, book 1 of the next series and halfway finished writing the second one, tentatively titled The Wings of Devotion. These won’t release until 2019 and 2020. So while the general reading public is in one place, I’m working 18 months ahead. I thought I’d give you just a bit of silly behind-the-scenes of how this sometimes works for an author. =)

When I pitched my new series, The Codebreakers, to Bethany House, I was writing An Hour Unspent and editing A Song Unheard. And I was SO GLAD we got the go-ahead when we did, because of how closely the stories are related.
See, at first, I had Margot being 11 or 12 in A Song Unheard. I wanted her to be still fully a child so that her precocious brilliance was even more striking. Did I still intend her to be a heroine in the next series?
Yes. But my initial thought was to make her the last heroine in the series. My thought, at the time, was to call the series The Men of Room 40 and then make it rather cheeky that the last “man” was, in fact, a girl. My plan was, in fact, to have her story set after the war, during an interesting turn of events in Russia.
My editor said, “Yeah, no. How about instead you make her the first heroine to bridge the two series and set it during the war? Of course, then you have to change the series title. It’s not clever if it’s the first one.”
So, being a brainstormer, I got to work on that and soon devised a story for Margot that would be set in the war. But, well…I can’t exactly have a heroine who’s only 15 or 16 in an adult romance. I decided that if I put her adventure toward the end of the war–I went with 1917-18 so that I still had room for the other two books to be set in the end days of the war too–and had her be just barely 18, that could work. Doing the math, I came to the conclusion that she would then be 14 during A Song Unheard.
Luckily, we were still in edits on that one, so I could go in pretty easily and change her age and actions where necessary to make her more age-appropriate. 
That’s not the first time I’ve had to make tweaks to a previous book to allow for what I want to happen in later ones, and I’m so glad the editorial process is long enough, and spaced appropriately, to allow this!

Word of the Week – From Scratch

Word of the Week – From Scratch

by | Oct 15, 2018 | Word of the Week

My October baking has inspired looking into this one. Why, exactly, do we say something’s made “from scratch” if it doesn’t use a mix? Maybe y’all know this already, since it’s pretty simple, but I was clueless, LOL.

In my head, I think it may have had something to do with the meaning of scratch that comes from the verb meaning “scrape together,” as in scratching out an existence. Because, you know, you scrape together the ingredients. Literally… And I guess that’s not totally far afield.

But in fact, it’s a bit more simple than that. One of the noun meanings of scratch is “nothing.” (Which I guess I’d never really paused to consider before.) So from scratch really means from nothing. Er, nothing pre-made anyway. Interestingly, that’s been in use since 1918.

Do you like to make things from scratch, or are you more for the ease of boxes and mixes? (My answer depends on the project.)

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