Winners!!

It's always so much fun to give away great books!! Congratulations to this week's lucky winner:

Eva – Marrying Miss Marshal by Lacy Williams

Eva, please use the button in the upper right side of this page to email me with your mailing address so I can forward your information to the author. Then, sit back and wait for your book to arrive.

Thank you all so much for stopping by The Borrowed Book and thank you, Lacy Williams, for your generosity in providing a book!

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Weekly Drawing

Entering our weekly drawing is easy:

1. Leave a comment on Fridays or...

2. Sign up to follow The Borrowed Book. Followers will automatically be entered for a chance to win that week's drawing!

This week, The Borrowed Book is giving away:

Marrying Miss Marshal by Lacy Williams ~ A Woman in a Mans Job

Filling the shoes of her late husband as town marshal hasn't been easy for Danna Carpenter. She's not only fighting criminals, she's also fighting to earn the respect of the townspeople. So crossing paths with tenderfoot detective Chas O'Grady is the last thing she needs. He's hunting a band of cattle rustlers and isn't used to the rugged Wyoming landscape. Teaming up is their only option, but when circumstances place them in a compromising situation, the town forces a more permanent partnership—marriage. If they can let down their guards with each other they might find that love is the greatest catch of all.

Winners will be announced on Saturday, 07/30/11.

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Goodbye to an Old Friend

This week Barbour Publishing announced the company had decided to discontinue their Heartsong Presents Romance line. Editor Becky Germany broke the news to authors who are currently writing for the line or who have written for it in the past.

In her email she said:

In October 1992 a wonderful thing was born – Heartsong Presents Inspirational Book Club. I joined the team the very next year and have seen numerous outstanding authors hone their writing skills and build their readership through this series.

Now, with nearly 1000 books in print and within a changing publishing climate, Heartsong Presents is no longer reaching the readers like it once did so well. Committed book club members are harder to find and more expensive to keep. So Barbour Publishing has decided to close the club at the end of 2011.

And with those words came the realization that the line which launched many of the best-selling authors in today’s Christian fiction market is about to pass into history. Heartsong’s dedicated readers who love a sweet romance with a happy ending will now have to look elsewhere for the stories that have touched their hearts for years.

Along with the announcement that the line was closing came the additional news that Heartsong editor JoAnne Simmons who has been with Barbour for six years will be leaving the company. This news made me especially sad because I had the privilege of working with JoAnne as she guided me through three historical romances and a three-in-one in the Brides Series for the line. However, I know the Lord has great things in store for her.

The good news is that there will still be many opportunities at Barbour for writers of Christian fiction. Becky ended her announcement by saying:

The good news is that fiction remains a strong focus at Barbour Publishing including these lines:

Trade fiction (lots of romance)

Romancing America – romance story collections from both Heartsong Presents and newly written novellas

Bride and Wedding titles set in small American towns

Love Endures – Grace Livingston Hill classics

In 2012, I’ll be ready to look at new proposals, and I will consider Heartsong Presents authors even if you aren’t currently with an agent.

With the renewed emphasis on e-books, I suspect this news from Barbour may only be the beginning of more changes from other publishers to come. The world of publishing is in an upheaval right now, and authors are going to have to adjust to all the changes in the wind if we are to survive.

How do you feel about the demise of Heartsong? Leave a comment and let us know.

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Video Interview ~ Lacy Williams

Born in Oklahoma City, Lacy Williams grew up near Calumet, Oklahoma, but her family moved to Edmond when she was twelve. Homeschooled K-12 grades, Lacy graduated cum laude from the University of Central Oklahoma in 2006. After working in the banking and public accounting fields, Lacy elected to stay home with her daughter. She and her husband are expecting baby #2—a boy—in September.

Lacy’s journey to publication started in high school, when she successfully completed a course on “Writing for Children and Teens” through the Institute of Children’s Literature. After a hiatus from writing during her college years, in 2006 Lacy began seriously pursuing publication and joined the American Christian Fiction Writers, a national organization. Through ACFW, Lacy met local writers, entered writing contests, joined critique groups, and attended writing conferences. In 2009, her novel won the Genesis award and was requested by the editor that eventually bought it. Now, Lacy is President of her local writers’ group and gives back by judging writing contests and mentoring other writers. Lacy also teaches writing courses part-time at Francis Tuttle.

Lacy loves to hear from readers. She posts short stories and giveaways at her website www.lacywilliams.net and can be found on social media at www.facebook.com/lacywilliamsbooks and www.twitter.com/lacy_williams.



Lacy is giving away a copy of her book, Marrying Miss Marshal. Be sure to stop by The Borrowed Book on Friday for your chance to win!

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POLL: How will bookstores do up against ebooks?

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The Gift-Getting Season

Since childhood I've been a big fan of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and all their friends. For those other die-hard fans out there, perhaps you recall the movie, It's The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown. When the group heads to the mall around Easter time, they discover that the countdown to Christmas has already begun, and huge sales are advertised everywhere (complete with Christmas decorations). Do you remember what Lucy notes upon seeing such a sight?

"I told you - it's the gift-getting season!"

Now, what does all this talk of Easter (or Christmas, for that matter) have to do with this July 25th post? Well, this week we're celebrating "Christmas in July" on my personal blog, Seasons of Humility. (Forgive me for constantly talking about my own blog, but I find that when I need an idea for a post, I can just stick with similar themes between blogs...)

And to go with Christmas in July, I thought I'd let you know about some gift-getting opportunities! ;)

Free e-Book

OK, let's start with a freebie for everyone! As most of you are probably aware, Amazon.com offers some great, limited-time free Kindle e-books. Here's one such offer:

Just click on the image above to "purchase" your free e-copy of MaryLu's fabulous book, Surrender the Heart. But remember - this offer only lasts through July 31st!

Survey with Giveaways

Here's where my personal blog comes back in. Today I've posted a survey on Seasons of Humility. If you fill out the survey (which mostly pertains to my regular readers, but you're welcome to become a new reader if you're not one already!) and if you have a U.S. mailing address, you can sign up for a chance to win 5 Conversations You Must Have With Your Son or Surrender the Dawn (yes - that would be the third book in her latest series; the first book is the freebie mentioned above). Click on the image below to visit my blog:

An Alaskan Adventure!

This next giveaway is hosted by Bonnie Leon, author of the "Alaskan Skies" series. You can have a chance to win an "Alaskan Adventure in a Box," which includes a DVD, book, mugs, collectables, and some treats! Just click on the image below to learn how to enter. (You have until August 8th to enter.)

More Christmas in July

Waterbrook Multnomah is also celebrating Christmas in July with a fun and easy-to-enter giveaway! All you have to do is "TEXT 'Christmas In July' to 57682." The website says that winners will be notified by text message on August 1st, so I'm guessing this giveaway is still open until then. (Forgive me if I'm mistaken!) Just to be on the safe side, I'd enter soon! Click on the image below to learn more about the giveaway (including which Christmas books you can win):

Gift Giving

What's better than a "gift-getting" season? Well, I'd venture to say that would be a "gift-giving" season! May all this talk of Christmas in the summer season remind us to give to others all year long - and not just material gifts, but more importantly love, encouragement, comfort, a good example, and friendship.

I hope you all have fun entering the various contests (etc.), and feel free to let us know of any giveaways you might be hosting this week! And let's remember to let this be a season of gift giving, as well!

(Note: Charlie Brown movie image from IMDb.com.)

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Winners!!

It's always so much fun to give away great books!! Congratulations to this week's lucky winners:

Lydia (pumpkinbabyjane/at/gmail/dot/com) - Wolfsbane by Ronie Kendig

twiga92 - May on the Way: How I became a K9 Spy by KC Frantzen

Winners of this week’s books, please use the button in the upper right side of this page to email me with your mailing address so I can forward your information to the authors. Then, sit back and wait for your books to arrive.

Thank you all so much for stopping by The Borrowed Book and thank you, Ronie Kendig and KC Frantzen for your generosity in providing books!

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