Giveaway extended

Hey everyone, I am extending the contest deadline to Saturday, October 22. I will draw the name on Sunday morning!  The contest is running on both of my blogs!


Be sure to leave two separate comments for two entries and leave me your email address so that I can contact you if you win!
 
Missy

Book of Dreams by Davis Bunn and giveaway!

 

I just finished reading Book of Dreams by Davis Bunn.  What a great book!  I read it in two days while I was sick and enjoyed it very much!  The whole book is on the premise that God speaks to us through His Word and how we need to pay attention to our dreams because God may be speaking to us in our dreams.  We need to open our hearts and listen when God speaks to us.

I always knew the banking system was corrupt, but I never understood how until Davis explained it in his book.  We need to be aware of what is happening in our banks and how they operate with the politicians.  Dr. Elena Burroughs is a psychologist who is just existing in her life after her husband passed away.  She was content with how things were, but when she gets a new client - everything changes.  She is swept up in the politics of the banks and gets a very old book that helps her understand God, life and dreams better then she could understand on her own.

I would recommend this book to everyone.  Even though I usually only read historical fiction, this book is great and will keep you focused to the end!

To read the first chapter, go here:  

http://books.simonandschuster.com/Book-of-Dreams/Davis-Bunn/9781416556701/excerpt_with_id/17972

To win a copy of the book read the first chapter and tell me what you think of the book!

For another entry "like" Davis Bunn on facebook and leave me another comment letting me know you "liked" him.

https://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=hp#!/pages/Davis-Bunn-author/134762129885578 

Be sure to leave two separate comments for two entries and leave me your email address so that I can contact you if you win!  The contest will end on Tuesday, October 18.  I will draw the name on Wednesday morning!

I have some interview questions to share with you from Davis Bunn about his book!

In Book of Dreams, you revisit a theme from one of your earlier books, The Warning. Why did you write about the crisis in the banking industry? 

The Warning, published in 2003, focused on the then-current financial crisis. It was about a man who felt called by God to warn people that financial upheaval was coming, and the difficulties he had in getting his message across. That book was in the top five on the CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) best-seller list for 14 months.

The week I started writing Book of Dreams, the news broke that not one single banker responsible for the mortgage crisis and bank crisis had been convicted of a crime. The banking industry came out of this crisis relatively unscathed while 3 million American families lost their homes — that’s almost 15 percent of all homeowners in America. That, to me, is just not right.

The banking industry is all about self-interest and making money. The American banking industry spends $1 million a day lobbying Congress, while the international banking industry spends another million per day lobbying the American political system. With that much money on the table, there’s a potential for huge profits – the banking industry wouldn’t invest that much money for any other reason.

The question became: “What could happen that would stymie this self-absorbed lobbying?”

The answer: An independent commission that would oversee these transactions so there’d be nowhere for these people to hide. I built Book of Dreams around that premise.


Your story explores how God uses dreams and visions to communicate with people. What inspired that idea?


My wife and I did a wonderful Bible study on the book of Daniel, in which we explored how dreams were one component of Daniel’s gift of prophecy.

When I wrote the book, I tried to build in two key components about communicating with God through dreams or visions. The first is humility. Rather than using a vision or dream for one’s own aggrandizement, I believe that the less the person is involved, the more God can shine through.

The second component is, “How does this vision tie in to the scriptures?” When I was in the Middle East, I saw beautiful cryptograms of the Lord’s Prayer. It was so telling to see the Lord’s Prayer in terms of artwork. This inspired the idea of a book written in Aramaic – the language Jesus spoke – with each verse of Lord’s Prayer on one page of the book.

As I drafted the story, I looked at the Lord’s Prayer one verse at a time and that became my prayer time. It took three months to write the book and I did not finish the Lord’s Prayer in three months. It was a beautiful experience for me.

When the character of Elena follows God’s lead, her life takes a different path than the one she planned or expected. Davis, in what ways does your own dependence on God’s leading take you in surprising directions?

It’s remarkable how this question comes up now, because it seems like this entire year has been one of being open to God’s OTHER direction. This has been true both in my creative work and in my walk of service.

Obviously I had no idea what was in store for us when I wrote the Book of Dreams (remember, the story is completed between nine and twelve months before its publication). But this really has been a reflection of what the story has tried to reveal – that sometimes the most important gift is what at first is what we fear.

Change often feels threatening, but so long as we struggle, we can’t see the true divine intention. To arrive at this point, where our prayer becomes one of genuinely seeking God’s call and His illumination, we must first embrace the change that is there in front of us.

Is a sequel for Book of Dreams planned? If so, when can we expect it?

I am this very moment completing the sequel, which is entitled Hidden in Dreams. Howard/Simon and Schuster have this slated for release in July 2012.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website, blog, and interactive discussion group are at www.davisbunn.com

I update my blog at least three times per week. To subscribe to my latest posts via your feed reader or via email, click http://feeds.feedburner.com/DavisBunn

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Davis-Bunn-author/134762129885578

Twitter: @davisbunn - http://twitter.com/davisbunn

E-Newsletter: My free e-newsletter always includes a giveaway contest for my latest book. To subscribe, fill out the form at www.davisbunn.com or send a blank e-mail to davisbunn@aweber.com. You’ll receive a confirmation e-mail. Click the link in that e-mail, and you’re all set.

I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did!
Missy

By the way, don't forget to check out my other blog about homemaking stuff!  missyscakesandaprons.blogspot.com

Free e-books

I felt like I needed a picture on this post, so here is a picture of my Tiger.  He'll be one on Saturday, isn't he big?  He's between 10 and 11 pounds.  I hope he gets even bigger.

I have been finding lots of free e-books.  I'm still trying to figure it all out, but my husband downloaded a free app for the Amzon kindle on my phone.  I can download free ebooks from Amazon onto my phone to read them.  Here is a link for some free books, but not all books are Christian fiction so you will have to sift through them.  If you don't have a kindle, you can download them onto your computer, but I don't like being confined to one spot with my books.
http://www.facebook.com/l/QAQBVEvcV/www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/digital-text/ref=pd_dp_ts_kinc_1

I have also downloaded an app from Christianbooks.com, and they have free books too.
I'm sorry I have been quiet on here, I've mostly been blogging on my other blog about homemaking stuff, so come see me over there!
missyscakesandaprons.blogspot.com

Enjoy!
Missy

"The Word, God Will Keep It"

I wanted to share a book my Pastor wrote, my husband helped to put it in book format.  This is a great book on the history of the King James Bible, be sure to order a copy for yourself!

"The Word, God Will Keep It: The 400 year History of the King James Bible Only Movement."
By Joey Faust

17 chapters. 335 pages.

Did you know that “King James Onlyism” has been the most popular view among Christians for the past 400 years?
This book, filled with hundreds of quotes, takes you on a detailed journey through the past four centuries to behold the vast number of Christians that believed the King James Bible is the infallible, preserved Word of God! Many of these early Christians also warned future generations of the terrible consequences that would arise as a result of forsaking this Holy Bible – consequences that our age has seen come to pass. This book also exposes a web of occultists and false teachers – outside – as well as inside, Christian churches – that have worked to overthrow the faith of multitudes in the King James Bible.

Some of the chapter titles include:

“Conditioning for a One-World Church”

“The Originals-Only Scheme”

“The Necromancy of Westcott and Hort”

“Heretics Behind the ASV”
Etc.
Order online from http://www.fundamentalbooks.com/

Or send $16.00 to:

Fundamental Books
700 Cordes Dr.
Venus, TX 76084



.

Here Burns My Candle by Liz Curtis Higgs

Here Burns My Candle is an excellent book!  I have read several books by Liz Curtis Higgs and enjoyed them all!  This book is set in Scotland during the Jacobite Rising.  It is set in the Lowlands but the main character is a highlander married to a Lowlander.  Elisabeth Kerr has been raised on superstition for her religion but does not get any satisfaction and cannot understand why until she starts reading the Bible.  She learns the only way to happiness is through God only.  This revelation has changed her life and helps her to cope with the heartaches that are coming her way.

Her mother who is a Lowlander and relishes her social status has many secrets she wishes to remain hidden.  Which way should she be swayed when Bonnie Prince Charlie rides in with his Highlanders?  Should she support him and the Jacobites or stay loyal to England?  There will be consequences either way. 

Be sure to visit eighteenth-century Scotland to find out how God works in the lives of these two very different women whose lives have been thrown together because of their love for the same man.  A motherly love and a wifely love.

You can go here  http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?Ntt=Here+Burns+My+candle&N=0&Ntk=keywords&action=Search&Ne=0&event=ESRCN&nav_search=1&cms=1  to buy the book.

You can go here  http://www.lizcurtishiggs.com/  to learn more about Liz Curtis Higgs and her books.

Happy Reading!

Missy

The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen

The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen is a very good book.  It is about a young lady, Mariah, who made a mistake and is banished from her father's house.  She finds a home in her aunt's gatehouse where she and her companion is basically ignored by her aunt. 
Captain Matthew Bryant has one goal in mind, to win the heart of his lost love by proving himself worthy to her and her father.
Then he meets Mariah when he rents her aunt's manor.  She is not the woman he wants to marry, so why is he so intrigued about this girl with her many secrets? 
This book is very well written and hard to put down.  There is a couple of spots that I felt was too descriptive of Mariah's indescretions that I feel could have been left out though.

Missy

Lion of Babylon by Davis Bunn

I loved this new book by Davis Bunn.  I hate politics and do not always pay attention to what is going on.  I know the basics, but most of it is just too confusing to try to figure out.  I know we went to war because terrorists bombed the twin towers on 9/11.  Aside from that I have never eally understood what was going on over there, until I read Lion of Babylon by Davis Bunn.  He explains what is going on in Iraq without being boring.  It's like somthing just clicked in my brain while reading it  This book would great for a man or woman because it is not a romance book at all.
Lion of Babylon is about an ex CIA operative who gets pulled back into service when an operative who is a good friend of his goes missing in Iraq.  When he arrives in Iraq, he actually joins forces with the Iraqees to find out what is going on, there is more going on then just a missing person.  Is he missing because of political reasons or religious reasons?  How do the religious factions in Iraq and Iran tie in with his disapearance?  Will God help him on his quest to unravel the truth?  This is a must read for everyone to help you understand the political, socila and religious aspects of the war we are in right now.  Davis does an excellent job of interweaving a fictional story with the facts of what is happening right now. 
If you don't care about any of that, read it anyways for a great suspenseful, focus grabbing book!
Unfortunately the book will not be available until July, but you can pre-order the book here:  http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?Ntt=lion+of+babylon&N=0&Ntk=keywords&action=Search&Ne=0&event=ESRCN&nav_search=1&cms=1



Be sure to follow this link http://www.scribd.com/doc/55895986/Lion-of-Babylon  to read the first chapter!


Davis Bunn is an award-winning novelist whose audience spans reading genres from high drama and action thrillers to heartwarming relationship stories, in both contemporary and historical settings. He and his wife, Isabella, make their home in Florida for some of each year, and spend the rest near Oxford, England, where they each teach and write. Visit Davis at www.davisbunn.com .

Here is a quote from Davis about the book:
"This is the first time I have based a story upon my experiences of working and living in the Middle East. I wrote the outline over a six month period, coming back to it time and again between other projects.


My desire was to have half the story told from the point of view of an Arab Christian. I asked myself:

• What does it mean to live as a member of a minority faith?

• What are the current circumstances faced by such a person and their family?

In order for such issues to NOT get in the way of the overall story, I needed to grow utterly comfortable with this man, his world, and his ‘skin’, during the outlining phase of the writing process.

Then I just sat on it for months, knowing I needed something more, but not sure what it was. Finally I showed it to my editors at Bethany House Publishers. It was only when I received their feedback that I felt the book begin to genuinely solidify.

In general, the crucial change between outline and first draft is the climax. I have never had my first vision of the climax actually become the book’s culmination. Lion of Babylon is no exception. As usual, what I envisioned as the climax actually became one of the crucial moments LEADING to the climax. I find I like this uncertainty, this unexpectedness. If I don’t know, the reader normally can’t anticipate."

Be sure to reserve your copy today!

Happy reading!
Missy