by Crystal Caudill | Jan 14, 2025 | Character Interview
It is my pleasure to introduce to you a character bent on reuniting her family at Christmastime, the time when the hope of miracles seems to be at its highest. Rheann “Ray” Rhodes is a special person and her story filled with the hope of Christmas and reconciliation. Don’t forget to check out the bottom of the blog post your chance to win a copy of Bridges of Hope.
Bridges of Hope by Ruth Douthitt
Country music megastar, Rheann “Ray” Rhodes embarks on one final journey to reunite her estranged family for an unforgettable Christmas in Tennessee. As her family gathers at the ranch in the snow-covered hills, they must face their pasts, heal old wounds, and find a way to reconnect. Through the power of music and the magic of Christmas, Ray and her family rediscover the strength of love, family, and forgiveness.
Purchase Links: Amazon
Now for our interview with Rheann.
CC: I’m so excited to get to introduce you to my readers, Rheann. Would you mind telling them a little bit about yourself?
RAY: Call me Ray. I’ve been in country music since right out of high school. Now that I’m getting ready to retire, I suppose you could say I’m a success. I’ll be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame soon. I’m mostly known for my song “Living With Leaving on My Mind.” This book is my life story.
CC: The life of a country music star must have been intriguing and hard. I’ve seen so many stories of how the life of fame tore families apart. From what I’ve read of the blurb, it sounds like yours is a similar story. So what is the journey you take in this story?
RAY: Fame and fortune took its toll on me. Funny how once you get what you want, you find out it isn’t that great. I divorced my husband because I thought he and the kids held me back in my music career. Now I know the truth. I was holding myself back. Jake Rhodes is the love of my life. I was a fool to let him go. With so little time left, I decided to ask him to help me plan one last Christmas gathering at the ranch in Tennessee. To my surprise, he said yes. The areas of growth I’m facing? Swallowing my pride and seeking forgiveness from Jake and my kids…especially Bucky. And forgiveness from the whole town.
CC: You said you have so little time left. What do you mean?
RAY: Unfortunately, it’s a terminal diagnosis that caught me off guard. I don’t have as much time as I thought I did. So, I’ve decided to do something I should have done years ago: Reconcile with my family.
CC: It’s amazing how getting a diagnosis like that puts what’s important into perspective. You mentioned Jake being the love of your life. Can you tell us a bit about him?
RAY: Jake Rhodes…I fell in love with him the first time I heard him play guitar. He took a poem I wrote in high school English class and put it to music. I toured with his band and then we got married. He supported me throughout my career, raised the kids, and built us a home in Tennessee. Why on earth did I walk away from him? Pride. Selfishness. Arrogance. All of the above. Now I’m back, hoping he’ll take care of me. Can what was broken be mended? Lord, I hope so.
CC: Speaking of the Lord . . . how is your relationship with God?
RAY: Old friends. I pushed Him away at times. I was convinced I could do things on my own. But He showed me otherwise.
CC: Boy is that a lesson we all tend to learn. Since you were a music star, how do others view you?
RAY: My fans adore me because of my songs. Since the early 1990s, my songs have helped women feel empowered, heal, and cope. They view me as one of those strong feminist types but truth is, I’m vulnerable. I struggle with life just like everybody else does. But I have to come across as a strong woman. It isn’t easy but I try.
CC: Keeping up appearances can be so hard, especially when your world is falling apart. How do you want to be remembered?
RAY: As momma, wife, grandma, advocate, and a country music star who wrote and sang her songs for those with broken hearts that needed mending. I’ve been there. I wrote them for you and for me. Remember me each time you hear them…and smile. I’m in a much better place, y’all.
CC: I love how that order reflects your new priorities in life. If there were one thing you could tell the reader, what would it be:
RAY: When God gives you the chance to ask for forgiveness and reconcile, take it. And when given the opportunity to celebrate Christmas with family, do it! Without hesitation. Do it because you never know. It could be your last chance.
I know we’re a bit past the Christmas season thanks to deadlines throwing my blog schedule off, but this is a read you don’t want to miss. So hop on over to Amazon and check out Bridges of Hope by Ruth Douthitt
About Ruth Douthitt:
Former writing teacher, Ruth Douthitt is an award-winning author multi-published author of books for middle grade readers and adults in fiction and non-fiction. She is the winner of the Moonbeam Children’s Books Award-Bronze Medal for Best Book Series and the Christian Indie Awards first place winner in YA. Ruth is working on romantic suspense novels. She currently works for Grand Canyon University and lives in Phoenix with her husband Scott and their little dog.
Connect with Ruth: Website | Facebook | Instagram | GoodReads | BookBub
GIVEAWAY
Here’s your chance to win a copy of Bridges of Hope. Comment on the blog and enter the Rafflecopter for your chance to win! Entries close at 11:59 p.m. EST on January 21,2025. Open to legal U.S. residents. See Giveaway Policies for more details.
Comment with: Who is one person you wish you could have just one more Christmas with?
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by Crystal Caudill | Jan 12, 2025 | Reading Challenge
Unlocking the Past: Ecclesiastes 3
Just as Ecclesiastes has two opposites in each verse, most months will leave you with two options to choose from.
“For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.”
December Verse: A time for war and a time for peace.
Challenge Theme: A book set at the end of a war
January’s Theme: Newest Book on your TBR Pile
In an effort to just get this post out there to you who are patiently waiting, I’m calling an audible. I failed my own challenge. Between a killer deadline, a family emergency that immediately followed, I got nothing for you. BUT thankfully YOU can still tell me what YOU read for the last month of the 2024 challenge.
This year’s challenge focuses on whittling down your current TBR pile, so grab the book that is either the most recently released or the newest one you’ve added to your pile and get to reading!
Giveaway
For your chance to win a print copy, comment with what book YOU read for this month. Use the Rafflecopter below for extra entries and to mark that you left a comment. Entries end on the 20th of each month at midnight EST, and the winner will be drawn sometime that week and notified by email. The winner will be announced on the Rafflecopter widget.
*Open to all residents of the contiguous USA, legally able to enter, and an e-book format or Amazon Gift Card will be awarded to those outside that range who are legally able to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
What did you read for the challenge? What were your thoughts on it? Would you recommend it?
by Crystal Caudill | Dec 3, 2024 | Character Interview
I had the honor of meeting Anna Sullivan when I endorsed A Song of Deliverance by Donna Wichelman, and now I am blessed to introduce you to her and her story. The author, Donna Wichelman, is graciously giving away a copy of A Song of Deliverance to the person who comments and fills out the Rafflecopter widget at the end of this post. Before we dive into Anna’s interview, let me introduce you to her story and what I had to say about it in my endorsement.
A Song of Deliverance by Donna Wichelman
Born into the Irish system of land-holding that favors the moneyed class, Anna Sullivan has no dowry and no chance of marrying the man she loves. Poor and heartbroken, she flees Ireland to tend to Uncle Liam’s house in Colorado and take on her deceased aunt’s sewing business.
But when Anna arrives in Georgetown, she discovers a mine disaster at the Singing Silver Mine has killed her uncle. Orphaned and destitute again, she gathers her faith, courage, and ingenuity to establish a life in the community. Only one person stands in her way—the mine’s owner.
A wealthy grief-stricken widower of European nobility, Stefan Maier threw all his energies into making his mark as a silver mining baron in Colorado. Now everyone blames him for the mine disaster that killed nine men. But how does he convince the lovely and opinionated Irish woman of his innocence?
Will Anna’s heart soften towards Stefan? Will Stefan prove himself worthy of Anna’s affections? Each will have to risk everything to attain what they each want most—love.
“Wichelman delivers a story set in the mining world that is rarely explored with such depth of research. Readers will appreciate Wichelman’s attention to detail and story where the hurts of the past meet the tragedy of the present with a heart for community and hope for a better future. Definitely check out this beautiful reflection of God’s love and provision during unexpected and difficult times as soon as possible.” ~ Crystal Caudill, Author of Counterfeit Love
Purchase Links: Amazon
Now for our interview with Anna.
CC: I’m so excited to get to introduce you to my readers, Anna. Would you mind telling them a little bit about yourself?
AS: Good day to you. My name is Anna Katherine O’Sullivan from Ireland. I’m the main character of the story you’re about to hear–a story about finding the faith and courage to persevere despite the most tragic circumstances and discovering God has never been farther from you than a tiny breath away.
CC: So true. So what or who is your biggest problem in life?
AS: I was born at a time in the nineteenth century when the Irish system of land-holding favored the moneyed class. I had no dowry, no chance of marrying the man I loved. Though he tried to stop me from emigrating to America, his well-to-do parents would never approve of a marriage between us. “They’ll put you out to pasture with the sheep until you get some sense about you,” I told him. Poor and heartbroken, I fled Ireland to tend to Uncle Liam’s house in Georgetown, Colorado and take on my deceased aunt’s sewing business.
CC: It’s so hard when circumstances out of our control force us from the ones we love.
How would you describe your relationship with God?
AS: My journey with God soon became rough once I arrived in Colorado. Faithfully, I attended the church in Ireland and believed God had provided a path forward to earn a living–do better than “butter and egg money,” as Ma hoped for me before she died of cancer. But on the day I arrived in Georgetown, tragedy awaited me. My uncle had died in a mining disaster at the Singing Silver Mine, where he worked. One of the local pastors’ wives, Laurel Thomas, befriended me and tried to comfort me. But I questioned how God could have brought me to Colorado only to leave me once more orphaned and alone in the world without a way of earning a living. It was a poor plan from where I stood on the matter.
CC: It’s sos hard to understand God’s plans, especially when they make no sense to us and feel so painful.
How do you think others view you? Do you feel this is an accurate representation of you?
AS: As you can see, I can have a bit of an attitude–opinionated, some call me–making up my mind before I know all the facts. Ach, it is that Irish temper that sometimes arises to the surface that causes me trouble.
CC: Ha ha! I’m not even Irish and my temper can get me in trouble!
Tell us a bit about the personal journey you through during this story.
AS: I’d never considered myself without gumption in Ireland. A person in poverty must always corral the resources to get by. Now, I had to dig deep down into my heart and soul and find the faith and courage to create a new life for myself in a strange, new world despite what appeared to be God’s mistake. Over and again, I encountered circumstances that required the mettle to persevere.
CC: And that is such a wearying experience, isn’t it?
What is your greatest skill that helps you through the story?
AS: Finding my initiative once more, I took up my aunt’s sewing business she had left behind for me, and I built upon the reputation she had made. This enterprise, as well as others, served me well as I established a life in the community.
CC: What a blessing to have such great skill with a needle. I can barely hem!
How would you describe the love interest?
AS: Sometimes our preconceptions prevent us from seeing clearly what God’s plan is. I have to admit my first impressions of the handsome Mr. Stefan Maier did not impress me. For one thing, he owned the Singing Silver Mine, and people held him responsible for the mine disaster. Then, when I discovered he hailed from European nobility, I wrote him off as above my class and out of my reach as Seamus had been back in Ireland. Even when Stefan insisted our class differences didn’t matter, it took me some time to cast off old prejudices without lingering regret. But when he sacrificed his life to prove to me and all of Georgetown who caused the disaster that killed nine men, I saw him for the man he truly was, and the veil across my eyes fell.
CC: What a beautiful story of growing to see someone for who they are and not just what we think.
If there is one thing you could tell the reader, what would it be?
AS: I thank the good Lord for Laurel Thomas, who reminded me that we might plan and scheme and think that we have our lives under control, but it will always be the purposes of the Lord that will be established. He promises to make our paths straight if we boldly move forward, trusting His plan over our own.
CC: Having those truth speakers in our lives is so important.
Thanks for hanging with us today. Readers, if you’re looking for a a good read over the Christmas break that isn’t Christmas, I definitely suggest picking up this one. If not now, then in the New Year.
About Donna Wichelman:
Weaving history and faith into stories of intrigue and redemption grew out of Donna’s love of travel, history, and literature as a young adult while attending the United World College of the Atlantic—an international college in Wales, U.K. She enjoys developing plots that show how God’s love abounds even in the profoundly difficult circumstances of our lives. Her stories reflect the hunger in all of us for love, forgiveness, and belonging in a world that often withholds second chances.
Donna received her master’s degree in mass communication/journalism from San Jose State University and became a communications professional before writing full-time. Her short stories and articles have appeared in inspirational publications. She has two indie-published Christian romantic suspense novels in her Waldensian Series—Light Out of Darkness and Undaunted Valor. Her historical romance, A Song of Deliverance, releases on December 3, 2024.
Donna and her husband of forty years participate in ministry at their local church in Colorado. They love spending time with their grandchildren and bike, kayak, and travel whenever possible.
Connect with Donna: Website | X | Facebook | Instagram | GoodReads | BookBub
Readers: What books do you know that also feature enemy to lovers books?
Giveaway:
Donna has graciously decided to give away one copy of A Song of Deliverance. Be sure to comment on the questions above and then hop over to the Rafflecopter to be entered. Giveaway open from time of posting until 11:59 p.m. EST on 12/10/2024.
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by Crystal Caudill | Nov 30, 2024 | Reading Challenge
It’s another month our challenge: Unlocking Ecclesiastes 3. I’m so excited to join you again this year with guest reviews from our reading challenge participants. If you want to submit a review for upcoming months, feel free to email me using my contact form. If you are looking for suggestions as to what to read each month, may I recommend joining my Crystal Caudill’s Reading Friends Facebook group, or visiting Avid Readers of Christian Fiction or Inspirational Historical Fiction Index. I’ll also include a short list at the bottom of this post.
Don’t forget to comment at the bottom of the post for your chance to win a book off my prize shelf. *The list of prizes available from my prize shelf can be found here.*
Unlocking the Past: Ecclesiastes 3
Just as Ecclesiastes has two opposites in each verse, most months will leave you with two options to choose from.
“For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.”
November Verse: A time to love and a time to hate.
Challenge Theme: An enemies-to-lovers book
December Verse: A time for war and a time for peace.
Challenge Theme: A book set at the end of a war
Fiancé Finale
by Angela Ruth Strong
Review by: Crystal Caudill
So I might have stretched the boundaries of this month’s challenge, but even though it was a second chance romance, Nicole did start out with not liking Charlie for the way he broke her heart. One of my favorite things about the book was the fact Charlie was neurodivergent. It’s not a hero-type you usually see, but Angela did an amazing job with it. His character was so well done in the way that he sees things as black and white and emotions are difficult to feel or understand. His journey to understanding what love really is and demonstrating it was one of my absolute favorite arcs for a RomCom. Angela Ruth Strong writes RomCom with depth, and I think she’s ruined me for any other type of RomCom. Also, Nicole is believable, a pastor’s kid who has suffered at the hands of a father who made poor decisions but refused to acknowledge them, and had to find her way to forgiveness in order to find love for her father and for Charlie. It was a beautiful story that needed told. I highly recommend the entire series, especially this one.
Genre: RomCom
Plot Overview:
Charlie Newberg is sure about one thing: Nicole Lemaire is the woman God wants him to marry. There’s a slight problem, thoughmdashhe’s already left her once. The day before their wedding. To make a documentary.
But he’s got a plan. The marketing firm she works for is the ideal choice for promoting his new film. Collaborating will give him the perfect chance to propose again, so he conspires with her boss to make sure she runs the campaign for the same kind of documentary Charlie left hermdashbasically at the altarmdashfor.
Despite Nicole’s resistance, the two work well together. But Charlie’s going to need more than teamwork to convince the jilted bride to give him a second chance. In fact, he might need to fall in love in a way he’s never really understood.
Purchase Links:
Amazon | Baker Bookhouse | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook.com
Giveaway
For your chance to win a print copy, comment with what book YOU read for this month. Use the Rafflecopter below for extra entries and to mark that you left a comment. Entries end on the 7th of each month at midnight EST, and the winner will be drawn sometime that week and notified by email. The winner will be announced on the Rafflecopter widget.
*Open to all residents of the contiguous USA, legally able to enter, and an e-book format or Amazon Gift Card will be awarded to those outside that range who are legally able to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Recommendations for December:
- The Portrait of Loyalty by Roseanna White
- All Things New by Lynn Austin
- Escape to Paradise trilogy by MaryLu Tyndall
- Daisies Are Forever by Liz Tolsma
- Springtime of the Spirit by Maureen Lang
- Traces of Mercy by Michael Landon, Jr. & Cindy Kelley
What did you read for the challenge? What were your thoughts on it? Would you recommend it?
by Crystal Caudill | Nov 19, 2024 | Author Interviews, Uncategorized
I pray that you have friends in your life who have become like family. Voni Harris is one such friend. She’s part of my core group of friends, which we have fondly named the Masters of Mayhem, or Mayhemmers for short. She is an amazing woman, friend, wife, mother, and Christian. It is such an honor to finally introduce you to her with an additional title: author. Voni’s debut novel, Surge, releases TODAY, so after you finish the interview, pop over to Amazon and grab your copy! (Voni will also graciously be giving away an e-copy from the A Breed Apart Legacy series, as well as bookmarks and stickers.)
Before we go in too deep, will you introduce yourself, Voni?
Hello! Waving hi from Alaska! It’s no surprise I grew up to write suspense novels. Dad was a law enforcement instructor. Mom was a newspaper editor. And God wove a love of words and story into my DNA.
My legal eagle hubby and I make our home on an Alaska island. We live with two dogs: Stingray, an Australian Shepherd, is obsessed with playing tug, and Kip, a Boston Terrier is obsessed with food. They all conspire to get me away from my computer and out into the real world of this beautiful rainforest in which we live.
Living in Alaska is truly the stuff of dreams. Winter days of darkness, summer nights of sunlight. Mountains, ocean, forest. Rain, snow, clouds, sun. Even earthquakes. These all meet here on the island in infinite variations. In the same way joy, music, fun, tears, laughter, fear, and surprise meet in life in infinite variations. Through it all is woven the light of hope in Christ. This is what I hope to catch in my writing … The darkness of suspense, the light of Christ.
You can connect with her through: Website | Facebook | Instagram | GoodReads
Now for the fun stuff! I have to admit I am partial to my Fast Five. 🙂 So settle in as I hit Voni with rapid-fire.
CC: Pineapple pizza or candy corn?
VH: Candy corn is gross. Pineapple pizza!
CC: Test the waters or dive in the deep end?
VH: Ahem. I’m 4’6″, so I’m not diving in the deep end, lol.
CC: Guacamole or salsa?
VH: Salsa–as long as it’s mild.
CC: Silly hats or silly socks?
VH: Silly socks, of course!
CC: Passwords or secret handshakes?
VH: Handshakes aren’t that secret, LOL. Passwords!
Awwww, come on, Voni. Just because you’re short doesn’t mean you can’t dive into the deep end. 🙂 You’ve got the three of us (Angela, Liz, and me) to come after you. Although . . . maybe that isn’t such a good idea either. Liz might be the only one actually able to haul you out while Angela and I sink to the bottom.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
VH: Age 5. I loved finding out that Highlights published poems and short, short stories from kids. Plus, Laura Ingalls Wilder was a writer. L.M. Montgomery was. Ronie Kendig is. They all motivated me.
CC: I remember Highlights! Who didn’t love getting their hands on the magazine? Of course, my favorite part was the kid-submitted jokes. But that fits us, doesn’t it? LOL
What does your writing process look like in general from beginning to end?
VH: Plan the characters. Plan the plot. Write out a chapter by chapter synopsis. WRITE THE BOOK. Connect the dots and fix on my re-read. Rewrite and edit. Content edits. Line edit. Proofreading edit. Galleys. DONE!
CC: It is a process! My favorite process is the brainstorming with you how to connect those dots. 😉
What is your writing Kryptonite?
VH: Planning is great … unless you spend time in planning like you sank into quicksand.
CC: It’s definitely easy to overplan rather than get the words down.
What has been the biggest challenge for you on your writing journey?
VH: Like I said above, moving forward instead of wallowing in writing quicksand.
CC: Wallowing is so easy to do. I’m so glad we have each other to be blunt and say that’s enough, move on, and then to help in the pulling out of the quicksand.
How have you seen God work through your writing journey?
VH: He has worked through writing partners and mentors who have done nothing but encourage and push me (as did deadlines, lol).
CC: I agree. Having you as a writing partner has been a gift and definitely the hand of God. I am so glad that He has given you so many people to pour into you and motivate you.
Do you have any advice for those who want to write their own stories?
VH: Pray, pray, pray. Always, always ask “why” as many times as it takes to understand where your story is going. And friends, friends, friends who won’t just pat you on the head emotionally about your writing because they want to help you level up your writing.
CC: Great advice and SOOO true.
Now I’m excited to talk about Surge.
Love and Betrayal in a Race Against Time
Delaney Thompson isn’t just a dog trainer—she’s the key to preventing a disaster. With loyal Military Working Dog, Surge, by her side, she’s ready to prove herself on her first mission…even without military training. Her goal? Help the intense Belgian Malinois track down a specific chemical linked to a dangerous terrorist group before it reaches American soil. But to succeed, she must navigate unfamiliar terrain and an even more unpredictable partner.
Garrett Walker is a seasoned military operator, driven by duty and haunted by tragic losses. Reluctantly, he teams up with Delaney, whose lack of tactical experience makes her a liability as he leads them across Southeast Asia. Yet Garrett knows that mission success and the safety of countless lives back home hinge on his leadership, the Malinois’s special scent training, and Delaney’s unique skills.
The stakes couldn’t be higher: if Delaney and Garrett fail to locate and secure the toxic chemical, hundreds of thousands of Americans could die. As they hunt down the terrorists, their objectives are clear—find the stash, neutralize the threat, and try not to get killed. But with mutual distrust simmering between them, their greatest challenge may be learning to rely on each other.
A gripping tale of suspense, betrayal, and unexpected romance. Dive into this high-stakes adventure where every moment counts…and falling in love might just be the most perilous move of all.
Purchase your copy at Amazon
CC: Who was te most challenging character to create?
VH: Garrett was the most difficult. He has to, at some point, give up his frustration with Delaney, so it was a hard balance.
CC: I can remember many discussions about Garrett and finding the right pacing for his growth. Enemies to lovers can be such a hard trope to make believable.
Which Character was the most fun to create?
VH: Delaney was fun as a maverick, as well as her love and understanding of Military Working Dogs.
CC: She certainly liked to stand on her own and not have to rely on someone who acted like he didn’t even like her.
How did this story affect you as your wrote it? Did God teach you anything through the writing?
VH: I learned to push ahead on the writing God prepared me in advance to do, as Garrett and Delaney and Surge learned to push ahead on their mission God called them to do. Garrett didn’t want to be called, and Delaney was afraid of being called … but they both learned from this mission. We all have both callings and things to learn, which is why God calls us.
CC: Yes. He definitely has dual purposes in his calling us.
What do you hope readers will take away from your story?
VH: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” –Ephesians 2:10 What has God prepared you in advance to do? Or what is he preparing you to do?
CC: Such a great verse for readers to walk away thinking about.
I always like to end with a fun question so . . .
What animal is most like you? Why?
VH: A Military Working Dog, of course. Like an MWD, it is in my heart to do exactly what needs to be done, exactly right.
CC: Why am I not surprised by this? LOL And yes, the aim for perfection is a great description of you!
Readers, I hope you’ll check out Surge and then leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and/or BookBub. You wouldn’t believe how important that is to an author.
Giveaway Info
Voni is graciously giving away a bookmark and sticker, and an e-copy of any of the A Breed Apart Legacy books. They are each stand-alone books; you do not have to read the others in order to read Voni’s.
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Reader, what other books can you think of that have a dog?
