About the Book

Click here to purchase your copy!

About the Author

Rachel Hauck is an award winning, New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author.

Her book The Wedding Dress was named Inspirational Novel of the Year by Romantic Times. She is a double RITA finalist, a Christy and Carol Award Winner.

Rachel sits on the Executive Board for American Christian Fiction Writers, and is the comical sidekick to Susan May Warren at the amazing My Book Therapy. She is a worship leader and speaker.

Guest Post from Rachel Hauck

I’m always looking for story ideas. My husband does a standard disclaimer when I start drilling into a conversation with questions like:

”Really? So why did you do that?”

”Have you sought help?”

”Was it love at first sight?”

Hubster says, “Warning, anything you say can end up in a book.”

Of course, stories abound! Interesting people abound!

Then again, sometimes ideas just hit out of the blue. A few years ago I had the idea of a young, contemporary couple meeting by “accident” only to learn that their great grandparents were in love but time, life, family, war, or society made their love impossible.

I suppose there are a hundred ways to tell such a story but when it came time to write The Love Letter, I was slightly infatuated with the Poldark series on PBS.

Set in 18th century Cornwall, the story and the characters were so dynamic I had to write my own version of Poldark.

But could I write a split time with a 240 year difference? I mean, they didn’t have electricity or phones in 1780! They didn’t even have a postal system. Letters were carried by traveling friends or family.

What possible conflicts could my historical characters face? What event could be so dark and tragic to keep them apart?

The Revolutionary War created a perfect backdrop for my young lovers.

I set the story in upcountry South Carolina not realizing the battle I chose for the back drop, the Battle of Cowpens, was the inspiration for the movie The Patriot. (A fav movie of mine!)

For the contemporary story, I started with shoes. I mean, doesn’t every thing start with shoes?

”Nice outfit but what shoes are you wearing?”

”You’re going on a date? You need new shoes.”

What we “walk in” can either empower or defeat us. There’s a spiritual metaphor I’ll mediate on for awhile.

However the shoe angle didn’t quite work so the contemporary story ended up in Hollywood with an actor/screenwriter and an actress.

Both worlds—1780 upcountry South Carolina and contemporary Hollywood—were a bit out of my southern bailiwick.

I did a lot of research on the war and the colonial south. Where I couldn’t find details, I filled in with my imagination.

As for Hollywood, I talked with a screenwriter friend, read books, watched interviews, and then, you know, made the rest up. Don’t you know I eventually ended up on a movie set—Once Upon A Prince—four days after I finished reading the galley proofs for The Love Letter!

One of the hardest parts of the story was the actual love letter. What did it say? Who wrote it and why? Was there more than one? No, only one. But why only one?

I must have written and rewritten the letter five different ways to Sunday before I settled on the magical one.

During the course of the book, I realized I’d never written a love letter. Have you?

I’ve written sentiments to my husband on an anniversary or birthday card. I speak my love and affection out loud all the time. But a bonafide love letter?

A love letter is it’s own art form. They range from sickly sweet with a lot of “darlings” and “sweethearts” to Shakespearean sonnets.

There’s a vulnerability that comes with writing a love letter. Putting one’s heart on the page creates a new level of commitment with your affections.

Will the reader receive your words? Will the reader respond in kind?

It’s fascinating to consider the purpose of a love letter. Have we lost something intrinsic to the human heart with our instant texting and email society.

Can you imagine Romeo texting to Juliet in 2018?

Saw you at your window. You looked hot.

Doesn’t quite have the same ring as: “But soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and Juliet is the sun.”

Scripture is a continuous love letter. “For God so loved the world—”

Whether you write love letters or poems, or quick texts, or put XO’s on cards to loved ones, write a love letter this month.

Write one to yourself, to Jesus, a spouse, child, parent, friend, foe—

See how it will bless your heart! Off to write my love letter…

Blog Stops

Blog Stops
Among the Reads, June 21

Jeanette’s Thoughts, July 4

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Rachel is giving away

Grand prize of a Kindle Fire 7
Semi-Grand prize of a book basket
2nd – 4th place prize of a copy of The Love Letter!!

Click below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/d071/the-love-letter-celebration-tour-giveaway

My Review of The Love Letter

Rachel Hauck. She’s absolutely amazing as an Author. I cannot even begin to describe the feelings that her books invoke as you read through them.

Time flashes back to one place and yet you’re still here in the modern world. Two stories mingle to create one. Viewpoints and feelings mix to provide a world of intrigue, love and romance that you’d never believe.

The Love Letter is Rachel’s newest release and having read a few of her previous books, I knew I did not want to miss this one. It has not disappointed. True to her style, Rachel’s words create a world that shares a story that is heartwarming and loving all the same.

The Love Letter features my home state of South Carolina. It centers around the Battle at Cowpens and the American Revolution and shares the story of Hamilton Lightfoot and Esther Kingsley, who’s love was shattered by the threat of war. Esther has to choose between loyalty to her Father and loyalty to her heart, and her love for Hamilton despite the beliefs of her family as Tory’s. Will her Father forgive her and her heart’s love for a traitor?

Jesse Gate had no clue his life was going to take off like it has when he shared the story of his Colonial ancestor, Hamilton Lightfoot and the Love Letter written in the midst of a raging battle so many years before. Jesse’s life has been mediocre until now and finally all of his dreams were coming to light. Perhaps his family could find forgiveness for his past in the light of his future but the leading lady left him questioning life in so many ways.

The prodigal child of amazing Hollywood parents, Chloe Daschle’s fame wasn’t all she had hoped for. She really needed this lead role of Esther to break out of her “death” rut in acting before she became known for her dying roles. All her hopes and dreams laid on the line with this one role. Could she convince everyone that this was her breakout from the past and that she was made to Star as Esther? Or is she doomed to be the failure she believes herself to be?

This book unfolds in a way that really keeps you on your toes. The scenes are beautifully written and the storyline equally so. I’ve fallen in love with another of Rachel’s wonderful books and I’m anxiously anticipating the next.

Yesterday was a hard day for our world with Epilepsy. Emotionally, Laycie is going through some things. She’s growing up. Hormones are taking over as she develops and with that comes lack of understanding and uncontrolled emotions.

Laycie can’t tell me what’s wrong. She says she’s not sad, she feels loved, and she enjoys her life. She’s overwhelmed with this growing up thing and I can see that as her Momma.

Laycie was diagnosed with Epilepsy at 4 months old. She’s taken medication every day, twice daily for 10 years now. She’s tired of it. She’s tired of the battle, of the meds, of not being a normal little girl who can just go play as she pleases and doesn’t need medicine to keep her healthy or alive.

Without medicine Laycie may end up having a seizure. Taking her off has not been an option yet. Even with the medication, there is too much seizure activity to do so.

Laycie doesn’t understand this because she doesn’t “see” the seizures. She doesn’t “remember” when they happen. Her brain wipes clean and she has no recollection that anything has even happened to her.

Her big question is “why her” and why have her siblings seemed to have outgrown this but she has not? Why does she still need medication when no one else in the family does? Why does God allow her to still suffer when she has done nothing wrong?

Big questions for such a little girl. Questions that I honestly cannot answer for her. Questions that break my heart as her Momma.

I’m forced to tell her that if she doesn’t take the med, she can become sick, maybe even die, and that my Momma heart wouldn’t live without her here with me. A piece would be left missing forever. That’s a harsh reality for anyone, much less a child.

I apologize that she has to take these meds and remind her that I know how she feels because I’ve had Epilepsy for 39 years just like she’s had it all of her life of 10 years. Words are limited because how do I even begin to explain all of this to her when I don’t have any answers myself. Prayers for her healing go unanswered and I’m left with little hope that this will ever go away for her.

She asks when she’ll outgrow it and I have to honestly say, I do not know – she may never. She may never be able to go without meds. She may never be able to drive. She may never have a normal life like other kids her age.

I have spent many a day wondering why God allows her to continue to have to deal with this. Most days she has control but lately, I see how it’s affecting her emotions, her sleep and her appetite. I see her struggling to understand and wishing she was just normal. As her Mother, I’m here for her. As her advocate, I fight for her best treatment every day.

Epilepsy life is not easy or for the faint of heart. We are truly warriors in an unseen battle every day. Fighting back when the hard days happen.

About the Book

Title: To Claim Her Heart

Author: Jodie Wolfe

Release Date: May 14, 2018

Genre: Historical Romance

In 1893, on the eve of the great race for land, Benjamin David prays for God to guide him to his ‘Promised Land’. Finding property and preaching to the lost are his only ways of honoring his deceased fiancee, but he didn’t count on Elmer (Elsie) Smith claiming the same plot and refusing to leave. Not only is she a burr in his side, but she is full of the homesteading know-how he sadly lacks.

Obtaining a claim in the Cherokee Strip Land Run is Elsie Smith’s only hope for survival, but not just any plot will do. She has a specific one in mind. The plot’s not only a way to honor her pa and his life, but also to provide a livelihood for herself. Elsie’s willing to do whatever it takes to get that piece of property, and she determined to keep it, but she wasn’t planning on a kind, handsome preacher standing in her way.

Her bitterness is what protects her, and she has not intentions of allowing that preacher to lay claim to her land … or her heart.

Click here to purchase your copy!

About the Author

Jodie Wolfe got bitten by the writing bug as a young girl after reading and watching Little House on the Prairie. She creates novels where hope and quirky meet. The power of story to influence lives and change hearts is what motivates her to weave tales that tell of the Savior’s faithfulness and forgiveness. When not writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband in Pennsylvania, reading, walking, and being a Grammie. Learn more at www.jodiewolfe.com.

Guest Post from Jodie Wolfe

The Heart of a Book

I think there’s always a little bit of the author in each book they write, but sometimes something deeper and very close to the author is wrapped up in the pages of a story. That’s the case for To Claim Her Heart. This is the tale that my mother-in-law always wanted me to write. She was so proud of her family heritage and almost twenty years ago, she was anxious to share it with me. We visited Oklahoma where several of her relatives had staked claims in the last great race for land in our country – the Cherokee Strip Land Run of 1893. This September will mark the 125th anniversary of the land race.

While it saddens me that my dear mother-in-law never lived long enough to see this story in print, I’m thankful that she shared her rich heritage with me. In To Claim Her Heart I was able to mention a recipe passed down through her family for prune cake. I also made sure the heroine had a Rose of Sharon quilt that was given to her. My mother-in-law gave me this quilt dating back as early as 1834 when it was stitched by my husband’s great, great, great, great grandmother. It’s been passed down to the oldest daughter for generations. But, I think one of my favorite memories is the one that concerns outlaws and how my husband’s great, great, great grandmother dealt with them. To find out more about this actual encounter, you’ll have to read To Claim Her Heart. I hope your heart will be as touched by these stories as mine was when my mother-in-law shared them.

Enjoy!

Blog Stops

Blog Stops
Carpe Diem, June 19

Godly Book Reviews, July 2

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Jodie is giving away a grand prize of a Kindle Fire!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/cf88/to-claim-her-heart-celebration-tour

My Review of To Claim Her Heart:

To Claim Her Heart is set in the days of the Wild West races for expansion. Back in those days, the government allowed those who wished to obtain a piece of land to purchase a permit and race their heart out until they found the spot of their dreams. You’d find the place, drive a stake in the dirt and go to the nearest land office to claim your ownership. And that’s exactly what Elmer “Elsie” Smith and Benjamin David did. Only the land they wanted was the same piece of land.

What happens when you grab the same land as someone else and claim it at a different office than the other person? You have to wait months and months for a hearing and the land dispute to be settled. In the meantime, you either share the land or you give up. For Elsie and Benjamin David, they were so stubborn that neither one of them would give up. Plus Benjamin had no idea how to manage a homestead and Elsie didn’t realize just how hard it would all be without the finances she needed to make this place her home.

What it came down to is that they either learn to work together in order to survive or they lose out big time. And sometimes love can be found a long the way, even with a man who’s faith she didn’t buy into. Sometimes it takes a good-hearted Christian man to change a stubborn girls heart.

This book was a lot of fun to read. It really reached to my heart and I truly enjoyed every page. Jodie has a wonderful way with words and a funny undertone that I absolutely enjoyed.

Jodie Wolfe is a wonderful author who tells a funny story in a romantic way. She likes writing Historical Romances. She enjoys history and grew up loving Little House On the Prairie. Her family and the Lord are what brings joy to her days. Sharing stories with others does as well.

When I began this journey many years ago, as a first time Momma to a child with Epilepsy, I never imagined I’d be speaking out, sharing our story or blogging about it. I never imagined I’d even be an Epilepsy Momma. I thought my child would be perfect, normal… everything every parent dreams for their little one.

When Emmalee had her first seizure, I was fearful and unsure of what to expect. Having Epilepsy myself, seizures weren’t a new thing to me or my family but having Epilepsy and having a child with Epilepsy are two totally different worlds. I know the feeling of a seizure. I know the things that happen to me, the events that take place, the feelings and emotions and all of that between. But being a Momma who’s child had seizures became a whole new world that I had to learn.

Emmalee was my first with seizures and my easiest with seizures. I had no idea what our future held in those early days and I couldn’t see forward to know that my next two children would also bear this cross, that I was being led into a future where our days are filled with constant worry about what the next step of our day would bring. Epilepsy life is not for the faint of heart.

I am a Warrior. My children are warriors, too. Daily we fight an unseen monster in a battle we may never be able to win. But we never quit fighting and we take it day by day.

Awareness is important to our fight. Speaking out teaches others. There are so many falsehoods about Epilepsy and seizures, about Involuntary Breath Holding Spells that induce Epileptic seizure. The only way we can change this is to share our stories with the world. To let the world know we are here, we live among you every day, that even your closest friend can have seizures. Your child, your mother, father, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, grandparent… even yourself can have a seizure at any point in your life. None of us are immune to this monster and her terrible ways.

What we share matters. Correcting misconceptions, no matter how insignificant or small it may seem, changes the thoughts of others. Speaking up and speaking out about what we deal with each day, what happens in a seizure, what should and should not be done for us or our child, for our family member – all of these things educates and informs others of the truth.

Epilepsy affects every one of us, even when we don’t realize. At some point in your lifetime, you will know someone who has seizures, though you may not be told they have them since many people choose to not speak out. Learning how you can help is important. Epilepsy.com and Epilepsy.org both strive to educate others about what life with Epilepsy is like as well as show you how to help. They’re both great resources to learn more.

Nine years have passed since I started this blog. It is my 15th year as an Epilepsy Momma and my 39th year on June 20th of living with Epilepsy myself. This is a journey I never expected to take in my lifetime but I’m thankful that I can stand up and spread awareness for myself and my children in this day and age. Awareness starts with us.

Read more stories of living with Epilepsy and sharing awareness for Epilepsy at Living Well With Epilepsy.

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